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Joshua Tree Departure
Well prepared for a long holiday weekend, we set out to Joshua Tree to find a campsite. We arrive at Belle Campground in the late afternoon, find a campsite next to some of my favorite climbs, and bound joyfully out of the car. Immediately we jump back in the car, turn the heater on, and…
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Test Run: Joshua Tree Departure
I leave work at noon, eager to get to Joshua Tree in time to grab a campsite before they are gone for the holiday weekend. I told my cousin Anabel we would take her camping this weekend, and it will be awkward if she shows up and we don’t have a site. Ann has the…
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Ann goes to Morris saddle on the PCT
Ann did a hike by herself today on the Pacific Crest Trail from Walker Pass to the saddle below Morris Peak. These solitary walks are very different from hiking with a partner. I’m happy to hear that she seems to experience the same enticement and invigoration from them that I have in the past.
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Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest
After a sunny breakfast we drive a few miles more up the road to Sierra View, at about 9000 feet. Shortly beyond that the road is closed. The place is well named. This is the best profile of the High Sierra I’ve ever seen. We walk a few miles up the snow-bound road to the…
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Our Best Laid Plans
Our original plan for today was to hike 10 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail and camp on Owen’s ridge. We wake up late, not yet packed. Two weeks worth of “administrative overhead” items sit untouched on my desk. It becomes clear that maybe planning hikes for every day of every weekend is not realistic.
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Movie: The In-Laws
We almost quit watching this movie a few times because it gets so stupid, but then it would suddenly get very funny and reel us back in. There’s some really lousy acting, and the film is almost play-like in it’s sparseness of soundtrack and other distractions from the actors, so bad acting hurts. But Alan…
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Movie: Cross of Iron
Another story that, like All Quiet on the Western Front, illustrates that if you are going to be at all critical of World War II, your characters must be Germans. Even if they all speak English and rebel only against the war itself and not against Nazism. This story examines a character who hates the…
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Movie: About Schmidt
This is a satire of American culture. At its best, it exposes some of our cliches, gets some laughs, and hints at where they might have come from. At its worst, it is a collection of cheap shots at poorly acted stereotypical characters.
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Cottonwood-Marble Canyon Loop Day 3
Camp 2 in Dead Horse Canyon to Cottonwood-Marble Canyon Confluence 8.8 mi :: 5 hr Just up the canyon from our campsite, someone has dug a small well. After breakfast I wander up with Jezebel and fill her water bottle. There are some tadpoles swimming in it, but she doesn’t mind. You could certainly filter…
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Cottonwood-Marble Canyon Loop Day 2
Camp 1 in Cottonwood Canyon to Camp 2 in Dead Horse Canyon 9.5 mi :: 7 hr :: 2130 ft Today we will switch canyons, and the navigation is uncertain. We have a sheet with vague directions like “find the unmarked pass” where there must be several unmarked passes. We will also have to find…