Author: John

Olympus H S 1967 University of Utah 1971
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Government Canyon Wildlife

Yesterday, as I entered Government Canyon around 7:30 AM I was greeted by a young doe. That’s always a good sign. Later in the day as I approached my traditional rest stop near marker 26 on the Black Hill Loop I happened upon a large feral hog. I did not see the hog but we startled each other. When I heard the crashing sound of the hog disappearing into the thick forest I could see a young sapling waving to me about 20 yards up the trail. I stopped and listened and peered into the deep forest and could hear the hog snorting, huffing, and grunting. Pieces of its furry body would appear through slits between forest trees. The hog continued to huff so I moved on down the trail. It’s not often I get to see a feral hog out here, or any wildlife for that matter. But my day was not quite over. On the way back in to HQ I came across a long skinny snake, right in the middle of the trail. It had its head crooked around looking at me. I could not get a picture of it because as I pulled out my camera it quickly slithered off the trail into the brush. I believe it was a garden snake of some variety, certainly not a rattlesnake or a snake with easily identifiable markings. What I did notice was that it was very skinny. Probably needs a mouse or two.  Along the way I found some Maximilian Sunflowers that were poised nicely with a blue sky for a background. They made a nice photo.

Government Canyon
Maximilian sunflowers (Helianthus maximiliani), on the Joe Johnston Route, Government Canyon

Last month, while hiking on Twin Oaks in the restricted part, probably before marker 16 or so, I came across a large black and yellow garden spider. I was able to identify this from BugGuide.net. The scientific name is Argiope aurantia. It’s always exciting to come across wildlife while hiking, even if its only a spider. And this spider was quite special-I had never seen a black and yellow garden spider before, certainly not of this size. The spider’s web was constructed perfectly across the trail and I had a bit of difficulty getting around it so as not to disturb it. The web had a special reinforced part in the form of a spiral that bisected it vertically. According to the BugGuide this is called Stabilimentum and is part of the web designed believed to be a deterrent to birds flying into it.

Government Canyon
Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia) near marker 16, Twin Oaks Trail, Government Canyon. The web had a special reinforced part in the form of a spiral that bisected it vertically. According to the BugGuide this is called Stabilimentum and is part of the web design believed to be a deterrent to birds flying into it.

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AT 2010 complete

I’ve been back from the AT for a couple of weeks now. I had to hit the ground running once I returned to work and have not had a lot of time to work with the photos and create the AT 2010 page. However, I do now have selected photos posted from my trek (173 miles) and much of the 2010 page complete, thanks to taking “in the field” recordings.

Appalachian Trail 2010
Lehigh River, on the AT in Pennsylvania, July 13, 2010.

It was quite an accomplishment and I am happy to have Pennsylvania behind me. Next year I should see New Jersey, New York and a piece of Connecticutt. I met many people along the trail this year, more than the usual amount. I believe that is because I am coinciding with the through hikers now. Probably this will happen next year as well.

After catching up with house repairs and trying to get my personal life back in order (it is amazing what 2 weeks away does to one) I managed to get to Government Canyon this weekend. It was very hot and I cut the hike to about 10 miles. I did a skinny loop-Sendero Balcones to Johnstone Trail and avoided the ears (Far Reaches and Caroline’s Loop).

Government Canyon
Common sunflower (Helianthus annuus), Government Canyon.

And I’m starting to investigate the possibility of hiking Tanners Trail in the Grand Canyon with Vivian this spring. Starting to prepare early is good.

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AT 2010 approaching

Tomorrow I take off for the AT. My plane leaves in the early AM for Nashville and then I change for the final run into Philedelphia. I will meet my shuttle driver at the airport and he will drop me at Boiling Springs. There is a restaurant just a few blocks from the trail that I will eat at—Anile’s Ristorante & Pizzeria. I’ll get something to go then head out for the trail. On the way to the trail I’ll load up with Power Ade and whatever else I can. I should be on the trail by the early evening. I’m not sure how far I’ll get but it will be nice to have some distance under me after the first day. Anyway, that’s the plan.

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Gov Canyon Lives

I’ve only missed a couple of days this year going out to Government Canyon (i.e. once a week) and those missed days have been due to weather. Government Canyon can really get rained out in a hurry and will collect a lot of water. This has resulted in very heavy growth. I’ve also noticed an abundance of insects, namely katydids.

Government Canyon
Upright prairie coneflower (Ratibida columnifera), also known as Mexican hat, in Government Canyon.

This past Saturday I encountered two tarantulas, the first I’ve seen since hiking in Gov Canyon.

On the last leg in to HQ of my normal 12 mile perimeter walk I noticed I was getting really tired and that my day pack was bothering me a lot. I had to keep shifting it from shoulder to shoulder but it shouldn’t have been even noticed by me-it is so light. When I arrived at HQ I drank a cold Mountain Dew and then headed out. About a mile from the canyon my vision blurred. It was like I was in the middle of a white mist. I could barely see the road to drive and had to pull to the side. After wiping my eyes I turned the air conditioner on full and laid back in my seat for about 10 minutes. Gradually the mist lifted but it was a strange, scary moment.

I will have to take this event as a learning experience. With the AT quickly approaching (June 1) I need to be able to pace myself and listen to my body.

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GC Page ready

Today I added a link to some assorted photos that Jesse took of our Grand Canyon hike over spring break. The pages dedicated to this extraordinary hike are now complete. They have podcast, short videos, photos and links to photo albums as well as a lot of information about our thoughts and experiences during this week of adventure.

I’m looking forward to the next Grand Canyon experience. I’m thinking of a Hance Trail hike and it looks like Vivian is good to go with me and possibly Sophia.

For now, I’ll put my energy into planning the next leg of the Appalachian Trail. I will start in Boiling Spring, Pa and should be able to walk across the state and into New Jersey.

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And the Royal Arch kicked my butt…

And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Let me explain…

Grand Canyon 2010 Royal Arch
Jesse posing for his official hiking photo.

Jesse and I returned from our Grand Canyon adventure this past Friday and I’ve been working on the photos and short videos since. The hike was 5.5 days and 5 nights out. Conditions were bad for getting to the trailhead-the largest snowpack in memory on the Pasture Wash road. Our shuttle driver (Amy) dropped us 1 mile from the South Bass trailhead and we began the day’s journey. Each day was different and challenging.

The first day we faced landslides that had covered the trail and made it difficult to move forward and then find the trail again. When we reached Sophi’s pour off (about .25 mile from the junction of tributary and pack trail) we could not find it nor an easy way down. This is a strange pour off—no discernible cairns or trail to pass through this part of the tributary.  Jesse and I eventually settled on a route that involved two jumps—not my favorite thing to do. One of the jumps was about 7 or 8 feet and that’s a bit of a stretch for me. I did hit hard but survived.

The second day we worked our way down to the Natural Arch and, unfortunately, we overshot the junction by .2 mile. That meant we had to carry our full packs .2 mile UP the trail and across 3 difficult blockages in the Royal Arch. We did make the rappel and Toltec Beach later in the afternoon.

On the third day we hiked to Elves Chasm and were able to have our pictures taken under the falls. We hiked through Garnett and camped on a rock outcrop.

The fourth day we wandered in and out of canyons until we reached the South Bass Trail and then camped near a water hole I had marked on my GPS from a previous hike.

The fifth day we hiked to Huxley Terrace and stayed somewhere near the Darwin Plateau-just where the cairn marks the junction of the pack trail that begins the Royal Arch.

Each day was exhausting and posed different problems for us to solve. Jesse did an excellent job of finding the trail for us and keeping us moving at a steady pace. We thought once we reached the Esplanade (rocky area where South Bass Trail enters the Darwin Plateau)  we were home free. The final day started well as we made good time up the South Bass to the rim but about .5 mile from the rim we hit crusted, knee-deep snow. Thus began probably our most challenging part of the trail when we least expected it. Jesse had to break through the crusted snow and would sink to his knees (he was wearing shorts). Part of the .5 mile he was crawling on his hands and knees. I tried to follow as best I could by stepping in his footprints. But, when I would step on the crust and break through, sink to my knees, it required a lot of energy to pull out. Even having the walking sticks sink into the snow became exhausting. It was a combination of the conditions, the altitude, the fact that we were wore down from the previous day’s hikes and experiences and finally, the fact that our attitude wasn’t really prepared for such a challenge at the end of our hike. Fortunately it was only .5 mile. When we reached the summit there was a note from Amy, our shuttle driver, providing us with instructions for meeting up with her.

It was a great adventure. We had challenges each day and I will never forget this hike. Currently I am putting a page together on this blog to provide trail blurbs, photos, and video vignettes. All the details.

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Water everywhere–

It is quite wet at Government Canyon and has been that way for this entire winter. I have never seen so much water as I did last weekend but unfortunately I didn’t have my camera with me. This past Saturday I made a beeline for the pond and captured a nice photo. The water level here is quite high, normally there is no water.  Last week it was about 12 inches higher. We still continue to have wet weather this winter and so I imagine this pond will be around for a few more weeks. It is a welcome site at Government Canyon.

Government Canyon
Govenment Canyon Pond covering the Joe Johnstone Trail

 

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Moving forward…

I have missed two weekends since the beginning of the year. What I mean to say is, I missed hiking in Government Canyon two weekends—the first being Nata’s wedding and then the next was the following weekend when we were experiencing very cold, rainy weather here in San Antonio.

Today it was quite nice but unfortunately I did not have my camera with me. Up the Johnstone Trail around 18 or so is a large, crystaline pond. Water is flowing into it-unheard of in Goverment Canyon. The water is crystal clear. I would not hesitate to drink from it. I was doing a large looped trail—Johnstone > Sendero Balcones > Black Hill (about 6 miles to this point) > follow Black Hill from 41 to 8 to Twin Oaks > another piece of Sendero (markers 11 to 8) > Wildcat Canyon > and then take Johnstone back in to the parking lot. The hike was about 12.8 miles. This was the reverse of the hike I did last week.

I purchased new hiking shoes at Goode Sport yesterday and this was a breaking in period. No problem, very comfortable. Should be set for the Royal Arch coming up next month.

Here’s a photo of Government Canyon that I took on New Years day.

Government Canyon
Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides), on the Joe Johnston Route in Government Canyon.

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Nata’s Wedding

And now a break from the normal posting as the most recent major event in my life has been the wedding of my daughter Nataly to Josh Jennings. It was a memorable event marred by the absence of her older sister Vivian. I cannot begin to describe the range of emotions last weekend (she was married on Jan 22, 2010, a Friday, in the early afternoon). There were many conversations, sometimes approaching arguments, about the absence of Vivian. In fact, the issue has become very divisive in our family as it corrodes our ties and begins to dissolve us as a unit. And then there was the other emotional extreme as I led Nata down the aisle to a cello playing incredibly beautiful music. She was stunning and as we entered the room audible gasps could be heard from the congregation. I was caught up in the moment and almost lost it-could barely make it to my seat. The beauty of the moment was overwhelming. Yet the emotion was not that of happiness, something was missing for me and I can’t nail it down.

Extremes of emotion took their toll over the weekend and continue to the present. Thankfully Sophia was with us throughout the whole ordeal and was able to support Nataly and be with her when her parents just couldn’t hold up. I learned a lot from Sophi that weekend about our family and about myself. She is a strong sensitive women and I am most proud of her.

And then there was the toast to the bride and groom. Sophi read a poem to start. It was a poem that Hedy, Sophi and I had found on the Internet—a wedding poem by Rumi. Much of the poem was innappropriate so we picked 4 stanzas that seemed to work. Sophi practiced the poem and performed nicely at the opening of the toasts. I remember seeing Nata’s face as Sophi was dramatizing the poem and she had a somewhat incredulous expression. She certainly got a nice surprise from Sophi. Here is a copy of the poem.

I’ll post more when the online photos become available.