Seems to be a bunch of us who are home, this fine

“This is the first time in 9 years that I have not been away for Memorial Day weekend. It's kinda neat. The roads are light. I got a lot done around the house. There's some good sales at some locals stores.

I this might be the way to go from now on.......”

“I had a trip planned but had to pull out because my allergies are lasting longer this year.”

“I just got back from a 10 day in the Trinity Alps that turned into a mini epic because of a snow storm...I'm looking forward to hanging around the house, reading a good book, taking the dog for a walk and maybe sneaking out for a quick geocache.”

“I need to get out today for a dayhike...walk off some of this food that I've been eating the last couple of days”

“we have a backpacking trip planned for next weekend....getting ready to go out onto the bike trail with our kids today....”

“I am here :)”

“i had a gig fri/sat so i couldnt go out this weekend. gig went great, ty. gonna take a dayhike with buckshot the wonder dalmation, down to kings river falls.”

“I might take a drive to REI to see what all hoo hah is all about.”

“My projects for this afternoon include replacing the innards on a couple of commodes. I think I'll make sure One is working before I tear up the other one... I don't want to have to dig a latrine in the backyard.

Part of the privacy fence is down and the neighbors might freak.”

“Yeah, my dad made that mistake once. I was the only one who didn't have qualms about A) going to the neighbors house or B) digging a hole in the back yard.”

“I did around 25 miles on the bike yesterday and hiked the 16 miler at Lake Vesuvios this morning. Got to do that family stuff to. Good weekend goin here with another day to go.”

“If I had more duct tape, I could do something about that privacy fence...”

“Memorial Day = Crowded Mountains! I like hiking mid-week in the summer. I enjoy meeting people, just not fighting crowds.”

“backpacked last weekend at lost cove where it was quiet. this weekend home while the roads are jam packed. ... did spend the last two nites in the hammock getting moon burn. We had about 18 canoes/kayaks last nite for the full moon river run...sailing along by the silvery moon...really a neat thing, drums and singing and great food.

now having a lemonade break from the sun....been zippin around on the mower after temple this morning and going to start paving a little concrete walk around the herbs. the dogs are happy i am home :) they like ice cubes and boiled pnuts..

it is a great country....on the most happening planet. you get to do a lot of neat stuff here.
hope everbuddy is having a safe and fun weekend.”

“yep! Just got back from church, I'm a happy dude! Life has been good and there is a lot to look forward to! As long as there are mountains, sky, and sea, I'll be a happy man! God has blessed us all!”

“Who is this 'thin air' person? Are you a troll?”

“I'm back early...trail kicked my arse..didn't have time to do the second loop..will post more later...90 degrees does not feel good going up a mountain with 28 lbs of crap (almost threw most of it off the side) Think i logged around 15 miles since yesterday morning”

“You almost sounded like the guy in the book "A Walk in the Woods" who did throw his stuff of the side of the mountain.”

“That would be the Katz character from the book, I'm reading it now. It's funny, but a bit depressing, those guys don't seem to be enjoying themselves too much. Haven't finished reading it yet, maybe the hike will get better. hopefully!”

“I read it last yr and enjoyed it. Parts of it are so funny that I laughed till I hurt.”

“I picked it up free at an inlaw's house, It's the first piece of pleasure reading I've been able to get at since school ended last week. And it is funny!”

“i had a days worth of food in the pack left..i was thinking..ahh dump it...but my LNT ethic got the best of me”

“Did a recon mission to Rainier... The trails are mostly snow covered and no wildflowers yet. Did a little snowshoeing.”

“Just got back from a little dayhike. I was pleasant, not too hot. I took a lot of pictures of the Stone Cuts, an interesting area at the state park here in Huntsville. When I get them developed, maybe I'll get one of those webshots accounts and put them up.

I did see a few people on my favorite trail. They were mountain bikers, and they were walking their bikes up this trail that I was going down. Knowing that they were going to have a hard time getting those bikes through the high rocks the trail goes through, I told them, "Hope you're ready to carry those things!" They assured me they were.

Funny thing is though, they'd probably have needed some rope to get those things over the rocks, where they were headed...lol...”

“lol...that should read "It was pleasant"...”

“bit..your always pleasant...my yahoo is full..either i open another yahoo or get a webshot...prob get a webshots...pics of prentice cooper to be uploaded tonight”

“Why, thank you OPIE. I suppose I could put them in my Yahoo! Briefcase, but webshots looks better to me.”

“Hi All,
I am at work till 0500. I am on a 7 day stretch of midnights! Yea for me! (better than day shift.) Take it easy.

Remember the Veterans.”

“Yow, tango!

I preferred midnights too. No one to mess with me.”

“Yep! You said it bit!!

Sat morning I leave for my trip! I am back to being excited again!”

“Cool tango. Have fun wherever you end up going!”

“"pleasant, but not too hot"

I just don't know about that one, BP. Maybe you were luke warm?
Not tepid, not balmy... ?


I escaped from the plumbing and took a little sunset hike at the lake. Nice moonrise! There ought to be a few more over the next few evenings if the clouds stay away.”

“Thanks Tilt--I just went out to see that moon--cold out there--wood smoke smell from a neighbor's fireplace -pine tree silouettes over the moon--thin streaky clouds--nice....”

“Home this weekend too... Got out for a 7 or 8 mile walk with Tarabull Sat afternoon. We got thunderstormed on =). It was fun. Yesterday did our last training walk for our sixty mile breast cancer walk, it was good. Visited some baby owls we found on a previous walk...had Abby and her gma along. The weather made up for the day previous. Today I'll play in the dirt in the backyard and relax as much as a 16 mo old (with extra energy) will allow me.”

“<sigh>

I guess I should have left the "but" out of that Tilt. One of the things you have to get used to down here is hiking in the heat, if you want to get out during the summer. A lot of people opt to not hike in the summer here.”

“I'm back from my girlscout campout. We had extraordinarily blue skies and perfect in the 60's temps. Had a two hour thunderstorm in the middle of the night but the girls did fine, and most slept through it. Everything went well. We made fajitas over the campfire on Sat. night and everyone loved the food. Found lots of ticks on the kids, freaked out the Moms some. The boating was great, everyone learned how to row better, except my friend Lisa who couldn't get the boat to move AT ALL. Me, I was strong, but couldn't seem to row in a straight line. One arm was slightly weaker, I guess. The girls were pretty good at going around in tight circles. We all had a lot of fun, joking around.

I worked with the older girls (just became Juniors, up from Brownies) on the hiking badge, but when I tried to talk to them about pottying out in the woods, they were so freaked out. But we got to where they were more familiar with the idea. I told them to go home and practice not peeing on their pants. They were horrified at the idea that their siblings would catch them practicing and make laugh at them. In the fall I am supposed to take these kids on two all day hikes (or a overnighter, but the parents nixed that idea), to complete this badge. This is the exciting thing, to get a bunch of kids addicted to the woods!”

“You are a brave woman LyndyS. Taking other people's children out like that must be a real challenge.

We started our kids out at Lake Powell in the summertime. I had three kids and my sister had six. They all ran naked till they were about six years old and got self conscious--then they put their clothes on. Needless to say, they all knew how to potty outside!”

“Thanks, MaryPhyl. Not that brave though. We had a Mom with us who is a pediatrician. She helped us determine that a girl who fell and hurt her arm, had not in fact fractured it. I was so relieved that she was there. I listened and watched carefully to all her questions and finger pressing to the little girl so that I would know more about it myself.”

“LyndyS- Sounds like you have a bunch of sissy mommies in that troop. God help 'em when my daughter and I get involved in Girl Scouts! They'll never know what hit 'em!”

“Bitpusher, what I do over here in Georgia is... I pay close attention to the weather reports, so when the humidity drops below 90% I hop outside real quick.

The mountains are a real lifesaver in the summertime (unfortunately, it's about a 4-hour drive). It's either that or go up to the lake with scuba gear and dive down 10 or 15 feet, below the thermocline.

It's quite refreshing, but you can't see your hand in front of your face... It's not the best place to go diving if you're claustrophobic at all, <G>.



Is it cold out there, MP? It was about 75 degrees when the moon rose last night (and we've been having a 'cool spell'.)

My fireplace is mostly for show, LOL. I think I used it less than 10 times this past winter.”

“Keith-the wasn't any water in it was there?”

“I'm sitting here today nursing my screaming quads. Did a small mountain in BSP Saturday, not too long in distance or time, but up and down steep sheer/slimy granite slabs with ball bearing like gravel underfoot, with little chance for self arrest if ya slip. Good thing I was the only one there, cause I'da been hollering "rock!" every coupla minutes on the way down. The size of the boulders that moved when I stepped on 'em really surprised me. My shoulders felt bad but recovered more quickly - the 140 mile drive home with a standard shift was slightly painful. It's been a long time since a mountain's beat me up this bad. However I'm ready to go back and do it again sometime and complete the entire loop. The views were incredible and the day was absolutely wonderful!”

“Well--I got sick and tired of looking at my house--we have packed up the boat and Robert and I are headed up to Lake Powell for an overnighter. It is warm up there. I hope the water has warmed up enought to swim.”

“Back today from an overnight trip up to Marquette to see my daughter. Hit a couple gear stores together Sunday afternoon, went to the movies, then got up this morning and went hiking on the trails at Presque Isle Park, one of the best municipal parks in the US of A -- juts out into Lake Superior, which circles 90%. While there is a circle drive up and over and through the forest, the trails that crisscross and circle it are really nice walking, and missed by most tourists who are intent on getting to Sunset Point (which deserves its name). Showed her the side trails that let you get down to the basalt flows that form the park's northeast shore, and we spent a while rock hopping with forest and cliffs to one side and crystal-clear Superior as far as the eye can see to the other. A great day with a great daughter!

The drive was nice both ways, too...the first trilliums have bloomed and the Northern forest is flush with budding trees and singing birds.”

“yep, at home this fine weekend. The wilderness is shut down for fire danger. Did make it to REI for the last day of their big sale. Geez Louise, how can you spend that much when its on sale? The place was packed. No LE thermarests left.

Instep crampons x4 will do it. four work days and counting........”

“.... and spent the afternoon cleaning and waterproofing boots, putting clothing and gear in a corner. Can I go now? Do you really need me at work.”

“Well, not only has it been a laid back weekend for me, I must brag that my son and I went on our first day hike. We did all of a 1/4 mile on a nature trail near a friends house. He loved the ducks in the pond and birds flying over head. The goal is to get this 2 1/2 year old on the trail, on an over nghter by summer's end. I can't wait!


P.S. GO WINGS!!!!!!!”

“Just got back from San Francisco, my wife and two of our friends went for the weekend. It is an awesome city, it was my first time to be there. We did some hiking, but it was all on pavement, it did include some serious up and downhills though.
Anyone else thinking about skipping work towmorrow? I could use a day off to get some rest!! LOL!!”

“Just got back from an overnight. Me, the wife and the dogs. Lots of people on the trails this weekend. Had fun and going again in 2 weeks with my best friend. Should be alot less people in the Hoosier National Forest then. My friend and I will be hiking to Patterson Cave in the Charles C. Deam Wilderness Area. Can't wait!”