During our trip to Lassen, Shasta, Crater Lake, Redwoods, and San Francisco, Pam and I listened to the eight CD audio of Eckhart Tolle's book, "A New Earth--Awakening to Your Life's Purpose."
Pam's brother had the book and the CDs and allowed us to listen to them on our trip. My brother-in-law going Jesus and Zen on us? Not actually, but he has been talking about this book and CD for some time. I just never paid attention.
At first I was very, very, very skeptical when Pam inserted the first disc in the CD player as we headed up Interstate 5 just north of Redding. I thought to myself, now here is another guy preaching his way to the Holy Land. Blah, blah, blah. Yes, I am spiritual, but not religious.
I blocked out all preconceived notions and negative thoughts and concentrated on driving while Pam and I listened to this CD.
I was moved by what I listened to.
Here is an excerpt from that book...
Chapter 1: The Flowering of Human Consciousness
EVOCATION
Earth, 114 million years ago, one morning just after sunrise: The first flower ever to appear on the planet opens up to receive the rays of the sun. Prior to this momentous event that heralds an evolutionary transformation in the life of plants, the planet had already been covered in vegetation for millions of years. The first flower probably did not survive for long, and flowers must have remained rare and isolated phenomena, since conditions were most likely not yet favorable for a widespread flowering to occur. One day, however, a critical threshold was reached, and suddenly there would have been an explosion of color and scent all over the planet—if a perceiving consciousness had been there to witness it.
Much later, those delicate and fragrant beings we call flowers would come to play an essential part in the evolution of consciousness of another species. Humans would increasingly be drawn to and fascinated by them. As the consciousness of human beings developed, flowers were most likely the first thing they came to value that had no utilitarian purpose for them, that is to say, was not linked in some way to survival. They provided inspiration to countless artists, poets, and mystics. Jesus tells us to contemplate the flowers and learn from them how to live. The Buddha is said to have given a “silent sermon” once during which he held up a flower and gazed at it. After a while, one of those present, a monk called Mahakasyapa, began to smile.
He is said to have been the only one who had understood the sermon. According to legend, that smile (that is to say, realization) was handed down by twenty-eight successive masters and much later became the origin of Zen.
Seeing beauty in a flower could awaken humans, however briefly, to the beauty that is an essential part of their own innermost being, their true nature. The first recognition of beauty was one of the most significant events in the evolution of human consciousness. The feelings of joy and love are intrinsically connected to that recognition. Without our fully realizing it, flowers would become for us an expression in form of that which is most high, most sacred, and ultimately formless within ourselves. Flowers, more fleeting, more ethereal, and more delicate than the plants out of which they emerged, would become like messengers from another realm, like a bridge between the world of physical forms and the formless. They not only had a scent that was delicate and pleasing to humans, but also brought a fragrance from the realm of spirit. Using the word “enlightenment” in a wider sense than the conventionally accepted one, we could look upon flowers as the enlightenment of plants.
Any life-form in any realm—mineral, vegetable, animal, or human—can be said to undergo “enlightenment.” It is, however, an extremely rare occurrence since it is more than an evolutionary progression: It also implies a discontinuity in its development, a leap to an entirely different level of Being and, most important, a lessening of materiality.
What could be heavier and more impenetrable than a rock, the densest of all forms? And yet some rocks undergo a change in their molecular structure, turn into crystals, and so become transparent to the light. Some carbons, under inconceivable heat and pressure, turn into diamonds, and some heavy minerals into other precious stones.
Most crawling reptilians, the most earthbound of all creatures, have remained unchanged for millions of years.
Some, however, grew feathers and wings and turned into birds, thus defying the force of gravity that had held them for so long. They didn’t become better at crawling or walking, but transcended crawling and walking entirely.
Since time immemorial, flowers, crystals, precious stones, and birds have held special significance for the human spirit. Like all life-forms, they are, of course, temporary manifestations of the underlying one Life, one Consciousness.
Their special significance and the reason why humans feel such fascination for and affinity with them can be attributed to their ethereal quality.
Once there is a certain degree of Presence, of still and alert attention in human beings’ perceptions, they can sense the divine life essence, the one indwelling consciousness or spirit in every creature, every life-form, recognize it as one with their own essence and so love it as themselves. Until this happens, however, most humans see only the outer forms, unaware of the inner essence, just as they are unaware of their own essence and identify only with their own physical and psychological form.
In the case of a flower, a crystal, precious stone, or bird, however, even someone with little or no Presence can occasionally sense that there is more there than the mere physical existence of that form, without knowing that this is the reason why he or she is drawn toward it, feels an affinity with it. Because of its ethereal nature, its form obscures the indwelling spirit to a lesser degree than is the case with other life-forms. The exception to this are all newborn life-forms—babies, puppies, kittens, lambs, and so on. They are fragile, delicate, not yet firmly established in materiality. An innocence, a sweetness and beauty that are not of this world still shine through them. They delight even relatively insensitive humans.
So when you are alert and contemplate a flower, crystal, or bird without naming it mentally, it becomes a window for you into the formless. There is an inner opening, however slight, into the realm of spirit. This is why these three “en-lightened” life-forms have played such an important part in the evolution of human consciousness since ancient times; why, for example, the jewel in the lotus flower is a central symbol of Buddhism and a white bird, the dove, signifies the Holy Spirit in Christianity. They have been preparing the ground for a more profound shift in planetary consciousness that is destined to take place in the human species. This is the spiritual awakening that we are beginning to witness now.
THE PURPOSE OF THIS BOOK
Is humanity ready for a transformation of consciousness, an inner flowering so radical and profound that compared to it the flowering of plants, no matter how beautiful, is only a pale reflection? Can human beings lose the density of their conditioned mind structures and become like crystals or precious stones, so to speak, transparent to the light of consciousness? Can they defy the gravitational pull of materialism and materiality and rise above identification with form that keeps the ego in place and condemns them to imprisonment within their own personality? The possibility of such a transformation has been the central message of the great wisdom teachings of humankind.
The messengers—Buddha, Jesus, and others, not all of them known—were humanity’s early flowers. They were precursors, rare and precious beings. A widespread flowering was not yet possible at that time, and their message became largely misunderstood and often greatly distorted.
It certainly did not transform human behavior, except in a small minority of people.
Is humanity more ready now than at the time of those early teachers? Why should this be so? What can you do, if anything, to bring about or accelerate this inner shift? What is it that characterizes the old egoic state of consciousness, and by what signs is the new emerging consciousness recognized?
These and other essential questions will be addressed in this book. More important, this book itself is a transformational device that has come out of the arising new consciousness. The ideas and concepts presented here may be important, but they are secondary. They are no more than signposts pointing toward awakening. As you read, a shift takes place within you.
This book’s main purpose is not to add new information or beliefs to your mind or to try to convince you of anything, but to bring about a shift in consciousness, that is to say, to awaken. In that sense, this book is not “interesting.”
Interesting means you can keep your distance, play around with ideas and concepts in your mind, agree or disagree.
This book is about you. It will change your state of consciousness or it will be meaningless. It can only awaken those who are ready. Not everyone is ready yet, but many are, and with each person who awakens, the momentum in the collective consciousness grows, and it becomes easier for others. If you don’t know what awakening means, read on. Only by awakening can you know the true meaning of that word. A glimpse is enough to initiate the awakening process, which is irreversible. For some, that glimpse will come while reading this book. For many others who may not even have realized it, the process has already begun.
This book will help them recognize it. For some, it may have begun through loss or suffering; for others, through coming into contact with a spiritual teacher or teaching, through reading The Power of Now or some other spiritually alive and therefore transformational book—or any combination of the above. If the awakening process has begun in you, the reading of this book will accelerate and intensify it.
An essential part of the awakening is the recognition of the unawakened you, the ego as it thinks, speaks, and acts, as well as the recognition of the collectively conditioned mental processes that perpetuate the unawakened state.
That is why this book shows the main aspects of the ego and how they operate in the individual as well as in the collective.
This is important for two related reasons: The first is that unless you know the basic mechanics behind the workings of the ego, you won’t recognize it, and it will trick you into identifying with it again and again. This means it takes you over, an imposter pretending to be you.
The second reason is that the act of recognition itself is one of the ways in which awakening happens. When you recognize the unconsciousness in you, that which makes the recognition possible is the arising consciousness, is awakening.
You cannot fight against the ego and win, just as you cannot fight against darkness. The light of consciousness is all that is necessary. You are that light.
Captivating. And this was just the first CD.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
THE "AWAKENING" TRIP
Pam and I took advantage of our time to take our last major vacation of the year.
The record setting heat in Redding (109°), seeing the majestic Lassen Peak for the first time, hiking the infamous Bumpass Hell trail, seeing Mt. Shasta without the snow, Crater Lake, the roaring Rogue River, the record setting heat in Medford, OR (108°), the seaside resort of Crescent City, camping at Mill Creek Campground, hiking Damnation Trail, staying and driving through Santa Cruz, taking a "spur" to Big Sur and then back up and over to Gilroy.
BUMPASS HELL TRAIL (08/14/08)
We pulled into the holy city of Redding to check into our hotel, dump our gear and then head out on SR 44 to drive 44 miles to Lassen Volcanic Park. HOT! HOT! HOT! Our drive to Lassen was scenic. We drove around clockwise around the park. There was some road construction going on causing delays on our way around the park.
Bumpass Hell trail. A short hike of a little over 3 miles. A very easy hike. Just bring a bottle of water.
Lassen Volcanic National Park's version of Yellowstone.
The Dead Pool. This is an "extinct" hot spring.
Lassen Peak. The hike to the summit from the trailhead is only 2 miles one way. Maybe some day, Pam and I will stand on its summit.
MT. SHASTA (08/15/08)
Mt. Shasta on the right. We drove around the Mt. Shasta area looking for ideal places to camp. Couldn't find any, because many were full or were not ideal enough. So we drove out on SR 89 and not much luck there either. After stopping in town to get a cup of coffe, we decided it was best to go to Crater Lake as a consolation and make it a highlight for Pam's special day.
Weed, CA. I couldn't resist stopping at the Weed offramp to get a photo of the city limit sign of the holy city of Weed. What a name for a town.
CRATER LAKE (08/15/08)
Crater Lake. We get there around mid-afternoon. We took I-5 north just short of Ashland and headed east on Highway 66 to Klamath Falls and Klamath Lake and then took Highway 62 into the Crater Lake. After stopping at the gift shop, we drove around the lake, stopping here and there to take a few pictures and gaze at this natural wonder.
Wizard Island.
Two beautiful sights to behold!
Valley shot from the Crater Lake drive. I wonder what peak that is?
Phantom Ship.
After Crater Lake, we stopped to see the lava tubes on the Rogue River and then it was Medford. We drove around the town looking for good places to stay and wound up staying at the Rogue River Inn. The city planners and the civil engineers must have been at odds with each other, because it was like driving in a maze from the highway to the hotel. The next morning, I'll be damned that every turn I took to exit the parking lot was a dead end. I eventually followed a garbage truck to get the heck out of there. We headed up north to Grants Pass and took Highway 199 and headed west and south to California and the holy city of Crescent City.
MILL CREEK CAMPGROUND (08/16/08-08/17/08)
Campsite #101 at Mill Creek south of Crescent City, CA. Our camp was completely inside a fire-gutted redwood.
DAMNATION TRAIL (08/16/07)
The redwoods along Damnation Trail took your mind off the descent. If only BFI and Poles at Crystal Cove State Park were this beautiful.
The end of the descent of Damnation Trail.
Driftwood wedged between the rocks.
The spectacular ocean views at the end of Damnation Trail.
The window. Don't know what kind of bones those are in the lower right of the picture.
Pam, the Treehugger.
Strenuous trail? Really? Yes, it was! Well, actually not that bad. The giant redwoods took our minds off the hike as we took in our surroundings.
Our final night at the camp was eventful. We heard what sounded like a bird but it could have been a raptor from Jurassic Park. Eerie sound. Elk maybe? But we didn't hear any other noise but for the strange sound. We don't know what it was that made that strange noise. Then the rains came and the thunder.
That morning, it was still sprinkling. We canceled our breakfast. Was looking forward to the bacon, eggs, and, of course, rice! We broke camp and headed south.
THE COAST (08/18/08)
Please, no tsunami now. We see numerous signs like these on our way to Eureka. In some areas, you can see new growth of trees: Evidence of a tsunami many years ago.
We made our way down the coast and stopped in San Rafael to stay for the night before deciding to head into San Francisco for the next two days.
SAN FRANCISCO (08/19/08)
We checked into another hotel near Fisherman's Wharf and unloaded our stuff before walking down to the Wharf. Pam wanted to stop by the Patagonia store just to say she was there. The store is a converted garage with all the latest gear from Patagonia. I resisted the tempation to purchase a down sweater that was so lightweight and less bulky than a regular down jacket. But at $200, I will wait until a sale.
The food and service at Bubba Gump's for lunch was superb.
We decided to take a cable car to downtown Frisco. I had never ridden in a cable car and I had no idea it costs $5.00 ONE WAY to ride. I thought you see the cable car, hop on and get off wherever and whenever you wanted to. We get to downtown and we start walking around and Pam gets a little anxious with all the drifters and peddlers about. It was getting close to sundown so it was best we head back to the Wharf. The line for the cable car was too long so we decided to hoof it up the steep hills of Frisco. We boarded the cable car for a little ways and got off and finished our "hike" down to the pier. We went to Ghirardelli's for some free chocolate and indulged ourselves in some ice cream.
SAN FRANCISCO PART II (08/21/08)
We drove to San Francisco Park via Haight/Ashbury.
What a name for an eatery in San Francisco. We ate at a cafe directly across the street since it had more of an organic menu selection.
How about Luv and Haight? What is so mystical about this place. We stopped in a shop to pass the time. Bought some stuff (nope no drug paraphernalia) and walked down a couple of blocks along Haight.
That "flower" place in Golden Gate Park. Pam and I had never been there. Of course, I would never have gone had it not been for Pam. The orchids were a sight to behold. Orchid pictures? Maybe I will post at a later time.
Japanese Tea Garden. Structures such as these were erected to represent huge guardians.
This is a better angle of what I was talking about. If you let your eyes get blurry you will be able to make out the helmet, eyes, and mouth.
SANTA CRUZ (08/21/08)
After leaving Frisco, we headed down south to Santa Cruz via Half Moon Bay and the coast. We stayed at one of the hotels along Highway 1.
Santa Cruz. Pam saw this sign and saw a connection to the CD we were listening to during our trip. The Food Bin was loaded with all kinds of organic foods. The Herb Room had all kinds of organic and herbal remedies.
The other side of the sign.
HOMEWARD BOUND (08/22/08)
We left Santa Cruz to head down to Big Sur before heading back north the way we came. We reached Watsonville and headed east towards Gilroy. We were trying to find a vegetable stand to get some of that infamous Gilroy garlic. All hopes faded until we were east of town and found a stand that had braided garlic bundle.
Wherever I may roam...
The record setting heat in Redding (109°), seeing the majestic Lassen Peak for the first time, hiking the infamous Bumpass Hell trail, seeing Mt. Shasta without the snow, Crater Lake, the roaring Rogue River, the record setting heat in Medford, OR (108°), the seaside resort of Crescent City, camping at Mill Creek Campground, hiking Damnation Trail, staying and driving through Santa Cruz, taking a "spur" to Big Sur and then back up and over to Gilroy.
BUMPASS HELL TRAIL (08/14/08)
We pulled into the holy city of Redding to check into our hotel, dump our gear and then head out on SR 44 to drive 44 miles to Lassen Volcanic Park. HOT! HOT! HOT! Our drive to Lassen was scenic. We drove around clockwise around the park. There was some road construction going on causing delays on our way around the park.
Bumpass Hell trail. A short hike of a little over 3 miles. A very easy hike. Just bring a bottle of water.
Lassen Volcanic National Park's version of Yellowstone.
The Dead Pool. This is an "extinct" hot spring.
Lassen Peak. The hike to the summit from the trailhead is only 2 miles one way. Maybe some day, Pam and I will stand on its summit.MT. SHASTA (08/15/08)
Mt. Shasta on the right. We drove around the Mt. Shasta area looking for ideal places to camp. Couldn't find any, because many were full or were not ideal enough. So we drove out on SR 89 and not much luck there either. After stopping in town to get a cup of coffe, we decided it was best to go to Crater Lake as a consolation and make it a highlight for Pam's special day.
Weed, CA. I couldn't resist stopping at the Weed offramp to get a photo of the city limit sign of the holy city of Weed. What a name for a town.CRATER LAKE (08/15/08)
Crater Lake. We get there around mid-afternoon. We took I-5 north just short of Ashland and headed east on Highway 66 to Klamath Falls and Klamath Lake and then took Highway 62 into the Crater Lake. After stopping at the gift shop, we drove around the lake, stopping here and there to take a few pictures and gaze at this natural wonder.
Wizard Island.
Two beautiful sights to behold!
Valley shot from the Crater Lake drive. I wonder what peak that is?
Phantom Ship.After Crater Lake, we stopped to see the lava tubes on the Rogue River and then it was Medford. We drove around the town looking for good places to stay and wound up staying at the Rogue River Inn. The city planners and the civil engineers must have been at odds with each other, because it was like driving in a maze from the highway to the hotel. The next morning, I'll be damned that every turn I took to exit the parking lot was a dead end. I eventually followed a garbage truck to get the heck out of there. We headed up north to Grants Pass and took Highway 199 and headed west and south to California and the holy city of Crescent City.
MILL CREEK CAMPGROUND (08/16/08-08/17/08)
Campsite #101 at Mill Creek south of Crescent City, CA. Our camp was completely inside a fire-gutted redwood.DAMNATION TRAIL (08/16/07)
The redwoods along Damnation Trail took your mind off the descent. If only BFI and Poles at Crystal Cove State Park were this beautiful.
The end of the descent of Damnation Trail.
Driftwood wedged between the rocks.
The spectacular ocean views at the end of Damnation Trail.
The window. Don't know what kind of bones those are in the lower right of the picture.
Pam, the Treehugger.
Strenuous trail? Really? Yes, it was! Well, actually not that bad. The giant redwoods took our minds off the hike as we took in our surroundings.Our final night at the camp was eventful. We heard what sounded like a bird but it could have been a raptor from Jurassic Park. Eerie sound. Elk maybe? But we didn't hear any other noise but for the strange sound. We don't know what it was that made that strange noise. Then the rains came and the thunder.
That morning, it was still sprinkling. We canceled our breakfast. Was looking forward to the bacon, eggs, and, of course, rice! We broke camp and headed south.
THE COAST (08/18/08)
Please, no tsunami now. We see numerous signs like these on our way to Eureka. In some areas, you can see new growth of trees: Evidence of a tsunami many years ago.We made our way down the coast and stopped in San Rafael to stay for the night before deciding to head into San Francisco for the next two days.
SAN FRANCISCO (08/19/08)
We checked into another hotel near Fisherman's Wharf and unloaded our stuff before walking down to the Wharf. Pam wanted to stop by the Patagonia store just to say she was there. The store is a converted garage with all the latest gear from Patagonia. I resisted the tempation to purchase a down sweater that was so lightweight and less bulky than a regular down jacket. But at $200, I will wait until a sale.
The food and service at Bubba Gump's for lunch was superb.We decided to take a cable car to downtown Frisco. I had never ridden in a cable car and I had no idea it costs $5.00 ONE WAY to ride. I thought you see the cable car, hop on and get off wherever and whenever you wanted to. We get to downtown and we start walking around and Pam gets a little anxious with all the drifters and peddlers about. It was getting close to sundown so it was best we head back to the Wharf. The line for the cable car was too long so we decided to hoof it up the steep hills of Frisco. We boarded the cable car for a little ways and got off and finished our "hike" down to the pier. We went to Ghirardelli's for some free chocolate and indulged ourselves in some ice cream.
SAN FRANCISCO PART II (08/21/08)
We drove to San Francisco Park via Haight/Ashbury.
What a name for an eatery in San Francisco. We ate at a cafe directly across the street since it had more of an organic menu selection.
How about Luv and Haight? What is so mystical about this place. We stopped in a shop to pass the time. Bought some stuff (nope no drug paraphernalia) and walked down a couple of blocks along Haight.
That "flower" place in Golden Gate Park. Pam and I had never been there. Of course, I would never have gone had it not been for Pam. The orchids were a sight to behold. Orchid pictures? Maybe I will post at a later time.
Japanese Tea Garden. Structures such as these were erected to represent huge guardians.
This is a better angle of what I was talking about. If you let your eyes get blurry you will be able to make out the helmet, eyes, and mouth.SANTA CRUZ (08/21/08)
After leaving Frisco, we headed down south to Santa Cruz via Half Moon Bay and the coast. We stayed at one of the hotels along Highway 1.
Santa Cruz. Pam saw this sign and saw a connection to the CD we were listening to during our trip. The Food Bin was loaded with all kinds of organic foods. The Herb Room had all kinds of organic and herbal remedies.
The other side of the sign.HOMEWARD BOUND (08/22/08)
We left Santa Cruz to head down to Big Sur before heading back north the way we came. We reached Watsonville and headed east towards Gilroy. We were trying to find a vegetable stand to get some of that infamous Gilroy garlic. All hopes faded until we were east of town and found a stand that had braided garlic bundle.
Wherever I may roam...
Sunday, August 10, 2008
IN SEARCH OF "LOST ART"
A 67-year-old retired Air National Guard lieutenant colonel from Fresno failed to return from a July 28 one-day outing in the rugged Sierra National Forest.
His name is James Arthur. Arthur's Dodge Ram pickup was found in an entrance to Iron Lakes.
I went to go find him. I wanted to assist the other authorities.
I pull out all available maps of the area. I load my topomap CD into my computer and try to find an access road near his last known location away from other search and rescue personnel.
I plot my route and my destination. I plug in the coordinates into my GPS and I show Pam the location of where I will be. I leave her with the extra map with the grid coordinates.
I unload my gear from my truck. I am packing close to two gallons of water since there are no watering points along the way. I also am carrying trail mix, GU gels, and a package of Mountain House lasagna for my Saturday night dinner.
I try to call my wife with the cellphone but there is no reception. Not one stinking bar. Oh well, at least Pam knows where I am at and knows when I will return.
Poison oak everywhere and the forest was so thick it was difficult for me to maneuver through the trees with my backpack. Every step there was a snag between me and a tree.
I stumble upon my destination. This is a good place to set up camp. An oasis. Shaded and cool. It overlooks where I came up from. I brought along my bivy sack knowing the weather conditions would be sunny, clear and hot. I also brought plenty of DEET. There is poison oak all around but not enough to be concerned about.
I go around my home to mark my territory. This is bear country. Don't know if the smell of my urine will keep the bears at bay, but you never know.
As I survey my site, I spot a small spring about three feet across some 30 yards away. Not shown on the map. The water is cold to the touch.
I will build no fire due to the extreme fire danger in the area. The only light I will have is my headlamp and a small dynamo-charged camplight. Also, Mother Nature saw fit to provide me a first quarter moon.
I brought my harmonica. I can't play very well, but at least out here nobody will complain. At least, it lets everything know I am out here.
I also brought my .44 pistol.
Just about an hour before sunset, I cook my lasagna by heating up some water using my JetBoil. I fire up the stove and place it in a little clearing I made so that it would stand upright during the boiling phase. About 20 minutes later, I pour the boiling water into the pouch and let it stand for a good 15 minutes.
After taking care of pre-sunset business, I sit down on a log and dip my spork in to taste the first spoonful of my delicacy. A meal fit for a king. Sprinkled some packaged parmesan cheese and I was good to go.
I see the sun's orange rays caress the tops of the trees. The bugs are up and about.
My ears ring from the silence. Hearing improves dramatically when you are all alone in the wilderness. I can hear the faintest of sounds.
I turn off my lights. Had it not been for the moon, it would have been pitch black.
I hear the crickets. I hear the wind through the trees. There is peace. I fall asleep.
In the middle of the night I hear sticks breaking and leaves crumpling. Bear or deer or Lost Art? I sit up to hear where the noise was coming from. It was coming from above me up the slope. I feel my heart racing in my chest.
I see nothing. I try to lie down and go back to sleep, but I might as well forget it because my adrenaline levels are high at this moment.
I hear another noise. This time I see a ghostly shape come closer and closer. I turn on my headlamp.
It is a deer. In fact there are four of them. They come to the spring to drink. It is a sight to behold. I could almost reach out to pet them.
Then another loud noise behind me. I turn around and see nothing. I turn back around again to see the if the deer are still there. They are gone. Did the noise frighten them or what made the noise frighten them?
I shine my headlamp in the direction of the second noise.
It is a black bear. What is up with me and the bears? First, it was Pam and her encounter at Whitney Portal, then it was another encounter above Vernal Falls in Yosemite and now this. What is the correlation? What is the connection? What is the mantra?
I flail my arms and shout and blow into my whistle. I am making as much noise as I could but the bear is unfazed by my tactics. I am a dead man. I reach down to my pack and grab my pistol. There is a round in the chamber.
We are at a standoff. Not one of us is backing down, although my thoughts right now was how am I going to get out of this predicament alive. I did not want to shoot the bear. I was in its neighborhood. It had more rights than me to the territory we stood upon.
Now my heart is really thumping. I can feel the blood pulsating around my temples. I take several slow deep breaths.
It comes closer. It is about ten yards away from me. It is sniffing and snorting at me. It is also licking its jaws.
Then just like that it started to move away from me towards the spring. Thirsty bear? I hope so and it is not a hungry bear. The bear leaves without incident.
I try to lie back down to sleep. Forget it. I look at my watch. It is 3:30. Another two and a half hours before civil twilight. So I sit with my back against the log reliving the early morning events. What a day and it isn't even daylight yet! I finally doze off.
I awaken at first light. No signs of Lost Art. I boil water to make some tea to go with my breakfast that consits of a Clif bar carrot cake.
I check my water supplies. I have another gallon of water left. I fill up my Camelbak bladder and dump the rest onto the ground. I break camp and head back to my vehicle.
Before I leave, I write a message for Lost Art and place it on the log using a rock to secure it in place in hopes he will see it:
Wherever you are, you must be home.
His name is James Arthur. Arthur's Dodge Ram pickup was found in an entrance to Iron Lakes.
I went to go find him. I wanted to assist the other authorities.
I pull out all available maps of the area. I load my topomap CD into my computer and try to find an access road near his last known location away from other search and rescue personnel.
I plot my route and my destination. I plug in the coordinates into my GPS and I show Pam the location of where I will be. I leave her with the extra map with the grid coordinates.
I unload my gear from my truck. I am packing close to two gallons of water since there are no watering points along the way. I also am carrying trail mix, GU gels, and a package of Mountain House lasagna for my Saturday night dinner.
I try to call my wife with the cellphone but there is no reception. Not one stinking bar. Oh well, at least Pam knows where I am at and knows when I will return.
Poison oak everywhere and the forest was so thick it was difficult for me to maneuver through the trees with my backpack. Every step there was a snag between me and a tree.
I stumble upon my destination. This is a good place to set up camp. An oasis. Shaded and cool. It overlooks where I came up from. I brought along my bivy sack knowing the weather conditions would be sunny, clear and hot. I also brought plenty of DEET. There is poison oak all around but not enough to be concerned about.
I go around my home to mark my territory. This is bear country. Don't know if the smell of my urine will keep the bears at bay, but you never know.
As I survey my site, I spot a small spring about three feet across some 30 yards away. Not shown on the map. The water is cold to the touch.
I will build no fire due to the extreme fire danger in the area. The only light I will have is my headlamp and a small dynamo-charged camplight. Also, Mother Nature saw fit to provide me a first quarter moon.
I brought my harmonica. I can't play very well, but at least out here nobody will complain. At least, it lets everything know I am out here.
I also brought my .44 pistol.
Just about an hour before sunset, I cook my lasagna by heating up some water using my JetBoil. I fire up the stove and place it in a little clearing I made so that it would stand upright during the boiling phase. About 20 minutes later, I pour the boiling water into the pouch and let it stand for a good 15 minutes.
After taking care of pre-sunset business, I sit down on a log and dip my spork in to taste the first spoonful of my delicacy. A meal fit for a king. Sprinkled some packaged parmesan cheese and I was good to go.
I see the sun's orange rays caress the tops of the trees. The bugs are up and about.
My ears ring from the silence. Hearing improves dramatically when you are all alone in the wilderness. I can hear the faintest of sounds.
I turn off my lights. Had it not been for the moon, it would have been pitch black.
I hear the crickets. I hear the wind through the trees. There is peace. I fall asleep.
In the middle of the night I hear sticks breaking and leaves crumpling. Bear or deer or Lost Art? I sit up to hear where the noise was coming from. It was coming from above me up the slope. I feel my heart racing in my chest.
I see nothing. I try to lie down and go back to sleep, but I might as well forget it because my adrenaline levels are high at this moment.
I hear another noise. This time I see a ghostly shape come closer and closer. I turn on my headlamp.
It is a deer. In fact there are four of them. They come to the spring to drink. It is a sight to behold. I could almost reach out to pet them.
Then another loud noise behind me. I turn around and see nothing. I turn back around again to see the if the deer are still there. They are gone. Did the noise frighten them or what made the noise frighten them?
I shine my headlamp in the direction of the second noise.
It is a black bear. What is up with me and the bears? First, it was Pam and her encounter at Whitney Portal, then it was another encounter above Vernal Falls in Yosemite and now this. What is the correlation? What is the connection? What is the mantra?
I flail my arms and shout and blow into my whistle. I am making as much noise as I could but the bear is unfazed by my tactics. I am a dead man. I reach down to my pack and grab my pistol. There is a round in the chamber.
We are at a standoff. Not one of us is backing down, although my thoughts right now was how am I going to get out of this predicament alive. I did not want to shoot the bear. I was in its neighborhood. It had more rights than me to the territory we stood upon.
Now my heart is really thumping. I can feel the blood pulsating around my temples. I take several slow deep breaths.
It comes closer. It is about ten yards away from me. It is sniffing and snorting at me. It is also licking its jaws.
Then just like that it started to move away from me towards the spring. Thirsty bear? I hope so and it is not a hungry bear. The bear leaves without incident.
I try to lie back down to sleep. Forget it. I look at my watch. It is 3:30. Another two and a half hours before civil twilight. So I sit with my back against the log reliving the early morning events. What a day and it isn't even daylight yet! I finally doze off.
I awaken at first light. No signs of Lost Art. I boil water to make some tea to go with my breakfast that consits of a Clif bar carrot cake.
I check my water supplies. I have another gallon of water left. I fill up my Camelbak bladder and dump the rest onto the ground. I break camp and head back to my vehicle.
Before I leave, I write a message for Lost Art and place it on the log using a rock to secure it in place in hopes he will see it:
Wherever you are, you must be home.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
LEMBERT DOME
The Merced and the Valley.
Before heading up to Tuolumne Meadows for a weekend getaway, we decided to stop and take a few pictures of Yosemite Valley.
Lembert 1 on the left and Lembert 2 on the right.Pam and I hiked up to the top of that 9,450 foot granite monolith in Tuolumne Meadows on Saturday, August 3, to kill some time before reporting to the ranger station at 1:30 for the campsite lottery.
We hiked up to the top via the Dog Lake Trail and proceeded to what we thought was the summit. It was not! After some photos we decided to go ahead and ascend the other summit keeping a lookout on the time. We headed down another trail that dumped us out on Tioga Road east of Tuolumne Lodge. Pam and I doubl-timed it to where our vehicle was parked next to the bridge over the Tuolumne River. The distance turned out to be 4.25 miles. We finished the hike in 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Our first Yosemite "bag."We managed to get a site Tuolumne Meadows. Number C21. Hey, you get all of this for just $20 a day (tent and wood not included).
Cathedral Lake. Note the people along the shore in lower left.On Sunday, August 3, we hiked up to Cathedral Lake (7.5 miles/3:37:00). It started out as a butt kicker reminiscent of Baden-Powell. We were rewarded with spectacular views of the lake and surrounding peaks.
Pictures like these are an injustice to the beauty of this area.
Us.
Cathedral Peak.Next?
Mt. Shasta.
Wherever I may roam...
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