My Blog

The Wonderland Trail, part 3 and home

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:12:03 -0400

We debated whether to follow the official northern Wonderland Trail or the more commonly taken Spray Park alternate route that is higher and longer but gives more alpine country and scenery. After discussing it with many people we met on the trail, we decided to take the high route. We left early from Mowich Lake and within an hour or so were in Spray Park on a gorgeous clear morning. The bugs were manageable because of a breeze, and the scenery lived up to its reputation. It also lived up to the reputation for difficulty, but we reached the highpoint between Spray and Seattle Parks for lunch. Then came an extremely long, steep descent to the Carbon Glacier at right, where another smaller bridge took across the river. An unwelcome steep climb was required to reach Dick’s Creek, our camp for the night perched above the glacier.

The next day was our last of the hike, and a long one. We left early and hiked steeply up to Mystic Lake, then down to glacier-side again. One of the steepest sections was between us and the hike to Sunrise, so we pumped a fresh supply of water and began the switchbacks. Up we went thinking we’d have an early lunch at Skyscraper Pass, and while we did eat lunch there it wasn’t early. It is a spectacular location, with views in all directions including the one to the mountain at right. The lenticular cloud seen there was as cloudy as it got on our trip. From that point it was a few miles to Sunrise, the 93rd mile. We finished the last 20 yards with a run into the parking lot. We called Amy, but said we’d try our luck hitching a ride since there is no public transportation to Sunrise. Within 2 cars, we found 2 people driving back to Seattle who kindly gave us a lift to the Columbia City light rail station.

Nine days, 8 nights and we’d done it. With no rain and good spirits. A lifelong goal accomplished. We looked forward to fresh fruit and vegetable, but didn’t feel we’d missed out on calories. It was ~23,000’ gain (and same amount loss) over 9 days, so a climb of ~2,600’ average each day with full pack, which explains why we lost weight despite chocolate, nuts and dual portion freeze dried dinners. What are the chances of the both of us having 9 days free with perfect weather in the Northwest again? Not very high. Good thing we did it.

The Wonderland Trail, part 2

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:06:38 -0400

The morning of Day 4 we had a relaxed hike down the Paradise Valley to Longmire, over terrain very familiar to me from my summer working at Longmire after high school. That summer hiking from Longmire to Paradise was a commonplace trip to access the alpine zones above Paradise. This time, we entered the Longmire complex and recovered our food cache at the ranger station, at upper right. They also let me refill our fuel bottle from a large supply from hikers before us. We loaded our packs then faced the very steep climb up Rampart Ridge, combining our heaviest pack with one of the hardest stretches of the trip. Following a familiar pattern, we then descended to another valley and climbed again up to Devil’s Dream for the night. Buggy with no convenient water--our least favorite camp of the trip.

Day 5 began with a brisk hike through beautiful, buggy Indian Henry’s Hunting Ground, then a descent to the spectacular bridge across Tahoma Creek shown at right. This was a day of up and down again, but our muscles were becoming more accustomed to it. We finished Day 5 at Klapatche Park, by reputation among those we met on the trails as full of mosquitos, but which was not as bad as we expected. We found a site where our tent overlooked the scene at right and enjoyed the view from a mosquito-free tent. We also read: I brought the The Grapes of Wrath and halfway through we cut the book in half with a Swiss Army knife when Jenny finished her book. All in all it was a great campsite.

The following day, Day 6, we descended steeply from Klapatche and then ascended again more gradually to Sunset Lakes, the most isolated part of our hike. The lakes also have a patrol cabin, and have views to the Puget Sound basin from this northwest part of the hike. Day 7 we descended and ascended to Mowich Lake where we camped in a walk-in campground accessible by road. It wasn’t much of a campground in comparison with the others we’d enjoyed, but the consolation was to take a cleansing dip in Mowich Lake itself to remove at least a few layers of grime.

The Wonderland Trail, part 1

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 18:45:33 -0400

We began by finding the trailhead shown at right, then descending from 6500’ Sunrise to the White River, then hiked in lush, quiet old grown forest until ascending again toward Summerland. At first the ascent was gradual but it became steeper and culminated in steep switchbacks near the end of the first night at Summerland. This section has some of the best scenery of the trip, especially Day 2 when we climbed to Panhandle Gap at about 6,700’. There was a fair amount of snow but also wildflowers in their prime. Conditions were closer to July than September because of the late snow this spring.

Much of the Day 2 was above timberline in rock and snow. There were large snowfields, including a long one leading up to Panhandle Gap itself. The Gap is the highest point on the trip, and gives views to Mt. Hood to the south, to the north and of course of Mt. Rainier itself. You can see from the shot at lower right that it was a little tricky for the last 100 yards.

After Panhandle Gap we descended to Indian Bar where there is an old patrol cabin and a broad river which gives the name Bar to the location. From there we ascended again steeply and then followed a long ridge down for what seemed a very long way but was only 10 miles or so, ending at Nickel Creek, our second night. This descent and the long day left us very tired and our feet very sore. For the first and only time we discussed the option of bailing out at Longmire after 3 days.

We awoke feeling better on Day 3, and had an easier day climbing up Stevens Canyon. The last few miles were the prettiest as we entered the lakes district and then Reflection Lake. We stopped for lunch in the sun joined by Gray Jays and chipmunks, and the occasional car, then continued down the other side into the Paradise Valley. We stopped at Narada Falls, then descended to the Paradise River camp. The river was nearby so we took splash baths then retired to the tent to read before dinner. Day 3 ended leaving us more energetic and enthusiastic to finish the Wonderland trail.

The Wonderland Trail, planning

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 00:03:27 -0400

This is a very popular trail, so the Park Service requires advance reservations for backcountry campsites. I applied for an itinerary I found on the web on March 15. I picked 8 nights and 9 days since it seemed like a reasonable duration for a 93 mile hike with backpacks over terrain with lots of climbs. I picked the week beginning Labor Day since usually the mosquitos are nearly gone and the crowds thinner that time of year. I had now way of knowing we’d have record late spring snow creating a snowpack lasting much later than usual. Or that both Jenny and I would have time for the hike, or that there would be a string of perfect weather. But all this happened.

The original plan was for me to hike the entire loop and for Amy and Jenny to join me for portions as their schedules permitted. It turned out that Jenny was looking for jobs and had time before landing one, so she also wanted to do the whole hike, while Amy wasn’t particularly interested. Molly was back at Quest as a sophomore so couldn’t join. So Jenny and I bought food, equipped ourselves, created a food cache in a 5 gallon plastic bucket for storage at Longmire, and on Labor Day Amy drove us to Sunrise to begin the trip. Our itinerary was

More important than the horizontal miles is the elevation change. Check out this profile to tell the real story.

Tracing Amy’s family roots in Ireland

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 19:34:00 -0400

Amy’s unclesent he r a book he published on the Healy roots, on Amy’s mother’s side. It was meticulously researched by this retired professor, and she read her copy carefully placing colored tags on sections she wanted to refer to in planning our trip. Our general goal was Counties Sligo and Mayo, in the north central part of Ireland.

Most places we stopped the innkeepers asked us of we were tracing our roots, which is very common among visitors. There has been large volume emigration before and especially at the time of the Potato Famine, and since. The relatively small population of Ireland hosts the greater number of those on the globe with family ties to the island. The tragedy of the famine led to reduction in the population by 20-25% and to an indelible mark in the history and culture of the Irish people. Since that time, other waves of emigration and return have occurred.

We drove from Dublin to explore County Donegal in the northwest, The coast is striking as shown in the upper right. We drove south to County Sligo and based ourselves at a rather luxurious inn overlooking the region called Ballyhealy, loosely translated as the land of the Healy. The next morning we visited neolithic graves shown above, which were very likely early relatives of the Healy’s but this is of course impossible to know. From these gravesites, however, you can easily see the location of known 18th century farms of the Healy family shown at right, so the connection isn’t far-fetched.

We then spent the morning in neighboring County Mayo following a rough map in the book to the farm continuously owned by members of the Healy family. The map was very rough and hard to follow, so after hours driving on the narrow dirt lanes, we finally stopped to knock on the door of a house which seemed like it would be close to the farm. An elderly lady answered, but she didn’t know of any Healys nor could she recognize the picture of the farm in Amy’s book. She did know someone who likely would, however, and pointed to a house not far from hers. We drove 15 mintues to the adjacent house, knocked on that door, and met a woman who not only knew where the farm was, but whose daughter volunteered to lead us there. It was another 15 minute drive but at last we found what we were after--the farm shown in the picture at lower left and more imporantly a wonderful man who is Amy’s relative. He was kind, generous in giving us a tour of the stone building where he and his mother was born and in giving us a link to her past. It was an amazing moment. I took lots of pictures, but lost that camera on a train in Scotland on our way back so we have the memories and this one souvenir shot.

This was one of the highlights of our trip. We saw many more villages and historical sites--the Kennedy pub in Galway where JKF stopped on his tour for example--then returned to Dublin, then Glasgow, Edinburgh, and returned home.

Dublin

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 19:31:30 -0400

We took a bus from the airport, then walked through the heart of town to our B&B, Number 31 south of St Stephen’s Green. Our rooms were extremely nice and convenient to central Dublin. The first order of business was a late lunch so we took our proprietor's advice and went above a nearby pub to a wonderful, uncrowded restaurant with Irish local food. Amy had her first Guinness ever and I added to my life total. We then walked the breadth of the central city to cathedrals, castles, and literary haunts. Long walks led to renewed hunger, but first more Guinness which while easy to fine, it was more difficult to select from the vast assortment of pubs. Finally we settled, then had dinner above another pub before returning to the B&B for the night.

The next day we walked to view one of the oldest and most beautiful books to be found: The Book of Kells on Trinity College Dublin campus. ASCII text on a Kindle is a striking contrast to the beauty and history of such a book. We walked to the Guinness brewery for the tour and lunch (guess what we drank?) then strolled through as many neighborhoods as we could returning to our neighborhood for dinner. Dublin is an absolutely wonderful city.

Hiking the West Highland Way

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 19:31:07 -0400

For a long time I’ve wanted to go hiking in the Highlands. I bought Walking in Britain and found an article describing a two day ‘best of the West Highland Way’ article which seemed to be a good introduction. In Seattle winter I checked websites and booked hotels at the beginning, middle and end. So after the festivities in Edinburgh, Amy and I took a train to Glasgow, checked our suitcase in a hotel, then took a bus to Glencoe via Loch Lomond and checked into the King’s House Hotel in Glencoe, a beautiful glacial valley full of scenery, flowers and history. The inn was basic but in a striking setting, with a climber’s pub and restaurant. We went straight to the pub on arrival to sample warm ale overlooking the scenery, then took a walk south on the West Highland Way to see a little of the portion we wouldn’t cover. My 57th birthday dinner was in the restaurant with Scottish fare (right), then we retired to our room with a spectacular view of the valley. The next morning we started the walk/hike up the Devil’s Staircase and a descent into Kinlochleven at the end of a fjord. It was moderate hiking but the scenery and ambiance were superb. The next day we followed an old military road and historic paths to a small settlement in Glen Nevis, at the base of Ben Nevis, the highest point in Britain. Of course the B&B was wonderful and the climber’s restaurant was loaded with shots of the climb in all weather. For Northwesterners, this would be comparable to a climb of Mount Si, only farther north. After the second night we hiked to Fort William, took a train ride for a day then returned to Glasgow. The little we saw of the Highlands supported its reputation.

The Scottish Enlightenment

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 19:30:40 -0400

While in Scotland I read “How the Scots Invented the Modern World” by Arthur Herman and learned a lot more about history. A selection from that book summarizes the Scottish contribution:
“The Scots did not invent technology, any more than they invented science or capitalism or the ideas of progress and liberty. But just as in these other cases, the version of technology we live with most closely resembles the one that Scots such as James Watt organized and perfected. It rests on certain basic principles that the Scottish Enlightenment enshrined: common sense, experience as our best source of knowledge, and arriving at scientific laws by testing general hypotheses through individual experiment and trial and error.”
John Knox and the Scottish reformers strongly believed that everyone should be able to read the Bible. This led to a system of schools in local Presbyteries, and an appreciation for scholarship. Edinburgh became a center of education, innovation and thought. Adam Smith, Edward Hume, Francis Hutcheson, and a long list of others developed the fields of political economy, philosophy, science and medicine in an explosion referred to as the Scottish Enlightenment in the 17th and 18th centuries. The book details how much this influenced the world, and especially the United States. The phrase ‘common sense’ later famous as the title of Thomas Paine’s pamphlet, came from this philosophy as did many other philosophic and scientific innovations. For this period, Edinburgh and Glasgow were the centers of education, drawing students from London and the continent. Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania among others were heavily influenced by this period. Walking through the old town of Edinburgh one sees statues of these greats and plaques on walls of courtyards and buildings that were important foci of this era.

Induction into Royal College of Physicians Edinburgh

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 19:25:59 -0400

The Royal College of Physicians is Edinburgh was founded in 1681 and each year since then elects new fellows. This year I was elected and had the opportunity to come to Edinburgh for the induction ceremonies. Amy and the girls and I flew to Edinburgh, checked in to a wonderful B&B (Gerald’s Place) and the next morning got up early to run to the top of Arthur’s Seat (photo at right), a volcanic hill on the edge of old Edinburgh. We toured the Castle and Royal Mile, had high tea, and dinner the second night. The next day we strolled several blocks to the Queen Street office of the RCP and returned home to put on formal wear. At 12:30 we began a day of photos, ceremonies and tours to appreciate the long history of medicine in Scotland. Past fellows discovered the value of lime to treat scurvy, digitalis to treat heart failure, and one’s son (Charles Darwin) wrote a famous book on the origin in species. (All these original editions were on display in one of the Queen Street office libraries.) Then in the evening Amy and I returned for the reception and formal dinner. It was an evening unlike any other in our lives, with a striking setting and wonderful people with whom to speak and enjoy dinner. What a day.

Manhattan biking

Mon, 4 Jul 2011 19:01:40 -0400

I’d read that New York is one of the best cities for urban cycling but wanted to see for myself. A great deal of effort has gone into it, and it helps that some boroughs including Manhattan are entirely flat, but there are lots of routes, great bike maps to guide cyclists, and lots of bike shops to support them.

There are several main north-south bike ‘arterials’ including Broadway southbound, 8th Avenue northbound, the Hudson River Bikeway on the west and East River Esplanade on the east. I used Broadway and 8th Avenue, both of which have separated bikeways with separate stoplights for bikes to reduce risk of right and left hook accidents in which cars accidentally cut off bikes when turning. (Separate stoplights give time for cyclists to get ahead before this happens.) Every 2 or 3 lights you catch a red light which doesn’t slow many New York cyclists, but you can use these routes to get from lower Manhattan to Central Park quickly and relatively safely.

Central Park has a circular bike route within it and there is a bike lane on Central Park West. You don’t need to remember any of this except that there are great bike routes and a good map to find them.

I biked across the Brooklyn Bridge halfway, and it was very crowded on this, July Fourth. Saw progress on the Twin Tower site and found two of David Bynes’s bike racks, one of which is shown in the upper right. Visited Wall Street, Times Square, Central Park, the Hudson, and had one slow leak which was quickly repaired by a bike shop very near where I noticed it. On a reasonably cool summer day (mid 80s) biking seems to me the best way to see the city.