This boot is annoying

Just sharing with everyone that this boot is quite annoying. I have 8 more days of wearing this thing, then it's good riddance!

....and I can't wait.

Other than that, not much is going on in our little world.
-We entered three photos into a photo contest, but didn't win.
-We went to the lake to fish and didn't catch anything.
-We sat out in the sun and I got got sunburnt.
-We tried a new apple cobbler recipe and it was AWESOME!

That is all for now.

Just call me "hop-a-long"

Well, I went in to the Dr. again this morning to do a follow up on that fracture in my leg and to see where we were in the healing stages...

1. The xray didn't show large quantites of calcium deposits so, that's good.
2. The xray didn't show as much swelling, another good.
3. The xray showed that the bone was healing, really good.
4. The bone is still very tender to the touch and still swollen, not good.

The verdict - an air boot. She has ordered a nice little contraption from my toes to my knee to help me keep the pressure off of that leg. It's healing, but it's going to take time. She's guessing 6-12wks, but with a boot, probably sooner. We'll see. I'm already disliking this thing!

I'm confined to my daily necessary walking. Nothing more. Nothing. Nothing at all.

So, just call me "hop-a-long" until I get this boot off!

Birthday

Happy Birthday to me!

Happy Birthday to me!

Happy Birthday dear Robert,

Happy Birthday to me!

Corona: check

Ice Cream: check

Leftover cake: check

Tylenol cold & sinus: check

Between the headache and the sinus issues, it's been THAT kind of birthday.

Spring time

Just a quick little post.

With spring time comes spring flowers and new blooms. So, here is a simple little picture of the tulips that bloomed just a few weeks ago outside the neighborhood. Enjoy.

Unfortunately, we missed the blooms from the dogwoods, and the redbuds. Maybe next time.

Back from the Sipsey

Now that I'm back from the Sipsey, I thought I'd share some of the highlights with everyone.

By early Friday afternoon, I left the trailhead and was heading south on trail 206. It didn’t take long before I noticed that all of the wildflowers were blooming out this time of year. The dogwoods were blooming white along the river banks, the trillium were starting to open along the trail sides, and the wildflowers were popping up anywhere they could.

A few miles in, I arrived at Auburn Falls. For the drought we’ve been having, the falls were flowing quite well. This was a prime opportunity for a quick rinse in the water, take some pictures, and to just take in the sights. After a few minutes of enjoying the falls, my time was cut short with the sounds of thunder and the presence of light rain.

The hike in to the campsite was easy and flat, and I probably covered the distance in less than a couple of hours. After a little decision making, I found a nice series of cascades in the river and a small campsite to call home for the night. The cascades would cover the sounds of animals and provide a little soft music to sleep to.

After setting up camp, I wanted to check out two popular attractions, the Eye of the Needle and Ship Rock. While scurrying around the rocks, enjoying the sights, the rain decided to fall. It started out as sprinkles, and quickly turned to heavy drops. As usual, after 30mins or so, it quit raining and everything went back to normal.

Dinner that night was a quick meal of Chicken & rice, freezer bag style. Everything was placed into the bag, add boiling water and within 15 minutes – dinner is served. Quite tasty! Occasionally, thunder could still be heard rumbling off in the distance, throughout the evening. I sat around watching the stars and clouds change shape through the night, but by 10:30 it was bedtime.

After breakfast, it was time to pack the wet gear and get on FT 209 and head for Bee Branch Canyon. The canyon is home to the Big Tree and Bee Branch Falls, which is a prime attraction point in the area. That was scheduled as stop #1 along the way. The turnoff wasn’t but a few miles, so I didn’t have to hike too fast to keep on time. Arriving at the turnoff, I decided to stash the pack, so that my hike up the canyon would go quicker and be less of a hassle. The deadfall was plentiful, either from a severe windstorm or merely dying trees, but without the packs, I made excellent time. I took our time exploring around, checking things out, and of course took some pictures, then turned around and headed back to the trail. The 3 mile round trip for the falls and tree, were definitely worth it. After finding such great locations, in the middle of nowhere, you tend to forget the aches and pains, and just notice how awesome everything is.

I returned to my pack and decided a quick lunch was in order - Tuna, crackers, trail mix, a granola bar and Gatorade. My lunch was cut short when the clouds showed up and the thunder became increasingly louder. Where there’s thunder, rain’s not far behind. I packed everything but the essentials, removed my raingear, and started back on the trail. Within 10 minutes the rain was already coming down. Luckily, the storm was moving fast, and didn't last more than an hour, and the sun came back out.

The trail had changed from a narrow worn trail along the river, to a hardened rocky trail that bordered rock faces on one side and the river on the other. As I rounded a corner to scale a few of the rocks, I found Fall Creek Falls, the second campsite. These falls were flowing much faster than the previous two and had a much larger drop as well. The water was absolutely frigid and came falling to the rocks below with a massive amount of force. Amongst all of the rocks, small saplings were popping up everywhere along the rock walls, the abundance of moss could not go unnoticed.

I went so set camp for the night and actually poured water from my tent. The one time I didn’t bring my pack cover, I needed it. Instead of stuffing my dry gear into my wet tent, I opted to hike on out for the night. It was only three miles and I had a few more hours of daylight remaining, so I wasn’t worried.

I finished of FT209 when I came up on the river crossing. I had been warned that the crossing would be tricky, and it was. I was looking at a pure mud embankment about 10’ down to the river, knee deep water, and then another embankment back up on the other side. After changing shoes, I proceeded onward. The worst part was that I actually had to nearly slide down the embankment to get to the water’s edge. Once I crossed the river, I hit FT200 and pushed north back to the car.

On the way back I came upon some local boy scouts on their camping trip. They had set up shelters instead of tents and were actually cooking two whole chickens over a homemade rotisserie. Not something I expected to see in the middle of nowhere. At least I knew why there were chicken feathers scattered along the trail.

I passed a few more occupied campsites along the trail, and then came to the famous “fat man squeeze” and knew I was almost home. Fat man squeeze is a very narrow rock formation that you have to side shuffle through to pass. It’s approximately 15’ long and maybe 3’ wide. I’m being generous with the 3’ measurement too. After passing through the squeeze, I was maybe 20 minutes out and almost home.

Even though it rained, it was still a great trip, and worth a weekend of hiking. Now, my gear is drying out in the garage and I’m getting ready to go again.

Who’s up for the next trip?

More Photos from the trip

Gone a Hikin'

Robert is going hiking again this weekend...except this time it's for the whole weekend.

He's heading to northwestern Alabama to a place called the Sipsey Wilderness. It looks like fun, but not in the weather that's predicted. Apparently, the weather channel is calling for highs in the 70's, lows in the 50's and 40% chance of thunderstorms on Fri & Sat. Yea, I'll be at home under a nice waterproof roof.

So, I'll be at home working this weekend, while Robert is out playing. Such is life.

An Easter Hike

It was such a wonderful day, that it would have been a crime to stay indoors. Bethany had to do some writing to finish her thesis, so while she was doing that, the dogs and I went out on an afternoon day hike...

The weather was in the mid 50s to low 60s with a slight breeze coming though occasionally; perfect for an afternoon out. I decided to take the two dogs, Java and Red, out for an afternoon day hike around Oak Mountain State Park.

The three of us arrived at the North Trailhead right around 4:15 for some quick hiking. We decided to hike the Red bike trail out past some of the interesting points, and then return back via the yellow trail. The total loop would be right around 6miles. Hopefully this would be completed within the three hours of remaining daylight.

As soon as we started along the trails, we noticed that the recent rains had helped out the drought and there was now water along the trail; unlike the last hike a few months back.

The dogs, anxious to be outside, were walking shoulder to shoulder out in front as we pushed on. At the creek crossings, they would wade in the water, cool off, and drink freely. However, the water was still just a tad cold for them. They wouldn’t stay in it very long! Afterwards, they’d leash up and we’d move on along.

Following along on the Red, we approached the old Chimney’s within the park. I’m unsure what once was there, but now it’s simply one complete standing chimney and what looks like a building foundation. It was quite neat to see it them standing. It was a neat attraction along the trail.

As we pushed on, we approached the halfway mark in a little over an hour. Good, I had almost two full hours to make it back up the yellow, through Maggie’s Glen, and home. All of this, hopefully before dark.

We finally ran into some bikers making their way north toward the trailhead. At their pace, they were sure to beat us back. It was nice seeing someone out on the trails, but even nicer to know me and the dogs were alone and had the peace and quiet to ourselves. We began North on the yellow intersection heading for home. Within the first few miles we starting noticing more and more water in the side ditches and the sounds were ever increasing. The closer we came to the lake, the louder the water became. Shortly, we came upon the backside of the Lake Tranquility dam. The most interesting part was the flat bottomed jon boat at the bottom.

After scaling the sides to the top of the dam, we learned that we were to stay off of the dam. To the right of the trail, up the hill, overlooking the lake is a series of old abandoned cabins that sit pretty empty now. Not too much worth looking at, but neat to explore.

Further on, we started our long climb up the ridge toward Maggie’s Glen. With the temperature dropping some, we decided to pick up the pace to make sure we got out before dark. I was a little unprepared to spend the night out without a shelter.

Most of the trail from this point is easily distinguished with a well worn path and hard packed ground. Lots of pine needles scatter the ground and very little blooms are showing right now. This made for some easy traveling as we moved toward Maggie’s Glen.

Once we approached the glen, I unleashed the dogs, and they took their time cooling off in the water while I traded the batteries out in the camera. Before I had finished, they were walking around waiting for me to lead them back to the car.

From here, it was a mere 1.5 miles to the trailhead, however, most of it was uphill, until we came within eyesight of the trailhead. We pushed on up, through a long string of blowdowns which looked fairly recent. Someone has recently cleaned the trail out though and it was not a hard travel. This made for a pretty quick hike back to beat the nightfall. Not too bad.

Once seeing the car, the dogs went into overdrive to get us back and they too realized we were right there. All in all, we made it back to the car nearing 6:45. We finished the trails and covered the 6mi with nearly 30mins of daylight remaining. We did well. One we got to the car, the dogs jumped into the back and were ready to get home.

It was definitely a great day for getting outside.

Free the Hops

Ok, so we're not beer drinkers....we're really not alcohol consumers either, so this probably doesn't affect us that much. It's just interesting.

Free the Hops is an organization that is pushing for to help bring quality beers, from around the country and parts of the world, to Alabama. Some actually refer to them as specialty or gourmet beers.

The current problem with getting these beers here into Alabama, is their restriction of the alcohol by volume (abv) law.

The Current ABV Law
The 6% limit appears once in The Code of Alabama, in §28-3-1(3), addressing the regulation of alcoholic beverages. That section contains the following definition:
"BEER, or MALT OR BREWED BEVERAGES. Any beer, lager beer, ale, porter, malt or brewed beverage, or similar fermented malt liquor containing one-half of one percent or more of alcohol by volume and not in excess of five percent alcohol by weight and six percent by volume, by whatever name the same may be called."

The Gourmet Beer Bill
For the 2008 Legistative Session, FTH has proposed the following Gourmet Beer Bill which would change the limit on beer to just below that of table wine.
"BEER, or MALT OR BREWED BEVERAGES. Any beer, lager beer, ale, porter, malt or brewed beverage, or similar fermented malt liquor containing one-half of one percent or more of alcohol by volume and not in excess of five percent alcohol by weight and six thirteen and nine-tenths percent by volume, by whatever name the same may be called."

Now, the best part is the video below that actually has some information regarding the bill while in the House. Several of our wonderful representatives made their points and comments regarding the passing/declining of this bill. If you have a moment, listen and see what our great leaders think. (I really like Alvin Holmes from Montgomery)



Whether or not the bill passes, I seriously doubt it will have a direct impact on us. I just think it's interesting and can have the potential of increasing the beer isle in your nearest grocery store. If passed it could also allow for more opportunites for current and upcoming breweries. Either way, the points for and against are both interesting.

This makes no sense

This bothers me. I had no idea who Lauren was, but this really bothers me.

For those that don't know...Lauren Burk was an 18 year old freshman at Auburn University. She did nothing wrong, but go to school. A person created a harsh act of violence and took this young girls life.

Now, this group Westboro Baptist Church has decided to protest her memorial service. This is the group that normally protest funerals of the armed forces, but for some sad reason, they are protesting Lauren's funeral.

I think some of them have the wrong ideas of what their beliefs are.

Like I said, this bothers me. This really bothers me.

Busy Week

So..we have lots of updates, but I'm going to have to postpone those till later :). On the other hand, both Robert and I have a pretty busy week going on.

Robert is spending the week in the New Orleans/Mississippi area for work---checking railroad crossings for the Department of Transportation. There is probably a lot more to it, but that is the big picture :). It is hard being gone for home 3 days/2 nights a week and not seeing Robert, but it is even harder when he is gone for the entire week....especially with limited computer access for him. But as usual....we will get through it :). At least I have a few things going on in Auburn to keep me occupied this week.

Because Robert is gone all week, it is my responsibility to take care of the dogs....not an easy task when I can't really bring them to Auburn. Thank goodness my parents were willing to keep an eye on our squirrel chasing monsters. And hopefully they won't pull any arms out of the sockets while being let out :). Thanks guys!!

So here I am....working late at the office on my thesis and successfully procrastinating by updating. I wish writing research papers wasn't so hard, and it doesn't help that I absolutely HATE writing. I can't complain too much though because my graduate career has afforded me some great opportunities. This week I and the other top 13 students from the state competition in Hawaii will be recognized for our achievements at the state house. We will be given an opportunity to talk about our research on the floor of the Congress as well as the Senate during legislative meetings.....kind of scary, but definitely a great opportunity. I was also notified today that I have been chosen as the department's nomination for the Outstanding (Master's) Graduate Student of the Year award. I have a few things to get together for this, but it's definitely an honor to be recognized for my graduate work.

Well....guess I better get back to writing if I'm ever going to finish. Hope everyone has a great week!!

Leave No Trace

Ok, so this is just a litte smidge of what's coming up.

As most of you know, I am a pretty avid backpacker, camper, and hiker. This weekend, Feb 9-10, will be our annual Leave No Trace Trainers Course in which, yours truly will be helping teach. It's a fun event, it's short notice, anyone is welcome. You know, we'll even teach you how to dig your very own cathole :)

So, that's where I'll be this weekend. How about you?

Update

So, it's been a while...40 days to be exact. We need to update.

We'll work on posting some photos and tidbits soon.

Sorry to keep everyone waiting in such suspense. :)

A little inspiration for you today

If you're feeling a little down and defeated, I may can help. You just need a little bit of inspiration and I have just the person that could help. Meet Bob Coomber.

Bob Coomber is a young 52yrs. old, lives in California and is the perfect example of someone that doesn’t let the curves that life throws, us hold him back. After being an active individual in his youth and young adulthood, he was diagnosed with diabetes, osteoporosis and became wheelchair bound at the age of 31. Through all of this and more, Bob has remained a positive person who not only pushes himself beyond the limit but also goes out of his way to help and inspire others.

He recently became the became the first person in a wheelchair to summit 14,246-foot White Mountain, which is California's third-highest peak.

Just recently he was also inducted into the California Outdoors Hall of Fame. His mantra is “No excuses. No excuses. No excuses.” He is an excellent example to inspire you when you decide that you just "can't get it done".

Take the time to check out this individual and let him share his enthusiasm for life with you. If you want more, you can read his blog here: http://www.4wheelbob.com/

There, hopefully that can serve as a little inspiration for you today!

For Phil

I didn't know Phil, personally. I knew of him. Phil was one of those folks that I associated with through an online backpacking community, and just never got to meet. I read of him, read about some of his trips, and debated with him from time to time. Over the last few years, I learned a good bit about him from our online community. He was a good guy.

Phil was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma in 2005. He didn't play the "cancer card" or make pity on himself. He was determined to beat it. Through all of his problems, trials, and drugs, he won. He says he won because he had an awesome wife, life was good, he had many friends, and he beat cancer. He always said he could and would beat it. Way to go Phil.

Unfortunatly, he didn't stay in remission long, and had to fight the fight again. He was determined to defeat it again. However, this time he wasn't so lucky. During treatment, he developed bacterial pneumonia and was admitted to ICU on 12/4/07. Word came out in the online community that he lost the fight yesterday morning, 12/13/07. He will be missed.

If you'd like to read about his fight, he shared his progress on his blog - Bear Thoughts.

So, Phil. This is to you good buddy.

-Robert

Sick

Blah....uugh....Blah...uugh.

Just a measely update. Bethany is sick. She's been home in bed so far all week with a fever and just an overall nauseous feeling. Last night her feever was nearly 102F. As of this morning it was breaking.

She'll be back soon. I'm sure everyone has been missing her!