ANTICIPATION

‎"We are now in the mountains and they are in us, kindling enthusiasm, 

making every nerve quiver, filling every pore and cell of us." 

--John Muir--

BLADDER INDUCED INSOMNIA

     So as I was lying on Couch tonight (my personal choice for sleeping arrangements) trying to fall asleep, I was reminded of a fun memory. And what progressed from there was this impromptu blog post about it. I will proceed!

     If you haven’t seen a scary movie by the name of “The Descent” yet… watch it. But not right before you go on an overnight wilderness adventure. For a short understanding of why it’s so terrifying, I’ve included this screenshot:

[NOTICE HOW THESE COLORS GO WITH MY DESIGN---PLANNED IT]

     Now… we’ve all been plagued by the need to find a tree in the middle of the night out in the unknown, but this can be particularly horrible when your imagination is running rampant. Not only does your bladder feel like it’s going to explode, but every noise outside of your thin tent walls causes your mind to explode. And the two organs battle it out until they both feel like they’re about to burst.

     This was the case for me one night at Panther Creek Falls two years ago. I hastily and without thinking, had a cup of apple cider right before jumping into the Navajo (my sleeping bag) for the night. Not even an hour later after tossing and turning I was starting to feel its affects, combined with my notorious imagination working out scenarios involving that cute little creature above. Back and forth… bladder vs. brain… and then, like a hungry lepard, out of my tent I sprang. Bladder: 1, Brain: 0.

     What prompted this memory tonight? Bladder: 2, Brain 0.

[I'M NOT REALLY SURE WHY I CONSIDER THIS A FUN MEMORY]

LET'S GO!

     A trip is being planned! For April! That’s so close I could touch it! 

     We’re looking at doing a three day/two night trip somewhere between the 15^th and the 24^th of April with more emphasis on one of those weekends rather than mid week. It’s all still up in the air though.

     Where are we gonna go when everything is still sleeping? We’re going to go to the WILDERNESS that’s where! Lucky for us the further south we go the less snow there is! We’ll be revisiting the same trail and campsite that we visited around the same time last year. It’s a cute little low level elevation route in the Sequoias called Ladybug Trail and we’ll be stopping at Whiskey Log camp.

     When I first heard about this trail it was very important to me that there were actual ladybugs on the trail. It lived up to its name. That’s for sure. Check out some pictures from last year!

[BEAUTIFUL SNOW CAPPED PEAKS TO THE RIGHT OF THE TRAIL MOST OF THE WAY]

[A LITTLE VALLEY. MAKES FOR A GOOD REST STOP]

[THE FIRST LADYBUG!]

[MORE LADYBUGS!!]

[SO MANY LADYBUGS!!!]

[MY FACE]

[THOSE SAME SNOW CAPPED PEAKS]

[CAMP TOMAHAWK'S BIG LOG]

[VIEW FROM WHISKEY LOG CAMP]

[SHOULD HAVE SOME PRETTY WILD FLOWERS AGAIN THIS YEAR!]

     Here's a brief description. I nabbed this from these guys --  THESE GUYS

"The Ladybug Trail goes east following the north side of the canyon of the South Fork of the Kaweah River. The trail rises from an elevation of 3,640 to 5,760 feet at the end of the trail. There are many open viewpoints along the first 2.5 miles of the trail. From these viewpoints there are fine views of the canyon and surrounding mountain peaks."    

     Well put, THESE GUYS.

      It's a 4.02 mile hike, which is pretty easy, makes for a good, simple start to the season. If you wanna see what the trail looks like the whole way (in writing) Here's a link -- LADYBUG TRAIL

     SO, if you’re interested in joining us (my dad, my brother-in-law, myself, and whatever ragamuffin crew we can scrounge up) let me know, we’d love the company and the fresh faces! 

     

TOO.MUCH.TIME.

     That is to say there has been too much time between my last post and this post, not too much time on my hands. If presented with too much time on my hands I'm sure I wouldn't have too much time between posts. So what would I have between posts? I’d have more posts between posts that’s what!

     Oh goodness… I have a mad case of the Off Season Blues! I can see our mountains every day and they’re asleep in a blanket of snow. But they should wake up! So that we can all explore and go adventuring in their wilderness!

     I’m convinced that there is nothing worse than having all this new gear (purchased in hopes of curing the Off Season Blues… and ‘cause it was time for new gear) and not being able to use it yet!

Here is my list of new gear:

     -Thermarest Neo-air Sleeping Pad

[ULTRA COMFORTABLE!]

     -GoLite Pinnacle Ultralite Backcountry Pack

[ULTRA NOT HEAVY!]

     -GoLite Shangri-La 2 Person Ultralite Tent

[ULTRA NOT HEAVY AND ULTRA SPACIOUS!]

     -Black Diamond Trail Shock Trekking Poles

[ULTRA RELIABLE AND ULTRA NECESSARY FOR HOLDING UP THE NEW TENT!]

     -AND longer hair which makes for less worry about how to manage it in the backcountry! Thank you braids, bun, or pony tail!
  
   -OH! AND a whole bunch of new sports bras and nike compression shorts... I almost didn't mention  my unmentionables, but they totally need mention for how comfy they are.

     Now… Mountains, you can see how extremely ready for you I am… so quit being lazy and bring us the On Season! My new gear would greatly appreciate it.