Ready to hike?

My cast is off an I am typing with both hands again! Come hell or high water I am going hiking this weekend. I'm going to start off with a road hike, I don't want to risk falling on my sore wrists. I think my left hand can handle a trekking pole but I know my right hand is not ready yet. I am surprised at how well I can type with my right hand though. I'm going to go ahead and try to do an 8 miler, I'm sure to be getting out of shape but my calves still feel muscular. I'm tempted to hike up South Mountain but maybe I'm not quite ready for all that elevation gain just yet and there might be slippery stuff near the top. Looking at the Olympics on my way home from Olympia today I judged the snow level to be at about 4000 feet South Mountain tops out at 3000 feet.

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THE OLYMPICS ABOVE 4000 FEET

The National Weather service has issued a winter weather advisory for snow in the Olympic Mountain above 4000 feet today. The advisory will be in effect from 10 AM until 6 PM today. Forecasters are saying a vigorous Pacific storm will bring snow and gusty winds to the area today. Snowfall amounts of 4 to 8 inches are likely by late today. Although the snow level will plummet to near 3000 feet later this afternoon, accumulations at this level are expected to be less than three inches.

My cast was replaced with a wrist brace. I'm supposed to take my wrist brace off three times a day to do stretching exercises and I'm supposed to go to physical therapy. I don't know if I will bother with the therapy with my insurance situation. The brace needs to stay on for one month.



day 1 with no cast



No more stinky noisy trains to wake us up and deafen my children for three weeks! I feel for the families that will be impacted by this but I am so glad that the *%&*#@^ trains will stop running for a while!!! I'm also happy for the so-called forest, it might get a break from the noise and destruction for an entire month. Maybe I will go up South Mountain (on simpson aka "green diamond" land) next month and maybe the only sounds I will hear will be the sounds of nature.

My neighbor got laid off from the saw mill last year and he was told it would be a year before he would be called back, I'm guessing he will never be called back now.
But he is plugged into the local good old boys network so he at least was able to get another good job right away.

SIMPSON TO SHUT DOWN FOR THREE WEEKS
By Dedrick Allan 11/20/2008

Simpson Timber Company will be curtailing its operations in Shelton for one week beginning Monday. A two week curtailment is also scheduled beginning December 22nd. This action will impact 200 employees in Shelton, at Mill 5 in Dayton, and on the Simpson railroad. According to company officials, the curtailments are due to market conditions. Meanwhile, Green Diamond Resource Company's logging crews will be off for all of December impacting 15 employees.