Wednesday, January 16, 2008

My Trees Were Spared


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This summer the powers that be in the filthy little logging town I live in decided to turn the lot behind my house into an industrial yard. Since July we have been subjected to heavy machinery waking us up at 5:30 am. Up to 20 pieces of heavy machinery were parked just feet from our back door for months on end. They used to lot at a staging area for the city sewer project. In return the property owner got his two historical but derelict houses torn down for free. Sometimes they worked until midnight dumping chunks of concrete first onto the ground and then into dump trucks. The noise was awful and it was continuous. The machines made our house shake and sent fumes spewing into our yard. In the summer my new veggie garden was covered with dust. They would idle their equipment for up to 45 minutes at a time with the fumes going into our yard and house if we opened the door. One day I went out and turned off the machine in the above picture with out them noticing. We could not enjoy our back yard at all due to all the dust and noise. I regularly looked out my back window only to see workmen urinating on their tractors. They seemed oblivious to the fact that our house was there. My children were woken up to the sound of workmen cussing on several occasions.

Before the workers and machines came my oldest child used the lot as a play area. She called it her nature preserve. Her 3rd grade teacher was so impressed that she came to our house to take pictures of the "preserve". The preserve is now gone of course.

The heirloom apple tree that she hung bird feeders and bird houses in was the first casualty. Then the row of maple trees was removed, then the while lilac bush and the blackberry vines. I had to go elsewhere to get blackberries for pies, wine and jam this year. The workmen left two cedar trees, a pear tree and apple tree. They told me that all the remaining trees would be removed right before they left the site for good.

Well I'm happy to say that the 20 pieces of heavy machinery that were my view for the last 6 months are gone. I'm so happy to see them go. I'm also happy that they decided to spare the last remaining trees. I was prepared to go out and protest the removal of those last two cedar tree but I did not have to because they were spared!

Now when I look out my back window there is no grass and no heirloom apple tree and no black berries or lilacs so it does look quite barren and people can now look into our dining room from the main street in town. But also the 20 plus pieces of heavy machinery are gone and I have two cedar trees to look at.

All and all this was a horrible ordeal for us and I will never vote yes on any city project that might turn my back yard into a construction yard. I blame the city officials of backward and corrupt little town. They never never would have allowed a taxpayer to use a residential lot as a building site and parking lot for bull dozers.

Today my duaghter went out and played in her field and it made her happy.

Friday, January 11, 2008

Skok and stuck in the snow


The Trail Head


I tried to drive into Brown's Creek Campground today but my differential was bottoming out in the snow. I don't know if its a good idea to use a differential for a snow plow so I backed out. Then I got pretty stuck, could not go forward or backwards on the hill going out. Eventually I got out by putting a blanket behind one of my back tires. I was never really worried about getting stuck though. Now I know the limits of my snow tires anyway.

I hiked a little way down the Skok trail today. I only logged 4 miles but my legs are sore. Snowshoeing really takes it out of me. I used the flotation tails and my snowshoes worked a lot better but the tails made me very ungainly. I think I want different snowshoes. Mine are MSR Denali's with the longest (8 inch?) flotation tail.

I started at the main trail head and then hiked out to the road and then back to teh trail on the 120 access road when I returned to the trail I hiked about 1/2 mile down stream and had lunch before turning around. Than I hiked all the way out to the main trail head on the Le bar trail and the road. I wanted to do the 1 mile long Brown Creek Nature trail when I was done but it was not to be!


Track Log 3.9 miles



The turn around on the 120 access trail head


My tracks on the 120 road with flotation tails on



Sunshine on a winter day


A formidable barrier on the 120 trail


Snow at Sea Level too

Thursday, January 10, 2008

College, SAR and Hiking

I might be able to hike tomorrow but it will be a short hike. I have to be back in Olympia before 5:30 and I can't even start my hike until I pick up my Jeep from the Mechanics. But I can not pick up my Jeep until I go get some cash. I have a great mechanic who gives discounts for cash payments.

I start search and rescue (SAR) training on Saturday so I can't hike on Saturday. My husband will watch the kids while I am at SAR training and there is no way my husband will agree to babysit both Saturday and Sunday so hiking on the weekend is out.

College has started up again so hiking during the week is mostly out of the question.

I think this quarter is going to be better. The prof is good and my fellow students are people who want to work to make the world a better place. Last quarter I had an inexperienced prof and some of the students were too competitive.

I was dreading the start of the quarter but now I'm happy to be back. I won't have to do as much difficult work this quarter. I have to read about 300 pages a day and keep a journal to prove that I read the stuff. Easy as can be when compared to the nightmare statistics assignments I had last quarter or spending all day in the field with bossy snot nosed drug abusers.

I am studying politics and power in America and I think politics is what Evergreen excels at. Well liberal politics anyway.

Snow is very deep even at 1000 feet right now so where ever I go I know I will be using my shoes.

Sunday, January 6, 2008

Pine Lake Almost


Two feet of Snow








My tracks



Alder blocking the trail






5 miles 450 feet elevation gain and way too much snow.

I placed my 100th geocache hide here today.  I was trying to get to the lake but it was too much effort even with snowshoes.     I was going to do Dose but I got up too late.

Some rednecks shot down a tree right in front of my car while I was out hiking.




Live tree that was shot at while I was hiking



Snag that was shot down



Shotgun shells at the scene of the crime

Sunday, December 30, 2007

My 2007 Hiking totals

My 2007 Day Hikes
Miles, Elevation Gain

Mount Ellinor 2.6 2419
Lower South Fork Skok 5 283
Pine Lake 6 600
Putvin 6.3 3800
Mildred Aborted 6.3 2100
Copper Creek / Shady Lane 6.5 2300
Mount Rose 6.5 3501
Mount Rose 6.5 3501
Mount Rose 6.5 3501
Mount Rose 6.9 3483
Big Creek to Ellinor 7.6 1800
Church Creek 7.8 2500
South Mountain 8.2 2480
Jefferson Ridge 8.3 2800
Rialto 8.3 103
Gold Mountain 8.4 1400
Upper South Fork Skok 8.4 1141
Camp Muir 8.5 4600
Lena Lake 8.7 1300
Colonol Bob 9.3 2600
Lower South Fork Skok 9.3 450
Green Mountain 9.6 800
Big Creek to Upper Ellinor 10 2800
Dungeness Spit 10.5 160
Green Mountain 10.6 602
Green Mountain 10.6 805
Duckabush River 12.3 3100
Mount Muller 12.8 3200
Dry Creek 12.9 2600
Lower South Fork Skok 13 408
Brothers Camp 13.2 2400
Mount Jupiter 13.2 3618
Big Creek Quinault 13.3 2284
North Fork Skok 13.5 848

Average Miles for Day Hikes
9.04
Average Elevation Gain for Day Hikes
2067.26

Plus Backpaking trip of 32 miles with 2114 feet gain
2007 totals
Total  Miles 339
Total Elevation Gain 72,401 feet