Share the sence of wonder.

There are those who live in families who are not very in-tune with nature. They are raised half blind, not seeing the wildness and wonder around them because they have been taught that such things are insignificant. Raised like that, you just don't know how to look and observe. When the closest they get to nature is a round up sprayed back patio its like a life half lived and incomplete.
My neighors 10 year old son reminds me a lot of my little brother (now in the NAVY) and with his mother's permission I am taking him hiking and showing him what I know and have learned as a forester and from my own studies and observations of the woods, fields, marshes, and streams. Nathan is 10 and he's excited about his first hike, next weekend. He's seen pictures in my house of the trails Mr. Hyper and I hike. I've taught him about the 10 essentials and told him to bring a note book and pen so that he can keep a journal of what he learns. I've showed him the beaver dam in his own back yard and a robin's nest with 3 pretty eggs within that was in easy view of his back patio he'd not noticed. There is a spark there. I can see it. The boy is realizing there is more to life then he ever dreamed about. He's begging me to take him backpacking. I told him latter, after we do some day hiking and it's warmer--His mom, a good friend of ours, is OK with it all--
I'd like to give a kid an opportunity I never had growing up. I never even KNEW backpacking existed until I was 17 or 18! But when I realized there was such a thing I knew that's what I wanted to do. The older boy doesn't show much interest at all, he likes golf and school and that's about all. And the girl is far too young for hiking (not yet 2 years old) so Nathan will go hiking with us. I challenge everyone out there to take a kid hiking :) Just don't forget the ten essentials!

A walk into history.

33*, feels like 27*, 70% humidity, SW 7 mph wind, cloudy, WINTER STORM WATCH , FLOOD WARNING

The day promised to be beautiful so I could not stand to remain at home, I had to go out and do at least a little bit of exploration! I did not know exactly where I was going to go today, just that I was going to go along hwy 12, through the dunes area and pick a spot that was open for walking as some places are closed in the winter. I stopped at the first place not 20 minutes from my house yet I had never really stopped to explore it before because I know the trail is not long enough to tide me over. Still, with my recovered injuries, I think a small hike is what I needed, though the soul was willing for much more! I took the Bailly Homestead/ Chelberg Farm loop with the little spur trail to the historic Bailly Cemetery, about 3.4 miles all together.
I was surprised at the amount of snow here, it would of been possible still to do some snow showing, at least in the beginning of the hike before the air started softening the snow. Even so, the hiking was not hard as the path had been trampled by others passing. As I came to the Bailly homestead site, I startled some deer who had been grazing in the grassy area. They had cleared spots of grass from under the snow. I watched them bound off then set about exploring the historical buildings. There were some cabins in which Bailly used for his fur trading business. Bailly was the first non-native settler to this area.
This was his house (or at least a replica of it)
The trail then led me through a mixed age forest. There were gigantic oaks, dying off and lots of younger trees. Mostly deciduous with a lot of sugar maples, and a few coniferous evergreens scattered here and there.
I came to the spur off shoot trail with a sign that said "Historical Cemetery" but to my surprise, it was unlike any cemetery I've come across in the woods of Indiana, or anywhere for that matter. This is the Bailly cemetery, the resting place of the first settler here.

The place reminded me of some kind of odd fortress and it sent my imagination reeling.
I could only wonder what kind of person would be so great, so loved, to have such an edifice built for him. Or perhaps he was just rich and eccentric? I'm going to have to satiate my curiosity come summer, when the ranger station is open and perhaps buy a book about the local history here and find out the in depth story to this.
I back tracked along the spur back to the trail, and followed the loop over bridges, up and down stairs, through thicker but soft snow in classic dunes terrain that I've come to know and love.

After a while, I started seeing signs of fencing and farming. And I started seeing these sap collection buckets. I peeked inside, and the sap doesn't seem to be flowing today, though I would think that with today's warm up it would have been.

I came to the Chelberg farm, Swedish immigrants. This place is home to some working farm animals and I was greeted first by this overly friendly barn cat. He's obviously a well loved (and fed) fellow and insisted on making sure he got petted.
Not far from the Mr. Stripes, I saw some work horses. Big dark horses, but friendly.

The trail leads you right though the little barn.
The Chelburg farm. I think it is a neat place indeed!

I did wish the trail was much longer, but for all that I did not get bored. It was very neat seeing these past relics and on such a pretty day too. My leg, thanks me for not going further. though it does not hurt so much, it aches now. But I'm sure with time it will go away.

Icy Walk

I was wanting to get out and hike one of my secret trails, a forgotten and very over grown trail that no one else seems to know about, but the trail to that trail had been flooded during the winter, then iced over. I could not get to this trail without risking falling through some pretty serious ice and so I had to turn back and do the easy little loop instead today. My ankle, the one that had been injured from the fall on ice earlier in the year held up OK but I did feel it so I know I am going to have to really work on it before I tackle any major backpacking this year. I took a few pictures of the ice along deep river. You can see how the water levels have changed by the different levels of the ice shelves. The river is still higher then normal as it is right now. The building is the back side of the Deep River Sugar Shack where they make maple syrup.

Thanks, Charlie.

31*, feels like 22*, 78% humidity, S 10 mph wind, fair

I met a new friend this morning, early. His name is Charlie. Charlie Horse. I'm sure someone out there must know him. He came over unannounced and uninvited but made himself known real fast. I had to shout and jump out of bed to handle the surprise visitor. But that's OK, because I'm not usually up before that magical time right before sunrise that I enjoy so much but just can't seem to wake up for anymore.

Yes, I really am a morning person. Morning is my favorite time of day but since I get home latish from work, I tend to sleep in or I wouldn't get near enough hours of sleep every night. So, having been rudely awakened, I couldn't get back to sleep, I decided to go for a walk instead to enjoy the morning.

The first thing I noticed when I headed out was that the air temperature was notably more mild then it has been for a while. And had there been no wind, I wouldn't of needed hat and gloves to keep comfortable. The snow was soft, not crunchy and hard.

I walked through the neighborhood to the bike rail-trail and walked along the county line to Hobart section which heads south and is quite short, I think around a mile tops. I walk through the snow, past the baptist church and the corn field behind it, past a big red barn, lots of those oaks that hold onto brown leaves all winter, and snow covered marshes. I came to a spot that seemed very pretty this morning. there is a creek that runs through a marshy spot which the trail looks down over through the trees. Everything but the moving water was covered in snow with grassy snow island clumps dotting the middle of the stream. There were about a dozen ducks swimming around in circles, quacking and chatting to one another as the golden glow of the sunrise reflected off the water. It was quite a sight, and of course I had decided not to bring my camera along with me this time thinking that there wouldn't be anything worth taking pictures of. So I stood there, leaning against the railing along the trail, absorbing it all in until the golden glow faded off the water. I called it a morning and tuned around, walking back home the way I had come.

Its the Eve of 2008, Happy new year!

31*, feels like 23*, 96% humidity, NNE 8 mph wind, Light Snow

This is the last day of my old ways---That's the hope that everyone has every year with their new resolutions. It is my hope as well. Starting tomorrow, things that have passed these lips to find a home on my hips will have to start packing up and going bye-bye. In the living room, waiting future wear and tear are my exercise gear-- the new things I bought, and some old forgotten things that have gathered dust for a little too long. In the closet, backpacking gear waits patiently for the first trails of the year. My bike waits in the shed for warm day riding. I am gearing up for my "eat local" self-challenge, and a year of creatively finding ways to cut costs AND improve my life.


I will leave you with a little song I love.

Expiriment

26*, feels like 16*, 81% humidity, W 10 mph wind, cloudy

The calender today says to experiment! Try something new in my meals. So that is what I did today. In fact, over all I have eaten quite a bit better then I have lately been eating. I added a mandarin orange to my breakfast of corn flakes, and for lunch I added homegrown alfalfa sprouts to my sandwich and drank milk instead of soda with my breakfast and lunch. I had a much better day of eating then I have in a long while. To tell the truth though, I was much too busy today at home and at work to think much about constant snacking (see, I told you I was a boredom eater....) Plus, I have a little less stress today due to the fact I told off a co-worker that was being very rude to me lately and made a stand. I will NOT be treated like white trash by anyone. And just because I am younger, does not give anyone the right to be rude to me. Nope.

I took a walk this morning too, though it wasn't a long or difficult one. It was on a flat paved surface and I was slow because my ankle is still sore and hurts if I over do it. But it was a sweet relief to get out, despite the cold and wind. Yay for exercise!!

48 minute walk with a small pack on.

Weather was pleasant, not too cool, not too warm. The path was wet and muddy but not enough to be a mess. Mosquitoes were bad. The morning started out with a light fog but that soon lifted.

Critters seen include grey squirrel, ground squirrel, woodpeckers, a stray tortoiseshell cat.

On the AOTM website PCT webtrail, I have passed the first marker- "The majority of thru-hikers (those who hike the entire distance end-to-end) begin their journey near the Mexican border in the spring, and end on the Canadian border in the early fall. Hiking in this direction allows hikers to negotiate environmental conditions such as snow, runoff, and intense heat. In Southern California, the biggest concern for hikers is the temperature, which can range from 80-100°F. Springs and seasonal water sources begin to dry up in April or May, and the distance between water sources increases. Other challenges in this section of the PCT include flies, poison oak, and rattlesnakes."

Quick 45 minute walk today.

Using the America On The Move web trails, I have just left Campo CA on the PCT.

From the AOTM website: "Campo, California is a small town located only one mile from the U.S./Mexican border, and marks the southernmost point of the Pacific Crest Trail. Clinton C. Clarke, a successful oilman and avid Boy Scout, dedicated much of his life to preserving the area now known as the Pacific Crest Trail. His initial plans began in the 1930s, and after many years of hard work and millions of dollars spent, his vision came into being. In order to form the trail, which runs from the northern border to the southern border of the United States, Washington’s Cascade Crest Trail, Oregon’s Skyline Trail, California’s John Muir Trail and the Tahoe-Yosemite Trails were linked together. Clarke’s goal was to incorporate the best scenic areas while preserving the area’s natural wilderness."

On my walk I ran into 1 deer, 1 woodpecker, lots of small birds, 2 people on horseback, and a man with his dog.

Walking

Helpful Link:

http://aom.americaonthemove.org/site/c.krLXJ3PJKuG/b.1524889/k.BFFA/Home.htm

Starting tomorrow the 30Th, I will start tracking using the PCT as a guide with this site.