tarbubble's JMT hike

“hey hey hey, we're starting our Muir Trail through-hike on August 15th. i'm not ready yet, but i hope to heaven i will be.

for anyone who is going to be in the area, we'll be on the trail from Aug. 15th to Sept. 6th or thereabouts, averaging 10 miles per day. if you're interested in joining us for a day or two, or think we might cross paths, be sure to let me know, and i'll e-mail you our rough schedule.

now, i must finish that %$#@& tent...”

“I'm jealous !!”

“Are you still taking the baby Tarbubble? :~ )”

“you know it! my parents are meeting us at about the 90-mile mark (at Vermilion Valley Resort) and we may send him home with them. if we do, we'll pack as light as possible and try to do the remaining 110 or so miles in 7 or 8 days. we don't want to be away from him any longer than that. i think we'll be able to do it, since we're aiming for 10 miles a day with the baby. well, he's almost a toddler now. who knows, we may surrender after 3 days - but i don't think we will.”

“Yeah..I should know it..you don't do well without him as I recall..But that's REAL good..
Have an awesome hike..I'm jealous too... :~ )”

“yeah, i can't be away from my little man for very long. and thanks. i'll send you pictures of me changing diapers & maybe you won't be quite so jealous. LOL!”

“LOL...”

“We're getting on the trail @ Tuolomne Meadows on Aug. 11th, we're still working on daily goals, but will probably also do about 10 miles/day average.

Lemme know your schedule, never know when we may cross!”

“wanderer, are you going all the way? i don't think we'll catch you, but i'll send you our schedule anyway. just look for the lunatic woman carrying a toddler on her back. my husband is a redhead, about 6' and 180#.”

“sorry for the copy & paste, but i don't want to type this out for every forum i visit.

i took Paul to the Doctor yesterday, for a last checkup before the hike and to request an antibiotic prescription, just in case something should happen to Paul while we were 20+ miles from civilization.

turns out Paul has some fluid buildup in his left ear, a condition called Otitis Medida. currently this is no problem & nothing to worry about. the Doc said it usually clears up on its own. but there is a potential problem. if the fluid continues to build up and doesn't drain, then the eardrum will begin to be pressed upon by the building pressure of the fluid. this is called Acute Otitis Medida, and it can be painful. if the pressure became too great, the eardrum could perforate - meaning it would burst, possibly causing permanent damage. can you see how playing around with altitude, gaining and/or losing 3000 feet in a day, might have a negative effect on fluid trapped in a toddler's ear?

i'm going to do all i can to assist his ear in draining, but if i take him in next week (Monday or Tuesday night) and there is still fluid in his ear, then the trip is off. i won't take him if there's even the slightest chance of trouble with his ear.

i'm not sure how i feel about this yet. the tent isn't quite finished, just 1 or 2 little things to be done. i've already ordered the zipper for the sleeping bag doubler. Dan says that if we have to bail, we'll salvage something out of all the planning & work i've put in for 6 months. we may still do the trail, but break it up, so that we can hike for say, 5 days and then visit Paul at my parents' house for 2 days.

just not sure what will happen.”

“Good luck with the ear but let me tell you from recent experience it hurts. As an adult (shhhh, don't tell anyone I said that) I can accept it and still have a good time. A little one will be miserable.

The antibiotics will clear it up very quickly though. Give it a day or two and he will be all set.”

“no no, at this time, at my near sea level home, it's not a problem and it doesn't hurt him - it hasn't become Acute yet. but i've seen what happens to bags of chips and sealed bottles when you take them to altitude, and imagining that happening to Paul's ear ain't pretty.

the antibiotics were just to add to the 1st aid kit, a "just in case" - unfortunately, there's absolutely nothing that can be done right now that will guarantee that his ear drains. the Doc said yawning and working the jaw will do the trick for most adults, but i can't tell Paul "hey kid, yawn & stretch your jaw!" so i'm just giving him very warm baths, nursing him a lot on my left side (so his ear is up while he's sucking), and hoping. but there's no guarantee & i won't know until next week. we're supposed to start the trip next Friday. so for now i have to just wait & see.”

“Well same thing here about elevation change. The subfloor of my house is at 10.5 feet.”

“took Paul to the walk-in clinic last night and his ears are FINE! told the Doc what we were doing & what my concerns are, and he said "you should definitely go and have a great time. and take lots of pictures!" we discussed our first-aid kit and he said we were carrying everything we'd need. it was a great, reassuring experience.

JMT, here we come, baby! we start Friday morning. see y'all later!”

“Sounds like fun :) dont forget to bring the beer .”

“the tent is 99% finished - a few tiny corrections are all it needs. took it to the PO this morning and weighed it - i'm stunned. the tent itself weighs 1 pound, 12.5 ounces, and the whole kit & caboodle weighs 2 pounds, 4.5 ounces. for those who haven't been following the saga of my homemade tent, it is a silnylon tipi-style tent, with a single pole in the center. it's similar to this tent, but of course my tent isn't made nearly as well, or nearly as pretty.

i took lots of pictures on the digital camera, but of course the software won't load properly so i don't know if i'll be able to share pictures before we leave.”

“havent been 'round these parts in a while, and havent talked to you since ADZPCTKO. Your new tent sounds cool...a lot like my Hex. Would love to see pics when you get them posted!

Peace”

“Party on bubble girl...

Hope you have a great hike !!”

“great news about the little one's ear! Enjoy your trip, can't wait to read the report.”

“tarbubble - Great news. We'll plan a sushi get-together for after you get back.

10 bears - How are you doing? Long time, no see.”

“we'll be back by September 7th at the latest, but i predict we'll finish well before then.

10 bears! how have you been!? yeah, i was originally gonna copy the Hex, but went with an 8-sided tent for space & aesthetic reasons.

oh, and the camera problem was a corrupted file on the Smart Card! bloody hell, we had to reformat it & i lost all the pictures.”

“Looking forward to the trip report (or manuscript!) and LOTS of pictures!! Hug that baby for me!”

“I'm excited for you tarbubble! Have a great time!!!”

“tarbubble....8 sided huh? Now I really want to see your rig.

phil....things are goin well. i hope we can cross paths again soon! whats the next big trip on the agenda? inquiring minds want to know :)”

“Alright, Tarbubble! Have fun- be safe- looking forward to your trip report and pics. I'll be out near Muir Ranch meeting up with WLD and JD Smiling this weekend so I'll see how they are holding up!”

“hey evrybody - just a quick note to let y'all know that we quit. made it to Tuolumne with no problems, but then the avalanche of trouble began. i'll share details soon - they're kind of funny, actually.”

“Funny do tell?


8)”

“Hey Tarbubble,

Sorry to hear you's had to cut it short. Looking forward to your trip report and pics of your new shelter!”

“Hope things are all OK. Can't wait for the report.”

“tarbubble's homemade tent

yeah Phil, we're all OK - although i was almost hypothermic at one point (this was after we'd left Paul at home with Grandma & Grandpa). i found out that water-repellent jackets don't perform too well in hail & sleet. ;)”

“You made that I am very impressed!!!

Way to go!


8)”

“well, we'll see if the first rainstorm it meets shreds it into pieces... but i think it's pretty sturdy. dunno if i'd use it above treeline - maybe for a test, with a backup shelter handy. the canopy weighs 1 pound, 12 ounces, and with the stakes, guy clips, and extra cord it came in at 2 pounds 10 ounces. not too shabby for a 4-person tent, eh?”

“Hi! Welcome home! I was thinking about you today! Looking forward to hearing all the details!”

“LadyHiker "LET'S GO TO MAINE" What's up girl?

Tarbubble can't wait to read your report..Did babyboy go?”

“Trekkngirl - Maine in the fall? Excellent idea! If only I could get away before the leaves are part of the compost heap of the forest! Let's make something happen next fall? By the way... Winterfest 2004 is shaping up nicely! Mtnsteve is bringing the "Social Gathering Teepe" and he mentioned a "sweat" too. (hmmmm.... do you think that is a personal issue?) ;-)
You could fly to Oregon and I'll get you there! Glad you are going to see your daughter this weekend!”