Tahoma Ski

During our recent spell of high pressure a group of local climbers made a rare winter ascent of the Tahoma Glacier and ski descent from the summit. Thanks to Doug Daniell for the report and photos.

I climbed and skied the Tahoma Glacier with a group of four from Seattle
on January 19-21. I wanted to share some conditions information and
beta for a winter approach from the west side of the mountain. We began
our ascent on the 19th from the Westside Road closure near the park
entrance. We were able to skin from the car (~2150') although coverage
was a few inches at best. We eventually joined Tahoma Creek and except
for a few creek crossings found easy travel. Camped to the west of
Glacier Island on a calm, mild night. On the 20th we skinned up on firm
snow to the glacier, passed a few icefalls on the right, and then
traversed left at 9K to a smooth ramp that led to camp at 10K. Enjoyed a
beautiful sunset and alpenglow on the slopes above.





Sometime before 5am on the 21st we roped up, dropped down to the
north to avoid some looming seracs, and then navigated crevasses and ice
debris to the base of Sickle. We decided on this variation to avoid
what looked like large swaths of glare ice on the main Tahoma. In the
Sickle we found good travel on shallow wind-packed powder and firmer
styrofoam, with patches of ice globs especially higher on the route.
Beautiful Rainier shadow at sunrise though we remained in the cold
ourselves. Brought pickets/screws but none were used. Definitely not a
route to tackle with much avy danger - saw lots of evidence of sluffs
and maybe a well-weathered crown or two. The rest of the way to the
summit was a slog as usual. Great views from Jefferson to Baker, though
the Puget Sound was covered in fog and clouds.



The ski down was a hodgepodge of snow conditions - terrible off the
summit, some nice smooth patches below Liberty saddle, fun steep skiing
through the Sickle, thousands of feet of wind-effect down the glacier,
and then occasionally breakable crust down to the creek. Three of us
completed the full descent and one had a major binding failure high on
the route that entailed lots of walking and some improvised ski-strap
solutions to get out by 10pm.



FYI,
snowmobiles are allowed from the road closure on 410 to White River
Campground, Remember to self-register before your climb or overnight
stay whatever your route may be.

FATS - Forks Area Trail System

The morning brought bright sunshine, heat, and humidity. Glad I was planning for a early bike ride.
I was at the trailhead about 7 am, ready to ride. The temperature was in the 70s already and about 100% humidity. No stopping me now - I stopped in Augusta just to ride FATS.
There is a large kiosk at the trailhead. Maps are available there. I headed down the trail. Soon I was at the junction of the trails. Well marked trail signs. There was also a map carved into a slab of tree. Also, a placard listing the organizations involved in constructing the trail system. Eventually, i will post photos of this on the web site.
On down the trail. A couple switchbacks to get down to the main trail. Again, at every trail junction there was a signpost. There is always a arrow the way to the trailhead and how far.
The trail was a mixture of sweet, flowing singletrack, a few short climbs, lots of rollercoaster, some roots, rocks, and armoring spots. A little of everything! The photo above shows one of the rollercoaster sections.
By the time I was getting near the end of my ride, I was getting pretty good at riding the rollercoaster. The only problem was a couple spots I had to get off the bike, not feeling comfortable riding a section. Mostly, I bombed down the trail.
That was until my legs started to get tired. I really need to get out and ride more trails like this one, to build up my stamina.
Had a great morning at FATS - wish I had more time to ride there. Showered, packed the car, and stopped at Denny's for a full breakfast (and to use the wi-fi). But, it is on to N. Myrtle Beach and my Army Reunion.

Material Girl

My car had been stolen - but I managed to acquire a Chopper bike.





It was a little on the small side for me and I felt ridiculous, but I pedalled furiously, delighting in my ability to change the gears smoothly, and made good time.





I reached my destination - which turned out to be a fabric shop - just in time for a special 15 minute sale. They were selling whole bolts of fabric - Jane Churchill, Nina Campbell, Colefax & Fowler, etc, etc.





The sale price was 3 bolts of fabric for 70p. No limit on quantity.

Borrowed Image from visual photos.com

It was so exciting, so unexpected.





I needed no further invitation, my greedy hands reached for the fabrics and then I woke up.





Oh.

Shiloh

We made a trip to Shiloh over the weekend. I have umpty-million photos to download, but so far this one is my favorite.

Spotted fawn in the Union cemetery. (Click to enlarge.)
His cute little fuzzy close-up:

Awww.
-----
It was a very birdy weekend. This wasn't really a birding trip, but we did have our binoculars, so we looked every time we happened to see the branches moving. The list of warblers we saw without even really trying:
Yellow-throated
Black-and-White
Magnolia
Canada
Chestnut-sided
Redstart
Pine
Palm
Brewster's (!)
Tennessee
The gorgeous male Canada warbler was a special treat since we hadn't seen one in so long. And the Brewster's, wow! They are a hybrid between the Blue-winged and Golden-winged warblers, and we'd only seen one once or twice before, at Dauphin Island.
If we'd had more time, we'd have turned it into a birding trip until the migration fallout ran dry, and finished exploring the battlefield later. The weather was beautiful - the first fall-like days of the year.

Just resting.
Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis).

I Finished It!

Here it is, my finished watercolor. It took me two sessions to finish it. I was using an instructional video and followed the teacher's instructions. Of course, it's not as good as his, but I'm pretty happy with it.
I think what I'm happiest about is the fact that I actually started it. That's the hardest part for me. I had to get over my fear of beginning. Once I did, it was pretty easy. Now if I could only do it WITHOUT the video. I have several books that are step-by-step. I think I'll work through one from start to finish.
I know it's like any other thing you want to learn. It takes work and discipline. I want to set aside the same time every day and do art. I need to make it a habit. Then it'll be easier to get into a project. Perseverance is the key.

Water of life

Or rather one of the three raw ingredients for whisky, or 'uisge-beatha' in Gaelic. Peat-brown water from a burn (stream). Water is something that Scotland normally has plenty of, and this is the surplus-to-requirements water from Glenrothes distillery on Speyside.
More distillery photos to follow in due course. I can't help it. I grew up in a small Highland village with a distillery round every corner, and worked in one for several years during university vacations. I wish Blogger had an 'aroma' facility, and then you could breathe the whisky-scented air.

Thank You

Dear Friends,
Thank you so much for your very thoughtful, kind comments about Terra. Her mom, Sue, conveys her thanks too. Terra's mom is doing remarkably well - she is tough and resilient, but still, of course, so sad. She has been keeping close company with Shanti in the last couple of days - I know Shanti is a comforting presence. This is a photo of me and Terra playing in Marinwood Creek - Terra (r) and me (with the kong, duh!). Me and my family are still a little shell-shocked; losing, really, two of my three good doggie pals here in "homeland" in just two months feels like too much. Mom's going to do a little research on this "hemang...." disease over the next couple of days. Thank you again so much for your generous outpouring of kind thoughts.
Love and Hugs xo,
Sammie and family

Blame it on the rain

Since everyone (except me) seems to be whining about the rain in these parts right now, I thought I might jump on the bandwagon for a while. The exhibit being last Saturday's ride to Springbrook. Shame on the rain for daring to add some character to the mountain views, shame shame shame!



Shame on the rain for allowing flowers like these to come out. Shame shame shame.


And finally, shame on the rain for allowing me to make new friends.

Oh yeah, and shame on Stadiums Queensland for trying to make Gold Coast United pay $140,000 a go to use a ground with inferior drainage to Pizzey Park for f*cks sake! Just a little personal rant about something that bugged me a few hours after the ride.

Irresistible autumn

The blogsphere is full of autumn photos just now, so why not a few more to celebrate this loveliest of seasons.





Below, Rothes Old Cemetery. On the other side of the wall is a whisky warehouse, giving rise to many local quips about the 'spiritual' location of the cemetery.





The distillery itself, against a background of autumn colour.

Thompson Falls, Cascade River

Above: Thompson Falls

A couple of days ago we visited Thompson Falls on the Cascade River, a waterfall I had never heard of until recently. It turned out to be a gem of a waterfall, with seemingly limitless photo possibilities. The main channel of the river is fantastic as it tumbles over the falls, but I actually had more fun photographing these little side falls on the west bank of the river. The photo belowshows two drops out of what is actually a 3-drop series of falls. The upper two falls were what really caught my eye, though, especially with these beautiful cedar branches framing the right side of the photo. I can't wait to go back and spend more time at these falls!

Below: Double Waterfall and Cedar, Cascade River

Summer on Top

During the past week of cloudy weather in the lowlands, rangers and others have been enjoying sunny skies and stellar climbing conditions on the upper mountain. Even with the forecast of snow and cold temps the past few days rangers experienced the very opposite above 9,000'. Check out recent reports on the DC, Liberty Ridge, Little Tahoma, the Kautz Cleaver, and the Emmons on our route conditions page. We'll try to stay on top of things as they change and we get new information.

Upper Kautz Cleaver/Success Couloirs

Remember your sunscreen and sunglasses even when you are still under cloudy skies! Come up and talk to rangers for the most current conditions.

So this is how my season has gone

This was supposed to be the year I got serious about this whole randonneuring thing. I was planning to complete a super-series this year. To say things haven't worked out as I had hoped is a bit of an understatement, here's how it unfolded:
1. By some scheduling quirk, the season in Australia actually starts on December 1, meaning the opening 200 was the ASH Dash in Hobart on the first weekend. The simple ride from Hobart airport to the accommodation in Battery Point leads to the rear-derailleur decided to spontaneously fall to pieces in the Queen's Domain. Fortunately, the ride was scheduled on the Sunday, and I found a bike shop on the Saturday to help me out with it. I then managed to complete the ride despite an error in the route slip sending me off course and making me actually ride 230-odd km, with over 12,000 feet of climbing.
2. The first ride back in Queensland was a night ride in early January. Two flat tyres that night slowed me down, but it was completed without too many problems, and after riding to and from the start of the ride, I even managed to set a new personal distance record.
3. I then rode 2x300km rides without any problems -- even setting yet another personal distance record getting to and from one of the rides.
4. A plan was hatched to ride a 400k up in Toowoomba. A crash on wet cobblestones that severed a wire in my primary headlight just before the big ride put paid to that one.
5. I lined up for a 600k anyway, but got fatally owned in the unseasonal heat. May is supposed to be one of our cooler months, yet it managed to hit 34 degrees C (a May record), and I wasn't prepared for it at all. I abandoned at 200km after spending time sitting by the side of the road in whatever scarce shade I could find (I'd rather ride through a hail storm than a heatwave).
6. I'm supposed to be doing a 400k this weekend, but right now I'm sitting here nursing a chest infection that, presumably, came from assisting a family member who had been sick to move house last weekend. Just walking to the shops seems like hard work today, and while I'll probably be recovered by Saturday, I'm not sure I'll have the strength to do a 400k. I'm thinking I'll scale my ambitions for this weekend down to a couple of more modest local rides.
I think it's fair to just write this off for the year and focus on my touring plans now. Six weeks until I fly out for a tour of Scotland. Hopefully I've used up all the bad luck and things will start to improve. At least it was a nice sunrise here this morning.

Quote of the day: "Debt is people spending money they didn't earn to buy things they don't need to impress people they don't like."

The fellowship of the saints

I went to church yesterday for the first time in a month.  It was so good to be in the presence of God's people worshipping together.  Singing 'A Mighty Fortress is our God' gave me goosebumps.  If our combined voices here on Earth are so sweet, what will millions and millions of voices raised in praise sound like in heaven?  Unfathomable!
Our local church body really rallies around its members when comfort is needed.  Food, phone calls, e-mails, cards, prayers, and visits all came our way during and after Darcie's hospital visit.  I am so thankful for people who love me enough to drop what they're doing and minister to my family.  
 I'm not naturally given to thinking of others first.  I'm too involved in my own life to stop.  But by being blessed so richly during this time, I've been  gently exhorted, by my own conscience, to go and do likewise.  So I'll pray to love people more and myself less.  When a need arises, I'll try to make an effort to comfort remembering how it feels to be comforted.

Bike Bash

A great finish of the road and mountain bike racing season. The hall was filled with people attached to that 2-wheeled machine called a bicycle. I just wondered what took me so long to rediscover the joy of riding a bike.

I was surprised to be recognized for the work with T.H.O.R - serving on the board, working on trails, and being Webmaster. That was enough, but the floored me when they presented me with the PsyCow-Spririt Award! The photo is me with my award. Roxzanne allowed me to pass on mike time (I was tongue tied). Martin, thanks for grabbing my camera to take the photo.
The evening ended with a video montage of photos with a "Thanks" for the photos I took during the races.

Update 10/22 - Photos and commentary are now posted on my web site.

http://www.tomwinfield.com/bike/mtn-bike/mtb_festivals/bikebash07.html

A Bon Tempe Day!

Oh how I love hikes and this one was not a disappointment... well... except for the leash laws around here...
Momzers and Dadzers didn't really take those rules into account until some peoples told us that rangers here are very strict about attaching us to hoomans. If we're not compliant, my pawrents might have to pay upwards of a $300.00 fine - coughcough.
So we were pretty secretive in some areas and I had some super pawesome swims and got to leer at some pawesome, humongous birdies. Can't seem to embed this show, but here's the linky!
http://www.photoshow.com/watch/zP6YY9Ga
Maybe some girl or boy scouts built this cool fort.

A bootiful blue heron in the late afternoon. What a gorgeous day!

The Monarch Has Emerged!

The newly emerged Monarch warming up in the sun.

It's that time again

Time to make a foray into Gaelic culture and travel to the northernmost tip of mainland Britain. The Royal National Mod is in Caithness this year, so we're packing up the clarsach (harp) and heading into what will be uncharted territory. Shamefully, despite Scotland being a small country, I have never been to this north eastern quarter.
The photo is of the front cover of the Mod programme. Some of it is translated into English, some not. There's enough English to give a glimpse of the range of categories. From the children's classes: 'Ancient Folk Tale (age 9-10). Tell a story in traditional style' and 'Bible Reading (age 13-15). Read at sight from the Bible'. In Gaelic, of course. Some of the most hotly contested classes are for Gaelic choirs. I hope we might have time to hear something of these.

Xitang

Ming Ming and Jonny returned to Shanghai last week - how quickly those three weeks flew by.

The place seems very quiet without them.

Xitang - February, ..

I often ask Jonathan to let me have some photographs - my requests fall on deaf ears. Ming Ming, however, willingly shared her photographs with me. Thanks, Ming Ming.

I really like the look of this ancient water city, Xitang,

which is located near Shanghai.



I love the peace and tranquillity of this scene

although I bet the reality was a bit whiffy and rather more noisy.



With so many lanterns, and such a lot of red around

it has the air of a festival of some sort.

As night falls it looks magical with the lanterns reflecting in the water.


Lanterns everywhere.



See the tree growing through the roof of the porch?

The spirits of former inhabitants is said to come

back to reside in the grass growing on the roofs.

Back on shore all is hustle and bustle.

Xitang is an ancient water town dating back to around 700 BC.

It is built at the point where nine rivers converge

and is famous for the covered walkways, lanes

and beautiful bridges which

span the rivers.

x

Ozaukee Interurban Trail

This morning was a beautiful morning. Less humidity, breeze from the WNW, filtered sunshine. I actually had to wait to ride until the temperature came up above 70!
Prepared the road bike for a ride. It was 2.5 miles from where I am staying to the Interurban Trail. I got on the trail at Jay Road heading North. I mile north, the trail enters Sheboygan County. I knew the trail was open to Cedar Grove, and perhaps up to Oostburg. I was ready to find out.
I was a little concerned with the breeze. I wanted to ride North so I had the wind with me on the way back. The trail parallels a railroad track. The trees along the tracks sheltered the trail, so I was not fighting the wind.
In Cedar Grove, the trail takes to the streets for a short section, then back along the tracks. on to Oostburg. There, the trail ends at the South end of town at a plastics company. To make sure it did not continue North, I rode on through town following the "Bicycle Route" signs. Where the tracks exit town, along the tracks is a gravel access road with a cable over the road. Guess that was the end of the trail for today.
Stopped at a little park across from the bakery before heading back. It was time for some granola bars and G2. Uneventful ride back to Jay Road.
There a a couple decent hills (thankfully short). I was happy the bike (and my legs) performed well on the road. I feel I am reay to tackle Hy-way 275 and a ride south to Hy-way 34 when I get home.
21.3 miles in 1:38. 13 mph. I was pleased. Maybe tomorrow explore the Interurban Trail south from Jay road tomorrow morning before I head to Kenosha.