Risk

The TV was full of babbling weathermen being interrupted by the EAS. Their excitement, brought on by the unfolding weather threat, was communicated to the public as fear. Two people died that evening.

Afraid?

A few hundred people may die yearly in the U.S. due to tornadoes, but 35 thousand die due to cars, 74K to diabetes, 157K to stroke, and a whopping 685K due to heart attacks. Every year! Fear a tornado? Hell, it's best to hike during a tornado... which I did.

I do not accept their drama. I don't fear a tornado, I fear inactivity... and drive a big new truck.

Fear inactivity.


-text copyright 2014 by Willy. Statistics by the CDC.

Life is Too Short

I have figured it out: I've noticed that people at work that do solo work (like coders) have a social life outside of work, but those with people-intensive or team work would rather enjoy nature's solitude.

My office is a Grand Central Station. What is yours? Some people drive me crazy. I know that we need a social structure for good mental health but life is too short to put up with fools. I used to tolerate them but it is better to choose properly and avoid them. At work and elsewhere, seek the happy medium. To me, nature's solitude is a great option.

Keep calm and hike on.


-copyright 2014 by Willy

I'm Baack

Yes, it's been a while since I posted. It's been one thing after another. From unsuccessful shoulder surgery to the busy end of the Fiscal Year, with a spectrum in-between. I am having fun with friends, regardless... just went to the beach and the National Naval Air museum, again.

This year-end is unusually busy due to the earlier furloughs (off every Friday) getting us behind in our work. Then the sequestration cutbacks' uncertainty made the program offices hold their money until year-end... at which point they had to send funds for work needed before the funds expired. Add to that the actual, real and regular work, as well as more task management, increased demands from supporting elements, delivery of reports, and, of course, next-FY planning with budget funds request. It's been very busy.

Last September, I brought down an old hiker guy off a mile-high Appalachian mountain. The 70-year-old had stability problems and was falling down backwards. I side-hugged him and locked-stepped him down in 6 1/2 hours. Not a smart thing to have done, in hindsight... should have called the rescue squad instead like we did this year on another old coot, because I only have one shoulder left.

Then, following that, in October, I got a virus/bacteria that required a double-dose of Prednisone steroid. It made me feel so good that I pressed more weight for more reps... like a young man. Not a smart thing to do either.

The shoulder hurt: Changing the car radio station hurt. Reaching for the glovebox was very painful. Grabbing something from the back seat was excruciating. I tried months of rest, ice, chiropractor, massage and etc.

The orthopedist did arthroscopic surgery... Resulting in lots of pain, complications, therapy and recovery... all for nothing, because the pain is still there. The orthopedist wanted to operate again and I understood what he wanted to do as deboning chicken, so I fired him, his physical therapist and the horse they rode in on.

I had kept up my hiking and riding. Am back to the gym, taking it easy and doing OK but avoiding overhead shoulder movements. Am doing my own therapy, trying different things out to see what works. My doctor wants me to go get a second opinion from another orthopedist.

My plan is to give it time to heal. It takes a while... everything takes a while to get over, physical or mental, so wish me luck and patience. In the meantime, I'm enjoying life and good friends.

I've been busy.


- copyright 2013 by Willy.

Why I Hike In The Rain

My daughter and I have a yearly ritual. We get together every summer for a backpacking trip. It's a week or two, sometimes the A.T., sometimes others, but usually remote and usually by ourselves. I enjoy these bonding times. A few years ago, we hiked the White Mountains of New Hampshire. We bought plane tickets and secured reservations ahead of time... we paid for it. When the time came, it was rain, rain and more rain... but we executed the plan. In other occasions, we've hiked in extreme heat, extreme cold, and extreme fatigue.

What this pointed out to me is that I must train accordingly, in all conditions. Especially if I'm to be a tough old man... one of my goals in life.

So, when bad storms come locally, and it's either on my after-work hike day or on the weekend... I hike. I hike by myself (I do not want to risk others). I hike in parka... wet, cold and all. I just do it. No excuses. The storms add excitement to my little adventure. My kind of excitement.

And at the end, I have a terrific feeling of accomplishment and increased self-esteem... I feel smug all over.


- text © 2013 by Willy

Why I Train

My old friend Jim is an eclectic kind of fellow... an engineer that carves and paints, but also canoes and hikes. Like me, he loves the outdoors.



Jim took me bushwalking this weekend at a national wilderness... off-trail, over downed trees, rock climbing up waterfalls, through briars, stepping across boulders and walking on logs across creeks. I thought I was in good shape but this was tough. We only did 11 miles in 8 hours.

This wilderness was new to me, so there was a rich bounty of photographic subjects... of moments to capture. What a great place... what a great life. This is why I train.

- © 2013 by Willy

Getting to the Trailhead

How do you get to a peak? Same way you get to Carnegie Hall... practice, practice, practice. Then drive to the trailhead.

Some trailheads are more difficult than others to get to. In Colorado, $6M was spent paving 12 miles of Guanella Pass Road from Georgetown to the Mt Bierstadt trailhead, and it was wonderfully easy to get there. On the other hand, getting to the Greys and Torreys trailhead requires a high-clearance four-wheel drive vehicle due to the dirt road ruts. Around here in the south, it's important to have the right trailhead vehicle... one that you don't mind getting scratched by brush, banged up by potholes, or smashed by vandals. Thus, an important piece of backpacking equipment is the selection of your trailhead truck, which has the conflicting requirement of getting us there, not be too nice, and being the daily driver to work.

It would be something to meet all three with one vehicle.

One solution is to own more than one: a daily driver and a trailhead truck. And decide which one to take, depending on destination. Either hope that the trailhead truck can survive the interstate, or hope the reliable daily driver can stay pretty.

As time goes by, the reliable and pretty car slowly becomes the trailhead truck, the close-to-dead trailhead truck is discarded, and a new vehicle bought for reliable and pretty daily driver... in a cycle period of many years.

I have to think this through better but I may be doing a version of this that involves three vehicles: My 22-year-old tired trailhead truck reached 253K rough miles. It burns oil, has questionable reliability and looks like hell, so I bought a newer truck today to restart the cycle. I have an older van. I may keep the old tired trailhead truck for special occasions where I need to leave the truck at an unfavorable location for weeks, like AT segment hikes... and I do not lock it so as to avoid somebody busting the window to get in to search.

Happy trails to you.

- © 2012 by Willy

Hiking Resume

OK, so if somebody asks for a resume... and it's to compete for a hike spot... what should I say? Ability, of course, but also I realize that it's a group, that I'll need to mention mental and physical fortitude with people as well as contributions and leadership. How about something like...

"My achievements are many. Hi, I'm Willy and I'm an engineer group leader. I mentor college co-ops and interns to take over for me, and put out fires. I also taught 20 years of evening classes at the local college. And I even taught Faith in Sunday School to High School seniors. I can write well too... have published 200 documents, mostly technical reports, conference and journal papers, but also am a published poet. I am really good on my feet... not only having gone through the Toastmasters curriculum early on but having pushed my club to achieve Top Ten international recognition. I am an excellent people leader and communicator.

"I like the hiking adventure. I've hiked and backpacked my whole life, progressively getting better, so that at age 62, I'm darned good. This year, I hiked Colorado twice, the Smokeys (four times), plus a segment of the AT. Last year it was Yosemite and its High Sierra camps loop, and another segment of the AT with my daughter, and more CO... I'm bagging peaks of CO 14ers as well as AT segments. Have done the Grand Canyon three times (including a rim-to-rim), Mt Hood wilderness, Big Bend, Yellowstone, Everglades, and etc. I conveniently have a mountain trailhead right out my backyard and hike locally three times a week, crosstraining with bicycling, weights and elliptic. I was a certified personal trainer. I'm a no-nonsense ultralighter. I'm not good at snow, but own crampons, snowshoes and axe. I like mother nature and the outdoors but I love the view from the top (like from Vogelsang saddle). I'm slow but sure, and have the demonstrated desire to climb.

"Yes, I do Facebook but only have 60 'Friends,' which is typical of my generation.

"Why am I a perfect fit for this? Because I have the demonstrated desire to climb. I'm in shape... both physical and mental shape. I like hiking, backpacking and climbing... and do it all the time. I'm a mature, seasoned and aged adventurer, so I know a few things I can contribute. I have the good attitude and enthusiasm for it. I'm fluent in Spanish, my original language. I have real friends... the face-to-face kind I drink a beer with. So... best of all... I have people skills."

That should do it. That's about what I turned in. We'll see how an aged adventurer rates.

- © 2012 by Willy

Just The Basics

Having had many busy weeks at work and beyond, I waited until the very end to pack for the latest adventure, resulting in a controlled panic. Yes, I always do this. To make it doable, what works for me is to keep everything hike-related in a huge duffel bag in my sports closet, including a check list.

I then separate items by place and function, depends on where and how I'm hiking. I am on the way to a two-week backpacking trip to Yosemite.

What goes into the wilderness itself goes in the backpack. Within that I have a bag for what I will carry in my pockets or person, like granola bars, whistle, tiny LED light, GPS, camera, sunglasses, DEET, sunblock, toilet paper, and etc.

I make a separate bag for the trip to base camp motel like extra clothing, snacks, cell phone, cell rechargers, reading material, car GPS, boarding passes, neck pillow for long night flights and etc.

So organized, eh? So, where was that blasted poncho!

OK, so I found it and finally got it together. Then I went through it all again, paring it down to the basic needs only: Out goes the rum (how did that one get in there?), the What-Ifs and redundancies. After all, I am an ultralighter... the most basic and smug of backpackers.

I have been an ultralighter since I was a kid, because I had nothing then. It was reinforced by a free spirit I dated in the '80s, and driven home recently by my daughter.

For instance, a light and small plastic hooded poncho with a tiny umbrella and hat saves at least a pound as compared to a heavy, bulky and sweaty multi-layered "breathable fabric" raincoat, and I needed that hat for mountain-top balds anyway.

Ditto re a coolmax liner or sheet instead of a light sleeping bag; chlorine-dioxide pills rather than a fancy troublesome reverse-osmosis pump filter; two tiny LED rather than a flashlight (redundancy needed here); a smaller tent; multipurpose bandanna rather than towel; two band-aids rather than moleskin; just floss, toothbrush and toothpaste (no comb, no razor, no deodorant, etc.); no radio/mp3; no cell phone if another group hiker is carrying his; no stove; and less food to eat, even.

I am realistic or careful enough to take a down vest, dry socks, backup disposable poncho, hiking pole and other safety-necessary items.

John Muir hiked Yosemite just carrying a loaf of bread.

I am trying to do Life that way too, getting rid of junk and junky people... and losing weight. Determining what is mental heath safety-necessary is big. Keeping just the basics.

- © 2011 by Willy