Trail Tales

Yesterday it was theoretically about 78 degrees at its peak in Bremerton (in the lowlands). It's usually several degrees cooler in the foothills...add in wind chill effect as well.

Even when completely well, it isn't till it gets about 85 degrees plus where it's comfortable to breeze down the hill at 20 mph, covered in sweat, in just a t-shirt. So I bundled up in two short sleeve shirts, one long sleeve shirt, and two sweatshirts. I road up to a couple trails I've been working on and cleared a little more brush. And then finally I road about to the top of Green Mountain.

I think endurance levels were about at 65% and strength was at 75%. But no coughing and I felt pretty good otherwise. On the way down (I was soaked in sweat) I put on a windbreaker.

The only real chill I got was shopping in Winco's dairy aisle. Jesus, that was cold. But, overall, it was a good day and a friend of mine said I was trying to "Swear it out." Autocorrect notwithstanding, I think it sort of worked that way.

I feel tired but fine this morning. No cough but my chest still feels a little raw. I've continued the daily regimen of the nose-cleaning fluid. I don't know if it's done much good, but Mr. Flu's logic is indisputable that it certainly can't hurt.

It's supposed to be about 74 degrees and partly sunny by this afternoon. I may do a little light clean-up outside just to get out.

Your weather in Texas is truly crazy. I had no idea of the extremes you guys could get. The idea of going from 100 to 50 within a few hours is bonkers.

Down in Portland, where I have a friend, they are usually about 10 degrees hotter, so I imagine they were in the 90's yesterday.

These two days of decent whether are politically incorrect because it is part of an "Indian Summer."

We'll be getting rain for the rest of the week and then maybe some clearly next weekend. I'm just glad to (knock on wood) be mostly over this yuck. God help someone if this "natural immunity" doesn't stick. Whatever the case may be, the RNA injections are useless. This KFF thing could keep mutating and be ever-present like the common cold.

Or perhaps this is how the "common cold" was in its more virulent days. They say that these kind of viral diseases tend to become moderate for various reasons. One may be it doesn't due to kill the host. The other may be that it spreads easier if you are sick, per se, but not bed ridden.

Whatever the case may be, Fauci should be in jail and the Communist facility at Wuhan should be nuked by some friendly power.

That seems life a very sensible October temperature, Artler. It's been sunny here since about 10:00 a.m. I raked some leaves/debris. Watched a little of the Steelers beating the Ravens. Set the Little Sucker round robo-vacuum around to sweep the floors. And I really probably need to take the weed-eater after a couple bits of grass. And I read a little from the "All Creatures Great & Small" series. This is the life. Or my life, anyway.

But what a nice Sunday...seemingly both in Bremerton and Fayetteville with some relief from the heat in the Great State of Texas.

If not actually packin', I do feel some measure of protection while carrying the FLORA GUARD 10 Inch Hand Pruning Saw in my backpack.



Unless you really want to work at it, it's good for any tree or branch up to about 4" in diameter. And that's more than enough for the various trees and branches that fall down over the trails.

I was out yesterday in 51-degree weather (windy, but otherwise okay) policing a couple of hiking trails that I've adopted (unofficially). But I also came across some downed trees on the main logging road on the way up to the top of Green Mountain. I took care of those as well.

The saw does the job and folds easily into my backpack and weighs not much at all. And with this in hand, I would stand more than a chance against a cougar. But I think a motivated bear would still win out.

I must say that if there was ravaging done I must have missed it. My grandson got a wild eyed look on his face when I told him and mother the story.

I came across this today on the trail at Green Mountain. The weather was halfway decent although it did rain between about 2:00 and 2:30.

When I first saw this out of the corner of my eye, I thought it was a golf ball. But I'm sure it's a fun-guy of some kind:



Larger View

The weather was tolerably good today so I did some biking and trail-cleaning at Green Mountain. And the trailhead parking lots were pretty full.

On the way up to where I was going, I heard in the distance (a half mile or so) some loud talk and laughing. I didn't know what that was.

Later, at my destination, and while working on the trail, I again heard some rather boisterous voices. It was some mushroom hunters, including some children. But I really couldn't see who it was. I just shouted hello (I was on a parallel trail just below them) and they said hi and one of the kids said "Is that your bike back there? We wanted to use it."

Later, I was working at the head of the trail and the boisterous voices were coming my way. It was an extended Japanese family. It was four or five children, a couple of (presumably) brothers, and a couple wives. One of the brothers had a healthy smell of having been sipping something to keep him warm. I took a look at their haul of mushrooms and said "very nice." We said our pleasantries and they moved on.

I returned to my work when I saw an old lady coming up the trail from where this family had come. She was obviously from the same party. It was the Japanese grandmother, dressed and wrapped up like your storybook babushka.

She was the very stereotype of a sweet, short, wrinkled, smiling Japanese grandmother. I'm not sure if she knew much English but I said hi, etc. She looked like she was going to hug me but she grabbed by arm in a friendly gesture and was just a ray of sunshine. I don't know why she was being so friendly. It wasn't over-friendly. It was just old Japanese grandmother friendly.

I said a few sincere pleasantries and she moved on in the direction of her family. Only later did I wonder why she was sort of left behind. I can't imagine that being the case anytime we were out with one of my grandmothers.

Speaking of stereotypes, the children were the very picture of loud, obnoxious children. But I suppose when you are out on a mountain, that's certainly the time and place to be as loud as you want to be.

My nephew (about 30) teaches Engrish in Japan. He is visiting for a couple weeks during Christmas and he's bringing his girlfriend, Yui. She is from Tokyo and he says she speaks fluent Engrish. I will take your words to heart and try a bow instead of a hug when I meet her, although she may think that rather strange.