Musings
Last Adventurer
#preservethegood

As you’ve seen above, #preservethegood could mean anything – it could mean helping someone in a time of need; it could be picking up trash on a trail, or a wilderness area; it could be educating people on leave no trace principles; it could be making a difference in any way you want; and it could be just about anything you want as long as you are focused in keeping the magic and the unique positive things in this world and this life. In terms of tangible things, I encourage you, my readers and followers to use the hashtag when you post a photo of something amazing; or when you’re talking about something exceptional you – or someone else has done to improve the world. I look forward to seeing how all of you end up preserving the good in 2015, and you can rest assured that as always, I will keep preserving the good where I find it as well, because as Plato says, “Good actions give strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in others.” 

#preservethegood
Hiking, State Parks
Last Adventurer
Canyon Trail to Waipoo Falls

As I mentioned previously, Waimea Canyon is a site that is most definitely one of the “must-view” locations on Kauai, and in the world; and as I also mentioned, the best way to experience it is to hike it. While there are many great hikes through the canyon, the best hike in my book is the Canyon Trail to Waipoo Falls. It is the best hike to me because at four miles roundtrip, it is accessible, it has stunning views of the canyon from inside the canyon, and it ends at the top Waipoo Falls. It also allows the hiker the chance to swim in a waterfall, which is a once in a lifetime experience.

Canyon Trail to Waipoo Falls
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Arroyo Tapiado Mud Caves

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Arroyo Tapiado Mud Caves

If you’re a Southern California resident, and you’re looking for a challenge that is a little more exciting than Potato Chip Rock (a/k/a Mount Woodson), the adventure you’re looking for is the Arroyo Tapiado Mud Caves. Since I covered this area in detail back in 2011 here, I’m not going to go into excruciating detail today, because you can read the details here. The caves are located approximately two hours outside of San Diego, and are perhaps the largest network of mud caves in the world, comprising some twenty to thirty caves.

Directions: If you are coming from San Diego, take the I-8 east to the town of Ocotillo, California. Exit the freeway, and turn onto the S-2 hearing North (Left). Follow the S-2 past the brand sparkling new wind turbines, through the border checkpoint, and into Anza-Borrego State Park. Once you are in the State Park, you will want to look for Mile Marker 43, which is also marked as the “Palm Spring” turnout (no, it is not the turnout for the town, it is the turnout for the actual Palm Spring from the Butterfield Stage Line). From this point on you will be “off-roading”.

In Ice Axe We Trust, January 2013 Recap

This year, I started a great new project with a friend – In Ice Axe We Trust. In case you haven’t heard me talking about it, In Ice Axe We Trust (or “IIAWT” as we abbreviate it) is a bi-monthly Podcast that it is about all things mountaineering that airs on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at 8:00 P.M., or can be accessed at any time from the Podcast archives. I’d tell you more, but my co-host, and all around good friend Matt Mills (a/k/a thepeakseeker) has built a great site that tells you everything you need to know, so check that out HERE. I’m not going to spend a lot of time talking about the Podcast here, because for starters, it would be weird to constantly write about what I already said – among other things. However, once a month I’ll be checking in here to talk about what we’re doing, what we’ve discussed, and what we recommend. So, without further ado, here is my first IIAWT monthly roundup!

January 16, 2013, Episode 1: again, this is something you really need to listen to, so check that out: HERE, or on iTunes. This was our first show, and in it, we discussed introductory things about mountaineering, and who, what, and where we are.

January 27, 2013, Episode 2: proving we were more than a flash in the pan, we came back with our second show which focused on alpine mountaineering, and we had our first of many guest co-hosts, 100peaks (also found HERE). Despite a quick ending, the show was fantastic, so listen to it HERE, or on iTunes.

Books: On 1/16/13, we talked about The Freedom of the Hills, otherwise known as the mountaineer’s bible, and on 01/27/13, we talked about Afoot and Afield in San Diego County, the hiking bible of San Diego County. Both are great books, and great resources to have!

Coming Shows: We will be back on the air on 2/13/13 for our third show to discuss expedition mountaineering with our good friend and co-host, Bill Bradley, and his ascent of Denali.

Giveaways/Sponsors: Currently, we are offering a copy of COLD to anyone that can provide us a 250 word story on mountaineering or other hiking derring-do; and currently we are sponsored by Inthebivvy.com. If you’re interested in entering any contests or sponsoring the show, contact myself, or thepeakseeker, and be sure to tune in!

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Winter Hiking - it's not really about the gear.

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Winter Hiking - it's not really about the gear.

Don’t go any further, you’ll die. Today’s quiz, hotshots, is what you would do if you heard this phrase on the trail. Would you turn around, or would you keep going? It’s also a statement that’s led me to pen this mini-diatribe. Before I go any further, I can already hear you asking, “Wait – what’s the situation? The terrain? The temperature? I can’t answer this question until I know these things.” Fair enough, let me give you the relevant background details: it was a partly cloudy day in Zion National Park. The cloud deck was resting at around 7,000 feet, and the ambient temperature at the Weeping Rock Trailhead (Information here) was around 20 degrees, although it could have been slightly colder as there were intermittent wind gusts of around 10 mph. For the last two days it had been snowing down to approximately 4,500 feet, but at the lower elevations there had been some melting and re-freezing. These were the conditions I found when I arrived at the trailhead one Sunday in mid-December of 2012 at around 7:30 a.m.

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Old Pinnacles Trail to Balconies Cave

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Old Pinnacles Trail to Balconies Cave

 At Pinnacles, the two main areas for spelunking are Bear Gulch, which I talked about in December, and the Balconies network of caves, which I’ll talk about today. All of the caves in Pinnacles are talus caves, which are formed over a period of time when rocks have fallen atop other rocks at the base of a cliff. In particular though, the caves at Pinnacles formed in the following manner: “…when steep, narrow canyons filled with a jumbled mass of boulders from the cliffs above. The canyons are the result of faults and fractures in the central area of volcanic rock. These shear fractures filled with gigantic toppled boulders are clear windows into the geologic wonder of the Monument.” (More information on the geology of Pinnacles here and here).  In any case, both the Balconies cave and the Bear Gulch cave network provide a great spot to explore over 50 million years of geologic history over the course of a morning or afternoon.

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A Devils Punchbowl but not "The" Devils Punchbowl

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A Devils Punchbowl but not "The" Devils Punchbowl

Today I’d like to talk about the myth and legend of the “Devils Punchbowl” in San Diego County. If you’ve like me, and you’ve lived in San Diego, or spent enough time in San Diego, and you’re interested in the backcountry, chances are you’ve heard of “The Devils Punchbowl” after you heard about Cowles Mountain, Iron Mountain, and Woodson Mountain (a/k/a “Potato Chip Rock”). Here’s the interesting thing though: unlike the above peaks, “The Devils Punchbowl” is a more nebulous concept. There’s no doubt that it exists – it’s definitely a location that exists. But, it exists in about ten or eleven different locations, depending on who you are talking to, and who is giving you directions to the “actual” site.

2013 Quadrantid Meteor Shower, January 3, 2013

Good news everybody! We made it, and survived all of the doom and gloom predictions regarding 2012…to experience more doom and gloom predictions regarding 2013 (to read about those, click HERE). So, before the sun purportedly burns us all to a crisp (which it won’t), tonight is a great chance to start off the new year by watching the annual Quadrantid Meteor Shower. In 2012, the Quadrantid’s put on quite a show – however, this year, the shower may be slightly obscured by a semi-bright moon. According to NASA, the best time to view the Quadrantid’s is from 3 a.m. to dawn, no matter where your location is. (Information HERE). If that’s not enough information for you, there’s information HERE, HERE, and HERE, about the annual shower, and as always, if you’d like to help NASA out, check out this app for your smartphones HERE.

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Current Conditions, Deer Springs Trail/San Jacinto, December 30, 2012

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Current Conditions, Deer Springs Trail/San Jacinto, December 30, 2012

There’s a number of ways to celebrate the end of the year. For some, it’s all about wearing green underwear, eating twelve nuts, twelve grapes, and packing a bag to leave at home. For others, it’s the typical night out extravaganza in around the world style, followed up by watching bowl games for the entirety of the first day of the year in a near comatose state. For me, I like to try and get out at least once at the end of December. It helps me feel like I haven’t become the blob after eating oodles of home-made Peppermint Bark and other delicacies throughout the Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve period. Getting out at the end of the year is tricky – sometimes it feels like the only place you get to is the mall; but, I always find it worthwhile because it allows me to recharge my batteries, appreciate the beauty of winter, reflect on the year past, and set goals for the coming year.