Okay. Post #4 and the last one for a bit. Here are some pics from our ride on the 24th with Bretsky and Jay. We rode from Big Mountain Pass to Parley's Summit. I'm not sure how to describe this "trail." If you're wondering if I'm using air quotes, I am. You just used them too. It's okay. No need to hide your head in shame. If ever there was a situation for the use of air quotes, it's this one. Exhibit #1-This is the trail. Having a hard time finding it? So did we. A machete or a blow torch would have been useful. I just never think of these things until it's too late. Trails like this are fun in an "oh please no rocks, no rocks, no rocks, oh crap, rock, hole, crevasse or mud pit!" kind of way. Bret's stitches are a testament to that last one.



Exhibit #2-Hike-a-bike. I admit it. I've never thought to bring a chain saw on a ride. Perhaps I should be more open minded to the idea.


This was an exhausting, intense and overall good time. Lot's of climbing and descending only to climb right back up,back down and up, and down, well you get the idea. It was crazy. Definitely an adventure. Dare I say, an epic adventure. Not even Bret's stitches could dampen our spirits. We'll, I guess the only spirits they would have dampened were Bret's but he was a good sport. How could you not like this?

I love mountain biking. I also love my bike. I have been riding the septic green machine for the last year because black beauty suffered an injury on the White Rim. I enjoy the septic green machine. It's like cake. Is there a bad flavor of cake? No. Just like there isn't a bad mountain bike. But I prefer yellow cake with chocolate frosting. That's how I view my black Stumpy. It's the best yellow cake with chocolate frosting I've ever tasted. I finally got it fixed and it's back on tour. I love it so much I wrote a poem. More of a prayer really. I bow my head when I think about it.

Oh black Stumpjumper
Hallowed be thy name
For riding fun,
you're #1
On dirt,
or if I have to,
pavement.

Here are some pics from our latest bike adventures. We rode a Utah classic, the Wasatch Crest last week. This is the reason one rides mountain bikes. The sweetest singletrack around.

Gobbler's Knob Hike via Alexander Basin and Bowman Fork

It's fun to say and even more fun to hike. We've tried to hike Gobbler's multiple times from multiple trails. We've gotten lost on more than one occasion. You'd think it would be hard to get lost when the peak is directly in front of you but we have a certain skill that is paramount to getting lost. The power of non-observation. This time however we had a plan. Pick a route that is much longer than the normal approach and that you heard about from some random ladies on the trail so you can't possibly get specific directions, and go for it. Shockingly, this was the smoothest attempt, nay, successful attempt we've had. This trail is a thigh burner from the get go. Steep would be a gentle description. It's a cellulite slayer. I was actually standing on the trail just a few yards away when I took these pictures. This is the ultimate workout.

Burning calories while getting an amazing view. And you don't have to sterilize any equipment from the nasty Sasquatch who used it before you with back hair that looks like a latch hook project. It's a win win. We made it to the top via the Alexander Basin trail and returned on Bowman Fork. We're even smiling at the top, 10,242 feet. I highly recommend this. The wild flowers were incredible and everything is still so green. You can see the Twin Peaks from my last adventure in the background, still with snow. I can even offer specific directions. I would go for the vague option though. It makes things much more exciting.

Meet The Gals
Okay, for all Loosle Ladies that may be reading this entry, I don't mean those gals, I mean these gals.
.
I happen to live by some amazing women, 3 of whom have dragged my sorry behind with them on many an early morning adventure. Meet Adub, JB and KG. We have laughed, screamed, cried (okay, not me, I don't cry), sung classic 70's rock, gotten lost, dodged mountain lion and moose,
solved pretty much every world problem all while hiking, biking and snowshoeing. We're excellent multi-taskers.

There isn't a better adventure companion than Adub. She is a tour guide's dream. Whether slogging along the worst mountain bike trail ever created at Deer Creek Reservoir or seeing the Tetons for the first time, everything is the most amazing, most cool, or most fun thing she's ever done. Except for the mountain lion incident. That maybe wasn't the most fun, but more funny, for those of us who got to watch her reaction seeing a mountain lion and then finding the tracks after declaring mere hours before that seeing a mountain lion would be the most scary thing that could happen to you in the outdoors. Cheers to the only person I know who's excitement level is directly related to the steepness of the climb.

JB is the oracle of the group. Need a recipe for butternut squash soup? JB. Need to borrow some obscure piece of outdoor gear for an upcoming adventure? JB. Need a heavy duty mixer because you returned yours when you got married convinced there would never be an occasion where you could possibly need one and now you really want to make Fudge Jumbles and the smoke coming from your hand mixer would seem to indicate you need a stronger appliance? JB. Need help filling out financial aid forms for school because they are clearly not written for people with the attention span of a gnat? JB. Have an obscure issue that you are convinced no one else could possibly understand, empathize or have experienced in any way? JB. There's a very good chance that you could have every one of these questions solved in a single hike. She's that good.

KG, KG, KG. "Without guile" is a phrase truly spoken with KG in mind. The most angry thing I've ever heard come out of her mouth was "Ok, now I'm mad!" when she fell in a mud boggy type thing at midnight while trying to find some drifting Youth Conference attendees. Which only made me laugh so hard that I was incapable of actually rendering any assistance. She always assumes the best, of everyone, even me. She's quiet yes, but get the right topic like 70's rock songs and artists and it's possible to do an entire hike discussing early Fleetwood Mac albums and alumni with her. How awesome is that?

I know, I know. You're asking yourself, "why are they friends with you, Steph? Is this some sort of communtiy service obligation they have to fulfill?" I don't really have an answer. Perhaps it's the REI vortex that we live in from whence all good things flow or perhaps it's just that they're fantabulous gals. Regardless, I think I'm pretty damn lucky. And it's only the tip of the iceberg. I'm surrounded by awesome women. Perhaps they will be the subject of another blog.

Nick's 1st climbing adventure
So Nick's dad is a climber. I am not. Not by a long shot. I have a tendency to freeze completely, unable to move or speak when I get more than 3 feet off the ground. This is not conducive to climbing per se. So, in the interest of healthy parent/child relationships I've decided to try and live my climbing dreams through Nick. We went up Big Cottonwood for his first real climb.




He's a natural. He got nervous at when he was about a third of the way up, stopped, collected himself and then flew up. After that, he was a climbing animal finding different routes up and just racing to the top. We still need to work on the belay technique so he doesn't smash his noggin on the rock on the way back down.

Twin Peaks-part Deux
I was not looking forward to the descent. My goal up until this point was to avoid looking down at all costs. This does however pose some logistical problems when your new goal is to actually get back down the mountain. I did, for a brief moment, consider calling search and rescue to come helicopter me off the top but then the story would be posted on KSL.com where I would be forced to comment on the idiot hiker that wasted tax payer money by having to be rescued. What can I say, I'm a patriot. Of course, in the current climate perhaps spending taxpayer money was the way to go and I missed my chance to truly show my loyalty. Perhaps I could have arranged some sort of photo op with the helicopter flanked by some Hill Air Force Base Jets, you know, in the interest of wasting your hard earned dollars. Alas, the narcissist in me won and we descended on foot. On butt, if you're being technical.This little slide mark is the route we took down. Sweet!
We had a great time with only one major injury. Thankfully, the creator saw fit to leave some sharp fins of shale at the the bottom of a little snow chute that stopped Ammon on an unplanned slide, nearly over the edge. I'm sure the shale was far more reliable than the ice ax belay I set up in the 2 seconds I had as he slid by yelling at me to get ready. He has a nasty bruise and cut but he's still here to show it to people which seems like a pretty fair swap.Here is the view from the base. From L-R, Dromedary, Sunset, No name and East Twin. Our route was up the far right snow field.

All in all, we live in a pretty, great, state. Maybe that could a cheesy motto or something.

Twin Peaks-Part I:
So... a couple of weeks ago I went on a scouting trip up Broads Fork to peruse a route connecting East and West Twin, No Name, Sunset and Dromedary Peaks. This was to be in preparation for an upcoming hike where we would be ideally hitting all 5. The plan was to be gone for 6-8 hours. We were gone 12. Here's why:Those lovely peaks are supposed to be brown. We were aiming more for a hike. You know, on dirt. This is instead what we did:



Frankly, we're lucky that my fear of heights made it impossible for me to really form coherent thoughts at this particular moment. I assure you there was plenty of conversation in my head, none of which was probably suitable for publication.
From this spot you could see Kenecott, the airport, the Unitah's, Mount Olympus and a gray smog like substance that nestles the lovely Salt Lake Valley in its carcinogenic bosom. Ahhhhh, breathe it all in. It was awesome.

The next HFAV event is in the works...Details will follow.

My HFAV activity of the day was a rousing game of Blink with Bret. Hello All

Time to Celebrate!!!
Gas finally fell below $2.00 in Salt Lake today. Happy days are here again (sarcasm)!

Enjoy my video tribute to "cheap" gas. (it may take awhile to download)

Veterans Day

Today, the motto of the Veteran's Administration (my employer) takes on a little more meaning for me:

to care for him who shall have borne the battle (A. Lincoln)

Thanks to all the vets I've known.

Here is a reminder of why we celebrate this holiday:

3 Down!

I quite enjoyed this little tale by Walter D. Edmunds, winner of the 1942 Award. At 62 pages (probably less than 40 without all the illustrations), I really can't reveal anything about the plot or I'll give away the whole story. I'll pique your interest by simply by saying it involves a gun, a boy, and DANGER!!!!!!!!!!! It's also interesting to read a book with illustrations again. I felt like a second grader again, which isn't so bad in small doses! Applying Steph's innovative rating scheme, I'd probably give it 3 1/2 Matchlock Guns. Pick this one up, you'll enjoy it!

This is book #2. I really liked this book and not just because its Halloween and there is a pumpkin that plays an important role. This book has magic, mystery, secret plots and of course, a trumpet, or more specfically, a trumpeter. Ignore the image on the cover. Unless the publishing company has used computer editing to give us what the characters would like 10 years after the story is written I have no clue who these two Romance novel look alikes are. I give it 3 out of 4 silver Krakowian trumpets.

Steph

Okay, 2 in the books (ha ha no pun intended). The first one was "The Dark Frigate." A captivating tale of murder and mayhem on the high seas and general swashbucklery. Only problem is its written in Old English and hard for us of the uneducated realm to understand. Several times I took a shot in the dark and what they meant and just moved along. If the character ended up dead I figure he must have disrespected another shipmate or said something stupid in Shakesperian. I give it 2 out of 4 pirate ships.
Aaron liked this and gives it 3 out of 4-specifically because he liked the language and wants to speak like that. Personally, I think maybe he harbors a secret wish to wear tights.

2 Down 86 to Go!
Bret Here. Another book down. Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata. This one actually won the 2005 award. Criss Cross from last post won in 2006. I'd rate this one as "nice". A good story about a Japanese American family in Georgia with a nice theme. Well, more to read!

1 Down 86 to Go!

Bret here. Just finished "Criss Cross" by Lynn Rae Perkins the 2005 Newbery Winner. I have to say this wasn't my favorite book. All full of teenage angst--not much of a plot. Just teens agonizing about life and all that. I'd probably give it 2/4 stars.

Anyway, on to book 2.

HFAV Challenge #1

It's time for the first HFAV Challenge of 2008. Hooray! What is an HFAV Challenge you ask? Well, unlike HFAV events like SLVRR or White Rim, which are group activities that promote a spirit of camraderie and brotherly love, an HFAV Challenge is an individual activity to be carried out on your own, at your own pace. In the future, people who complete Challenges may be awarded fabulous prizes like trips to Hawaii or something but for now you'll just have to be satisfied with an e-pat on the back.

For our first challenge, we wanted to start with something that would really stretch ourselves that would force us to test the principle of "no pain, no gain". The commish and I have come up with something we are calling:

The Newbery Challenge!!!

This challenge was spawned by a recent trip to the library. Did you know that the Newbery Medal has been awarded annually since 1922? According to Wikipedia, the source of all truth on the Internet, the award is given by the American Library Association to the author of the Outstanding American book for children. See here for more on the Newbery Medal including a list of all winners of the award. That means there are 87 Newbery Medal winners! So here is the challenge--to read every Newbery Medal winning book published since 1922.

For some of you, this will take a few weeks. For others like me, it may take considerably longer. So rather than organize which book we read, I think we should all read whichever book we choose. When you finish a book, post a little blurb to the blog to let us know where you are. For example, you might say something like "I just finished book 67, 'Onion John', and was impressed with Krumgold's character development. The protagonist was certainly 'multilayered!' Ha, Ha!"

This challenge is open to everyone who wants to participate. Read however many you want. Whoever finishes all the books first gets an extra e-pat !

SLVRR in the Books

The first annual Salt Lake Valley Rim Ride was held yesterday, September 20 and, in all modesty, it was a tremendous success. See more pics here: http://picasaweb.google.com/hickenfam






We had eight riders who started out at 6AM in the dark. The final group rolled across the finish line at Hicken Central at around 4PM. Some of us were a little more saddle sore and weary than others. I won't mention names, but one spritely member of our crew did several energetic laps around the neighborhood, causing the other finishers to shake our heads in amazement. Along the way we battled gale force head and crosswinds, scary traffic, Jesus rays and disturbing renditions of popular Saturday's Warrior tunes, two flat tires, a couple of unintended off road adventures that led to the flat tires, lightning, and a refreshing gullywasher. Other than that, conditions could not have been more perfect! In all seriousness, the weather was marvelous for the most part.



Now a few big thank yous need to be offered to some people who helped make this event a success. First, let's thank Dee and Judy (aka "dad and mom") for hosting the carb loading dinner and for being the staging ground for the ride. Mom even made homemade peach pies for the dinner. As we were cleaning up from dinner, my mom asked me in a casual, non-threatening way why I hadn't planned this dinner at my house. I paused to think and realized I hadn't even considered hosting it for our house. In fact, that was the first time it had even occurred to me that we could have hosted the dinner anywhere else! Rather than view this oversight as evidence that I am a completely insensitive boar, I think this is further evidence that Hicken Central as a place where we just feel at home, where everyone feels welcome, a place where we can relax and enjoy ourselves. Hmm, I feel a song coming on...http://www.box.net/shared/iouj90zcsc

Another HUGE thanks to our SAG wagoneers, Aaron, Nick, and later joined by Melynda. At every stop we'd pull in and they would have set out a spread of fruit, candy, water, cookies. The lunch spread was a work of art. They gave up an entire Saturday to support our ride and made it so much more fun. Melynda even rode 37 miles before joining the SAG crew. We owe all of them a big round of applause.


Of course, a big congratulations goes out to all our riders who joined us. A day on a bike is always a pleasure but it's made even more pleasant with good company. I think everyone had fun and nobody died, which was a relief to me as event organizer. No major injuries--just sore tushies and legs and Neil's sore toe that taught us all a lesson about the importance of proper podiatric care.

One more big thanks to all our families who put up with our taking a whole day to play while they kept the home fires burning, or kept the home from burning, in my family's case. If you know Andrew, my youngest, no further explanation is needed!





Though no official feedback was solicited, the general feeling from everyone seemed to be consistent with my own thoughts. We definitely will do this next year! So circle around the same time for next year and join us for:

Stay tuned for upcoming HFAV events. We are considering a showshoe trip in Bryce or Cedar Breaks in the winter and of course we have White Rim coming again in April. Book now as seating is limited!