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DAY TWO: Sunday, July 31

Got up early this morning eager to hit the trail. Because we had the benefit of starting our trek from the comfort of Todd Thompson's cabin yesterday morning, this is our first full day from start to finish on the trail.
As a practical exercise, it is our first experience stepping through what we expect to be a morning routine: breakfast, tents down, all gear repacked, morning constitutional, water supplies replenished, energy supplies for the day easily accessible....

As with any first time experience, there are lots of "dos" and "re-dos". Is my pack as tight as it can be? Is my water topped off and did I distribute it evenly in my pack? Is the bear cannister positioned where it will be most comfortable on my back? Where did I put my walking stick? Sun screen and mosquito repellent on? Leave no trace.

We leave our accommodations near Gilmore Lake by 9:30 as the sun is already beginning to warm the air and the mosquitos are on the hunt. We have seen almost no wildlife on the trail except a rare sighting of an occasional bird or marmot. So, how can there be so many mosquitos with so little to feed on? With the heavy and late snow falls this year and the delayed spring, the mosquitos are birthing late and are in survival mode. That might explain the constant swarms around us---even hundreds perched on our packs as we hike, waiting for an injection/extraction opportunity.

The only natural defenses seem to be a stiff breeze or the cold air surrounding us as we hike across snow. And did I mention real estate? Apparently, mosquitos didn't get the memo re: location, location, location. Based on the number of bites (I stopped counting at 200) in places where there shouldn't be bites, let's just say mosquitos are not picky eaters. Granted it is anecdotal evidence from a limited sample of one using a small spade in the forest. But I can attest to a validated research finding suggesting an untapped market niche for TP infused with "Essence of Off"!

Leaving Gilmore Lake, we hit a steady uphill with several large snow fields to cross. If the slope faces north, you can count on snow. Navigating across even narrow stretches of snow is a challenge with a pack on your back. But after losing the trail too easily east of Aloha Lake yesterday, we are tuning in much more closely to where the trail should continue on the other side of each patch of snow. Although we only lost the trail briefly on the approach to Dick's Pass (elevation 9,380 feet) this morning, it has taken us over three hours to hike up through the pass and back down to Dick's Lake (elevation 8,360 feet).

The relatively easy hike on the "down" slope leaving Dick's Pass has made the decision easy to pass Dick's Lake by, opting instead to pump water at the north end of Fontinillis Lake, about 1.5 miles further on. We are celebrating that decision on two fronts: the mosquitos have totally disappeared and Fontinillis Lake is strikingly picturesque, beautifully set amidst lots of large boulders all along the shoreline.

After replenishing our water and recharging with GORP, energy bars and gels, Middle Velma Lake is our next landmark, which we should reach by

I swear I didn't plan this, but when Stuart and I went for a hike in the Kent countryside on Friday, the footpath took us right through someone's garden. And that someone just happened to have her business sign on display. And that person also just happened to be pulling up the driveway in her car. Hurrah! What were the chances of that? I got to meet Sarah McIntyre, Therapist! I've never met another Sarah McIntyre before.

And Sarah McIntyre is rather fabulous! We are thinking of looking up other Sarah McIntyres near London and having a party. Kind of like the Sarah Party, but more specific.



I was hoping the warm weather might mean the bluebells were coming out early, and I wasn't disappointed. Have a look at these! I think English bluebells might be one of my most favourite things in the world. You're hiking and all of a sudden you come to a shady woodland glade, and suddenly it's like a wizard has cast a shimmering purple mist over the ground.



At one point, we had an apple orchard on one side of the path, with the most fragrant blossoms you can imagine, and a sea of bluebells on the other side and, well, it actually made me a bit teary, it was so amazing. If you live in England and haven't gone out to see the bluebells, GO NOW! You'll be so glad you did.

Our path also led us by a National Trust property called Ightham Mote (pronounced 'Item Moat'). It's kind of pricey to go in (£10.40 for adults) so we skipped it this time and just had tea in the tea room, but it's a lovely building, even from the outside.




One of the cool things about England is its Ordnance Survey Maps, which mark out every farm and practically every public footpath, all in the same format, with large scale maps (Land Ranger) and small scale maps (Explorer - which actually marks individual farm buildings). It's such a great, inexpensive way to spend a day out. You just hop on a train, ride for half an hour or so, then hike from one train station to another, or do a loop. And there's usually a handy pub near the train station (also marked with a blue beer mug on the map). And British country pubs are usually fine about letting your kids come in with you (if you managed to drag them away from their Nintendos).



I love Bill Bryson's book about hiking the Appalachian Trail, A Walk in the Woods, and in it, he writes lots about the amazing scenery, but also complains about how the American trail always keeps its hikers in a corridor of forest, so they always feel they're in the wilderness. Bryson reflects that in England, it's a bit nicer because you get lots of variety of scenery - you walk through a forest, through a village, through a farmer's field, through a pasture, through a pub, over a river - and it's much more interesting. I agree, hiking in England is about as good as it gets. Especially when it's not raining.



This sign made me laugh. I've been jet-lagged out of my skull for the past few days, and I first read it as Danger: Sleep Quarry. I like how the little man isn't even putting his arms above his head, he really has fallen asleep. There might be a whole pit down there full of over-tired self-employed people.

I might be a little late in saying so, but I hope everyone had an excellent Thanksgiving holiday! My in-laws recently relocated, so we had the pleasure of visiting a new town for the holiday this year. I'd spent one night in Prescott, AZ several years ago, but hadn't really had much time to explore. Four and a half days for this vacation gave us a good chunk of time to check out the area and we rapidly discovered how rich the Prescott region is in hiking opportunities!

We first climbed (and conquered!) Thumb Butte, so named as from the distance it looks rather like the tip of a thumb:
The trail sort of disappears in a jumble of rocks and brush as one nears the top, so we had to do quite a lot of scrambling to make it to the top. And make it we did, but not without facing some harrowing obstacles on the way.

Less than a five minute drive from the my in-laws new home was Willow Lake and the Willow Dells Slickrock Trail Loops.Probably my favorite of all the hiking we did last weekend, these trails involved a great deal of boulder-hopping with stunning panoramic views of the dells and the lake.We finished off our hiking Sunday at Granite Mountain, taking a trail that wound up a lower hill and offered nice views of the mountain catching some late afternoon sun.We'd been feeling a bit starved for good hikes since our move to Dallas, so this vacation was just what we needed. I'm not sure how many miles we totaled, but it certainly felt like a lot. We came back from our vacation feeling pretty exhausted, but for all that hiking it was definitely worth it!

After our punishingly hot summer, the weather over the past two weeks has taken a sharp turn toward very pleasant. Not wanting to miss the opportunity, we trekked over to Garland and hiked Spring Creek Forest Preserve this past weekend.
The trail mostly followed along a high-banked creek with many short off-shoots where one could reach the edge of the bank and catch a glimpse of the water. In only a couple places could we actually climb down to the water. The white rocky banks reminded me of the beautiful hill country we recently left behind in Austin. We're hopeful that the nice weather will continue for a while...

Onto the subject of reference from life and nature's little treasures once again... The management at our apartment complex recently decided to repaint everything, including the covered parking. The thorough cleaning required before painting also meant the removal of all of the bird's nests that had been built in the tight spaces between the support columns and the roof. And there were A LOT of them. I found this one on the ground and couldn't resist bringing it home with me:
I have yet to decide if I will actually keep it or just study it for a while before throwing it away. You can't see it in the photo, but under closer scrutiny you can see small bits of man-made objects wound throughout the nest - a length of red string and a fair amount of what looks to be a fine plastic net, possibly for fishing? I think there's a story here...

Summer in Texas lasts a very long time and finding that by September we've had quite enough of it, we departed for a short trip over the holiday weekend to southern Wisconsin in the hopes to escape the heat. I'd been to Wisconsin once when I was very young and hold almost no memory of it, so with little idea of what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful rolling hills and generally bucolic landscape. Not to mention the perfect weather!Our vacation turned into something of an architectural tour of southern Wisconsin as we visited Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin, the Pabst Mansion, and The House on the Rock, the last of which I suppose is more of an incredibly bizarre experiment in sensory overload than a representation of any particularly well-regarded architecture, although still fascinating in its own unsettling way. Check out the photo gallery on their website to get a better idea of what the place is about - it is so strange and random that I really don't know how to describe it.

As we've been rather hike-starved for months now due to the heat and we lucked out with the beautiful weather in Wisconsin, we made sure to spend a significant amount of time outside. We visited Pewitt's Nest near North Freedom, WI which is a short, but stunning slot canyon in the Baraboo Hills.And for a more rigorous hike we visited Devil's Lake State Park and hiked up the very steep Balanced Rock Trail and back down the equally steep CCC trail.












We had never seen rocks quite so purple on hikes we had done anywhere else. Perhaps this is what "purple mountains majesty" refers to? Although I think our "mountain" would probably be more accurately described as a very grand hill.

We have only to wait a few more weeks before the Texas heat dissipates and we can get outside and explore our new city. I'm looking forward to it and I think our little adventure in the north will tide me over until then.

About an hour's drive from the famed Kohala Coast resort area and beaches, Kalopa State Recreation Area and Forest Reserve offers visitors a different view of the island.

Today Stuart and I walked Section 13 of the Capital Ring, which took us by the new Olympic stadium site. It was pretty impressive, but my camera had run out of batteries by that time, so I'll show you some of the other stuff we saw. I love urban hiking.






The synagogues in Stamford Hill were getting out as we passed, and so many of these guys had the most amazing hats and beads and coats. I was absolutely dying to take loads of photos so I could draw them. But I didn't really think they'd appreciate me sticking a camera in their faces. So tempted, though.







I didn't get this Turkish bath window display, and I've enlarged the right panel. What's that guy doing above the other guy? It looks like he's gathering foam bubbles into a big plastic bag, but I'm not sure.

Megan is not having a good summer. Instead of being at a house in Vermont with her best friend Lucy, she is at a house in Vermont with her art-loving parents and her boy crazy sister, while Lucy is in Maine with her mom and grandma. The cell phones have been taken away, the T.V. has rabbit ears, and there is mandatory art time every morning! If Lucy were here, everything would be so much better. Megan and Lucy would be laughing about all of this stuff and finding things to do. They certainly would have worked out the differences that they have been sorting through lately if they could just spend the summer together.

But Lucy is not here, and Megan is in full on mope mode. After a fight with her parents, Megan has taken to sighing loudly and staring at the blank screen of the T.V. A week into this behaviour, Megan’s parents decide that since she cannot figure out what to do, they will figure out activities for her, and today she must go hiking with her sister Ginia and local boy Sam through the woods. Her folks are going to Rutland, and Megan and Ginia will be sleeping over at Sam’s parent’s cider mill. The problem is, Megan doesn’t want to go. She knows that all Ginia and Sam want to do is slobber all over each other, and her instinct proves true when a few minutes into the hike, Sam and Ginia disappear. When Megan finally finds them, Ginia throws a hurtful insult at Megan, who promptly turns and runs to try to get rid of the bad feelings that are surging through her body.

When Megan pops out of the woods she looks for the farm house where her family is staying. It’s not there. A moment later her little dog Arp comes along, and Megan tries to figure out what to do. She has no map, no phone and no idea where she is.

Megan heads back into the woods, and finds a marked trail that is way bigger than the one that she was on with Ginia and Sam. She then overhears a couple of hikers arguing about their trek on the Appalachian Trail. Megan has heard of this trail! Now she knows where she is. She also overhears the hikers say that they had been through Mount Greylock! Megan has heard of Mount Greylock too – it’s right near where Lucy is staying with her family.

Megan hatches a plan to hike to Lucy. She knows that once she sees her friend, they can work everything out.

You can imagine what an unprepared girl hiking on a trail from Vermont to Maine could get into, and you’d be partially right! While Megan is pretty much unlikable at the outset of the book, her journey along the trail is more that geographical. With fun secondary characters like Trail Blaze Betty, and the unpredictable outdoors, Jane Kelley has written a book that has depth and fun intermixed. Readers will be hoping that Megan isn’t found along the trail, and that for once in her life she will finish what she starts. Filled with friendship, family and frustration Nature Girl is a perfect summer read.

Boys and rocks and water. What more do you need? There's something about that combination of ingredients that is unlike any other. The locations where the ingredients are combined may vary. But in the end when it comes to skipping stones, location is totally inconsequential.

This weekend, the location happened to be on Angel Island in San Francisco Bay---not bad as real estate goes. On Saturday morning a small but determined group of Sacramento Scouts ferried across from Tiburon to Ayala Cove on the island. With our backpacks securely strapped on, our party of 11 made the short hike to the Kayak Group campsite on the west side of the island. After setting up camp, the water's edge was calling and all in our group answered that siren's call.

The adults among us mostly enjoyed the momentary respite from the weekly grind as small, wake-driven waves lapped at the narrow rock-strewn beach. But the boys? Well, for anyone who might declare that imagination is dead, this day told a different tale. Each Scout became an instant expert in the fine art of stone skipping.

What makes a good skipping stone, anyway? Is it a particular rounded edge that cradles perfectly in the curve between index finger and thumb? Must it be thin and flat? How large should it be? Too heavy and the toss results in a resounding "SPLOINK!" Too small and whatever happens is just not very satisfying. And almost intuitively, all stone skippers know shape is important for a great skip. Yes, you can almost skip anything once. But to get the repeating hops across the surface in rapidly increasing succession takes a shape within certain generally accepted tolerance limits.

But, ultimately, a good skip doesn't just depend on the stone. It also requires the right speed and the right angle, both of which are totally in the hands of the skipper. There's almost nothing worse than wasting a good skipping stone on an insufficiently serious toss. Rarely will a casual approach to skipping earm the accolades of one's fellow skippers. But a good skip is pure joy.

However, much like the short-lived laurels awarded to ancient Olympians, a record breaking skipping toss is transitory and in the moment. Judging is instantaneous by those present and not subject to review. To witness a great toss is its own reward. In fact, even being lucky or attentive enough to see a great toss, sets one apart from those who might have missed it either because they weren't present or simply because they blinked or looked away at an inopportune moment. Yet even the declaration of a record-breaking toss is sufficient to lay down the gauntlet to all others who might attempt to best it.

And so, as boys have done for as long as there have been rocks and water, our Scouts followed suit on this March day on Angel Island, California. They joined all past, present and future skippers, bound in silent brotherhood, standing at water's edge, searching for just the right stone to fling with just the right speed, at just the right angle, hoping to catch the most air or the most bounces across the surface.

Such is the way of the stone skippers.

It's crazy to think it was warm enough for short sleeves this past weekend after it had just snowed the Tuesday before. I was grateful for the warm weather though. Between work, chilly weather, and allergy season, it seems like forever since we've spent any meaningful time outdoors. So taking advantage of the pleasant weather before it changes again, we got in a long-desired and much-needed hike this past weekend, this time at Good Water Trail in Georgetown.



The trail is apparently a whopping 25 miles long and encircles Lake Georgetown. Being much out of practice with hiking and in far less than tip-top shape, we did only a very short segment of the trail. The trail follows along the edge of the lake, but at enough of a distance that we couldn't see the water during most of the hike which we found a bit disappointing. Even so, the weather could not have been more ideal for a hike. I'm hoping for more of this perfect weekend weather in the coming months...

The rains finally came to quench our parched land here in Texas. The air cooled, and by the time the weekend rolled around I thought how wonderful that it's finally cool enough to go outside and do a little hiking. So on Saturday, which was quite cloudy in the morning, we drove down to McKinney State Park to finish up the trails we hadn't yet hiked. After about ten minutes on the trail, the sun came out from behind the clouds and that nice cool hike I'd been looking forward to for so long became a hot, sweaty hike. Even so, it was good to get outside for a while.


The longer trails were a bit ho-hum, walking through the same landscape for a long time without many points of interest aside from the remnants of an old homestead and grist mill. But the trails around the water were quite picturesque.







It seems that the butterfly migrations are beginning again. There were so many butterflies fluttering along the trails, especially this kind. I'm not sure what type it is, but they were everywhere.

MJM Books is back and better than ever thanks to our family outing/corporate retreat backpacking in the Colorado Rockies.  We got a lot accomplished.

Team Building Exercise “Fallen Comrade”:  Our challenge, carry a full cooler of tasty beverages, steaks, and bratwurst into the high country without dying of exhaustion.

No, my left! My left!

Outcome: Success.  On the second day, we learned that we were famous.  “We heard you guys brought a cooler way up here!”

Team Building Exercise “Orienteering”:  The boys at MJM have a long history of veering off the trail.  Will they stay the course or blaze a new path?

I thought YOU had the map.

Outcome:  We’re not lost.  We’re just misplaced.

Team Building Exercise “Brainstorming”:  Without distractions like phones, TV, or running water, the brain trust meets to discuss the future.

Outcome:  Success.  We’ve charted a course that we hope to follow a little more closely than that silly trail map.  Among the issues discussed: expanding our catalogue and “Fun Stuff” offerings.

Team Building Exercise “Extreme Winter Survival”:  It’s supposed to be warm in August, right?  Looks like no one told the weather.  That’s right, white stuff falling on August 8^th!

Are you serious?!

Outcome:  A negligible amount of Frostbite.

Overall, our outing was a huge success.  To get the family together and to expose little Olivia to this…

Made it all worthwhile.

Bye!

…

MJM Books is back and better than ever thanks to our family outing/corporate retreat backpacking in the Colorado Rockies.  We got a lot accomplished.

Team Building Exercise “Fallen Comrade”:  Our challenge, carry a full cooler of tasty beverages, steaks, and bratwurst into the high country without dying of exhaustion.

No, my left! My left!

Outcome: Success.  On the second day, we learned that we were famous.  “We heard you guys brought a cooler way up here!”

Team Building Exercise “Orienteering”:  The boys at MJM have a long history of veering off the trail.  Will they stay the course or blaze a new path?

I thought YOU had the map.

Outcome:  We’re not lost.  We’re just misplaced.

Team Building Exercise “Brainstorming”:  Without distractions like phones, TV, or running water, the brain trust meets to discuss the future.

Outcome:  Success.  We’ve charted a course that we hope to follow a little more closely than that silly trail map.  Among the issues discussed: expanding our catalogue and “Fun Stuff” offerings.

Team Building Exercise “Extreme Winter Survival”:  It’s supposed to be warm in August, right?  Looks like no one told the weather.  That’s right, white stuff falling on August 8^th!

Are you serious?!

Outcome:  A negligible amount of Frostbite.

Overall, our outing was a huge success.  To get the family together and to expose little Olivia to this…

Made it all worthwhile.

Bye!

…

One of the sweetest notes I’ve ever gotten from a boy was in fifth grade, when Tony T. wrote: “You would make a great author. You’re a great student too. You get your work done too.” And though of course I love the part about how I would make a great author, it’s [...]

We must be in the flight path of the monarch migrations to Mexico here in Austin because I have seen so many of them over the last few weeks! A couple weeks ago we hiked Commons Ford park which is west of the city and everywhere I looked I'd spot a monarch. They seemed especially fond of one particular type of flower which were quite plentiful in the park. I've seen a a good number of the other 'big butterflies' around too, swallowtails and such. Monarchs are a real childhood favorite of mine!

Every so often I discover that my husband has, unbeknownst to me, lent his hand to my work. Sometimes his little additions go unnoticed for days or weeks until I've come back to the drawing for reworking or reference. I always get a good laugh from these unexpected contributions:
And so I continue to labor under his corrupting influence... Read the rest of this post

Well, after a blistering summer it's finally starting to cool down around here. It still gets a bit uncomfortably warm around mid-day, but mornings have actually been a bit chilly. So the past couple weekends, we took advantage of the pleasant mornings and went out for a bit of hiking. First stop was McKinney Falls - three miles on the Onion Creek Trail ending at the falls which were more of a trickle, but with very neat rock formations.


And last weekend we hit three really small parks that all happened to be in the same area. The tower in the picture was at Mayfield Park which seemed to be a popular site for weddings. A young brood of peacocks occupied the grounds. The males seemed to revel in practicing displaying their tails which were not all that grand yet since they were still quite young, but that didn't discourage them in the least.

And the last picture is a view from the top of Mount Bonnell which seems to be something of a tourist site.















Lastly, for the sneak peek of what I'm working on - a couple character design sheets for my current book projects - a follow-up to What's Your Angle, Pythagoras?:

Octavius is only twelve, but he is very big. He's a nervous, worrying type.

Amara is nine years old and somewhat bossy. Her name means "eternal."

In honor of the first day of fall tomorrow, I'm sharing a few photos from today's hike up Mount Jo in the Adirondacks.



We decided to climb, even though it was drizzling when we got to the trailhead.



This is the view from the summit -- not exactly what we'd had in mind, but pretty in a hazy, climbing-into-a-cloud sort of way.  If it were clear, you'd see a  handful of the High Peaks and Heart Lake beyond the trees.



E noticed this little guy on the trail and moved him to safety so he didn't get squashed.

And this one is for blog readers who live where the leaves don't change color, or where they haven't changed just yet. 



A branch full of maple leaves to launch you into autumn. Have a terrific week!