They published my article here!

“I submitted a trip report article to this site two months ago, about a trip I took to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness in Washington State a couple of years ago. It has recently been added to the "Articles" page. Let me know if you've read it, and if you thought it stank or was OK or whatever. I liked it (big surprise), but I wasn't sure it was good enough to make it here, due to the quality of the other articles I read. It won't hurt my feelings (much) if you hate it, so sock it too me! Oh, yeah, it's called "Solitude, Naturally".”

“The way you describe your trip, I felt as if I was there. I was sucked in. Nice report!”

“Thanks for contributing. Every once in a while I have to remind myself that there is more to this place than TT.”

“Thanks for the article it was good...”

“Thanks for the kind words. I would also recommend the other articles, as they all have something to offer. I try to read one every time I log on, and have read most by now. It's a nice feature to the site.”

“congrats”

“I think I will write one on packing a magnum in bear country.”

“Thanks for bringing my attention to it. You are very descriptive in your writing. It makes the imagery very appealing. Good job, Slugman. I bet that trip was rather special to you...”

“Treebeard, you sound like a really together person. You ever come out Washington State-way, you look me up, I'll show you a few awesome places that anyone can get to. Check out wta.org for a few (85 in two years) of my other trip reports. slugman19@hotmail.com.
jmitch, is that your book, "Hiking the Endless Mountains"? Too cool!
Packinheatbear, sounds like you have an "Anecdote" article in you! Go to it, we'd like to hear about "danger in bear country"!”

“I never realized that we have more then the trip page and the forum. Well, I knew but I just "forgot". I really will have to check it out.

Welcome Slugman. I used to live in the WA (kennewick, WA ). Wasn't much into hiking back then. Too bad, now I wish I would live over there.”

“Thanks, Slug. Nice of you to say so! And Washington state is a place Mapleleaf and I would LOVE to visit. Who knows when it will happen? But we may just come-a-knockin' one of these days! :)”

“"I ate my dinner in silence broken only by the wind..."

LOL!

I love Washington!

Treebeard, road trip?”

“Tom, you may be onto something there.”

“Come on down! A person could wander this state for years and never hike the same trail twice. Places like the Pasayten wilderness are on the order of a million acres of utterly roadless and unspoiled backcountry, mostly deserted even in summer. The Olympic coast is some of the finest beach backpacking in the world, though not often deserted! Then, of course, there are the volcanoes like Mt Rainier (too "roady" for my taste) and Glacier Peak, a volcano completely surrounded by wilderness. The top three glacial systems in the lower 48 are all here, Rainier, Olympus, Glacier. I have something like 15 wilderness areas within a three hour drive of my house in Lynnwood. Over 3 million acres of backcountry in National parks alone! Much more in the National Forest areas. Good people, too. Check out nwhikers.net, and you'll meet folks like Sarbar. She'll pick people up at Seatac airport and bring them to Mt Rainier or the Olympics just for gas money! If you come out and hike with me, be prepared for the fact that I am the world's slowest hiker. :) Truth! You'd have a place to crash between hikes, right here! Welcome, friends.”

“"Tom, you may be onto something there."
Treebeard
08:20:39 AM

Yeah buddy, we could run away from home!

Slugman, I've been to Olympus!
That park is HUGE!
Sorry man, I couldn't resist the "broken wind" bit!
What were you eating that "broke" the silence?”

“I submitted one also but I think it may have been too long.”

“Tom Terrific, I just now got the joke! That's hilarious. Wind, break, get it? Even funnier, I was being ultra-serious and poetic, or at least I thought I was! Musta been some powerful chilimac! The trip was about 5 years ago, the fall after the all-time snowfall record was set at Mt Baker, I think over 1,000 inches. Maybe 1998? Well, three years ago I went back and did virtually the same trip with my son, Jesse, in late September. My wife Tanja dropped us off at the trailhead and agreed to pick us up on the fifth day, one day longer than my first trip. It rained like crazy the second day, making the exploration of Rampart lakes very spooky and cool. The third day we sunned ourselves on the rocks above Lila lakes all day before we felt truly warm and dry. The fourth day we climbed Alta Mtn, stuffing ourselves with blueberries until we could hardly move. The berries were so dense, I could grab three or four berries at once with each hand, and we were both purple to our elbows when we finally had enough. A storm moved in as we were descending Alta, and it raged all night, with howling winds and torrential rain. It was literally freezing cold and the tent was icing up. It was so cold, wet and windy that I held a whiz for 12 hours rather than go outside to relieve myself. Well, my son had this freeze dried chili mac for dinner, and had the most horrible and copious gas I have ever encountered. It was so bad, it would wake me up gagging like I was being suffocated, and I would open the tent flaps to try and breath. The rush of icy air was so bone-chilling, that my son would wake up and close the tent, and the cycle would start again! In the morning, we almost lost the tent out into the lake, the wind was still so strong, and our fingers would freeze almost instantly. We finally got our stuff jammed into our packs soaking wet, and we hiked out. We got to the trailhead at 3 pm, and Tanja wasn't due until 8! We set up a "camp" in the somewhat wind-shielded overhang in front of the outhouse door, and waited. Tanja, being a goddess of thoughtfulness, took off early from work, thinking that with the bad weather, we might have gotten back early. I have seldom been so happy as when she pulled up about 6 pm. We had three nice days out of five, not too bad. The point of that story is that the terrible gas is one of my clearest, if not the pleasantest, memories of the trip. Since I wrote the story of the first trip after I had been on the second, I wonder if the "broken...wind" thing was a subliminal slip of the tongue, so to speak. Any head-shrinkers out there with an opinion on that possibility?”

“the albany paper got wind of my bear encounter 2 years ago and called me up.

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=509687&category=LIFE&newsdate=8/19/2006


this was the trip- http://www.thebackpacker.com/trips/trip/397.php”

“"....the albany paper got wind..."

More wind-breaking news??

Go Sacco!!”

“Great story. (Though not at the time, I'm sure.) Glad it was you and not me. I don't always pack an extra pair of shorts!”

“I remember screaming like a little girl during a wild animal encounter while backpacking. It was when I was reaching into my tent one dark night and a mouse ran over my fingers. I mean, its not a bear, but still, pretty scary :).

Seriously though, that sounds like a terrifying encounter.”

“Nice write up. The vampire ref cracked me up.”

“LOL@hyway....I had a friend, a big tough 15 year Marine Corp Veteran who was backpacking with me. One night we heard beeatch screaming like heck from his tent. We raced over and found he had just beat the living crap out of one of these rubber fuzzy things you use for stress reduction....His wife had been cleaning up and put it in the pack (she thought it belonged there). He had reached into the pack to get something and he felt it dislodge and roll down his arm. (LOL) he just knew it was some GIANT spider or something.”

“I'm published!
The Jackson Progress-Argus, Jackson, GA.
Volume 134 - Number 51. Wednesday, December 19, 2007.
Page 5A, Letter to the Editor -
"Depressed and Disillusioned".

Woo-hoo! LOL!

We stood at parade rest; feet spread wide, left hand pressed smartly against the small of our backs, and instruments tucked squarely under our right arms. Our ranks were arrow straight, our chins were cocked, and our eyes were focused dead ahead. Even while still and silent, we were the textbook example of pride and discipline - traits impressed upon us by our director, Mr. Andrew Buggs.
Then, to the approval of those who had gathered 'round, the drum major lifted his baton akin to a 21st century machine. He then raised his whistle to his mouth and gave five blasts - one long, and four short.
"Tweeeeeeeeeeet! Tweet! Tweet! Tweet! Tweet!"
"One! Two! Three! Four!" we shouted back in response as we took the four, high steps-in-place that brought us to attention.
The crowd became restless. Children escaped their mommas to gather at our flanks. We kids - nay, children, 60 in number, were about to march!
Last Monday, December 10th, I made my way via back streets to get my weekly fix at Wing Depot. It was upon reaching Third Street that the gathering crowd reminded me that the Christmas Parade was about to begin. I brought my dogs to heel, and we scampered across the street for a better vantage point from which to view the procession.
First came the color guard, then a couple platoons of ROTC cadets. Then the Red Regiment. I was appalled. Their lines were crooked and loose. They casually walked along in a gloomy display of ho-humness. I was expecting them to turn right on Mimosa toward the city cemetery, and a hearst to follow.
Depressed and disillusioned, and in no condition to show myself to the probably approaching Jolly Elf, I retired to my car. My way was blocked in all directions, so I sat at Harkness Street to await the end of the parade.
As I sat, I reminisced about the days of yore when Jackson High School had a real marching band. When folks attended the Buggy Days parade, it was not to see the Lamar County High School band. When they attended the Deer Festival in Monticello, it was not to watch the Purple Hurricane band blow past. When they came to the Rose Parade, it was not to see the Thomas County High School marching band. No sir. When people came to those parades, it was to see us.
Who were we? We were the high-stepping, busbees bobbing to the tempo of tenor, snare, and bass Jackson High School Mighty Red Devil Marching Band!”

“Kewl Beans!”

“Yeah! Good job. I expect the paper will be hearing a lot back on the editorial page about the guy who dissed the marching band. LOL! Will they say you're wrong? Or will the writers agree, the band needs to sharpen up?

And, not to stomp on your parade (hahhahaha), but please tell me in the paper they corrected "hearst" (as in Randolph of castle and newspaper fame) to hearse.

:-p Sorry, I suck at catching my own typos, but those made by others stick out like sore thumbs!”

“Wow gojo, it's so cool to know that people see in you what we have always known!”

“nicely done”

“Congratulations.”

“Congratulations gojo ..”

“Liz -
It was originally "hearse". I rewrote the entire thing here yesterday, and typo'd it then.

Hmmm. I re-read the whole thing. More than one typo - but youn's get the gist.

Thanky, y'all



Liz -
BTW, that's thumbs, not "thums".
last edited: 12/20/07 1:48:55 PM”

“Ha ha! Made ya look! :)”

“LOL, ya did make me look. ;-P”