Last Friday and Saturday with Paula and Katya.

Ray took this photo of Katya, Paula and me before leaving for dinner at Tipico's. Katya spoke at the ABC Club one block away from the restaurant. Katya gave a great talk.

So I'm eating clean right? As is Katya, Ray and Sandi (who joined us for dinner and the meeting). We're at the Mexican restaurant where the chips and salsa arrive as we are seated. On the food plan you get one grain or starch with dinner. Hmmmmm. I'm starving. I want to eat chips, NOW. But then if I eat the chips I can't have the tortilla with dinner. While going back and forth in my head..."Chips or Tortilla?"....I decide to lay out chips on the table in a circle the size of a tortilla to see how many chips I could have if I decided to choose to eat chips. Paula thought that was funny. I was quite serious! The tortilla won. Actually, I had two tortillas with my Fajitas dinner!!!!!


Katya feeling her oats heading up the Bump & Grind hill. Paula and I were dying in the 95 degree heat.


A nice lady took this photo of us on our way down from the top of the Bump & Grind hill.


Down from Bump & Grind, on the walk back to the car, I asked Katya if she wanted to carry my pack. She said, "Carrying it makes me walk funny."

Vern Clevenger, Photographer (click Vern's name to go to his website)

Sunday Ray and I went to the Southwest Art Festival in Indio. I was so happy to see Vern Clevenger there selling his photos. I went over to talk to him. I reminded him of how I met him nine years ago in the Sierra. After we talked and I had walked away, I went back to Vern's photo stall and asked if I could have my photo taken with him.

Anyone who has been to our home recognizes the photo behind me of the Sierra cottonwoods in fall color. I have this print taken by the photographer, Vern Clevenger, the man on my left.

I came to meet Vern while Tina and I were backpacking in 2000. Tina and I had just arrived at our night's campsite - Guitar Lake - stragically positioned to camp there for our early morning Mt Whitney summit at 4am in the morning.

Not long after we arrived at this campsite I noticed a family of four hiking up the trail towards us. The man, Vern, looked like he'd been in the back country for years. Vern was carrying a massive backpack. As I recall he responded, after being asked, that he was carrying around 70 lbs. That's a lot and it's really a lot at the 11,000 foot elevation of Guitar Lake. Behind Vern, was his 9 year old son carrying a small backpack the size of a day pack. Vern's wife came into view next carrying a child carrier backpack that was empty. The child was out of the backpack, behind Mom, running up the trail in her cute but very dirty dress and bare feet. The family of four was doing the JMT (John Muir Trail - 220 miles in the most beautiful section of the Sierra).

Long story short....
The kids were ecstatic when Tina and I unloaded some of our extra candy and offered it to the kids. What I didn't know until the next morning was the family was not only out of candy for the kids but were mostly out of food.

We met the Clevenger family at the top of Mt Whitney the next morning and chatted some more. It was during this talk that I found out Vern had no food. I couldn't believe he was carrying that heavy backpack up another 3000 feet with no food for energy. I'd left my backpack at Trail Pass for the summit of Mt Whitney and was only carrying a large fanny pack. I felt so sorry for Vern I gave him the food I had packed in my fanny pack to eat while luxuriating after having reached the summit.

Vern was so grateful. He took my snail mail address and not long after I arrived home I found a package delivered from Vern. He sent me a signed copy of one of his beautiful Sierra photos. Previously I had not known he was a photographer.
When Vern had a showing of his photographs in Beverly Hills a year or two later, I went and bought another 5 photos of his. That's when I bought the large photo of the cottonwoods in full fall color.

More shadow photos of me and Stacy behind while on the Bump and Grind months ago.

Me, Ray and Stacy.

My new Mission Hills CC Hiking Group photo website.

I don't think I mentioned that I am now using http://gottago.smugmug.com/ instead of the Flickr.com photo site.
I post the photos I take on the hikes I lead for the Mission Hills CC hikers. Check it out. Today's hike was beautiful. We took a snack break at the Whitewater River.

I've been hounded by LR to start posting photos again. He says that photos shot off the TV don't count as practicing photography. So here are two shots I took today. I'm considering turning in one for the Straight Lines #2 Lesson due Feb 9th.

Our Saturday MHCC hiking group.

left side of group photo, rear to front: Roberta, Sandy, Karen and Carol.
right side of photo, rear to front: Frank, Ernie and Linda.
center of photo, rear to front: Ellen and Peggy.



We had fun. I was thrilled to see 8 hikers show up this morning. That made 9 of us on the Shannon Trail Loop hike. We deviated somewhat from the scheduled Shannon Trail Loop hike after the first two miles and hiked east toward Mt Murray before circling back north and northwest to return on the Araby trail by Bob Hope's house. We figure we hiked about 7 miles in the 3 and a half hours we were out there.

We were a very flexible group. Everyone was up for anything and everything suggested. Watching everyone chatting with each other made the hike for me. I don't know what it is but I enjoy getting people together and seeing everyone have fun. As I said, We had fun.

Come on out and hike with us Mission Hills CC Hiking Group members! Maybe watching the video will entice you to join us next Saturday. Hike to be determined, but you may count on there being a hike next Saturday, January 3rd! Look for an email.

Mission Hills CC Hiking Group's second hike of the season this morning. We hiked the Eisenhower loop at the Living Desert.

There were four of us who braved what we thought would be a very cold 7:30am morning hike here in sunny Palm Desert: Linda, my friend Heidi, Sandra and Ellen. This was the first time Sandra and Ellen joined us on one of our hikes. I've said this before, but MHCC Hiking Group has the neatest members.

Surprisingly, the only time I felt a bit cold was at the WAMU parking lot before we headed out to the Living Desert in Palm Desert to hike the 5.5 mile Eisenhower loop trail.

The first mile of the hike is level. Once we started to climb everyone began shedding the many layers we were wearing. (After last week's cold hike, we made sure we were dressed properly.) We skipped taking a break at the shady picnic area at the top of our 1.8 mile ascent, as the sun was still down behind Eisenhower Peak. Not stopping for a break didn't keep me from eating my snack of walnuts and raisins while descending the next 1.7 miles. No siree! I don't need to be seated to eat. The last 750 yards, before reaching the level desert wash, took us through a rocky and sandy canyon! Oh, and today was the first time I ever saw pooled water on the canyon portion of the hike.

Below are two videos that I hope will inspire and motivate all you MHCC hiking group members to join us on our Saturday hikes. And don't forget Bonnie's Wednesday hikes.

After the first flat mile, you'll see us hiking up the 1.8 miles before descending on the return loop.


It was a nice after-hike treat to view the sheep. The Bighorn Sheep aren't always visible in their fenced in mountain home at the Living Desert. Take a look and pay attention to the last part of the video.


To see still more photos from our hike, go to http://flickr.com/photos/gottagolinda/.

By the way, Bonnie's rained out hike last Wednesday is now rescheduled for January 14th. Bonnie will be sending out email notification I'm sure.

Heidi and I previewed the upcoming Saturday Mission Hills CC hiking group hike on the Art Smith Trail this morning.

Pretty cool Palm Oasis #1 and, further on, #2 up the dry, desert Art Smith Trail on Highway 74 below the San Jacinto mountains.

Saturday morning at 7:30am we will drive to the trailhead for the 2nd hike of the season with the MHCC hiking group. Last week there were only 4 of us who hiked out of the 102 people on the Hiking Roster. Hmmmmm. I have a goal to get more hikers involved. To be continued.....

Isn't Heidi cute?

Yesterday's sunrise and sunset.

Kenny, Katie and Rick on our way up the Bump and Grind at 5:30am.

Rick and Katie.

Sunset taken on the I-5 near all the smelly cow lots.

I have been trying not to listen to the news. I don't turn on my car radio. I walk out of the room when Ray has the news on TV. I avoid reading the newspaper. It's the only way I seem to somewhat quiet my head and my heart.

I am on the road, headed to Half Moon Bay to meet Carol Leigh and 12 other photography students for a 3.5 day shoot for a book Carol is publishing depicting Half Moon Bay. Last night I stayed in a Holiday Inn Express 2.5 hours from Half Moon Bay. This morning I ate their complimentary breakfast in front of the large screen, high volume TV. I'm back in my room, with my friend, my computer, trying to numb out from the news of other nightmare day in the stock market.

So.....here are a couple of photos I took yesterday. The first two I took on yesterday's morning Bump and Grind hike with 3 very special people. The last photo I snapped while driving on the I -5 last night.

Walking around Mission Hills Country Club this morning.

Golf cart path along the Palmer one #1 fairway.

I called out for our neighbor Carol to join Ray and me on our walk.

Reseeded early light on the fairway #17 on the Westin course near Sandi's house.

I'm gonna be "21" in 3 days!

I'm online at Starbucks in Mammoth.

Cindy sent me an early birthday present - a history of Cind and Lind she put on a YouTube Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksJgGzhpSe4&feature=related
Cindy and I do have history. I'm surprised by all the photos Cindy has in this slide show depicting so much of our history together. (I'm always telling Cindy to use her camera and she usually says, "I don't have it." or "Yeah, I should.")

I love my gift. I love you Cind. And, I miss spending time in the mountains with you. Thank you for putting together such a very special gift. I really love it.

Lind

Mammoth photos.

Tina came up to visit us in Mammoth the last three days. The photos below were taken today.
Miss proper hiker on our morning hike.

Cute Tina.

Pretty lake on our morning hike.

Tina left to go home after our morning hike, but as she was loading up her car she came back to the cabin screaming, "Bear, come, come see the bear."
I put my shoes on, changed to a telephoto lens on my Canon 40D and ran out to the lake where the bear had been swimming! I missed him swimming, but ran in the direction he'd taken off. When I found the bear he was checking out some cabins.

But then I guess he wanted to go for another swim as he headed back down by the lake. I followed him.

I guess I followed him a bit too closely as he turned back in my direction. He looked as startled as I was when I clicked this photo off. I stepped aside to give him room and he ran by me.....thank goodness. Ray had been watching me from the cabin while he was on the phone. He ran down to the lake when he noticed the bear and I were only a few feet away from each other.

Photos from Woods Lodge during Week One in Mammoth.

I'm in a Starbucks in Mammoth and have my computer with me (of course), so thought I'd post a few photos. We are having the time of our lives up here.

View from our apartment over Woods Lodge of Crystal Crag, Mammoth Crest and Ducks Pass to the left. We stay in this very small, one room, apartment the first week. We love the view but find living in one room a bit confining. Don't get me wrong, we still love being here.


Ray took this photo of me trying to get closeups of the birds we feed on our balcony. Each morning we wake when we wake, usually around 6:30am, have coffee, read a spiritual reading out loud from Simple Abundance, have oatmeal, read and then go for a hike (after we've had enough lazying around most of the morning!!!)


This was unreal. I was taking photos of the Lodge (last picture below) when out of the corner of my eye, I see something moving to my right. I look and it's a light brown, small, bear. He looks at me (we are 10 feet away from each other), I look at him. He turns back to look ahead of him as he continues to the other side of the Lodge.

I follow him with my camera. I'm so excited, most of the photos I took are blurry. But I got this photo of the bear climbing over a fence while another vacationer was in a chair outside his cabin reading not very far from the advancing bear. The man doesn't see the bear. I yell, "Hello!" The man looks up from his book and immediately begins to run backward with his chair in his grasp and his eyes and mouth wide open indicating he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Obviously he was scared to death. I wonder what he thought of me moving closer and following the bear with my camera?


Ray and me near the top of Mammoth Crest after our hike yesterday. We both feel the altitude. Ray is doing great. I'm thrilled he is hiking with me.


This is the view looking north from the top of Mammoth Crest, 2+ miles up the trail from our cabin. LR.....Like the view of the Minnaretts, Ritter and Banner?


This is one of the photos I took that I might submit for the September photo class assignment #1 on Walls, Windows and Doors.

A new day on top of Bump and Grind

Meeting Rick and Katie this morning for the second time this week sure makes it easier to keep my commitment to daily exercise. This is the third week Katie and I have met Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 5am to hike the close-by, local Bump & Grind hill. The hike is about 4 miles and usually takes us about an hour and 20 minutes. We aren't fast but we keep up a pace where we probably sweat a half a pound of water on these humid, warm summer days. When we begin our hike it's still dark and cool compared to later daytime temperatures around 108 degrees.

Rick was excited to see the sunrise this morning. He kept wondering when the sun would pop-up over the mountains. At the moment the sun appeared, I asked Rick and Katie to pose for this shot. I focused on the sky so the camera would expose for the sunrise with fill-in flash selected to light up Rick and Katie.

5:15am walk around MHCC

Fifteen minutes into my morning walk, I called and woke Sandi up asking if she'd like to join me on the walk. Sandi lives 1 mile away from me. 10 minutes after my call, we met and were walking the Westin golf course.
Sandi and my shadow.Returning home I caught these figures out of the corner of my eye. The sun was in front of the figures off to the left a bit. The couple who own the home and property across the lake bought this lakeside lot opposite their home just so no one else could build and they could create the view they wanted. That's having $$$$$.
One of my upcoming classes has to do with numbers. So I've been looking for anything with numbers on it. This is a color photo I desaturated and added a photoshop filter to it.

Mailbox on street. Ray couldn't figure out what was to the right of the numbers. It's the gutter of the street filled with water.
And when I walked back to our home at 6:45am, Ray was backing his golf cart of the garage.

Living Desert hike today.

I don't have time to hike but if I don't, I'll be sorry.
Great views of the remaining snow on San Jacinto and San Gorgonia Peaks. I've seen photos of the snow and deadfall the PCT thru hikers have had to deal with up on SJ.

This sign put my mind to rest. I've been worrying in Mama was still going to watch over Baby.

I saw about 6 of these guys.

More PCT early thru hiker sightings.

Katy and Leah proudly displaying their new Class of 2008 PCT bandanas. Katy and Leah started April 1st at the border.

Jan, Katy and Leah

Zeke, Jan, Leah and Katy at the famous Paradise Cafe, one mile west of where the PCT crosses Hwy 74.

This morning I received the following email.........
The subject to the email was:
A Humble Suggestion.

And we all know I am VERY humble.

Anyway, you might want to let your loving readers know you're not going to be posting on your blog as much, now that you are in intensive pre-hike mode. We miss your stories and photographs, but will understand.


Shame on me. I've been so into finally taking action on the planning and training for my upcoming backpack trip, I've totally neglected this blog and all of you. I remember how frustrated I was when I was daily following my favorite Adventure Journalist's blog and she'd let days go by without a word, and then later, when she stopped maintaining her blog all together because she got a "real" job.

I apologize for not having given you a head's up on what I have been doing. I was wrong to not have taken the time to briefly let you know that I wasn't able (as the title of my blog says) to "daily" making entries. I will continue to write in my blog until I leave on the backpack trip, even if all I write is...."I'm here, but swamped."

What I have valued most in keeping this blog is enjoying how many of you follow along with me in my life. It means a lot to me. I feel your love, your interest and that I am important to you. Well, YOU are important to me too. I want to show how important you are to me by continuing to write until I leave on my trip.

Now, reflecting on what my thinking was that I hadn't explained my lack of blog entries, I see that it was all about me and how I'd look if I simply wrote a simple sentence saying something like, "Sorry, I'm into planning and training my hike and won't be posting as often." I was afraid I'd look selfish and self centered! Ha. Well, what I feared, I created.

Selfish self centered....that is the root of our trouble. p.62

I'm back and I'm never too swamped to say thank you to my loving readers.

p.s. Photo of me yesterday crossing the "raging" (tee hee) Whitewater River while on a hike with the Hiking Group. Not to make an excuse but...taking on being the facilitator takes a lot of time (especially the way I take on the commitment). To encourage continued participation and interest for those who haven't signed up yet, I write hike day information emails, take photos during the hike, post the photos later, write an after hike writeup. Here is yesterday's writeup:

Hi Hikers,

What a great hike today. Thanks to Ginger, Jaqueline and Joe for making this hike so nice.

I wish more of you could have been there. Temperatures never rose over 84 degrees. The wind kept us from being too hot. Flowers galore!

Our hike began from the parking lot at the Wildlife conservancy (The old Whitewater Trout Farm). Robert, the manager, was there to welcome us. I've talked to him a couple of times and he now knows me and our hiking group. You see, the facility isn't open for another 2 months or so. But they let us park inside their close gated parking area.

As you will notice from the photos I’ve uploaded to the MHCC Hikers album, we crossed the Whitewater River a number of times. What troopers everyone was. No complaints - just laughter.

We hiked along the south side of the river bed for about 1.5 miles. We then crossed the river for the third time and climbed another mile to the ridge.

After a short break we headed back down the flower filled canyon switchbacks. It was on the way down that Ginger spotted an orange and black beetle on flowers. When we looked closer, we noticed there were orange and black beetles on ALL the flowers in this one area. It’s mating season and they were into it big time. I do intend to go back when it isn't windy to get some good macro shots of these beetles.

There was more talking on the return hike and I enjoyed getting to know Joe and Jaqueline. Ginger is a regular MHCC hiker and I always love when she is on a hike.

Jaqueline led the way through the trail less river bed.

Then Jaqueline ran across a rattlesnake making its exit into some bushes off the side of the trail. I think Jaqueline said that she only saw the last foot of this huge rattlesnake before it was out of sight. Once I realized what she was excitedly pointing out, I gently put the tip of my trekking pole on the rattle that was barely visible under the brush. Mr. Snake was a big one. Mr. Snake let us hear his distinct rattle letting us know he did not want to be disturbed. We respected his wishes and hiked the last ½ mile back to our cars.

This hike was a little sampling of what life on the trail is like for the through hiker. Everyone said they had a great time and enjoyed the hike.

I know these hikes require a big time commitment, but the flowers won't be out the way they are now for long.

So save the date……..Next Saturday, March 29th there will be another PCT hike….

We will repeat the shuttle hike we did two weeks ago when we hiked 7 miles through the back Mary Poppins-type flower filled hills. We will change up the ending of this hike though and go a different way.

Hike: Moderate

Time commitment: 6 hours.

Meet at Pavilions, near the WAMU bank parking.

Meeting time: 7:30 am!! (It's getting hotter.)

Bring at least a quart to quart and a half of water.

Look forward to seeing you,

Linda Jeffers

p.p.s. Maybe you know this already, but in the top right hand corner of my blog there are 3 small photos. These photos change as I update my flickr.com online photo site with photos. I have a folder on flickr for the Mission Hills Hikes and Hikers inside my Dayhiking folder. Here is a direct link to my Dayhiking folder: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gottagolinda/collections/72157603498143009/

Yesterday's hiking photos with my new Canon EOS 40 D

Looking west up to San Gorgonio from the mountains above the White Water River and the White Water Trout Farm.
I wish I wasn't going to miss Carol Leigh's Macro Class that starts June 15 as I really would like help with macro shots.

Off to take the Mission Hills Country Club Hiking members off for a hike in this area today. I think there will be 11 of us.

Yesterday I made sure I could park in the White Water Trout Farm parking lot. The car break-in had been on the street an 1/8th of a miles from the Trout Farm. I talked to Robert at the Trout Farm yesterday.....he is the person I had stopped to talk to when he was driving by me after my break-in last Friday. He lives in a ranch nearby and is also the manager of the Trout Farm. Robert remembered me and told me that the break-in has freaked out all the neighbors. People are now locking their doors at night. Robert did say that they have not had break-ins up there before. It was a freak incident. Great.

Getting back (a bit) to exercise.

I have got to get to training for my NM hike. Too soon, Cupcake will pick me and JJ up on April 25th to drive to the ADZPCTKO kickoff weekend I attend every year. I will be all packed up for my CDT hike as Cupcake will drive me and my hiking partner, La Zorra back to the beginning of our hike in New Mexico (We will leave on the Sunday at the end of the ADZPCTKOP weekend). I'm 12 pounds heavier than I've ever been before starting out on a long backpack, my body is untrained, AND I haven't planned a darn thing for this hike yet. It is time to make the hike a priority and stop letting everything else get in the way...... like car break-ins!!!!

By the way, JJ is a friend who is a PCT thruhiker this year. JJ will have already begun hiking north on the PCT and will hitch down to my house from the trail up Hwy 74 on the 24th, spend the night, clean up and EAT before Cupcake picks us up and we all drive down to the ADZPCTKOP weekend. Lots of hikers who will have started the PCT early will also find a way to get back down to this fun kickoff weekend held every year, for the last 11 years now.

Yesterday morning Katy and I recommitted to hiking the Bump and Grind hill, which is only 7 minutes from home, every Monday and Wednesday mornings at 5:30am. How easy it is to get back to a routine once I stop it for some lame excuse. I can't afford to make one excuse or I'll just make a ton more.

Katy and I both commented on how wonderful it was being out early enough to see the sunrising.On our hike we talked about how much better we feel the rest of the day when we have exercised early in the day. I, of course, forget how much better I feel during the day when I listen to my head, while I'm still under the covers, when it says to me, "It's too early to get up.....or.......you can exercise later on (and then rarely do)."
This morning Ray and I took a 50 minute walk in our neighborhood. Look at the snow still in the San Jacinto mountains.

Off to get ready to drive in to the Book Study.