Part 8
CAMPING IN THE EMIGRANT WILDERNESS –
24 DAYS AT KENNEDY MEADOWS – CONTINUES
“One of the modern day man’s biggest problems,
is that they do not respect Nature. They do
not respect the plants, the trees, the animals,
the wind, the water, the earth, or fire.
They lack the respect of ALL forms of Life.
Even Human Kind.”
~ Rick Theile
August 30, 2009 – Sunday
At camp I was thinking about what I should do first, Marilyn was gone, and hoping she returns home safely. I felt a sense of freedom with her gone, but not in a bad way. It was nice having her here, and getting to know her a little more. I thought I would have a little drink of whiskey and Bailey’s, and pondering on, this is it, we are pretty much alone. I didn’t think anyone else was up here.
I decided to try and site my scope in on my 22 cal. rifle, and tried my accuracy with my 44 mag. pistol on a dead tree. I was shooting down towards the trunk, using the ground as a backstop so I would not have any stray bullets flying just in case people were still around. I had a clear view of any approaching people for safety. One thing about our camp, it is easy for people to unintentionally sneak up on us because of the many trees surrounding our camp. I spent about an hour or so doing target practice, then sat down and had some more whiskey and Bailey’s. It was so very good tasting. Then I wrote my friend Tammy a letter. Before I knew it I was getting very drunk. Shiloh was across the creek lying down in the meadow’s soft grass, just past our log bridge, so I went over to him and lied down next to him when I literally passed out. The alcohol effected me hard and so fast I didn’t know what hit me. I must have been in the meadow for a couple of hours. I knew I had to get back to camp, tried standing and couldn’t so I crawled to the log bridge and on all fours crawled over the bridge. It was a very difficult task just getting across on all fours. I then passed out on the other side of the bridge for a short time. When I was able to sit up to try and compose myself, a few thru-hikers passed me and I was trying to act as if I was just sitting there enjoying the sights. I was lucky know one saw me passed out. At least I hope know one saw me. It was an extremely embarrassing moment for me, and it could have been a very dangerous situation for me and for Shiloh. I feel a strong responsibility for keeping Shiloh safe, especially up here, and it could have been very bad if he went after a pack of coyotes. Luckily he stayed by my side protecting me.
I personally don’t like getting drunk anymore for the reasons it is not being much fun or responsible, and the usual unpleasantness of a nasty hangover that usually follows.
I finally made it into camp, I grabbed my guns and whatever else I could remember to put away, climbed into the tent with Shiloh following, and then passed out again.
I didn’t think while enjoying this tasty drink, it was probably a combination of the high sugar content in the Baileys and the high elevation we were at that caused it to hit me like a ton of bricks, and there was no turning back, but to just sleep it off. I will never do that again. I am glad Shiloh stayed close to me during this time and did not run off chasing a coyote or other critter that could have posed a danger to him.
August 31, 2009 – Monday
This is the first full day of 18 days alone in the wilderness, and I am already feeling a sense of the loneliness. I woke up with an unsettled stomach and an unclear head, but no real hangover. Today I will try to get some things done that I didn’t get done yesterday. I was irritated that a half day yesterday was wasted in my drunken stupor.
I found a currant bush in camp and tried a few berries – they are not as good tasting as the gooseberries. I am guessing it is the Wax Currant that is in this area and has little taste to it, with having a mealy texture. The currants and gooseberries are of the same family of Grossulariaceae (Latin name). I am guessing the gooseberries are Sierra Gooseberries.
In the morning after coffee to help clear my head, and breakfast for Shiloh, we headed for the lake to get the crayfish trap. I was afraid if I left it there any longer, someone might decide to take it. We were approaching the log cabin and saw a badger focused, with determination, digging a hole next to the cabin in the sandy ground where sage brush and Indian paint brush plants like to grow. The badger with his voracious appetite and his mean tempered disposition seemed more interested in his hole digging project then us. As we walked by, he looked up, watched us for a minute measuring our intent, and went back to digging his hole. I then put Shiloh on his leash. The last thing I wanted is Shiloh getting into a scrap with a mean old cranky badger. It was the first time I had ever seen one and was pretty exciting to see him, or her. But we kept our distance so not to disturb him, or her. I have heard stories of them fearlessly attacking any man or beast that gets to close to them where they feel threatened.
I heard there was another fire in Yosemite that was blowing more smoke into the Kennedy Meadows valley. It was getting pretty hazy with the distinct smell of smoke in the air. When we reached the lake where we left our trap, I pulled the line in and found nothing in the trap and no signs of crayfish. I was really hoping to have some crayfish for a nice meal. I never did see any signs in the creek either.
On our walks through the meadow, Shiloh spends a lot of time searching out ground squirrels to chase and when the cows are around always enjoys getting them riled up by chasing them too.
When I was dreaming and envisioning living off the land, I think most of us who dream this dream and imagine this romantic idea of going out and seeing abundant game, fish and wild edibles flourishing all around us, soon realize the reality of this seldom happening, if ever. If you don’t have the proper gear for hunting or fishing it will take lots of luck to get enough food to survive unless you have mastered primitive skills in the art of hunting and fishing, and even with that it is all about getting lucky, And even if you have the right gear, there is no guarantee you will come back with food. When I began studying about wild edibles, I did not really think about the fact that most plants are seasonal and grows only in certain habitats as with it taking a keen skill of observation in finding them, and where to look for them in many cases. I quickly realized that fact when I actually went out in search for wild edibles.
Unfortunately for the unprepared person who finds themselves in a survival situation in the wilderness, you will be lucky if you get any fish without fishing gear or lucky enough to trap a ground squirrel or mouse for a meal. It could basically, and probably come down to eating Bugs! There are a lot of tasty grass hoppers around.
On our walk back from the lake, we decided to take the high ground which takes us on a trail that goes through sage brush and is mostly dry, avoiding the swamp land of the meadow. I was looking for any signs of rabbit that might be in the sage brush and searching the rocky areas a little bit higher for any signs of marmot. No luck with either rabbit or marmot. It was a very peaceful and quiet walk back with the exception of it being smoky. It seemed we were the only ones left up here in the valley – not another soul in sight.
Back at camp, I spotted a western gray tree squirrel chirping away in in a tree in our camp. They are noisy creatures but enjoyable to hear in the wilderness.
One of the things I wanted to do here is to keeping track of how certain supplies lasted on our trip. The remainder of the ice block lasted for seven days. With the warm weather we were having, I thought that was pretty good.
We took a short nap and then Shiloh and I took a walk to the lake from our side of the creek which would be on the west side, to explore and check out the other campsites. The one that can handle a large group is pretty nice (This is the campsite we used on our June, 2010 trip with Bill) It actually has two campsite close together next to a small meadow and one campsite below the two, located next to the creek. I found a good fishing spot across from where I caught the fish a few days ago. There was a good trail leading to the lake from this side and made for a nice walk with areas easily accessible for Shiloh to play in the creek. Shiloh loved the hike. We saw five female mallard ducks swimming at the lake outlet. And of course Shiloh went after them. They were safe in the water due to the fact that Shiloh can’t swim and he always seems to be aware of how deep the water is. I think he enjoys the chase more than actually catching anything. And I was thinking, duck stew, if I were in a survival situation. Certain area were boggy on this side as well, especially closer to the edges of the creek and lake. There is a lot of runoff on both the west facing and east facing slopes that creates all these wet areas.
Taking these walks and exploring the area with Shiloh must have helped me mentally by taking my mind of the loneliness, and just Being with nature. Nature can be your friend, or your enemy. It is our choice. When we feel a deeper connection, relationship, and respect for her, she will open up to us.
This afternoon the wind was blowing pretty good. The smoke cleared and some clouds are rolling in.
For dinner I began eating the freeze dried meals. It was Salmon Pesto Pasta on the menu. Not bad. Most of our real food is gone with the exception of some bacon and eggs still left. So we get to test out all the yummy freeze dried meals we brought up. I probably have enough for three and a half weeks. I also have different brands to compare with each other. The first time my friend Greg and I started backpacking together in the late seventies, we bought freeze dried meals for our trips. It was pretty lousy in taste. It will be interesting if it has improved at all.
At this time, I really did not think about the ingredients in these foods with the exception of high salt content. In researching these foods, I realized freeze dried packaged foods and the potential health risks of these products became a concern due to the high probability of GMO (genetically modified organisms) in the foods. That is, unless they were organic. Very few of these packaged foods were organic.
September 1, 2009 – Tuesday
At 8:15 am it was a warm at 55 degrees outside. It looks like it is going to be a beautiful day. A pleasant breeze is coming through camp. It is bath day today. We are starting a new month and our second day alone in the wilderness.
I was waking up through the night with the wind howling through camp, the smell of pine burning (not sure if it was from my campfire or elsewhere) and with a stuffed up nose and headache. The headache seems to be going away, but not the stuffy nose. I did bring plenty of tea and some medicine just in case I got the same bug as on the June trip.
I had pretty active dreams last night and one was actually interesting until the very end. I don’t know what it is about being up here, whether it is the high altitude and thin air or the clean mountain air, but the dreams are much more vivid up in the high country.
I thought about the things I wanted to do today with excitement (not really) and wanted to really just stay in bed a little longer, but Shiloh was telling me it was time to get up and out of bed mister! He was excited to do some more exploring.
Once I got up and began moving around I started to feel better about the new day, and began to relax, and was looking forward to this day.
There were about three to four gray tree squirrels chirping away. I know now there are more than one, they were scampering up and down the trees and jumping from tree to tree. They are fast little critters. Maybe one will become dinner. Since hunting season does not start until the middle of the month I may have to settle for ground squirrel. The original plan was to go for the ground squirrels using snares, but because of all the cattle around, and Shiloh, I dropped any plans for using snares or dead fall traps. The ground squirrels up here are the Belding’s Ground Squirrel.
Originally when I heard the gray tree squirrel’s chirps I thought it was a bird doing it. The western gray squirrel has many voices coming out of that little critters mouth.
While I was getting a fire going for breakfast I heard Shiloh barking. Shiloh never barks unless it is very important. A cow was walking into our camp. Shiloh didn’t like that much and made sure he didn’t get any closer to our camp. The cow got the warning and turned back from where he came. I am sure the cow will think twice next time before getting too close to our camp. I have noticed Shiloh is very protective of his campsite when critters are involved.
I did all my cooking over the fire using a grill and frying pan. For the coffee, I used the stove. All the freeze dried meals, I boiled the water in my tin can and poured it into the pouch to cook for a quick meal. No muss, no fuss and no mess. They have really made preparing these freeze dried meals fast and easy. They can be eaten from the pouch.
After the cow intrusion, we heard some coyotes yelping close by, so Shiloh and I took a look to see if we could spot them. There were three of them across the meadow at the edge of the meadow and sagebrush. What a beautiful sight to see. It is not the first time Shiloh has seen coyotes. When I would take him to the dog park back home, we saw coyotes quite a bit.
When in the wilderness, and if we open all our five senses, seeing, smelling, hearing, tasting, and touching, as with using the skills of observation and awareness, we would never be bored in the nature. There is so much to see out here. In this moment I feel thankful I am here in God’s country and able to experience nature up here in this magnificent setting in the high Sierras. In this moment I feel I could stay here forever.
Shiloh spotted something I thought may have been a ground squirrel and he took off after it running across the creek and into the meadow. I ran to see what it was, and noticed that it was one of the coyotes we had seen earlier. Shiloh did not respond to my command to come and continued to chased the coyote for some distance farther into the meadow. I had never seen Shiloh run so fast. I was yelling at Shiloh to come and when he finally turned and started walking towards me, the two other coyotes waiting then joined the one Shiloh was chasing, then began stalking Shiloh. I am not sure what Shiloh was thinking when he realized there were three of them and only one of him. He definitely was not wagging his tail telling them he wanted to play. The look on his face meant serious business and he was not messing around. He then turned back to them and they turned to retreat, then they would continue stalking when he turned and walked towards me again. I was concerned at this point and ran to the tent to grab my pistol then ran towards Shiloh and the coyotes. If I thought appropriate, I would pop a shot or two off to scare the coyotes. Once the coyotes saw me running towards them they took off running in the opposite direction and Shiloh decided he had enough of them and came back to me. Just my presence scared the coyotes away and there was no need to get my pistol although at the time, I did not know that. I did not want to take any chances. I would not have shot at the coyotes unless they were actually attacking Shiloh. And even then, I think a shot popped off would have gotten them to retreat. Shiloh had no clue how lucky he was. Those coyotes would have taken him down and had him for breakfast or possibly seriously injuring him. Because of Shiloh’s size and his demeanor, he definitely shows a strong presence around other animals. I didn’t know if he would have stood his ground and try to fight back if he was attacked or come running to me. A couple of years later after this event happened, while I was walking Shiloh, there was a female dog in the neighborhood that Shiloh wanted to play with and the other dog was not really sure about him. I thought they were doing okay with each other and then the other dog just turned on Shiloh. The only thing Shiloh wanted was to get away and he was twice the size of the other dog. He acts tough, but I don’t think he is a fighter. Now that I know what Shiloh will do when he sees a coyote, I will have to keep a close eye on him and any coyotes around. Coyotes are smart, and bold hunters and will intentionally use one coyote to get a dog to chase them, while the rest wait for the kill. That was their plan in the beginning since they know Shiloh is here. They could have known for the whole week we have been here. I will have to be constantly aware of where Shiloh is around camp, as well as if the coyotes will try and get him to chase after them again. In our camp it is easy for Shiloh to disappear into the trees and I don’t have any idea what direction he has gone which concerns me. I am also keeping my pistol close by for any trouble. That actually scared the hell out of me. The last thing I want is to lose Shiloh up here.
On all my backcountry trips I will most likely bring a gun or guns for hunting and for protection, but will never shoot at an animal unless hunting for food or for defending my life, Shiloh’s life or if someone’s life is threatened.
After my brief scare, I was looking forward to this day, but not sure what I or we will be doing. It would probably be working with fire starting or making a figure 4 trap. I was also considering going fishing if it isn’t too windy.
Thinking of all the things that need to be done, and can be done working on survival skills as well as all the things to see, and places to explore, I can’t see how anyone could be bored. But I guess anything is possible. For a person to increase the chances of survival, one has to keep the mind busy. I suppose if a big storm hit and you were stuck in a tent or shelter for a long period of time that could get very boring, and becoming a bit stir crazy. For me, it never seems to be boring with Shiloh around. It is always enjoyable going exploring with him. But I always have many things I want to do in nature as well. Many people who are not really used to observing or being interested in what nature has to offer could become quite bored – looking at the same meadow, the same trees, the same stream, the same mountains and the same animals. It is all about how we perceive things, and what our mind, and thoughts are telling us.
Tom Brown Jr, a survival teacher who has taught survival skills for many years has his students just sit and observe one area for a certain amount of time. He says, one can look at one area for 8 hours and observe things constantly changing once you learn how to observe. One small example is when I was observing the pine needles and how the sun light was being reflected off of them or just closely observing the beauty of a flower and noticing every detail the flower brings to our awareness. It takes us deeply into another world we have forgotten. It is looking at the little things as well as the big things in awe and amazement. I have learned to go beyond just looking at something on the surface, but entering into its aliveness, and Beingness. It is important in doing this in complete silence.
While going down to the creek to rinse off a spatula, I was thinking about what a shame it is that many of our streams, rivers and lakes are polluted even in what we think of as pristine environments by the doings and disrespect of man. I suppose there is always a risk drinking water from any water source, and some areas are being more at risk than others. Some areas at the meadow I felt were safe because they were spring fed or very fast runoff from the mountains. But because there were so many cattle up here I took no chances drinking the water from the creek even using a filter. I got all my drinking and cooking water from the natural spring I mentioned earlier, but even that could be contaminated by the cows. There was constant runoff from the meadow where the cows eat, lay, sleep, and defecate, running into Kennedy Creek not to mention them being in and crossing the creek, or in the lake. On this trip, I am always looking at it in a survival perspective. Playing with ‘what if’ scenarios. In a survival scenario, one’s best bet and safest in this area would be to boil the water, or use a good water filtering system especially while cattle are around.
There are rules that should be followed as responsible campers so as not to pollute any natural water source, as with other rules that protect the wilderness areas, but I feel it is also taken to the extreme by the forest service expecting us (the camper) to be responsible and to follow rules and yet they allow ranchers to bring their cattle to pristine areas so the cattle can pollute the streams and lakes. And not only that, but does extreme damage to the meadows, trails, the banks of the streams, and vegetation. I spent a couple of days documenting the amount of damage cattle do in such a sensitive ecosystem. I have to admit, the cattle kept me company, and kept Shiloh amused, but once I was aware of the damage they created, it got me pretty angry. Many backpackers won’t go to Kennedy Meadows to camp because of the cattle. They feel it is just public ranch land and not a wilderness area, and they have a strong argument for that. There is even fights with backpackers and horse people and pack stations for the damage horses do. Some pack stations and horsemen are beginning to take more responsibility and making efforts to minimize the impact of horses in the wilderness, and I am sure many are not. It is just too much trouble for them.
As a horseman, I had the same attitude thinking that we have less of an impact than motor vehicles do in the forest lands and we have a right to be here just as much as anyone else. We think because horses have always been here and is part of our heritage, it is our God given right to do what we please with our horses. And we don’t think about our impact or footprint on these pristine areas. I had learned to see things differently when taking the horse packing course. They taught us to be respectful of others and taught us how to be responsible horse people. We ALL must take responsibility to minimize our impact on the natural environment whether we are horse people, backpackers, trail bikers, hikers, animal herders, campers or using off road vehicles. And we must show respect to all who use our public lands for the enjoyment that the natural world brings to us.
It is unfortunate that in today’s world, we need so many rules in protecting our wilderness areas and forest lands from mankind. But it is needed. Many people who visit these national treasures bring their bad habits to the natural environment with little thought of their impact on the land, water and the wildlife. Then there are those who understand the importance of being stewards of the land they visit and do what is necessary to protect it.
As a whole society in America, we also have to take responsibility in the stewardship of our natural resources. Our air, water and land have been so contaminated with toxins that impacts all humans, all life, and the health of the planet.
In a report released in March 22, 2012 from the Environmental America Research and Policy Center, finds that industry discharged 226 million pounds of toxic chemicals into America’s rivers and streams in 2010. The pollution included dead-zone producing nitrates from food processors, mercury and other heavy metals from steel plants, and toxic chemicals from various kinds of refineries. The researcher indentified 1.5 million pounds of known carcinogens, 626,000 pounds of chemicals linked to developmental disorders and 354,000 pounds of those associated with reproductive problems.
Is this the type of world we choose to live in? How soon will it be when Mother Earth says enough?
It is amazing to me that I see so much litter, cigarette butts and other garbage left in these beautiful areas. What is most disturbing to me is all the broken glass on the ground and at times I have found fish hooks on the ground in the campsites. Every campsite I stayed at this year, there was always lots of broken glass. People I guess felt it was not important to pick it up. It doesn’t make a nice campsite or a safe campsite when you have to be careful not to get cut up by broken glass or find a rusty fish hook embedded in your knee or hand. For me practicing bushcraft skills, I am on my knees a lot, especially making fires, and I don’t want to worry about any dangerous objects that may be on the ground that some idiot was too lazy to pick up. It is also about Shiloh getting his pads cut or being cut while he rolls around in the dirt. I also see on occasion children walking barefoot in the campsites. Maybe some of this glass has been here by previous campers many years ago and that could be, but I also think it is from recent campers. When we came into this camp, glass bottles as with broken glass were left in the fire pit. The fire pit is still seen as a dumping spot for refuse campers prefer not to take with them and leaves it for the next person. “Leaving No Trace” is an incredible concept for people to become more aware of what they can do to minimize their impact, but many choose to ignore it.
Being in a survival situation or practicing survival skills, or if you want to label it wilderness living, tends to be a contradiction with “Leave No Trace” concepts, but one can still take appropriate measures to minimize their impact on the environment. The simple act of respect, thinking about what we are doing, and responsibility goes a long ways in preserving our natural environment.
I will usually try and burn as much as possible, but I will always take out of the fire pit material that does not burn and I put garbage in a garbage bag to take out with me. I never leave anything behind and if I can I will take others garbage out with me.
In a survival situation, garbage can be good, As they say, “one man’s garbage is another man’s treasure.” Garbage or refuse may be a welcome sight for those who find themselves in a real survival situation.
Shiloh and I had bacon and eggs for breakfast, cleaned up and then found a place along the creek to wash up. The water was cold, but refreshing and the cleansing of the body and soul was much needed.
We went to get some water from the spring, then picked some willow in an area I checked out earlier in our trip, in the small meadow next to camp for our fire starting tools and traps. I gathered enough material to work on making the fire bow and all it’s components first.
It took a little time to find the right pieces of willow for the fire bow and figure 4 trap. We ended up going back a couple of times for the pieces I was looking for. Back in camp I made the bow, drill or spindle, baseboard and bearing block. I used parachute chord for the string for the bow. I will test it out on another day. The figure 4 trap went together just like as if I had directions. I did make it a little too large though, so I will make another one a little bit smaller in the coming days. But as they say, “practice makes perfect.”
Today was a good day, we got a lot done. I was busy making things from nature and Shiloh was taking a nap and protecting the camp from critters.
It was a nice afternoon, so Shiloh and I went to try our luck fishing late in the day at the lake outlet. Once we got to our fishing spot, I saw something in the water, but I was not sure what they were. Once I got closer I realized there were a lot of big trout just hanging out next to the shore. Never saw that before, so I tried a lure, figuring this is a no brainer, and thinking we were going to have fish dinner tonight. I dropped the line in and not a single bite. Maybe they were napping or sleeping. Maybe, I should have tried salmon eggs for bate. After being totally rejected by the fish, Shiloh and I headed back to camp. I was looking around enjoying the scenery and spotted about seven large mule deer bucks high on the mountain slopes that were coming from a saddle and moving across the steep shale covered slopes just below the ridgeline, then disappearing into some Alder. I would like to have seen hunters try and get them. It would have been a very long and tiring hike in very steep and loose rocky terrain.
After getting back from our nice walk from the lake, I got dinner prepared. Boil two cups of water, put water in a meal pouch, sealed, wait 12 minutes, and dinner is ready. Tonight’s dish was Chicken Breast with Rib Meat and Mashed Potatoes. The dinner was good, but the chicken needed a sauce to go with it – the mashed potatoes excellent. I was putting some Tabasco sauce in for additional flavor. I also put a little bit of the meal without the Tabasco in Shiloh’s food and he seemed to enjoy everything as well. Shiloh was enjoying the good life in the high country.
Shiloh started barking this evening and the first thought was the coyote’s were in the small meadow next to the camp. It was three small doe mule deer. Usually Shiloh will just take off after them. I think the encounter with the coyotes got him a little on edge. I know it got me a little on edge. We were both watching the deer at the edge of camp and where the meadow begins. They are beautiful creatures. These are the first deer we have seen since we have been here with the exception of the bucks we saw up in the mountain peaks earlier in the afternoon. After the deer ran off, I noticed a lot of ground squirrel holes as well as chipmunk or maybe mouse holes all around camp. I was thinking about snaring around camp, but never did. I didn’t want Shiloh getting caught in one.
Shiloh is a breed that never barks unless there is a good reason, which makes our camp much more peaceful.
Tonight is warm at 60 degrees and no wind. We also have a three quarter moon lighting up the night sky this evening. I was looking forward to the full moon, but never did see it. Most nights we went to bed early, usually no later than 8:00 pm, and I usually did some reading before we went to sleep. I was reading a book called “Merle” about a man and his dog.
Each day my excitement about being up here is increasing. I am looking forward to the two weeks alone in the wilderness. I feel at peace up in this beautiful, tranquil and quiet place. Shiloh obviously is not having the issues I have been having. He has been loving it since we got here. Having him here has been a great comfort for me, as with being able to share this incredible experience with him.
September 2, 2009 – Wednesday
Shiloh and I have been out here for eight days and sixteen days left, alone in the wilderness. At 7:30 am it was a warm 40 degrees and sunny. No wind last night. Slept okay. We are going hunting for ground squirrel this morning with the 22 cal. rifle. There are ground squirrels all over the place. I should be able to get one. Fishing is also on the schedule for today.
The gray squirrels have been chirping all morning.
We checked a few spots where the ground squirrels are running around. I have the 22 cal. rifle loaded and ready to go and now we wait. I was observing one that had just come out of his hole, I waited a few seconds, took aim and fired. One shot, one ground squirrel for lunch. After the blast of the rifle firing, Shiloh headed for the tent to hide. He did not like the sound of gun fire, even from a 22 cal.
I have never had squirrel nor have I cleaned one before, so this whole experience was a new one for me. I set the dead squirrel on a log to cool down before I gut it. About ten minutes later I heard a swooping sound going through the camp and looked up – a hawk tried to grab the squirrel from the log. Good thing he missed.
I decided to cook the squirrel in boiling water with a little sage and Tabasco sauce. It was quiet in squirrel land after the gun shot blast. The squirrels must have known one of their cousins got it. The gray squirrels, and ground squirrels have become quite active since Marilyn had left. Keeping Shiloh busy.
There was nothing to gutting and cleaning the squirrel – almost like cleaning a fish, but with fur. Before I did that I gave a short prayer for the squirrel and for him providing us with food.
After the squirrel was thoroughly cooked, I ate what little meat there was on the squirrel for lunch. It had a taste I have never experienced before. Not bad, but took a little getting use to. Maybe a little gamey tasting. I could imagine how it would taste in a stew, I would think pretty tasty.
After the small lunch, I finally hung my sage brush bundle to dry on a branch. I had some sage brush drying on the downed tree, then tied it together in bundles to dry upside down for a few days. I had enough sage to make two small bundles. Just another thing to do up in the wilderness.
We did have mouse visitors join our camp once again in the middle of the night. They never got into the food this time. I had all my food in hard plastic panniers. They did chew on one of the straps though.
In many places in today’s modernized world with the exception of hunters, sports hunters, and people who still rely on wild game for food, many people probably object to the killing of any fury creatures by means of hunting or trapping. They see it as unnecessary and cruel. But unless you are purely a vegan, you indirectly participate in mass killings of animals such as fish, cattle, calves, pigs, horses, chickens, turkeys and the list goes on. Many of these slaughter houses use very cruel and inhumane conditions and techniques in killing these animals and these conditions are only getting worse with large corporations getting involved in the industry of meat and poultry production – maximizing profits over better conditions and the health of the animals. On top of that, we have no idea of what type of drugs these animal factories are using on the animals that could affect human health through consumption of these products.
Many people see it as being okay to kill a slimy fish, or throwing a live lobster into a pot of boiling water, or in Japan’s case, the mass, brutal killings of dolphins, and selling them on the market as whale meat to the consumer, or buying nice cellophane rapped packaged meats in the grocery store, but it is not okay for the killing of an animal that still has it’s fur on by hunting. In America’s past we freely slaughter grizzly bears, mountain lions, bison and wolves to near extinction. And in some states in the US, killing, I should say the slaughter of wolves, is still being accepted as okay. Even the slaughter of wild horses. I too have a problem with killing an animal for the sake of killing or for sport. There is absolutely no reason for it, except to show off ones inadequate ego. And I have dealt with concerns personally of not wanting to kill animals even for survival. But I too fell into that way of thinking that some how killing a fish is okay, but not furry animals. And there is absolutely no difference between a fish and a furry creatures. They are both living creatures, made up of the same stuff, as us humans are. We are all made up of the same stuff as the stars. Most of us have no concern of killing an insect, but aren’t they living creatures that probably have an important purpose to be on this planet? Another animal many find repulsive is the Turkey Vulture, but it has a very important role to play in consuming the flesh of dead animals. We have been killing animals for food for tens of thousands of years and now in the last 50 years or so, some think it is wrong. I would personally rather take a life of an animal respectfully from the wilderness and eat it then eat the GMO, hormone and antibiotic laden meats one buys in the supermarket. People say hunting is wrong, but what about the raising and processing of millions of animals that have no choice, being raised in horrific conditions but to be killed and consumed by humans. It is also interesting that we have no remorse killing a plant or tree for food or shelter or for warmth. Aren’t they made up of the same stuff as we are? In our world for the most part, all living creatures with the exception of the human species (which could be questionable) have no rights to life, or to their environment. They are being squeezed out of their natural habitat, for greed, for natural resources, increased populations (that cannot be sustainable in the long term), for farming and ranching. Every minute vital habitat and ecosystems that provide for the health of the planet are being lost for progress for the people and by the people only with no thought of all other life forms we impact.
In a survival situation you cannot survive simply off edible plants indefinitely. If you are lucky and skilled you may get a squirrel, chipmunk, marmot, rat, mouse, a bird, snake, frog, a fish or even the tasty insect or insect larva. These animals will help in sustaining someone in a survival situation longer then relying solely on edible plants. So, like most flesh eating animals, killing is a survival necessity if it can be accomplished.
For me, I have accepted the fact of having to kill animals for food for survival if necessary and if I chose hunting to gather a source of food rather than buying from a grocery store, and not knowing what one is getting, I should have that choice. Even in practicing survival skills, hunting, tracking, building traps and snares, setting them, killing, gutting, cleaning, and eating are all part of those skills one should know. We have been doing far longer then we have in our modern day world. But it is not an excuse for the sake of just killing. As one survival teacher tells his students, if you kill it, you have to eat it. For those who think hunting should be eliminated, ask them if they would kill if it meant life or death for themselves, or their loved ones. As the Native Indians would do after killing an animal, they would thank and honor the animal for giving its life to feed them. It is showing a high level of respect for the animal that has provided for them and their family or community. How many times do we do this while we are tearing into a piece of chicken, turkey, lamb, beef or a fish? For that matter even for the plants we eat, the trees that we cut down?
What bothers me about hunting is hunters posing next to the kill for a momentous picture, or seeing the animal as a trophy to be mounted on the wall. All life whether it be in the animal kingdom or a tree, or a plant should be respected. I think most of us also have a problem accepting the fact when animals are killed for only one part of the anatomy that is used – a practice that is alive and well. As a society we need to really look at our values, question our values, and ask ourselves if these values make any sense, or are even appropriate.
Our views of things especially nature has become so distorted, and out of touch with any reality because of our civilized society has become so disconnected with the natural world, and feeling, and being quite comfortable in the synthetic world that we call civilization.
The Native Americans were called primitive, uncivilized, heathens, and even thought of as being lower than animals, and yet they respected all life on this planet. They see all life as relations, as brothers and sisters in the animal, and plant kingdom. They thanked all of creation for their teachings and for providing for them in food, shelter and clothing. They had a strong spiritual connection to all of life. We all can relearn our connectedness to the natural world, with a deep honoring, and reverence for Mother Earth. The indigenous peoples of the world can teach us how to step back into this sacred relationship. We can spend more time in nature, in silence, and in gratitude, and love for all that nature provides.
We are related to all life, to all the human species no matter the color of their skin, in their traditions, or cultures. We have a biological and spiritual connection to the trees, the plants, the fish, the animals, to the insects, to everything that is part of our planet. Our whole world is a symphony of life, beauty, grace, wonder, and magic. But few of us see this except for the native indigenous peoples of the world. But for many of these cultures and peoples, they have suffered greatly from the aggressors who tried to destroy them for hundreds of years. For what reason? From their false beliefs of what they believed human kind should be, through violence, and hatred, through a false religion that promotes these ideas. The Native people know this relationship with all life is strong and important for the survival of humankind, to the survival of the planet and to all life. And treats nature with respect and reverence as they would with a beloved child. We are the children of our planet. And with all odds against them by the super powerful, they persevere with their many hardships dealt to them by their captures. Fighting against the evils of mankind that we have allowed to dominate our world. We have allowed this disease of power over others, and greed to overcome us. We have allowed our world to become a synthetic world of materialism over the natural world that is the very thing that creates life. Our planet is telling us through climate change to stop this madness, and yet we choose to ignore her warnings. We have become blinded from the reality we have created for the human species and to all life. This dream we are in, for some god awful reason, we want to hold onto.
We must begin to treat our planet in a good way, in a respectful way, in a sacred way, and look at how our personal lives, and our collective consciousness have on the decisions we make that impacts our planet as a whole living ecosystem. We should conduct our personal lives in a way that we choose to purchase products that do not produce air pollution or water pollution or the pollution of the earth by dangerous chemicals and pesticides. Don’t buy products that support clear cutting of our forests around the world or the threatening of a particular species of animal. Or that of indigenous peoples that are also at risk of extinction because of lost habitat that they rely on for their very survival as a peoples.
Send a strong voice to our governments, to the corporations of the world that polluting our earth is not acceptable, and that it must end now!
Native Americans have had and still have this strong relationship with Mother Earth and they are trying to help us understand this. They are trying to teach us to listen to her cries to stop this destruction. Unfortunately for most, we have forgotten how to listen, and we choose to ignore what is being spoken, and choose to ignore what we do.
The human race is the only species that can cause irreversible damage to the planet, thus it is our responsibility to take care of her.
It is just after 12:00 pm and it is beginning to cloud up with the possibility of rain. Due to the weather I am passing on doing any fishing today. I may just relax with Shiloh. Tomorrow I will do some well needed washing of my clothes.
Shiloh and I took our walk to the spring for water, a daily ritual, as with collecting firewood. I notice the clouds continuing to roll in, but I don’t think we will get any rain.
The constant gathering of firewood and filling water containers with drinking water is a never ending chore we have to undertake in this environment everyday. But they are chores I welcome, because it takes us out into nature, to see, listen, and experience our surroundings with new things, and for the simple joys I have with Shiloh walking by my side. A deeper joy of what nature brings to us.
After I filled up the containers full of water we sat for a while next to the spring, noticing what is now our home for two more weeks. We can look across the meadow and see our camp from here. We are surrounded by the beautiful and majestic mountains. I have thoughts whether we should leave early, but I really don’t want to. This valley is feeling like home to me and Shiloh. But in the back of my mind, I have responsibilities or possible work waiting for me. Unfortunately, I have to make a living and bills to pay. The same old stuff. I am grateful I made the choice this year to spend so much time camping, and being in the wilderness as I have. It has been a great learning experience for me and of course an incredible experience sharing it with Shiloh. It is strange, on Monday I was ready to leave and on Tuesday I felt at total ease, and oneness in the wilderness. A feeling I had hoped I would experience, and I am now experiencing. I am enjoying this place and I believe Shiloh is to. I was watching Shiloh laying down just a couple of feet away from me, alert and always looking around with his head high and his ears erect. He is so majestic looking in this environment. I was thinking in that moment about Shawnee and wished she could experience this with us. Knowing those two, they would be constantly playing together – play fighting like sister and brother, with Shawnee always getting the upper hand and with Shiloh never minding who won the fight. And both getting into mischief, especially Shawnee. I wouldn’t get any rest if Shawnee was here.
Because the natural spring is close to the where the stinging nettle is, I thought I might find a nice patch to pick from, that the cows haven’t eaten, and bring enough leaves back to camp for some tea.
Entering the Aspen grove we flushed out two quail. I was surprised to see quail up here. Another possibility for a food source if really needed. Each step we take we find or experience something new in our new surroundings. A place full of life’s wonders, and beauty. I found an abundance of new growth nettles, so we will return tomorrow to get some for tea, and to cook up for a vegetable.
We saw two day-hikers, a father and son going to the lake for some fishing. I see a lot of day-hikers come into the valley, usually on the weekends, and during the week we have this place to ourselves. I wonder if they set up a camp before the main meadow? It would be a might long hike from Kennedy Meadows Resort to Kennedy Meadows and back for just one day of fising. Maybe they are coming from Relief Reservoir which would be maybe two miles less of a walk to and from Kennedy Lake. I have not really checked out the campsites before entering into the main meadow of Kennedy Meadows, but I know there are some along the trail and there is only one trail to get here, except for the one from the south, that the PCT hikers used to get down to Kennedy Meadows Resort for resupply.
In the late afternoon I was looking up at the west facing mountains and saw three horses running around at the foot of the mountain. I thought, where did they come from? More mysteries at Kennedy Meadows.
September 3, 2009 – Thursday
I slept pretty well last night until I was startled from a sound sleep by some noises, crashing noises, noises only manmade things could have made, and thought of bear. But then again, it could have been any other critter as well, such as a skunk, raccoon or maybe our friend the badger. Or was I just dreaming? While the commotion was happening, I looked over at Shiloh and he was sleeping soundly, so he felt it did not need any attention on his part. If he wasn’t concerned, then I thought I shouldn’t, and went back to sleep.
I checked things out in the morning and found nothing out of place. Don’t know what could have caused those noises. Maybe just my imagination. One’s senses, and imagination, are heightened in nature that can be exciting, and also frightening.
It is another beautiful morning waking in paradise. We never felt a drop of rain from all those clouds that went through the valley the day before.
I perked up some coffee, made a little breakfast, and Shiloh and I just relaxed for the morning.
While Marilyn was here, I found a nice long log in the woods behind our camp that I hauled to camp while I was checking things out, and gathering firewood. I finally got to the sawing and chopping on a portion of the log early this afternoon, and being rewarded for the hard work with some nice pieces of firewood. One gets winded much easier at this high elevation. I will get the rest done in a few days. A little bit at a time.
I am enjoying the work that has to be done in maintaining a camp and being in the wilderness. As they say, “It is good honest work.” I have been making extra efforts in chores that need to be done as well as doing a lot of hiking and exploring with little concern of doing things efficiently as if in a survival situation to save energy. And because I am not in a survival situation, I will go further to get firewood, even when I know I have a good supply next to camp., and it is nice to explore. I also want to burn some of this fat I have accumulated from sitting over a drafting table and doing very little exercise.
When in a survival situation, you want to minimize the amount of energy used (unless you have a good supply of food) and being efficient with that limited amount of energy you have. With a very low calorie intake due to minimal amounts of food or no food being consumed, you will very quickly run out of gas and in turn minimizing your effectiveness needed in survival. This is why priorities are essential, and getting the most important things done to help in survival done first, especially if you are alone and can only rely on yourself to do all the work. If you don’t make a definite plan of action, and run around with your head cut off, you minimize your chances of surviving in a survival situation. Usually the priorities in a survival situation are 1) shelter, 2) water 3) fire, and 4) food. Then exploring the area for the natural resources that can help in ones survival. We can only survive without water for about three days, we can survive without food for three weeks or more. But without sustenance it would make survival very difficult to get things done to just survive. It becomes easy in losing hope, if things aren’t working out to plan.
Shiloh and I went for a walk along the creek heading north. I wanted to find the creek coming out of Soda Canyon from the west. Soda Canyon is a small canyon that runs west of the Kennedy Meadows and the entrance is a short distance from our camp to the north. We did find it and it was not much of a creek. A large portion of the entrance to Soda Canyon looked like a barron wasteland. Not much there, but bare dirt, sand, little growth, rocky, and some kind of tall metal pole marker. This place seemed out of place with the rest of the valley. We looked for a trail that would take us back into the canyon, but did not see any signs of a trail from our vantage point. I I did not feel like going any further, so we headed back to camp. It was nice to explore a new areas of the valley. One of my goals was to hike up the southern portion just past the lake to get a nice view looking northward at the valley below.
When we got back in camp I started a fire early thinking we may have a chance of rain coming soon. The wood I sawed and chopped from the log burned well – it made a nice fire.
A good survival trick that will work with fire in wet or snowy conditions is, when you know there might be a good chance of rain coming in, get a good strong fire base going with hot coals and then when it starts raining or just prior to it starting to rain, place large damp or wet punky logs on the fire. The fire will last for some time even in the rain. The bigger the logs the longer the fire will last. I tried this technique and it worked exceptionally well, even with very wet saturated wood. Little tricks like this can make ones camping experiences much more enjoyable as well. Having to restart fires in wet weather is no fun and can be very frustrating and maybe impossible in certain circumstances. The more one learns survival skills, as with bushcraft skills, the more enjoyable the camping experiences are, and giving one more confidence in their abilities in nature.
Shortly after Marilyn left, I began hearing faint sounds of music, but could not really determine where it was coming from. It has pretty much been ongoing everyday and usually starts in the late afternoon to early evening, so Shiloh and I took another short walk to see if we could find the source of this music I have been hearing. Originally I thought the people with the horse may have been camping next to the river by the entrance gate to the meadow, and they were the ones playing the music. We checked those campsites out, but did not see anyone camping there or any sign of any campers being there. To say the least, I was baffled – what is going on here I thought? I was trying to focus in on where the music was coming from and it sounded like the music was coming from close to where the horses were hanging out, so we hiked a little ways up the mountain and got up to where the horses were, but I could not find any sign of a camp. I yelled hoping someone might hear me, but no response. There was an area further up that may look like an area for a camp and decided to check it out at another time because I didn’t have Shiloh’s leash with me and like the cows, Shiloh likes chasing horses too. The last thing I wanted is some pissed off cowboy shooting at Shiloh for chasing their horses or any of their horses getting injured running from Shiloh, so we headed back to camp.
I am at a point of needing a real shower. I could imagine how bad it will be after three weeks. I did bring a solar shower, but never took it out to use. Just being lazy.
The air mattress I brought up seems to be holding air pretty well. I only have to fill it about every three days. For some reason, the first night here it didn’t last a night. The pump is actually lasting longer as well. So far I have only used the pump three times since our stay. The air mattress makes sleeping in the wilderness much more comfortable and a better rested sleep. One of the benefits of packing in, is being able to bring more stuff.
I was listening to the creek sounds and because the water is much lower this time of year it provides a very calming effect. I find the fast rushing rivers can be too noisy for my liking. I like the gentle sounds of the flowing water.
I was thinking if we stayed for the full three weeks (which means still having doubts about staying the whole time) I would see the cattlemen begin to take the cattle out. I thought that would be some sight to see. Maybe Shiloh could help in the herding? He would love that, although he wouldn’t make a good herding dog. I had learned later the cattle won’t leave until October. There goes our fun. Some of the cattle have gone up high in the mountains and it would be interesting to see how they would get them down. The barbed wire fence really doesn’t do much good either, the cows just jump over it if they want out. It is also interesting how the cows get here. There is an old trail they use from Kennedy Meadows Resort, to get to Kennedy Meadows to take the cattle on. It is called, Nightcap Trail Stock Driveway. I guess they have lead cows who know where they are going and seem to be able to find the place with a lot of cows following behind. I bet they are not so willing to leave this paradise in place of being part of a meal, and them being the main course. From what I was told, it is a very rough, and hard trail, not recommended for hikers.
This whole week we have pretty much had the whole valley to ourselves. Not a soul around. It has been quiet and peaceful, and all to ourselves to enjoy. This was an incredible experience to have.
I have noticed the grasshoppers like the cow manure. I have not seen any mosquitoes thus far – notta one, and that is fine with me. I can use the grasshoppers for bait for the fish or possibly a tasty treat for me. I wonder if Shiloh would eat one?
I think Shiloh is beginning to lose interest in chasing the chipmunks in camp. Shiloh does not tolerate intruding critters in our camp, but maybe he sees the chipmunks as being no threat. Two were in camp this morning and Shiloh just looked at them with no desire or interest in going after them.
I decided to get some water from the spring and pick some nettles for tea and greens for a salad. I crossed the log bridge and was walking in the direction of the spring. I looked up on the gentle rise of the meadow and just to the left of where the spring was, I saw a splash of something white on the ground. The closer I got, my eyes began focusing on what appeared to me as a white head, but I was still too far away to get a clear look. Moments later it raised it’s mighty black wings and with a gentle grace, it flew off towards the lake. It was a bald eagle. I found myself in amazement. It must have been eating a ground squirrel or snake. What a sight! I hope I see him or her again. It was my first time seeing this magnificent bird in real life.
We filled our water containers and then left them there by the spring while we went to gather some stinging nettles in the aspen grove. And maybe even get lucky in finding some other wild edibles that may come across our path. I know there are wild onions here as well, but the cows seem to like eating them as well as everything else. In one of my edible plant books, they say stinging nettle or nettle makes a good spinach substitute. So I wanted to try that. The nettle plant is high in iron, calcium, potassium, manganese, and vitamins A, C, and D, making it one of the most delicious and nutritious foods in nature. I can vouch for the tea, it is a very pleasant and good tasting tea with a beautiful color of a light olive oil.
After grabbing a bunch of leaves from the nettle plant, we headed back to pick up our water bottles at the spring and back to camp. Shiloh nor I ever get tired of this walk in nature. It is a magical wonderland to experience, and feeling a deeper connectedness to.
In camp I put on some nettle tea over the fire to reach a boil, and enjoyed a refreshing cup of nettle tea. After it cooled down I emptied the tea to get at the leaves for a salad. Unfortunately, I cooked the leaves much to long and it lost all of its texture and consistency. It just disintegrated into nothing. So I mixed it in with my dehydrated meal of Cajun Salmon Inferno, but I doubt if any nutrients was left in these over cooked leaves. This is something I will have to work on in finding that balance of not over cooking the leaves. About a year and a half later, I had learned from a Ray Mears show that you can hold the nettle over an open fire just for a second or two until it begins to slightly wilt and eat them that way. It is suppose to taste very good using this method. Ray Mears said, he likes this way of preparing the nettle the best, and having the best flavor. So all you campers out there, don’t overlook this gem of a plant for a delicious and nourishing food source, and as a wonderful and healthy tea.
Our dinner, the Back Packer’s Pantry “Cajun Salmon Inferno.” was pretty good, with a generous splash of Tabasco sauce added for additional flavor.
I started hearing that faint music again. Where is it coming from?
Tonight a few mosquitoes were buzzing around and of course I got bit.
September 4, 2009 – Friday
I had a very interesting night last night. I was in a quiet sleep and was awakened by all kinds of weird sounds, and very bright lights outside the tent. Could it have been a shooting star, an alien spaceship landing, the Marines doing night war games in our camp or a fellow camper going through our camp with a flashlight, or was it just another dream? I thought, if it is serious I will soon know about it, and thought it was just one of those very vivid dreams. I really didn’t care. I felt a deep peace within, and fell back into a restful sleep. Shiloh was not disturbed by it either. He was sound to sleep in his own dreams. Shiloh was being more active in the middle of the night though. He got up barking at something twice in the night. Probably a cow in camp. Otherwise Shiloh and I had a pretty good night sleep, and as with a very amusing night.
When we got up it felt cooler this morning by a few degrees then the past few mornings.
I did not notice anything suspect or out of place in our camp from last night’s dream like events. Anything can get the mind going out here, being alone in the wilds of nature. I remember a friend and I rode our ten speed bicycles to Canada and along the way we stopped to camp in a picnic area on the beach that did not allow camping. It was getting late and the campgrounds were full. Some campers said, it should be okay to camp there. At around midnight we were awakened by park rangers with their flashlights shining in our faces, telling us we had to pack up and find another place to bed down. I woke up with no problem, but my friend jumped up and started to run. The rangers told him to stop and luckily he did. My friend was telling me, while we were packing up in pure darkness that he thought the flashlight in his face were headlights of a bus that was heading right for him. His mind created a vivid dream instantly from the moment the flashlight hit his face. Pretty amazing.
Everyday I think about leaving, using one excuse after another, but in reality, I really don’t want to leave. At this point, most of my reasoning for leaving is work. What if I get calls for new jobs and risk not getting them because I am not there to respond to them? Or a client needs things taken care of right away, but I am not around to take care of those issues? There is always something. Having a service oriented business and a demanding one can keep the owner of the business in shackles to the demands of the business, and at times the client. I was also concerned with winter coming soon, work usually dries up during the holiday season, and will I be able to survive the winter? But my experiences in nature seems to be pulling me towards her with a gentle touch. She is telling me, “I am important too.” And she is in a very special way. But we need to listen to her, be with her on a very personal level by going deep into the very life that she is. She is the consciousness of all life.
I decided to make my breakfasts on the stove versus over the fire this morning. It is easier and takes a little bit less time, although it still takes a longer time to cook food, and to perk the coffee using the stove because of the higher altitude, vs. cooking at sea level, which means consuming more fuel. If I was in a survival situation, I would use the stove only if needed as the last resort. I did figure how many bottles of propane I would need for this trip, so it is a limited resource that should not be wasted, when my fire wood is still abundant. If for some reason I did find myself in a survival situation, I would take a survey of what I had in supplies, in food, and to make a plan to be rescued or walking out. Then if I couldn’t walk out or if it was to risky to walk out, I would make signal markers, or signal fires for rescue. I also have signal flares with me, and a signal beacon device with me. If I were in a survival situation, this would be a good spot to be in for a number of reasons.
I brought three full propane bottles for perking coffee lasting 10 days per bottle. If I used them for cooking, and coffee, each one would last maybe three days per bottle. Things one has to consider in using propane fuel, is the altitude, cold weather conditions, and wind that will impact the time foods cook.
Unfortunately most people packing in the back country do not fully consider the “What if?” scenario. Even in taking day hikes, one should have a plan for emergencies. The cell phone should never be used as the only device for rescue. A transponder would be a good backup device such as a Spot Tracking, or a ACR, ResQLink View – GPS Positioning device, or a Satellite phone. Any one who goes into the backcountry, should have a rescue plan, gear, and equipment to support one in these situations. Knowing basic first aid is also very helpful.
After breakfast and some cleaning up in camp, Shiloh and I were going back to the area I thought there might be a camp with the music playing. Or was I just hearing things? The strange thing is, everyday the music was different and I would usually hear it in the late afternoon around dinner time. I heard Classical, Country, Spanish, Rock & Roll, you name it, I heard it. Very strange!
After washing up and washing some clothes in the creek, I let them dry on a grassy area next to the creek, with the help of the morning sun’s warmth. We then headed out to find that hidden camp with the music playing. That is if there was such a camp?
I decided to take my pistol with me on hikes just in case of another encounter with the gang of coyotes. And again, with no intent of actually shooting at them. I know three coyotes could do some serious harm to Shiloh. And if he took off after them and there was an encounter, I could pop off a shot hoping to scare the coyotes away. Keeping an awareness of our surrounding is helpful, and if I did see the coyotes around, I would leash up Shiloh before Shiloh had any idea of going after them in a chase. I was most concerned in the forested areas where it would be easy for them to ambush Shiloh.
Being in one area for an extended amount of time, we can learn our surroundings, the behaviors of wildlife, finding animal tracks or sign of animals, where particular plants like to grow, as well as the trees. Being able to see a visual picture of life in this small valley. Three weeks is only a small window to do this in, but for the weekend camper it is impossible to do. When Marilyn was here for 6 days, we saw no animals besides the domestic type. But once she left, and Shiloh and I were all alone, the whole valley opened up to us with wildlife. I attribute this possibly because we had a quiet camp, and we were becoming somewhat of a permanent fixture here that animals did not see as a threat. When one has the time, and sees animal activity, it is nice to find a comfortable spot, and just observe the animal for a time. And if we can observe deeply, we can experience magical moments. This was one of my ultimate goal being out in nature. But again, it takes time to do this, and it is difficult with a limited time frame unless this is the our main focus. My focus here was just becoming familiar with the area, being aware, and practicing certain outdoor skills, as with being comfortable with this lifestyle of being alone in the wilderness. It is a big adjustment to be in. It is like being in a survival situation, where one sets up a quick shelter for protection, then building upon it, making the shelter and camp more functional and comfortable. It is a slow process to learn all the things there is to learn in the backcountry.
We went higher up the mountain then yesterday and saw no areas that would make a good camp and no signs of a camp, or the elusive music. It was also interesting that someone would just leave three horses running around in the wilderness unconstrained. No one was around for the horses that I could see for the time we were there, but then again I didn’t see anyone coming up with them. I am figuring they may have been left there for when they round up the cattle.
There was a beautiful view of the valley from up where we hiked, giving just another perspective of the whole valley. Well, the mystery of the music at Kennedy Meadows was still a mystery, and alive.
Still getting some smoke in the valley from a fire north of us.
I hope to do some fishing today.
Everyday on our walks, I see the destruction the cattle make on this pristine valley.
Kennedy Meadows is used by backpackers, anglers, and hunters. Overall the condition of the campsites I would rate as just okay. Leave No Trace guidelines are not accepted much up here by any means. Garbage is left behind, the fire pits look like dump sites, and as I had mentioned earlier, there is a lot of broken glass on the ground. I even find fish hooks on the ground, which could be very dangerous for campers and animals, whether it be a pet or wild animal, it does not matter. It seems many still have an idea that we do not have to be responsible stewards in nature. I too can be much better in being responsible in all things I do on our planet.
As for the cattle in national forests and what I have seen here, they should not be allowed, especially in designated wilderness areas. The damage they do to the vegetation, digging deep craters that have been created, sometimes turning into muddy bogs, large patches of grass cleared for their resting spots, cattle trampling grass lands and the ruining of the river banks, and the polluting of the streams, creeks, the lake and natural springs in the area. In many cases, it is encourage that backpackers in the wilderness areas, walk only on the trails and not off trails to have minimal impact on vegetation and so as not to create more trails scattering through the landscape which makes sense. And for the cattle, they too use hiker trails, that they tend to destroy especially in the wet boggy areas, where hikers have to create new trails just to get past the destruction the cows leave, thus making new trails. But it is okay for cattle to be in wilderness areas, no matter how much damage they do to the environment.
In California, the USFS has limited the amount of pack animals going into the wilderness making it difficult for pack outfitters to survive. The outfitters who do not practice Leave No Trace should not be in business. But compared to the impact the cattle have on the environment, there is no comparison, the cattle wins hands down on the damage they do to the land, and the flora and fauna. I later learned that cattlemen have hundred year leases on public lands, but even if they only allowed the cattle to come in every other year or every two years at least the land can maybe have some time to recover.
Shiloh and I have been seeing quite a few young mule deer around the small meadow just to the south of us, and in the main meadow. They come in during early evenings to graze. They keep Shiloh on his toes and alert. With all the animals we have seen here, it seems we have been accepted as a residence here, as being part of this special place.
I am hoping to gain a better understanding and insight into nature on this trip. Sometimes I have thought that this whole process is a waste of time. One question is, am I really learning by being up here? And the answer is a definite yes! Though the mental challenges have had a strong impact on how I see things, I have learned so much through the mental process and also through trial and error. I am going through the learning process of not just survival skills, but getting back into a relationship with nature and going through that process alone. This process I feel can really only be done being alone in the wilderness, or just spending quiet times anywhere in natural settings, I believe. With one or more people with you, you will usually not have to deal with the demands that play on your psyche when alone, but also would probably not give you the opportunities to reconnect with nature on a much deeper level when others are around which creates just too many distractions. I have been paying attention to how I act and behave in the wilderness, how I relate to the natural world with people around me, and me being alone, and it is very different. It does not mean it is bad having people around obviously, it just means it is harder to really reconnect with nature if you don’t do it alone. We need that alone time with nature. A time to quiet the mind, and be at peace within, and without.
Organization in camping or in a survival situation is very important. If things are not organized, it is a constant time consumer looking for things. I have done better compared to how I used to be, but I still need to work on it. All my things need to be organized in categories such as:
1) Food containers or packaging 2) Survival gear bag (i.e. fire starting equip., snares, etc.) 3) Emergency gear bag 4) Toiletries and soap bag 5) Misc. (i.e. batteries) bag. 6) Clothing bag 7) Fishing gear bag 8) Cooking gear bag. 9) Hunting gear bag
Getting back from our hike up the mountain in our search for the music that was constantly playing in my ears, I gathered my cleanly rinsed clothes that were dry by now. I noticed some small fish and a larger one in the creek jumping for bugs. So I tried some black flies I had in my tackle box and a roll of fishing line to see if I could catch any fish. But no bites!
I thought it would be nice to have trout for dinner so I decided we would go fishing and we left around 11:30 am. I figured out or believed that the spot I fished at seems to be active with fish responding to my lure from 12:00 pm to about 1:30 pm and the conditions have to be just right. If it is to windy or if the sun isn’t out I get no activity. This is purely my observations and maybe lacking in knowing fish behavior and just the lack of my fishing experience, but it seemed to work.
On our way to our fishing spot Shiloh had a place where he would go down to the water and splash around some. He was learning this trail well and I would watch him trail blaze like he had been on the trail many times before. He must have known every smell on this trail. Shiloh is usually in the lead on our walks. If he is unfamiliar with a trail he may fall back and follow my lead, picking up scents on the way. Since the coyote incident, I keep a careful look out for coyotes while we take any walks now, and I always bring a leash along just in case.
When we got to our fishing spot, I got set-up and got Shiloh to lay down so he wouldn’t get in the way, and where I could keep an eye on him. I did a lot of casting and finally hooked one. A nice brown. Once I got him on shore it got unhooked and I quickly grabbed him before he found his way back into the water. I put him on a stringer line then threw him back into the water. After a dozen more cast I caught another one, and once I got him unhooked, and put him on the stringer line, my first fish began flopping around and I lost him and the stringer line back into the water. I had a fish in hand and watching the other fish get away with my stringer line. I wasn’t sure what to do. I thought both the fish and the line were lost for good. Once I finally got the second fish secure on another stringer line I had, I notice the stringer line with my first fish on it was still visible in some moss next to the shore line in about a couple of feet of water, and figured the fish was in that thick moss as well. I was still thinking how could I have allowed this to happen, and feeling a bit stupid. I was determined not to lose that stringer line or the fish. I didn’t think the water was that deep so I took my shoes and socks off and tried to retrieve the stringer line that way, but the line was too deep to grab. And I also had to contend with a steep embankment down to the water, as with rocks making it difficult to maintain a good balance so I wouldn’t end up in the drink. I attempted to hook the stringer line with my lure and that didn’t work. My third option was to use a stick and try pulling the line closer to me with the stick. I used two sticks and that almost worked. I then lost the line completely in the churned up water and moss. After giving up, the water cleared and I saw the line again. The way the line was in the water, I had a better chance of hooking it, so I used my lure once again and on the third try and hooked it enough where I got my fish and line back. It took some time, but now we have two nice trout for dinner. I also didn’t want to leave a fish attached to a stringer line in the water. What a relief it was to get both the line and fish back. I was getting a bit frustrated with myself, but things happen and it was a good learning experience. It really wasn’t a big deal, though I reacted to it as if it was. There is nothing like being in nature with all its trials and tribulations. You just take a deep breath, and enjoy what nature brings to us. That is what nature is all about, having all this fun!
We walked back to camp with two juicy trout in hand, while enjoying the beautiful countryside we were experiencing. I never tire of all the walking we do, and it is always an extra treat if we see something new, which we usually do on our walks.
While walking back from our interesting fishing experience, I came across a handmade deer skin bag with rawhide fringe. It was at the base of a half dead standing pine tree in the small meadow just a short distance south of our camp. I thought maybe it may have belonged to the backpacker we saw while we were out fishing. The many times we have been back and forth on this trail and passing this very noticeable single tree, I had never noticed it there before. Picking it up, it felt empty and decided not to open it since it did not belong to me. I brought the bag with us, hoping I can find the owner of the bag. I set the bag visibly on a broken tree limb next to the log bridge, hoping the owner would see it and claim it. I thought it would be picked up by the end of the weekend. We even went back to the spot we saw the backpacker and found no sign of him. Just another strange thing happening at Kennedy Meadows. Maybe this place has a lot of Indian spirits hanging around up here. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were.
On our many walks through the small meadow to the south of camp, occasionally I would see a striped racer quickly and effortlessly gliding through the grass with great speed and ease. Once you lay eyes on him, in a flash it would be gone.
For the dinner menu, it was two juicy trout and Mountain House Pasta Primavera.
At camp Shiloh went after another coyote in the main meadow and once again he did not obey my commands to come. I ran to the tent to get my pistol and when I was at the stream Shiloh was heading back to camp. The coyote did not have any of his friends with him or close by. At least none that I saw. I think Shiloh is just protecting his camp when any animal gets to close. One thing that concerned me was the coyotes know where Shiloh lives and I wonder if they would plan to try and lure him out again. Fortunately this never did happen for the rest of our stay here. I was even thinking about popping off a few shots by them to scare them if a small group of them came to close to camp. That never happened either. But we did enjoy their barking, howling, and yelping at night and in the early mornings.
Since I have not really described our camp except for the initial comparison to my June camp, and how I really didn’t care much for it on our first arrival, I thought I would give you a tour of it. It is a large camp good for a medium size group of people. It is surrounded by pine trees with a couple of openings viewing a small sliver of the meadow and mountains on the east side. A small portion of the river is in view on the southeast side of the camp and if you stand on the southeast end of camp by the downed tree, more of the creek is in view, as with the meadow and west facing mountains. The stream is no more than ten to fifteen yards from the camp and the camp is on a rise about ten feet higher than the creek. Marilyn, Shiloh and I tended to hang out there in the morning for the morning sun to heat us up and to be able to enjoy the view of the creek, open meadow, and mountains.
On the south side we have another meadow – a much smaller one with a slight view of it between the trees. The campsite ground is dirt with little debris to speak of. The ground in camp was nice and clear from any flammable debris. It has a large fire pit on the south side of the camp with one large downed tree next to the fire pit. I use the tree for sitting down and maybe doing some work making tools. My tent and the kitchen were on the east side of the camp, closest to the creek. My restroom area was about twenty yards away to the west in the tree line. This area is where the outfitters would tie the horses up in group camping trips.
On the north side of camp is a nice area of trees largely spaced from one another and a trail leading into another smaller camp, and a meadow. On the west side it seems at first to go into a dense forested area, but thins out quickly and opens into a clearing, then into another denser forest. It is this side that one could imagine scary things coming out into our camp. Where maybe a small pack of coyote are hiding, waiting to pounce on Shiloh when he takes off chasing after one while the others wait. Or all of a sudden a bear appears through the thick group of trees lingering into camp looking for a bite to eat. Shiloh had one spot on that side of camp next to a big tree he seemed to like the best to relax. Most of the time we get good shade in camp. The tent we brought was I think a six person tent with an attached enclosed area with large openings. The end of it had two large screened openings giving us a good view of the camp. It was a nice tent, and comfortable for what we wanted. It was an Eddie Bower tent.
As I had mentioned before, there is an abundance of firewood, squirrels and chipmunks all around camp as with the nocturnal mice that come out in the darkness of night.
The winds usually comes in from the north, but on occasion may come in from the south. In June when I was up here, the wind always came in from the north.
I was surprised to see only one person, a backpacker come into the valley today and didn’t even stay. He must have just been passing through I guess. Not sure if there will be very many people on the weekend. The weather has been incredible, with the exception of occasional smoky skies from the forest fires.
The weather has been warm enough I have not needed my jacket yet. If it starts too get chilly I just put on my down vest.
I am not sure what I have planned for tomorrow. The days seem to go by quickly. I should spend much of my time this week focusing on practicing my survival skills. I was also thinking, maybe Shiloh and I will take a long hike up above the south side of the lake to see what is up there on those mountain slopes, and with a good view of the lake, and valley. It looks like an interesting place to explore. This area is where people who are thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail comes down. The PCT runs along the eastern mountain ridges that run along the valley floor of Kennedy Meadows.
September 5, 2009 – Saturday
Last night I had a good night sleep. Early this morning the wind was blowing around 5:30 to 6:00 am. I thought maybe we would have a windy day or at least a windy morning. We got up around 7:45 am with the sun out, blue skies and no wind. Occasionally a light and refreshing small alpine breeze would come through camp which is always welcomed.
I was thinking of things I wanted to get done today before I got up and realized where I was. I was not at the office, I didn’t have clients telling me how to do my job, and I really didn’t have any type of schedule I had to be on. I of course wanted to get things done and I had chores I had to do like getting water and firewood, but I was in the middle of nowhere. Who cares if I don’t get something done. I was getting settled in, and was more relaxed – I was blending into the flow of nature. Since I was not in a survival situation, I was redirecting my focus on just enjoying being up here with Shiloh. And for me, this was part of what I wanted to accomplish up here as with practicing survival skills. I have to say I was falling short on practicing survival skills. I also wanted to observe the plants up here on this trip, but since the cattle ate most of them there wasn’t much to observe.
I put on a creek cleaned shirt and pants, but I still stink and I still don’t know why I did not use the solar shower. Probably just laziness. But I did rinse off in the creek.
First thing this morning, I got the coffee perking, sat down in my chair and enjoyed the morning with a cup of coffee, writing in the journal, and enjoying the view, in peace and quiet, with only the sounds of nature keeping us company.
For breakfast I fixed Mary Jane Farm Shepherd’s Pan Bread. It was pretty good, and organic.
While I was eating my breakfast, two horsemen came through camp unannounced. They came through the heavily treed area from the west. Shiloh nor I noticed them until they were in our camp. They were cattlemen checking on the cows. One of them almost fell off his horse when his horse spooked after seeing Shiloh. Both horses took their riders running across the creek before the cowpokes knew what was happening. That is what they get for not giving us any warning before coming through our camp. From across the creek the horses carefully observed Shiloh, not really sure what type of critter he might be.
I had a nice little chat with the cowboys – nice guys. Old time cowboys are usually nice and enjoyable fellas to talk with. Didn’t get into the rights or wrongs of having cattle here. That conversation would have gone nowhere. One of the cowboys saw the bag hanging on the tree and referred to it as a medicine bag. Maybe that is why it seems so appropriate hanging from the tree. Maybe it will give me good luck or maybe bad luck. The cowboy asked me if I looked inside? And told him I hadn’t. He also told me where the trail was to Soda Canyon. They mentioned a couple of deer hunters wounded a bear up here not long ago while hunting with a bows. Maybe they thought that story would scare me, thinking maybe the bear will come back for revenge, and find us to take that revenge on.
After talking with the cowboys, I heard a couple of birds squawking and it sounded like crows. They were in a tree above my camp. When they flew off they looked a lot like magpies, but couldn’t definitely identify them.
The cows were quite noisy this morning. I wanted to shoot a couple of them. They were mooing right outside our camp. I think it is only a couple who are making on the racket. Maybe the young ones.
The creek has drop some since we have been here last, which is expected with much less mountain run off.
The cows were carrying on this morning, getting real fat, living the good life in the mountains, all the freedom in the world and don’t have a clue they will be on someone’s dinner plate in the near future. Shiloh was keeping a keen eye on there shenanigans.
I have been reading a book someone had recommended I should read. The book is Merle’s Door. It sounded like a great book to read up in the mountains. It was about a guy and his dog and their relationship with each other in the mountains of Wyoming. I was able to relate to a lot of things in the story in my relationship with Shiloh
One of the things I was hoping to gain out of this experience in nature was to gain a sense of oneness with nature, to reconnect with nature in a very spiritual way. I think I was probably asking too much – maybe I was expecting too much. I think this process may take a little longer to achieve. What I can say is, this experience has truly been an incredible adventure for me and Shiloh, and I have learned more about myself and my relationship with nature than I could have hoped for as I reflect on this.
From a distance Shiloh and I saw another badger. Not sure if it is the same one we saw a couple of days ago. This critter looked like he was digging a hole across from where the other hole was. Badger’s dig holes for a few reasons, they are used as sleeping dens or nesting chambers, to bury large prey and to bury its droppings. They also use these holes for escaping from dogs or humans, or digging for prey. They are very bold animals, and can be very aggressive toward much larger animals than themselves, such as humans. They are fearless.
I have found that a lot of backpackers go through Kennedy Meadows without stopping to camp. I personally think it is because of the cattle, or they are headed to Kennedy Meadows Resort to resupply.
People go into the wilderness to experience its beauty and for the solitude. They do not want to go to a place where there are 150 head of cattle grazing in such a small area as Kennedy Meadows.
Looking down from camp I see the bag I found hanging from the tree limb, and I begin to imagine what it would have been like living with Indians in a small Indian encampment in the mountains that they would use for their hunting place. I get a feeling of passing through such a place when I see this deer skin bag. It seems symbolic to me and adds to my camp. Maybe an Indian spirit from the past left it for me to find. Wishful dreaming I suppose.
The red-tail hawks are soaring in search of food. What a beautiful sight to experience. There are about five soaring that I have seen so far. Soaring oh so quietly in the wind. The calls they make to their mates in the sky. I also spotted an Osprey soaring over the lake for a meal.
A lone coyote appeared in the meadow, across the creek, so I put Shiloh’s lease on him and we just sat and watched the coyote do his thing. I wonder if it was the same coyote Shiloh has been chasing?
The two sage brush bundles I made a couple of days ago were dried and ready to go and thought I would ask for a blessing from the Creator. The first one I tested worked pretty well and waived the smoke over my head in the traditional Indian way for cleansing the spirits. The second bundle I thought turned out better and put that one in the medicine bag that I found so as to give it good medicine.
I did look inside the bag after the cowboys asked me if I did. I found a note with no other items in the bag. The note said, “Nathan: Humor me if this you see circle yes, and set me free.
Yes!
Love Pksape Cante.”
There was also a symbol on the note.
I had no idea what this could have meant, but maybe Nathan will be here this weekend to pick up the bag. I really have no desire to keep the bag and as the cowboys said, “Hang it on your wall as a memento of your trip.” I believe the bag was left yesterday and because it was addressed to Nathan, Nathan is the proper owner of the bag. I hope he comes for it when I am here, so I can tell him where I found it.
The wind has been blowing off and on, but overall it has been a very nice day.
While I was getting firewood, two backpackers arrived so far. I went to get the wood next to the willow at the small meadow close to my camp. I got enough firewood for about four days.
When I first started looking for these chirping gray squirrels that seemed to disappear into the trees, I was struggling to see any. I would hear them, but couldn’t see them. They would blend into the tree, becoming part of the tree. Today I am seeing them all over the place – in the trees and on the ground. Some were paired up with a mate. I have seen probably 10 to 12 squirrels around camp. They are beautiful creatures with their mostly gray coat of fur and white fur on their underside.
A hawk flew through the trees into our camp and flew right by me while writing in my journal. These creatures of nature know their home well.
Tonight for dinner it will be Alpine Aire Foods, Shrimp Newburg. I had to smother it with smoked Tabasco sauce. Wouldn’t put this on my list of favorites. Shiloh seemed to like it though, and without the Tabasco.
More backpackers began arriving on this late afternoon. I believe three pair of them. I talked with a fly fisherman who was fishing close to our camp earlier. I was talking to him about fly fishing. Seems to be a nice guy. He asked me if I wanted to join him for fishing tomorrow.
Overall it has been a very relaxing, and pleasant experience for me up here, as with Shiloh fully enjoying it. He looks very relaxed and content with the natural world around him. One thing I find a little bothersome up here is that of going to bed so early. Shiloh and I usually hit the sack around 8:00 to 8:30 pm and sometimes as early as 7:30 pm. I do some reading in the tent for about a half hour or so using my headlamp. If I had better light outside, I would probably write in my journal or read more in the evening, but the lantern I have doesn’t give off enough light to do that. The evenings have been very pleasant. I suppose one concern about staying up after dark is if Shiloh takes off after a critter that could be very bad. I try to watch Shiloh as much as I can and I can usually tell if he hears something. If I can tell him to stay before he goes into his hot pursuit, he usually stays, but I can’t always rely on that. If deer come to close to camp, or a cow, or any other critter, Shiloh will not allow it. After all, he is the camp protector, and he takes his responsibilities very seriously.
When I am ready to retire at night, I would tell Shiloh, lets go to bed, and he would get up with a low groan, and follows me into the tent. Sometimes he would go into the tent on his own if he feels it is time for bed. He has his bed, so he knows his spot in the tent. Shiloh is great sleeping in the tent. He never barks, but may growl to let me know something is out there. It has been such a great experience and joy being with Shiloh up here. He is such a great dog, and a great companion, and I don’t know what life would be like without him. He has gotten me through difficult times by just being there by my side. He is my best friend and companion that I could not imagine being without.
September 6, 2009 – Sunday
We got up at 7:30 am, put the coffee on and awaiting a possible fishing buddy to drop by (the guy we met yesterday). The morning was pretty cool because of the wind. May not be a good day for fly fishing. If he drops by, and we don’t go fishing together, we can at least have a cup of coffee and chat for a bit.
The cows were quiet this morning. I am sure their somewhere else being obnoxious.
We have ten more days left up here. It seems like a long time, but the time is flying by quickly. We have been up here for fourteen days so far. Always thinking about if there will be work when we get home. I am hoping I have two potential jobs awaiting me, although I would rather be spending time in nature with Shiloh.
The medicine bag is still hanging on the branch of the pine tree, waiting to be picked up by Nathan.
Last night I slept pretty well. I think I am ignoring any noises outside the tent and focusing on a good nights rest. I figured Shiloh will wake me if it is important matters to attend to.
We visited a nice twenty something couple last night while Shiloh and I were taking a walk in the main meadow before bed. They were staying at the camp we stayed at in June. They had a dog with them that Shiloh liked. He was all excited to see another dog up here. They got to play together for a little bit. The couple were only planning to stay one or two nights.
After our walk we went to bed at 8:00 pm and I did a little reading.
The young cows love it up here. It is like summer camp for them. They are very playful.
It got pretty breezy this morning and had to put a warmer shirt on.
I have been thinking how well this trip has gone for us considering all the uncertainty I had about staying up here for this long. I find myself never bored or uneasy – enjoying every moment and every experience we have had. The wilderness can be a desolate place which seems to most who venture out here for a time. Seeing wildlife can be a rarity. Most of the critter we see up here are the cows. But I have to say, we have had the opportunity to see quite a few animals up here that surprised me, and some I have never seen before. This is why one has to stay in one area for a period of time, and be quiet. We can say, “well animals make noise.” And indeed they do, but most of their time is in silence. They only make sounds for a purpose. The human species on the other hand is constantly in the state of endless talking. And for some who do venture off alone, they still might be dealing with endless mind scatter out loud just to keep themselves company, or talking to themselves, or their dog, if they have one. Most people have not learned to be silent.
When going to junior college, I took a health class. The teacher was Mr. Maltz and his classes were always full because everyone liked him. He had a great sense of humor and most people found the class always a joy to go too. He told us a story about how him and his wife while on vacation would stay in one place to get to know the people and community. That did not register with me much back then, but thinking about my experiences here, this was what I was doing. I was getting to know the community up here. I doubt if anyone saw the bald eagle that I saw or the badger or the deer. Though I did not see an abundance of critters, I did see far more then others who only stay for a couple of days. This is the benefit of staying in one place for a week or even better two or three weeks. When you are observant and stay in one area, nature begins to open herself up to us and begins to come alive.
Marilyn was here for six days and that was not enough to experience very much wildlife unfortunately for Marilyn. The only thing we saw were cows (in which she could care less for), chipmunks and a great egret. Oh, and the lamas that came up here for one night. For some reason, we only saw a few animals in the six days. One would think, we would see more animals? Once she left, the animals began to appear.
The wonderful experiences we have had in the wilderness, to say the least have been incredible, and it is mainly because of the bad economic conditions that placed me in this position of being homeless and the beginning of a new journey into the wilderness.
While I was enjoying a cup of coffee and while Shiloh was observing, I saw our fishing buddy walk right past our camp without stopping. Maybe he forgot about us or maybe he just wanted to be alone?
In my food supply I have added Power Bars and Builder Bars and what a treat they have been. I will have to increase my supply of them because I go through them pretty fast. I also brought packets of Gatorade I mix with my water. Those are definitely a plus as well. Gatorade provides some needed electrolytes and of course provides a good flavoring to the water. It makes drinking a lot of water much easier.
This morning around 9:30 am Shiloh and I went for an unexpected two hour hike and a great hike it was. My intention was to stop and visit with the couple I talked with last night so Shiloh could play with their dog. They weren’t in camp, so we decided to walk on to the lake hoping maybe we would see them. It was a beautiful day out and a good day for a walk. There was a slight chill of fall in the air. Along the way, we met six campers staying at the large campsite close to the lake. They had a one year old black lab, so Shiloh thought he should visit to check out this new dog camper. He crossed the creek to visit and Shiloh and the lab were running around playing for a time and I talked with the people while the two dogs were playing. Shiloh enjoys seeing new dogs while camping and he always hopes they will be friendly and play with him. After they were done playing, Shiloh and I continued on to the lake. During our walk I was looking at the damage the cattle have done to the area and wanted to photo document this. It was pretty bad.
We headed for the eastern side of the lake where Marilyn said she went for a swim. We saw our fishing buddy at the south end of the lake, so we decided to hike around to chat with him to see how the fishing was. The wind wasn’t blowing on the south side and our buddy who’s name is George was catching fish like crazy. I think fly fishing is the way to go. After talking with him for a short time, Shiloh and I decided to try going completely around the lake. We found a trail, actually Shiloh found the trail that took us along the west side of the lake and back to camp.
The lake is surrounded by willow and we noticed the willow leaves were changing to the fall color of yellow. I also noticed there were more juniper trees in the area. Not many juniper trees on the north side of the main meadow. There was also pine, aspen and sage brush in the area of the lake. I could imagine how beautiful the Kennedy Lake area is in the fall and in winter. If it was possible, I would love to spend some time here in the winter months.
Shiloh is becoming pretty familiar with the area and the trails. The trail along the west side of the lake was a little more difficult because it was much rockier and steeper, but not too bad. I felt a lot steadier on those uneven trails because my legs are feeling stronger from the daily hikes we have been doing. I am also experiencing less shortness of breath with my lungs and body becoming accustom to the high elevation.
On the south side of the lake there is gravel beach and behind that is a lot of willow.
From the beach we hiked a short, but steep trail to get us over a huge rock formation sitting at the edge of the southwest corner of the lake. The rock formation was about 30 feet high from the lake surface to the top of the rock. Along the trail on the west side, I found a soft and beautiful layer of moss – the carpet of the wilderness. This was the only location we saw the moss at.
Our hike around the lake from camp was a total of about two hours. I think we were both tired, but the hike was well worth it though. We are getting to know the area.
These excursions and the camping I have done this year wouldn’t have been more enjoyable and incredible if this furring companion, Shiloh wasn’t with me. The peacefulness and solitude I feel up here I don’t think would exist without him. He brings the joy of the wilderness to me, as with the calmness I feel because of his presence. It seems our bond becomes stronger with each passing day sharing these experiences with each other.
I have only had thistle root and the stock once on this trip. These particular thistles are small, and not much there to eat. Getting back in camp there were a few thistles around so I tried some. There is only about a quarter of an inch long section that is edible, that has a good flavor to them. It has a nutty celery, asparagus flavor to them. It would have been nice to find some larger thistle, but with the larger thistle, and the late season, they could have been woody and not edible. I am surprises the ones I had weren’t woody. Thistle is usually abundant in different areas, and could be a delightful source of food eaten raw, cooked, or put in a salad. Once the flower begins to dry up, the thistle is no longer edible. If one can find a large stalk thistle that is still fresh, there is a watery liquid in the middle of it one can suck the juice from, then eat the crunchy stick and root.
When collecting wild edibles, always be mindful, as with being respectful, knowing that other animals need these foods as well for sustenance. Everything around us is not just there for us to take. We need to share with all life the foods and medicines of the earth. Be mindful of our impact as we walk through nature. A good practice I had learned from the Native Americans is before picking a plant or taking from a tree, ask for permission from the them, and thank them for providing for us food, or for medicine, or for materials. Thank everything you take from the land. By saying a simple thank you, it gives us a deeper connection and respect for nature.
After our two hour walk, Shiloh and I took a rest and then headed out to photo document the destruction that the cattle have done to the area. We walked throughout the main meadow taking about thirty photo of the aftermath of what cattle can do to a meadow.
Today we have had a very busy day with a lot of walking. After returning to camp we took another short rest then headed to the spring for water and then dinner. I was noticing my protein bar supply is almost out. I will miss these tasty snacks when they are gone.
The dinner menu tonight is BackPackers Pantry “Southwestern Smoked Salmon Pasta” with Tabasco added for flavor. You would think from reading our menus each night that we were eating like kings, but some of these dinners that really sound great are just okay. I was obviously sold on the meal names, thinking this sounds awesome! The Tabasco really helps.
It is Sunday evening, tomorrow it will be a full two weeks out here. One more week to go. I haven’t been lonely with my trusting friend with me. He is really a joy to take camping, and just to be with. I have not experienced any boredom in the two weeks I have been up here. The two things I was not sure about being up here for this long was loneliness, and boredom. It doesn’t mean I won’t experience loneliness or boredom, but for now I feel great. The days seem to fly by and before we know it, we will be packing up to go home. I will be looking forward to a fat cheese burger and a couple of Heinekens, reflecting on this wonderful and magical experience we had on our return to Kennedy Meadows Resort.
Monday will be bath day and will wash some clothes.
On our walk in the meadow I saw a nice branch attached to a downed tree at the creek I think may make a good walking stick. I will get that tomorrow as well. This week I will focus on some survival skills.
I was listening to the stream this evening and wondering if the creek was making the musical sounds I was hearing. The question is, why do I just hear it in the early evening? I was thinking if the water was hitting different size and shaped stones could that be the sounds I am hearing? It was like a jukebox playing an assortment of music. Or was I going just going crazy? It does at times seem to be coming from the creek. It is the only thing I can come up with, and it does make a little sense I suppose. I only hear it in camp.
The dinner was not too bad. It was good with an ample portion of Tabasco to taste.
It is 7:00 pm already. The wind stopped. It was blowing most of the day. I only have one protein bar left with a week left up here. Very upsetting. It seems lighter out then usual for 7:00 pm. All the cows are towards the lake. None of them are in either meadow by our camp. I am having a hot cup of coco before we turn in for the night. Shiloh is resting, while keeping alert for intruders. Haven’t heard the coyotes much or seen any this weekend. Maybe because of the number of campers here this weekend. This has been the busiest weekend so far.
September 7, 2009 – Monday
We awoke to a fine beautiful Monday morning in nature. No Monday morning blues up here. It is a cool 37 degrees, sunny and no clouds in the sky at 8:30 am. Slept well last night. I have noticed I am not getting the bizarre dreams I had in June or the first week and a half on this trip. I am having dreams and they tend to be the more amusing dreams. I suspect this week will be a quiet one with few people up here as was the last. It should be a wonderful week of solitude. I was thinking the hunters were going to come up on the 15th of this month. I got my dates wrong for hunting season it is actually on the 16th that they will be coming up. I thought maybe some hunters will be coming up early to set-up camp and scope the area out for where they may go hunting. Shiloh and I head back on the 15th to avoid the rush of hunters coming up. And it will be a mad rush. It seems it is a very busy day for the Kennedy Meadows Pack Station on this day.
I thought I would see more people camping up here as with more people taking day horseback riding trips to Kennedy Meadows. In June I usually saw horseback rides coming up here on a daily basis. Good thing for me and Shiloh, for most of the days on this trip we have this whole valley to ourselves. There are no words to describe how it feels except for unbelievable and incredible. I am living a dream and sharing it with one amazing dog.
There are just a few cows in our part of the meadow – must be doing their destruction work elsewhere.
Plan to wash up when it gets a littler warmer. The wind is not blowing and it feels like this is the coolest day thus far.
The one propane canister for the coffee has lasted two weeks. The only cooking we are doing is boiling water for our dehydrated meals and we usually do this over the fire on a grill.
After I wake up fully I will fix myself up a fry cake for breakfast then be on our way. In the meantime I will enjoy my coffee and write in the Journal. Shiloh is doing what he does best, he is relaxing.
The gray tree squirrels seem to be very active the past week. Probably getting ready for winter.
Two backpackers with their dog are leaving. Not sure where they were camping.
Taking my first sip of hot coffee, and boy is that good! I am just about finished with my first Journal covering all my camping experiences this year. I am actually surprised and pleased with my dedication to writing in the journal. This is a first for me. Although I need to make some modifications in writing so it is a bit clearer and a bit more organized for me to read later. Good luck with that!
The medicine bag is still hanging on the tree. I really don’t want to take it with me, but if I leave it I am sure someone will take it for a souvenir, especially the hunters. The hunters may use it for target practice. I may be able to find the owner on the internet or leave it at the Kennedy Meadows Resort office.
I believe one of the birds I see flying around is the belted kingfisher. And I think a cooper’s hawk just flew by.
Having binoculars is a necessity when observing nature. In the far off distance I spotted a red-tail hawk. It is amazing to watch these birds soar against the background of the gray shale covered mountains. I took in a deep breath of fresh mountain air. Living in the synthetic world we tend to lose the use of our senses or maybe we just block them out. We put them on auto-pilot. We don’t pay attention to the things around us. In the wilderness, one has to relearn to use all the senses. It is vital for survival and it makes the experience in the wilderness much more enjoyable.
The only thing I would say I am disappointed in on this trip is, I thought I would have lost more weight. We hiked everyday, chopped wood, gathered wood and sawed wood, we usually walked to the spring for water twice a day and I have lost just a little weight (later when I got home I weighed myself and actually lost around 12 lbs, so that is pretty good). I thought I would have lost about 15 to 20 lbs. It was probably from all that good food I was eating that I didn’t lose more.
For being up here for two weeks, my digestive tract has no ill effects from the water or what I have eaten. So that is a big plus.
Being aware of your surroundings in a survival situation is extremely important. I was sitting next to a juniper tree in my writing spot for two weeks and never noticed it until now. Good job being aware! Juniper bark is a good fire starter.
Last night Shiloh and I walked through our June campsite looking for firewood. There is a lot of downed trees and stumps around, but the wood when it dries and ages can get very hard to chop, or saw, except for the interior puck wood. It can be very dangerous hacking at logs with an axe or hatchet. There is a right way and a wrong way. The axe has more of a tendency to slip and hit your leg especially if you are using the axe improperly. The biggest problem I remember is getting small pieces for good kindling and getting the fire going because of the wood being wet. I usually used the punk wood, but in spring it is difficult because everything seems to be still wet. This time of year shouldn’t be a problem and the creek is crossable to get into the forested area for good firewood. Unfortunately, no matter how much I love that little campsite from our June camp, it is not good because of the lack of wood on the east side of the creek. Or taking a longer hike in getting it, then hauling it back to camp. Going to the aspen stand or going across the creek and getting constantly wet to get wood is not worth the trouble. It just wouldn’t be a good camp for a long stay. The only other option that would work is having a pack horse that could haul a good amount of wood to camp.
I must be losing weight, I am on my fifth and last belt hole.
For breakfast I tried MaryJanes Farm “Grindle Cake Pancakes” and they were just okay. It may have been my fault on the outcome of the pancakes. I made one big pancake instead of smaller ones and it was difficult to cook properly. I added blueberries and syrup and that helped.
I just saw two men and their two boys coming through heading north. Never saw them before. They only had day packs on so I am thinking they must have come through earlier to the lake. Some people camp short of the main meadow probably because of the cows. I think it is great taking young kids into the high country to experience the wilderness. I remember camping at Yosemite and Tahoe and loved it. It was nothing like being in the wilderness, but still any camping excursion can be a good learning experience and adventure for the child. The camping trips we took were with my brother Ron and our mom. My dad died when I was four. She was a trooper though for taking us camping. If it wasn’t for her, I probably would not have had any experiences in these beautiful areas. I remember Mom took us to watch the fire falls in Yosemite. It was the last time they had them. I think we went to Yosemite two or three times. I remember seeing Tahoe for the first time with my young eyes. I could not believe how it was so incredibly beautiful and still is.
The six backpackers and the black lab are leaving. I think we are alone again. It was great when we saw everyone who was camping at the lake, leave. It was nice talking with people occasionally and of course, Shiloh enjoyed the company of the other dogs. With the last group of campers leaving it meant Shiloh and I had the whole place to ourselves once again. I thought we would see the hunters coming in late this week, but never happened.
Spotted two Robins today.
Today I took a few more photos on our side of the creek to finish up all my photo journalism on the impact cattle have in the high country. Now I have to figure what I am to do with the photos.
For dinner we are having Alpine Aire Foods “Shrimp Risotto w/ mushrooms and asparagus” Sounds really good. It really smelled good, but did not have a lot of flavor. Had to soak it in smoked flavor Tabasco sauce.
As with most, this day flew by. Monday is almost gone. I ate breakfast for lunch. I practiced some fire starting skills and read a little bit about plants. Went to the spring for water, tried a little line fishing with no luck and I am now preparing dinner. And for Shiloh, he napped for most of the day and was practicing his observation skills watching, listening, and smelling what was going on around him.
We did go to pick up that stick I thought would make a good walking stick. It was aspen. Tapping into the natural resources for things we need is truly a wonderful experience. It brings one closer to the natural world.
In the late afternoon Shiloh and I went to the natural spring to get our drinking water containers filled. After filling the containers I sat down for a few minutes on the damp grass with Shiloh lying down close by on this beautiful afternoon. I looked out to the view of the valley to our south with the tall mountain peaks that rose up in three directions, and the lake in the distance. I was in awe of our surroundings and the spectacular beauty we got to call home for two weeks. I knew very soon it will be time for us to leave this magical place of such splendor and beauty. While sitting quietly, Shiloh and I saw a ground squirrel come out of his burrow just a few feet from us. We were both just watching him, and he was looking back at us. I was looking at Shiloh and thinking, when is he going to chase after him? But Shiloh just stayed at his comfortable spot and watched. We were just watching each other quietly and enjoying the moment with the ground squirrel. This went on for about 5 minutes then the ground squirrel took a few nibbles of a plant, then ran back to his hole and that is where Shiloh began the chase. As usual he was not fast enough for the little critter. This as with the many experiences we have had up here made this journey of ours very memorable, and special.
Today was cooler than most of the days with little breeze – just a nice day. Tomorrow or Wednesday I am thinking it is time for a little fishing.
I saw a cooper’s hawk go after a squirrel in a tree not more then twenty feet from us. The hawk missed. Lucky for the gray tree squirrel. It amazes me how hawks can weave through trees and branches with ease and grace.
September 8, 2009 – Tuesday
I had a great dream earlier this morning and not the type of dream that can be discussed in a journal. Tossed and turned a little last night, but had a good night sleep.
Another beautiful day in the Sierra Nevada wilderness. It is 45 deg at 8:40 am. It is time to bathe this morning and wash some clothes. I think we may go fishing Wednesday. Today I will practice some fire starting skills, try the bannock I made for lunch, and do a little reading.
We relaxed around a nice fire this morning. Fire has many uses in the wilderness, but one everyone can enjoy is its comfort and calming effect it gives us.
The natural aromas of nature, the grasses, sage brush and pine trees fills my breath with the sweet fragrance of nature.
I was looking out into the meadow in appreciation with being here and noticing the small trail leading to the stream from our camp that we have walked numerous times per day, there was a small juniper tree between two small pine trees just on the left side of the trail. It is amazing how much we don’t see when it is right in front of us.
I saw some red-winged black birds here in the meadow this afternoon.
I got washed up and some clothes washed. I worked on my fire starting with my fire bow. It actually worked better and easier then I thought in the sense that all the components worked and the technique not to difficult. The bow with a single parachute chord worked fine. On my first try, I cut my notch in the base board to soon and the spindle kept slipping out of the hole. I decided to stop and try again later with a new base board.
We did our water run to the spring, sat awhile to enjoy the consuming scenery, then headed back to camp. Though the pants get wet sitting in the meadow, it is time well spent in this quiet time of reflection and observing.
Our neighbors, the cows are coming back in town, and Shiloh nor I like it very much. Shiloh is standing guard on our side of the creek telling the cows to stay on their own side of the creek with his growls, barks and his tail wagging, making sure they don’t cross the line or else. The cows were looking at Shiloh, thinking, “we out number you 35 strong to 1, and besides we were here first.” The cows inch closer to the creek testing Shiloh’s patients, more cows are coming closer to see what all the commotion is about. It seems the adults are totally disregarding Shiloh’s threats and totally disagree by majority vote. Shiloh stood his ground protecting the homestead from those oversize bullies. The cows did finally see Shiloh’s way and retreated away from the creek, but they did not look happy about it. Shiloh was triumphant in his steadfast determination not to let those cows enter his homeland or anywhere near it. I am sure we haven’t seen the end of it, and they will be back.
One time when I took Shiloh to see the horses, when I had horses, we past a small corral where there was a young calf and his/her momma. Shiloh and the calf both greeted each other through the opening of the fence and was giving each other licks. I thought that was really cute.
I bought two pair of boots for my camping trips. I got the usual size 10½, but wearing a normal sock while trying them on. I bought thick wool socks for my camping trips and made the shoes fit too tight. Overall I did fine with them, but over time they did get uncomfortable and I would switch boots every couple of days. I will get boots that fit better with thicker shocks next time. Also for Kennedy Meadows, if one is here for a while, waterproof boots would be nice to have due to the very boggy meadow. I did bring some waterproof boots, but did not use them. I probably should have at least tested them to see how they would do. I also brought sandals on this trip and finally used them to give my feet a break from the hiking boots. If one can, it is always wise to bring extra shoes especially in areas where they can get wet easily. There is a technique in walking through boggy areas that may minimize ones feet from getting totally wet. It is a sweeping motion from side to side that allows the grass to give some support from stepping directly into the water, and muck.
Today was another beautiful day. I can’t believe it will be mid-week tomorrow. I picked up more firewood and found an area with some nice firewood. I also found a leaning dead tree that was small enough for me to push over and drag to camp. Got lots of firewood now, maybe for the rest of our stay.
As far as the faint music I have been hearing every evening, yes I still hear it, and I have given into it and just enjoy it when it comes.
September 9, 2009 – Wednesday
At 8:00 am it was 40 deg. and the first time I have seen mist coming off the creek. The skies are sunny and clear. I see a jet flying over with its vapor trail against the blue sky with the faint sound of the jet engines. A lot of jets that fly over are at lower altitudes and the noise is something I prefer not to hear.
I notice cobwebs reflecting in the morning Sun running across the branches of the pine tree. An amazing work of Architecture. The bugs are awake in the meadow and soon the dragon flies will be in flight. I am not sure what kind of dragon flies they are. Though some bugs can be a pain, they are an important part of the ecosystem and one can appreciate them if one takes the time to study and observe them. I am surprised we have not seen our neighbor the badger at all. He must like keeping to himself. We have not seen the bold eagle either.
I decided not to plan anything for the day and just let whatever happens, happen.
If only broken pieces of glass could tell history. There is so much of it in camp. Some must I am sure goes back many years. It is 9:30 am and the dragon flies are wake, and are out and about.
This will be a short entry because I have a lot of nothing to do today. Maybe it is time to just relax and enjoy my coffee.
I decided to do some clothes washing then we headed out to go fishing. I tried the spot I usually fish with no luck then tried the south side of the lake again with not even a nibble. The bird I have been seeing at the lake I discovered was an Osprey – a huge magnificent looking bird. I thought I also saw a golden eagle, unfortunately it was to far away to be certain. With no luck in fishing, and having a strong desire for trout, we will try again tomorrow hoping for better luck. I am surprised I am doing so much fishing. I guess once you experience the taste of fresh trout, it becomes addicting, also it can be relaxing.
On the way back from our fishing excursion through the main meadow, Shiloh took off after a young coyote. And like before, he took his time coming back to me when I was screaming at him to come. It is interesting how dogs know the difference between a domestic dog and a coyote and how they interact with each other. I wonder how Shiloh would react to coyote pups or wolf pups? Maybe Shiloh would react differently between a wolf and a coyote.
When we got back to camp from our disappointing day of fishing, Shiloh and I decided to finally try the bannock I brought with us. I put a little too much water in the mix I think. I added some Pemmican for a topping. It ended up a little on the burnt side because I had one side of it a little too close to the direct flames of the fire. In foil, it took about twenty minutes to cook in the coals and not in a direct flame. Tonight we are having Mountain House Beef Stew with some Pemmican added to it. Should be tasty.
I did the taste test before adding my Tabasco sauce in the beef stew and it tasted pretty good without it. I then added the Tabasco anyway. It goes on everything.
This evening was 60 deg. and beautiful.
It is 6:30 pm and seems like it will be an early evening to bed again. Last night it was 7:30 pm.
September 10, 2009 – Thursday
It is 40 deg. sunny with mist on the stream at 8:00 am.
This morning I am hearing a humming noise and can’t figure where it is coming from. Maybe it is at the cabin. Doesn’t make any sense anywhere else. It sounds like hedge clippers – more of a whining sound. It would only make sense if it was at the cabin. Why would someone have a man-made machine up here with the exception of a chain saw? It is also strange because I am the only one up here that I know of. We took a walk over to the cabin to check it out and no one was there. It is amazing the things one hears and sees up here. I have heard strange sounds, lights and music so far in this trip. Am I going crazy? Don’t think so. It is very interesting though. I guess if you stay here long enough at Kennedy Meadows, maybe the spirits show their presents.
For the past few morning I have been hearing the sounds of thumps, things hitting the ground around our camp. It is the tree squirrels tossing the pine cone cores from the tree after they have gotten the seeds. They must be getting their food cache ready for the winter.
I imagine how beautiful it would be up here in the winter. But I would wonder about possible avalanches. The mountain slopes surrounding the valley are very steep. If an avalanche did occur, it would be impossible to get out of its way if you were in direct line with it.
Last night while getting ready for bed I turned my bedding in the opposite direction in the tent so as to face the fire that was still going. I was able to look outside and enjoy the openness of the camp versus looking at tent fabric. I was also in a good location to look out one of the side window flaps at the stars. My tent’s whole front can be opened, so it gave me a good view of my camp. I thought I might sleep better in my new position, but that was not the case. It took me a couple of nights to get use to it.
I am thinking about taking the rain flap off the tent to really enjoy the stars.
I felt good this morning and looking forward to the day. I hope to go fishing today and will bring my binoculars for any interesting viewing. The rest of the day is up in the air. I may try making bannock again. Hope to spend Friday, Saturday and Sunday working on survival skills and staying in camp. It is a little breezy today – hope it doesn’t affect the fishing. I will spend Monday cleaning up and maybe reflecting on my stay here.
It is 9:05 and the dragon flies are waking up earlier than yesterday. I am noticing more of the willow changing to its beautiful fall color of yellow. It would be nice to see the changing of color in the aspen. Some of the younger aspen have begun changing.
I am really beginning to love it in the mountains with Shiloh. I think he enjoys it as well and loves the freedom he is experiencing as I am.
I hope one day I will be able to live in the mountains. One thing I would like to do is to take a canoe trip down a river for a week or two and camp that way. The only problem would be to get Shiloh in a canoe. When I was at Del Valle Reservoir I couldn’t even get him in a row boat. But I could envision us exploring the wilderness in a canoe. Shiloh at the bow and me at the stern, silently paddling to no where, but some where.
I think when people who choose to live in solitude with nature, you don’t just learn to respect nature and enjoy her beauty, but you become friends with all that is around them. You begin to understand her moods, you become friends with the animals you may have feared at one time, and you just become another life form that is part of the whole.
It may not be possible for most of us to experience this in just three weeks, but I think I am getting a small piece of it, a wonderful glimpse of it.
When I was fishing yesterday on the south shore of the lake, I heard this noise that sounded a little bit like a rattlesnake. So I looked around to see what might be making this unusual sound. The sound would start then stop, start then stop. This went on for about 10 minutes. I finally discovered the maker of this sound. It was a big fat bug with short wings. It was putting so much effort into flying it would have to stop shortly after it began flying to rest. He would only make it a couple of feet before he would have to land for a rest stop.
I just made an observation, I put my wide brim hat on to block the intense morning Sun and it actually blocks the sound level as well. While my head is down writing, the rippling sounds of the creek is very quiet. When I raise my head to look up, it is like someone increased the volume. Good thing to know if one wants to focus on sounds.
While washing up, I saw my first frog. It was in the grass, maybe the size of my index finger nail, light green with a black stripe horizontally across both eyes. It might be the western tree frog.
Before going fishing, I made a fry cake with the bannack. It was pretty good.
Shiloh and I went fishing and caught a nice size brown. When I was reeling my line in, I noticed the trout following it close to shore. I was thinking if he would be interested in the lure by me just bobbing it up and down next to him. I was thinking there is no way he will take it and before I could finish that thought, he was on the hook. I pulled him up and we had a nice juicy trout for dinner. I thought this was kind of a fluke, but a good learning experience for survival. You really don’t need a fishing pole to catch a fish, though easier with one, with a little teasing with the fish they may take the bait. It started to get breezy and cloudy, so we decided to call it quits, packed up and headed back to camp.
While I was still fishing I confirmed the bird was an Osprey and a first for me to ever see this bird. I saw a snake that was submerged in the water and was swimming by me next to shore in an area between some large rocks. He came from underneath one of the rocks and gracefully gliding through the water to another submerged rocky area. It was a garter snake. I never knew they were at home in the aquatic world. What a sight to see and something new that I had learned. When we were heading back Shiloh and I saw a lone coyote across the creek in the main meadow and of course he wanted to take off after it, but I told him to stay and he did. I then put his leash on.
In camp I was getting a late lunch ready. We were having Alpine Aire Spaghetti. The spaghetti looked good, but lacked flavor, so I fixed it up with my favorite flavor enhancer, Tobacco sauce.
I saw that the night invading mice started chewing on one of the straps on a pannier. They will chew on anything.
It is clouding up a bit, but doesn’t look like rain.
No backpackers or hunters as yet. We are the only ones up here.
While I was fishing I was feeling a sense of peace. I wasn’t thinking about catching fish, I was just experiencing the moment. What a great feeling it is to just experience – to Be in the moment. It is a feeling that all is good in the world no matter what happens. A feeling of total bliss with all that is.
Three hours after our late lunch, we cooked up the trout and had Mountain House Seafood Chowder. The trout and the chowder hit the spot. Both were very good eating. By far Mountain House has the best pre-package dehydrated food thus far on this trip. It also has the highest salt content. I have not been disappointed with any of their meals. Two thumbs up for Mountain House.
September 11, 2009 – Friday
Last night was again a warm 60 deg. which feels very comfortable to me in this high elevation. Shiloh and I went to bed at 7:45 pm.
I read that sage brush stops critters (mice) from getting into stuff. We have a lot of sage brush around, so I sprinkled some at the base of the panniers and on top of them. It seemed it really didn’t help much. They were still up on the panniers in the middle of the night. I continued doing this each night, but not really sure if it did any good. I even put a tarp over the panniers with rocks on top, but they still got through the gauntlet. The good thing was, they could not get inside the panniers. I just didn’t want them to chew on the straps, and peeing and crapping on them.
This morning at 8:15 it was 47 deg. and sunny. The coyotes were active this morning, and it sounded like they were in the main meadow. It got Shiloh all stirred up. As far as I know they are not stalking Shiloh, but then again, the wile coyotes could be observing us, with us unknowingly unaware, slyly hidden behind the camouflage of the forest foliage.
For some reason while I am up here, I think of Hawaii a lot. Maybe it is because of the clear blue skies, and the sweet smells of nature.
The dragon flies are out already. Bacon and eggs sounds really good right now, but unfortunately I have none. If we were up here for much longer, I would head back down to Kennedy Meadows Resort to restock our food supply then have the pack station bring it up for us. One advantage of being close to a Pack Station.
The squirrels are busy dropping the pine cones on the ground. There is a continuous thumping sound every few seconds, or a clanking when it hits a branch or two first before tumbling down and coming to rest on the ground. I better watch my head, I may get bopped by one.
If I did not have to worry about money or possible work, or hunting season around the corner, or restrictions on how long we could stay up here, I would go back down, get cleaned up, clothes washed and resupplied and would be back up here for another couple of weeks. I feel a deep calmness here, and I am fortunate to feel relaxed, and comfortable being alone. This is a huge personal accomplishment for me, but, I could not do it without Shiloh by my side. It has been truly a gift being with Shiloh in the wilderness.
It has been really quiet up here this week – just me, Shiloh and the cows. And all the wildlife we have gotten to experience. As soon a Marilyn left, the whole area opened up to us with life.
Going through my food supply to see what I had left, I discovered the oatmeal I brought. But without any fruit to put on it, it would remain emergency rations.
We have had great weather up here these past few weeks.
I slept well last night with some occasional weird dreams early in the morning.
I filled both my sleeping mattresses up last night and made it very comfortable. The pump is still working well. I was concerned it would lose power with three weeks use. One thing great about keeping a journal is one can keep track of the many important events, and experiences we have had, the important notes about how the equipment performed, notes on food, and in reflection. If I didn’t keep a journal, a lot of important information would be lost in my memory. Who knows if it would ever be retrievable. Journalling is very important for those who want to do something like this.
The Husky breed of dogs have a notorious reputation of running off and coming back when it suits them. And even worse, have been known to get lost while exploring new areas. The Native American Indian Dog, Shiloh’s breed, has part husky in them. My female, Shawnee, loved to run off. I think it was more of a game with her., testing me. The older she got the better she listened, but she pretty much did what she wanted. A lot of times she knew what no meant, or come, and pretty much ignored me if it suited her. She would give me one of those looks, and tell me in her unspoken language, “See yah alligator.” And Shiloh would joyfully follow behind. Shawnee was very intelligent and I have a sense she probably would find her way home if she wandered off too far. I miss her, but it probably would not be relaxing for me if she was with us. Shiloh is really mellow and he feels comfortable just being with me in camp or on our many walks.
While up here I have observed Shiloh and he remembers where he has been. It only takes once on the trail and he will become familiar with it. He was learning the Kennedy Meadows area very well and my concerns of him getting lost really did not exist. It seemed he always knew where our camp was. Now getting into trouble with a group of coyotes a skunk, badger or porcupine, that is another story. I also noticed Shiloh becomes very protective of our camp when it comes to other animals. He is okay with strangers, but he keeps the critters out. He has never seen backpackers before and he had to get used to them.
This morning I practiced some fire starting skills and I made another figure 4 trap.
For lunch I munched on some prepackaged fruits and did some reading.
We started to get a few drops of rain, so I buttoned everything up just in case.
It started to rain although it was short lived. The rain brought out the sweet aromas of nature, giving the evening a fresh scent in the air. I put a slab of punk wood on the fire, but really didn’t need it due to our rain spell being very short. The rain was very refreshing.
Another day is almost gone and soon another new day will begin.
For dinner the menu is Mountain House Mexican Style Rice and Chicken. I rate it high on the list for good taste and a meal worth getting.
Tomorrow, Shiloh and I may go on a short hike. I also want to try and get a fire going with the fire bow.
While relaxing next to the fire, having a cup of hot Coco and reading, I heard a loud screech of a hawk, which is unusual for this time of night. It was 6:40 pm. I looked up and saw a white spot on top of a large pine tree by the log cabin and thought it might be the bald eagle. I thought it might be to small for one, but I did not want to chance not taking advantage of it if it was the eagle. I ran to the tent, got my binoculars and glassed the bird. It was a bird of prey, but it was not the bald eagle. It is a brownish/gray color on the head, and wings with a snow white breast, a feature that can stand out from some distance. It might be a red-tailed hawk.
Behind the tree the hawk was perched on, I noticed the aspen beginning to change their summer color of green to their fall colors of vibrant yellow and orange.
Shiloh spotted some young mule deer doe’s next to the stream and took chase. I told him not to chase the deer.
September 12, 2009 – Saturday
8:00 am and 45 deg., partly cloudy.
Slept well last night, but in the morning I was thinking about the future of my life. Questions like, will I have work when I get back, will anything come of my experiences in nature? Reflecting back at the negativity of my past. All the good stuff that makes life worth living. But actually, I believe if we did not have failures and disappointments in our lives, we would never learn or grow. It is when we reflect and learn from our mistakes can we truly grow as an individual. I know personally, my personal growth has accelerated incredibly fast in the last 20 years. Did I still make mistakes? Yes, but in many cases I was able to take those mistakes as learning experiences. Do I still make mistakes? Of course. I will always make mistakes – I will always make bad choices. But those mistakes are a guiding light for change and to learn from. Maybe these reoccurring dreams we tend to have are reminders for us to stay on track and focus on how we can be a better person, be a contributor in making our short stay beneficial to others and to the planet. If I didn’t learn from my mistakes, I would not be in the wilderness right now reconnecting with nature. If I didn’t ask myself what I had learned from the June trip and reflect on those challenges I may not be up here right now. I am so grateful to have this experience.
This morning the clouds are beginning to come in heavier to the south. The background sounds of the rippling creek I here every morning brings me to a feeling of gratitude for what I have and what I have experienced in my stay up here and with the gratitude of having such a great friend as Shiloh. Looking out into the meadow, the blackbirds grow in numbers and settle in the sage brush to find their morning meal of insects. I have noticed more blackbirds than a week ago. The cows have come back to our meadow, grazing on the grasses that are now displaying their fall color of brown. I feel I am in a western movie being among all these cows, waiting for the cowboys to round them up. They look at me and Shiloh and we look back at them. We still argue on who was here first.
It is hard to believe it is Saturday already.
A few days ago Shiloh was playing with a young black male cow in the meadow chasing the young cow around dodging each other in play. The cow seemed to be enjoying the playfulness with Shiloh. He did not react like most of the cows had. I believe the same young black cow is here today with the other cows. When he saw Shiloh, he came closer to the creek and saying, “I remember you, do you want to play again?” Shiloh ran up to him crossing the stream while I was coaxing him to play, but Shiloh stopped and lost any interest in playing. I think he was just showing the cows to stay on their own side of the creek if they know what is good for them. He had a very firm stance on this issue of no trespassing onto his domain.
Thinking about the impact the cows are having up here, man has a tendency of putting too much in a small area; too many buildings in a city, to many houses in a community; and too many people in an area that will affect the environment drastically, as with how we live. Too many things within a small area is taxing to the environment. We have become a species, that have lost all connection with the natural environment, causing mass destruction, and over populating throughout the world.
As for the cattle up here, there are around 150 head in this small valley and it is showing its wear and tear on the landscape. We tend to want to maximize our return my maximizing our input with little regard for the impact it may have, and in this case on the environment and ecosystem. Does the owner of the cows really care about the negative impact his cattle have on the environment up here? Of course not. The grass and plants they consume are free, the cattle are happy and fat. The cowboys I talked with earlier this week told me the cattle typically gain about 150 to 200 pounds more being up here. That is a lot of beef, and profit.
If an ecosystem is over populated, over stressed with any species of animal or any living organism it will have a negative impact to the balance to some degree over a period of time until it can correct itself by eliminating that threat, or it may collapse if the threat is too strong. Typically by man. I believe the survival of the human race will be questioned due to the causes of climate change, over population and the unsustainable practices of over using our natural resources.
As human beings we have the capability to reason, thus we can determine to some degree what impacts we may have on the environment. We must look at sustainability and creating a balance with our presence on this planet. The US Forest Service created the “Leave No Trace” slogan to get us to rethink how we use our wilderness areas while in them. It should actually be used in every aspect of our lives. Some wilderness users take it seriously and others not. In my seventy-four days of camping overall, I have experienced the latter.
As responsible stewards of this planet, we must be mindful as well when we use survival skills in the wilderness. For example, picking wild edible plants to eat – we should also consider the other animals who may use those plants for their food source. If we think this way, we will leave some for the animals.
We should also learn the best way to harvest plants without damaging the whole plant, or killing it. If one is in a real survival situation, this may not be something one will really care about at the time and will do whatever it takes to survive.
It seems that where ever man (industrialized man) goes he leaves a negative imprint on the environment, by too much development, polluting our water, air and land, by disrupting the ecosystem, by clear cutting forests, tearing up the land and the list goes on. A fairly recent trend that not many people are aware of is the impact that bottled water has on the environment. When you actually get spring water or water from a natural water source in bottled water versus getting glorified tap water, the impact on the streams the water is taken from has a significant impact on the wildlife, plant life and people who utilize that water source. It also puts a strain on the land fills that have to hold all that additional plastic waste. There are actually plastic waste islands floating in the Pacific ocean near Hawaii. Plastic finds its way along the oceans currents to other islands and continents hundreds and thousands of miles away.
Man is depleting our natural resources at an alarming rate, man must then come up with alternatives to maintain that supply by artificial means. Some maybe good and many are bad. We do this to our foods, our raw materials, our medicines and in most cases have an adverse effect on our natural environment.
Our planet is unable to support all the people on this planet at 6 billion and is expected to reach 9 billion by 2045. How is the planet suppose to support all these people, when we are overtaxing it in the present. If Americans were required to limit the population by limited child birth, Americans would not stand for it. Most would see it as an infringement of our natural right to bare children. We would shift the focus to the developing countries, blaming them for being irresponsible and the actual cause of overpopulation.
Another pressing and very important issue is climate change. If we don’t begin to change our ways, we may not see 2050. Our planet is slowing beginning to collapse, and climate change will just accelerate this.
In many recreational areas fish are brought in from fish farms to support the demand for fishing. In many areas, the native species are gone. This is caused by over fishing, pollution and dramatically affecting our water ways preventing fish to spawn. Our Salmon are threatened for these reasons. But, do we even think about this when we hit the fish market to buy our favorite fish?
Man seems to wait until a bad situation turns worse, than he begins to respond by trying to fix the problem. Some times it is a quick fix with little thought put into, other times we may think that our supreme knowledge can come up with solutions that only have short term effects and others may indeed help. Climate change is a good example of this. America and some other industrialized nations are moving very slow on adapting change to curb climate change. Even when it is affecting people right this moment in developing nations. It all comes to the mighty dollar. Many large corporations are fighting this movement for sustainability, because they are not willing to change and only focus on short term solutions or no solutions at all.
Not to long ago I heard on the radio that President Bush wanted to shoot for Mars in our space program. A program that would cost tens of billions of dollars. And I was thinking, why are we even thinking about such things when we have so many problems on our own planet. We can’t even take care of the one we have, let alone exploring others planets. I think the space program is a wonderful and exciting thing, but we need to focus on our only home at this time and begin taking care of her. We seem to not learn from our past experiences and mistakes. And if we did have the technology to travel to other planets, even habitable planets if there were any, we would continue to exploit these new planets as well. Until we learn to take care of our own planet, we will continue to play the same model of human existence over and over again.
It is frightening to think that most of us have no sense of responsibility towards our planet and even more frightening is that most are totally unaware of this fact.
This morning I wanted to practice fire by friction using the fire bow, but instead talked with a guy for about a half hour who was fishing close to our camp. He is from Walnut Creek, a town close to me and came up with a group of friends. He is a building contractor, so I was hoping it might be a good connection.
After our chat, I decided to go for a walk, and Shiloh and I headed for Soda Canyon. It was a nice walk back into the canyon and a beautiful landscape. Picked some currants and gooseberries and picked and ate what I thought was a bilberry. It was bitter so I assumed it wasn’t ripe. I hope it was a bilberry. It is about a 45 minute hike to the back of the canyon. Shiloh and I stopped short due to thunder clouds looming and the clap of thunder. I did not want to get caught in it, if it decided to pour on us or possibly get struck by lightening.
I was noticing Shiloh constantly smelling the surroundings along the trail into the canyon.
On the way back to camp, I decided to pretend I was lost and told Shiloh to find camp. I really did not know if he had a clue of what I was talking about, but it seemed he knew. He took the lead and led me all the way back to camp. He knew exactly where he was and where he was going. When Shiloh got too far ahead of me, he would stop and wait for me. He always looked back to see where I was. At certain spots I would stop to glass something I saw and Shiloh would wait for me until I was done. This was the first time on the trail for both of us. Shiloh brought us back to camp with no problem.
We did get a little rain which was very refreshing, that did not last but a few minutes.
The dark clouds came in with the strong chance of rain showers looming, then cleared, then clouds, but never did a rain drop fall. It was a beautiful day.
The flies have become a nuisance up here. They are constantly getting in my food, and having to pick them out. I need some cow patties right now to burn. Since our trip began, I have been using cow patties to keep the fire smoldering for a few hours and to keep the flies and mosquitoes at bay. And it really works for both uses. I am sure the flies are from the cattle.
Last night, more backpackers came up making it a pretty good crowd up here. They are staying in the small camp next to mine.
While I was writing in my journal, I saw John the contractor head towards the spring I told him about, to get clean water. I was sitting in my chair, waiving my arms, directing them to the spring. They finally found it.
Finishing my journal writing, I sawed and chopped some firewood, then cleaned our tent. I also started a fire to get rid of the flies.
We had a great day today – beautiful weather. Got all my wood cut for at least two days. Talked with most of the guys in John’s fishing group. Nice talking with humans – sometimes. One of the guys told me one of the guys in their group caught six fish with salmon eggs at the outlet where I had been fishing.
Shiloh and I had our little reflection time at the spring with the beautiful clouds above us that were hugging the mountain peaks. It is around 68 degrees at 5:20 pm. Looking over the alpine meadow absorbing the shear beauty of our natural surroundings, I quietly said to Shiloh, “We are home.” I recognized this is where we are suppose to be.
Being alone in the wilderness with a dog, I believe most if not all of us experience having a wonderful and special connection with that dog. For me, it has given me a deeper connection and love for my canine friend. A dog doesn’t have the same distraction that another person would have on the experiences in nature, but actually enhances that experience, at least for me. But a close friendship with a human friend can do this as well.
The winds picked up in the evening and I had noticed a small tent on the south end of the lake on the sandy beach. I was thinking, not a good place to pitch a tent especially in this wind.
September 13, 2009 – Sunday
I got up at 8:45 am, 50 deg. and partly cloudy. I didn’t sleep well last night. I guess it is because we are leaving soon. In my mind I am getting ready to leave, but in a strange way I am leaving a home we have spent twenty-four days at.
The weekend crowd is beginning to leave.
Mentally I am ready to go home and looking forward to the hike back to Kennedy Meadows Resort. Looking forward to a hot shower and a big cheese burger with a couple of Heineken beers.
I am not looking forward to going to our temporary home back in Pleasanton. But I am looking forward to getting back to work again, if there is work. And begin planning for Shiloh’s and my next wilderness adventure for next spring.
This morning in my dazed half asleep state of mind, I was thinking, what a sad time we live in where the health of our planet comes last, when it comes to our affairs both on a personal level and a global level. How many times do we ask what our impact is on the actions we take to others and to our planet?
It will be interesting what the weather will do today. We have a little breeze that brings a little chill if not in the direct sunlight.
In the morning a saw an older couple camp upstream from us so I thought we would go visit with them. They were the ones camped out on the beach the night before. They said they did not get any sleep that night because of the wind. I was thinking, that is what you get when you set-up a tent in the open like that and especially in the valley.
This morning I was working on the fire bow and got the base board started before I cut the notch. It takes a lot of energy for this. I ended up stopping before the base board was ready to cut the notch into, I was tired. Shiloh and I went fishing and caught a nice size trout for dinner. We got back to camp at 3:00 pm. I picked up some firewood, got a Gatorade, and sat down to write in my journal, and read. While sitting in my chair, I looked out to the meadow and on top of a pine tree about 200 yards away I spotted the bald eagle I saw a week ago. I ran in the tent to get my binoculars and camera then walked towards the eagle to get a closer look and take a couple of pictures. He had such a presents. He has been there for at least 40 minutes. What a nice gift to see him again two days before leaving. I was hoping we would again see the bald eagle before leaving. Maybe it was a good Omen for us.
September 14, 2009 – Monday
I got up at 8:00 am, 45 deg. and overcast. Looks like a drizzly type of morning. It is actually raining lightly. Up here some light rain is always welcome and refreshing. The bad thing is that I am leaving tomorrow and I hope it isn’t raining when I start breaking camp. I don’t want to deal with packing up a wet tent. The weather has been incredible for the past three weeks.
I had a terrible night sleep. In the middle of the night something big came into camp. I think it was a cow. Its heavy thump, thump hoof sounds got Shiloh jumping up making a commotion along with the cow. It sounded like the tent was coming down. I was woken up quickly to this and it got me startled and a little shaken.
Because of the rain, I think I will have an all day fire going. I will also begin to organize things for our departure tomorrow. It will be bitter sweet leaving this place.
The wind blew off and on much of the night with short periods of light rain, maybe five minutes at a time if I remember right. For some reason the wind was getting to me. I dealt with howling winds a lot when I was camping at Del Valle and it never bothered me. But last night was different. Maybe I was a little antsy.
Well, I got things about 50% organized for today. I will put our stuff in one spot to make it easy for the packers. The clouds are pretty much cleared out, but who knows how long that could last. It is fairly cool today with a slight breeze. At 12:30 pm it is 52 deg., the coolest I believe it has been.
I was planning on packing my guns up, but the coyotes are close to camp, so I will keep them ready just in case. Decided to relax for a few minutes then have lunch. A big dinner planned for tonight. Lasagna For Four. Hope to fill up tonight on carbs for my hike back to Kennedy Meadows Resort. I was hoping to make better time compared to my trip back in June.
For lunch I had bannock with pemmican, cheese and dried tomatoes. Cooked it in the coals for 15 minutes and burned the bottom and sides. Cooked it a little too long. I think 8 to 10 minutes might be the ticket next time I try. Shiloh seemed to like it. I will eat dinner early to let the big meal have time to settle. As usual the day has past by quickly.
To reflect some on this trip, I guess the important thing is that I did it. I should say, we did it. And I thoroughly enjoyed every second being up here with just me and Shiloh. I didn’t do as much as I wanted in my survival bush skills as I wanted or my reading, but I did learn a lot. It was a great experience doing it alone. Marilyn got me interested in pursuing the study of mushrooms, and we did not sustain any injuries out here. Did I get closer to nature? I did, but not as much as I would have liked. But what else could I ask for. It was an incredible experience being able to share it with my best friend, Shiloh.
And that music I was hearing – I heard it everyday and I still think it was the vibration of the water flowing over the rocks in the creek. The collection of tunes I heard, I cannot explain. Is it really important how it happened? Or just in the experience itself. The magical moments in nature.
After dinner Shiloh and I took a nice walk toward the lake before retiring for the last time. It is 6:55 pm, with blue skies and a thin layer of clouds in spots. The mountain peaks are covered in a shroud of clouds. Shiloh is doing his job making sure the cattle are staying on their own side of the invisible fence. Some cows just ignore him, most will run from him. When they run he feels in charge and triumphant and when they don’t he may bark and growl at them telling them who the boss is in these parts. And if that doesn’t work, he will just walk away telling them in his own certain way, “I warned you, don’t push me.” Hopefully they won’t come into camp tonight.
I hear the elusive music playing in my head now. It won’t be the same not hearing it.
Before dinner tonight I was tending to the fire, and a stick I used to move the burning coals and arrange the wood was stuck in between some stones in the fire ring. I tripped over it and completely loss my balance, ending up in the fire pit. My whole left upper portion of my body including my head was in the fire. Once I regained control and some balance, I pulled myself out of the fire pit. I quickly checked to see if I was on fire, and brushed any coals off my shirt. I must have landed just in some small coals because I did not get burnt at all, nor did my shirt get burned. I was extremely lucky I did not get badly burned. For just a short time before I fell into the fire pit, I had a very large fire going. I also noticed I landed in the same area where all the broken glass was in the fire pit. It just shows you, accidents can happen even when you are very careful, and this could have been a bad one on my last night. Fire burns can be very painful, and dangerous for infection. I guess the Gods were with me on this night. I was even thinking how well the trip went accident free right before I fell in. Many months later after the trip, I realized leaving a stick upright was an accident waiting to happen. In the right circumstance I could have fallen right on the stick impaling myself which could have been deadly. It is like having a short spear standing upright. Though this was a tool I used many times, and it was convenient to have it sticking out of the rocks around the fire pit, this is extremely dangerous. At the time, I did not think much of it. A lesson well learned.
I am hoping to get a good night sleep and get up early to finish packing. So far it has not rained much and the winds are quiet for now.
September 15, 2009 – Tuesday
It is departure day. The temperature is 47 deg., sunny and breezy. The breeze may keep it cool for the hike back. The winds were blowing pretty good during most of the night. It seemed like I was not sleeping much, but I felt relaxed and comfortable while enjoying the sounds of the wind blowing through camp.
I fed Shiloh his breakfast, fixed some coffee, and relaxed a little while I wrote in my journal. Then it was time to start packing. This is my last entry at Kennedy Meadows.
On finishing my morning entry back at Kennedy Meadows Resort. Anthony the packer who brought us up also came to take us out. I anticipated the packer coming in around 11:00 am or so. Anthony came riding up about 9:30 am. My relaxed pace turned into a rushed pace, but I still felt somewhat relaxed. Anthony was not in a hurry and told me to take my time. I was hoping to be prepared before he came to take our gear out. Anthony came with only three pack animals that I was happy to see. It just saved me $65.00. I was hoping he could get everything on them and he did. We originally came in with four pack animals. I tried to consolidate everything into every usable storage space to make it easier to pack on the animals and using less animals. The only thing we are not bringing back with us is food, which took up one ice cooler and about one and a half panniers.
Shiloh and I made it through the gate entrance leaving Kennedy Meadows at 10:30 am with only a few stops talking with people we met on the trail. We made it back to Kennedy Meadows Resort at 2:15 pm. It took us just under 4 hours to get back. I was hoping we would make it back under three and a half hours. If I didn’t stop at all I would have saved about a half hour.
About the last hour and a half is the most difficult on the trail. Descending along the steepest part of the rocky trail puts a toll on the joints of ones knees, ankles and feet. The last part of the trail then turns to deep sand making it more difficult to walk on, especially being already tired from the three hours already hiked. It was like walking on a sandy beach. I became aware that going down is much harder on the body then going up.
When I went to pay my bill, I was pleasantly surprised that I was not charged for the fourth pack animal going up to Kennedy Meadows.
Once I got my bill taken care of, I headed for the restaurant next to the office. I sat down at one of the tables outside on the veranda with Shiloh just at the bottom of the stairs next to my table. He was hot and I am sure tired and I was a little sore and very tired. I was looking forward to my cheese burger and I had two beers to finish off my trip. After I was done eating, I packed all our gear in the truck and drove the short distance to the cabin we would stay for the night. Once I got to the cabin I jumped into the shower to clean my dirty and smelly body. After I got cleaned up I went to the store and had an ice cream and a bag of licorice. I had a craving for licorice for about a week now. We stayed at the old cabin there which sleeps quite a few people. Matt and all the folks at Kennedy Meadows Resort and Pack Station have been great to us, as with taking care of our gear during the packing process.
September 19, 2009 – Saturday
I wanted to finish the last entry of my trip by noting the animals and plants we saw on our trip. The animals were not numerous, but some were a complete surprise to see. On the other hand, the plant life was limited because of the cattle’s massive appetite, consuming most everything.
Animals: American Badger, Bald Eagle, Chipmunks, Western Gray Squirrels, Belding’s Ground Squirrel, Mule Deer, Golden Eagle, Osprey, Red-tailed Hawks, Brown Trout, Coyotes, Red-winged Black Birds, Mountain Quail, King Fisher, Acorn Woodpeckers, Mallard Ducks, Great Egret, Striped Racer, Garter snake and a Tiny green frog (Western Tree Frog). There was also Dragon Flies, Grass Hoppers and a variety of butterflies.
Plants: Yarrow, Stinging Nettle, Alpine Asher, Elk Thistle, Pinedrops (?), Lupine, Scarlet Gilla, Wood or Wild Strawberry, Alpine Gooseberry, Wax Currant, Bilberry, Cinquefoil, Applegate Paintbrush, Meadow Paintbrush, Indian Paintbrush, Sierra Fringed Gentian Dandelion and False Hellebore, Sagebrush and many others that I did not identify.
Trees, and Scrubs: Alder, Willow, Pine, Aspen, and Juniper.
All in all, if I was in a survival situation at Kennedy Meadows, and with the weapons I had with me and with the fishing gear I had, I probably could have survived up there quite well even if I didn’t have a tent, I could have made a good shelter with materials close at hand. We had everything we needed to survive if it was a life and death situation.
On the day we were to leave Kennedy Meadows Resort for home, Shiloh and I took a drive in the morning to the high point of Sonora Pass and the trail head for the PCT. I wanted to test the lighters I had to see how they performed at 9,624 ft. elevation. The only one that worked was the one I bought for the higher elevations. I also tested them at Kennedy Meadow, and Kennedy Meadows Resort.
This was taken in part from the “Leave No Trace Principles”:
“Human impacts can degrade or destroy resources and tarnish a wilderness experience. Water pollution, soil erosion and compaction, lost of vegetation, litter, and other impacts are evident. The natural environment of the wilderness may seem rugged, but is actually fragile and recovers slowly, due to late snow melt, short growing seasons, limited amounts of nutrient-rich soils, and other factors. All visitors must share in the responsibility of protecting these resources. Help preserve your wilderness so that others may enjoy the solitude and freedom that these special areas provide.”
This should also include domestic grazing of livestock such as cattle, and sheep.
I use to believe and think that what I do will make very little impact on the environment until I began looking at the big picture. If everyone did what I did, it could drastically impact the environment if enough people did it. This got me to think about my actions in every part of my life. I still make mistakes, I still may do things that have a negative impact on the environment, but it is something I try to be always conscious of.
For hundreds of years Americans have shown very little if any respect for our natural environment. And with all we know of the destruction we have perpetrated on our planet, we continue doing the same thing, but at an accelerated rate. Our air, water and land are polluted with dangerous toxins that effect man, beast and vegetation. The human population is growing at such a rapid rate, our planet will no longer be able to sustain us. And our natural resources are being depleted at an accelerated rate. We have become so disassociated with our natural environment, we have become numb to the problems we have created. We pretend it is not our problem or responsibility, or we may have some notion that our government will take care of it, or our planet will be able to repair itself without our help. We have become so numb that we question the impact climate change will have on the world. If we don’t see it directly or if it does not impact us directly, why worry about it. The signs of climate change being here is obvious, but we still choose to ignore it.
There has been a growing amount of people visiting our wilderness and national park land areas that are putting tremendous stress on the natural environment. And if we don’t act now and begin taking responsibility, we can lose our rights to this beautiful and awe struck country of ours. We will have limited access to these lands. It is actually happening today. Certain National Parks are being restricted with limited access for our enjoyment. One National Park in Utah can only be visited by way of bus with very little access to the land. Other Parks are limiting the amount of people who can visit them, and are having lotteries for the lucky few.
But we also have to force business especially big business to begin taking responsibility by limiting the pollution they cause through manufacturing of their products. They have a social and environmental responsibility to do so.
Unfortunately these guidelines set by the US Forest Service will have little effect if it does not apply to everyone, including big business and the Forest Service policies itself.
For the cattle business who uses our wilderness areas for free grazing of their cattle, these guidelines must obviously not apply to them. I have seen devastating environmental impacts on a wilderness area where cattle have grazed. Cattle can degrade or destroy resources and tarnish a wilderness experience for the responsible backpacker or hiker. Water pollution, soil erosion and compaction, the destruction of river banks, loss of vegetation, and other impacts are evident. I have seen mud and dirt craters made all over a beautiful valley meadow. Cow patties covers the landscape and the destruction of trails and the making of new trails by the cattle. Backpackers are forced to make new trails to avoid original trails that have turned into mud bogs to difficult to cross by the cattle. I have never seen cattle so fat and healthy when they free graze in our wilderness areas. And that added weight of 200 plus pounds puts even more of a burden on the environment.
As for experiencing beauty and solitude in this wilderness area, I have seen backpackers just pass through, because for them it is just another cow pasture and not a wilderness area for them to enjoy.
In a survival situation you need to learn to conserve items, like matches, battery powered equipment, etc. and even if you are in the wilderness one should learn to conserve in case ones situation does turn into a survival situation. I was pretty much conserving my resources, but I also brought extra batteries. It is a good practice to learn.
“The animal shall not be measured by man. Living in a world older and more complete than ours, they move finished and complete, gifted with extension of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we never hear. They are not brethrens; they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in a net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendor, and the travail of the earth.”
~ Henry Beston, The Outermost House, 1928
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of the birds, the ebb and flow of the tides, the folded bud ready for the spring. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature – the assurance that dawn come after night, and spring after the winter.”
~ Rachel Carson
We the human species are the only species on the planet that are able to see the natural environment in such a way as to interpret it through art, music, dance, photography, writing and poetry. Our sight provides us with a full palette of colors, tones, textures and shapes. Nature has the ability to stir our emotions in shear delight and excitement in an appreciation of silence and solitude. It can stimulate our senses and imagination. And with all that, we still turn our backs on her with total disregard.
A friend of mine can’t understand why I would want to study and learn ancient bushcraft / survival skills as well as practicing in the wilderness in our modern day. He tells me, “I don’t want to move backwards in time, what is the point? We need to move forward.” For me, I suppose, I am going back in time. Sometimes I feel I was born in the wrong time period. But I do it to get a sense of being self-reliant and self-sufficient, being able to use what nature provides for us; having a sense that if I was in a survival situation, I would have a better chance of actually surviving; it is also something I enjoy learning, and I think most of all, practicing these skills, and with the experiences they have given me, brings me closer to nature, bringing a deep connection and relationship as well as giving me a better understanding about nature.
In practicing survival skills while I was out in the wilderness, I was way to serious about it which caused me to experience frustration easily. Our second outing up at Kennedy Meadows I had more of an attitude of having fun with the experiences, and feeling the experiences. Survival skills must be learned and practiced, and in many cases may not be an easy skill to learn or master immediately. Although in a survival situation, it is serious, but why not enjoy the process of trial and error while learning and practicing these skills because you will fail at times. Make it a wonderful, and respectful adventure in nature.
When we arrived home, the prospects did not look very good with the jobs situation. I was able to get a little money coming in, but not enough. The friend I was staying with ended in bad terms and we had to leave with no where to go just days prior to Christmas.
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