5th Annual Columbus Day Excursion - Done!

Well, it's done.  Columbus Day is over and so is another hike in the Grand Canyon.  Our original group of five dwindled down to three due to a knee injury.  But the canyon will be there next year and hopefully the sore knee will heal.

Our route for this trip took us down the Tanner Trail at Lipan Point and then down river to Hance Rapids.  From there we started the climb back out to Hance Creek, Horseshoe Mesa and to the top at Grandview Point.  I've done this entire route once before and it was my third hike between Hance Rapids and Grandview.  Still it was enjoyable (but anything beats sitting in an office all day long).  We hit the extremes in weather.  The first few days were above normal temperatures and it snowed, rained and hailed on us the last day.

My companions for this trip included my son Justin (6th trip into the canyon) and my neighbor Curt (1st trip).  Hopefully they enjoyed the hike (and 20 hours stuck with me in a truck) as much as I did.  Thanks once again to three very special ladies that allow their husbands to escape for a week.  It is much appreciated.  A trip report will be posted soon on my outdoor adventures blog.

Happy Hiking

Grand Canyon Preparation

I'm hiking down the Grand Canyon (GC) with a group of friends this fall.  I've done it multiple times before, but my friends are all rookies when it comes to the GC.  I was doing a little GC research on the web when I came across a nice little article on preparing for a GC rafting trip.  Many of the ideas are great and are applicable to hiking as well.  I've deleted some that were obviously rafting only and added a few of my own GC preparation tips.

• One week before the trip, have a yard of sand delivered to your home.
• Sprinkle liberally in your bed, dresser drawers, and on kitchen and bathroom counters. 
• Fill your saltshaker, sugar bowl and cereal boxes with sand and use them as usual.
• Place garbage can lids of sand in front of your fans and run them continuously at maximum speed.
• After renting a projection TV, illuminate the walls and ceiling of your bedroom with old horror movies, especially the snake, spider, lizard, mice and bat infested scenes. 
• Line your sandals with sandpaper and spend two hours per day on a Stairmaster.
• Drape the allotted contents of your brown grocery bag on the bushes and rocks in your back yard.
• Twice a day, practice changing while your neighbors watch.
• Practice relieving your self on a bush next to a jogging or biking trail.  Say hi to anyone who passes by.  (Necessary on the corridor trails)

Other helpful hints:

• Practice cooking and eating meals with one utensil and no dish or plate. 
• Always answer, "no?' to the question 'Does anyone want to go on a evening hike.

For summer season hikes do the following:

• For 2 hours each day, place your head in front of (or over) the fan on the condenser unit of your home air conditioner.

And for those dry summers on back country trails when water may be in short supply

• Pee in a baggy, pump it through your filter, then drink while warm.

Influencer: A new recommended read

Two weeks ago I had a class at work called "Influencer" based on the book "Influencer, The Power to Change Anything."  I started reading the book yesterday and continued reading it today.  It's an interesting book and builds on topics that were addressed in the earlier classes "Crucial Conversations" and "Crucial Confrontations."  I've already added it to my list of "recommended reading."

One item that stood out for me today was a statement concerning altering behavior.  The authors stated "When it comes to altering behavior, you need to help others answer only two questions.  First:  Is it worth it? (If not, why waste the effort?) And second:  Can they do this thing? (If not, why try?) ...If you want to change behavior, change one or both of these expectations."

The focus on the book is how to influence others, but one of the statements said that by studying the concepts, you could apply them to yourself.  So, I've been thinking about it throughout the day.  Can I influence myself to change myself into something better.  I'll have to do some serious thinking on this one because I know of several things that I'd like to improve.

What's Dale doing now?

Dang, I went to work this week.  Oops, I get paid to do that!

The first three days were spent in a soft skills course - Influencer.  I highly recommend it.  This class builds on the two earlier classes:  Crucial Conversations and Crucial Confrontations.  Lots of good stuff, including some funny/educational videos.

If I enjoyed the class so much, why am I an engineer.  I need a pep talk.  Where is Dilbert when you need him?

On day two, I forgot to bring a pen.  So I asked the trainer for a loan.  She found one and told me to keep it.  It's a fairly nice pen.  Smooth Ink.  Colorful logo on it.  AFGE local 1592.  Solidarity.  Live Better/Work Union.  At lunch I went back to my office and got my own pen.

Thursday and Friday were in the office.  Spent several hours both days working on grievances.  The step 1 finding was released today for the "Contract Violation" grievance.  STP did not prevail, but it's not over yet, she'll take it to step 2.

I also got a ULP - that's an unfair labor practice.  I sent the top union dude an encrypted, signed email instead of sending an unsigned, unencrypted fax.  My bad - I screwed up.  The dude had warned me a month ago about sending the attachment because they contained personal information.  I checked the rules - No personal identificable information was contained.  After having so many grievances, I wanted to make sure that the union received it and I don't get positive acknowledgement of delivery from the fax machine.  So I sent a second email to the union dude because the Master Labor Agreement (MLA) requires that I send the info to the union. The dude obviously doesn't like email attachments, but he forwarded the attachment on to the labor union lawyer babe - unencrypted.  Go figure, UCFS


I'd like to put that union pen in a location where the sun never shines.

Governor Scott Walker - you're my hero.

Twin Lakes Overnighter

I had the opportunity to join the scouts on the 2nd night of an overnighter to Twin Lakes in the Uintas.  I bummed a ride with Ken and Kris who were also going up for just the second night.  We left Farr West about 4 and got to the trailhead about 6 p.m.

Bridge over outlet at Wall Lake

Just after we passed over the bridge at Wall Lake (1 mile into the hike), we saw this guy coming out of the brush on the lake side of the trail.  I think we recognized him before he recognized us.  It was Elliot, one of the scout leaders.  He told us that his grandson has cut open his toe jumping into the lake and they were trying to evacuate him.  Unfortunately, he, his grandson, and the other adult leader had become separated.  After assessing the situation, we suggested that he go down to the bridge and wait for a few minutes to see if the other two showed up.  We then proceeded up the trail and would look for the other two as we were hiking.  We hiked for another 20 minutes or so and came across Darin and two of the scouts.  They were loaded down with Eliot and his grandson's backpacks.  We exchanged info and they continued down while we continued up.

At Wall Lake

After arriving at the campsite, I grabbed a quick bite to eat, grabbed my fanny pack, snacks, water and my bivy sack and headed back down the trail.  We had a tough time finding the trail to Twin Lakes in the daylight and as they would be arriving back after dark, I didn't want them to get lost.  So I hiked back to the main trail and 30 minutes later, Darrin and the scouts arrived.  Eliot and his grandson had met up at the bridge and Curt was driving them to the hospital in Park City.

Later, as I was getting settled for the night, Curt showed back up.  He had his GPS and had no problem finding the campsite.

The Motley Scout Troop

Saturday morning I went for a short hike up to the notch and back.  We had a leisurely time eating breakfast and packing our gear before heading back out.  Overall, it was a good trip.  The boys had fun, caught some fish, and other than a fairly significant toe inury, things went pretty smooth.  Most of the boys that were on this trip will become a part of my group next year.

2012 Columbus Day Holiday Adventure

My permit! It arrived in the mail just a few days ago!   I didn't get my first choice of routes, but heck, any Grand Canyon trip is better than sitting in the office.

This will be a repeat of the trip done in 2008.  We'll start at Lipan Point and end hiking out from Horseshoe Mesa.  I have a few twists for this trip.  I'm planning on going around the northside of Horseshoe Mesa instead of climbing up the East face.  Also, during my research, I found out that there is a cave on the Mesa.  It is now a part of my plans.

Kris also got permits for August at Zion.  We'll be doing the Virgin River Narrows.  I did it last year and it was a blast.

Summer is Here

It's June 2.  Summer has started.

Yesterday I submitted my request for a backcountry hiking permit in the Grand Canyon.  Our preferred route is the Royal Arch, but I also put in requests for the Tanner, Escalante & Tonto Trails and a Rim to Rim to Rim hike.  Hopefully we'll get something.  It took 12 tries at the fax machine before I got one to go through.  Hopefully only 1 went through and I don't get charged for multiple trips.

I also tried to put in a request for the Zion Virgin River Narrows for a planned outing in August.  Too early.  The earliest date I can submit is on June 5 at 10:00 am.

Our bike trip in Moab is next week.  Our plans are to leave home fairly early on June 5th.  Oops, need to figure out an alternative method for getting zion permits.  I'm taking a group of varsity scouts for a biking trip at Moab.  Klondike, Corona Arch, Professor Falls are among our destinations.  Should be fun.  We've taken the boys out on several mountain and road rides over the past few months.  Most are ready, a few are not.

I'll provide an update on Moab when I get back.  Hopefully all the boys will have a good time - most of the time.

Mel and family are on their way to our place.  We get the kids for a week while they jet off to Hawaii for their 10th anniversary.

What's up with Amber - now?

Amber just gave me a call.  She wanted to talk.  So we talked.  We talked about many things.

• School
• Church
• Summer rafting trip
• Angels Landing
• Changing her major
• My blog & facebook
• Why she wasn't my friend on facebook

Yep, we talked.

• We didn't talk about boys - what was I thinking!

We talked about the 5th annual Grand Canyon hike coming up in October.  She doesn't want to go.  She doesn't think that there are any restroom facilities below the rim.  Boy is she mistaken.  Many of the restroom facilities are very unique.  So unique that I've taken pictures of them.

This restroom is at the bottom of the Tanner Trail.  The trail starts at Lipan Point.

Restroom at Tanner Rapids

This restroom even comes with a view.  You could almost wave to the boaters as they float by.

Restroom with a view - Tanner Rapids

This next facilty is on Horshoe Mesa. It overlooks the ravine on the East side of the Mesa. This is very convienent for those that take friends when they visit the facilities.

Dual facilities at Horseshoe Mesa.  

Theres room for two & a view

It was late when we arrived at Hermits, so this picture is a little dark. It was taken from the trail as we were descending into Hermit's Rest.

Trail View at Hermits Rest

I'll look for another picture from the Monument area.  If there are more than two in the group, this facility will work out nicely.

So Amber,  come join us on our hike.  Those tales of having to rough it - we were just trying to impress you!

2012 Outdoor Plans

It's here!  Summer time is here!

This years planned activities include:

• Winter Grand Canyon Trip (cancelled, two plausable excuses are listed below).
• A float trip down the Green River from Gates of Lodore to Split Mountain (completed in early May).
• A Varsity Scout biking trip in the Moab, UT area.  Plans include the infamous slick rock trail.
• Yampa River float trip - it may be cancelled due to lack of water.
• Snake River float trip between Jackson Hole and Palisades Resevoir.
• Bike The Bear - a 50 mile bike ride around Bear Lake.  Two trips around makes a century.
• A hike down the Virgin River Narrows in Zion, followed by a mountain bike trip just outside the park.
• 5th Annual Columbus Day Packpacking trip.  Hopefully at Royal Arch and Elves Chasm in the Grand Canyon.

In addition, I may get invited on a weeklong float trip of the Salmon River in September.  If it all happens, it will be a busy summer, but that is what summers are for.

I had hoped to go down the Grand Canyon for a few days in February.  Didn't happen.  I found two excuses that will work:

• Couldn't find someone willing to go down with me - jobs keep getting in the way.  
• I broke a rib playing basketball.  Broken ribs cancelled any thought of doing a solo hike in the GC.

Ribs are healed, summer is here, it's time to get busy and have some fun.

Help! It's Been Too Quiet, Too Long

Susie and I took Amber up to BYU Idaho on January 2 and returned on January 4 to an empty house.  It's just the two of us now.  Empty Nesters.  I've been concerned for 33 years that we wouldn't know how to get along when it was just the two of us again.  Amber must also be concerned.  She has been the sole excitement in our lives for the past 6 months.  Amber called and said she was coming down for the three day weekend, and bringing two of her roomates.

I think Amber is trying to break us in slowly.

Today is Monday.  Amber, Brittney and Liza are leaving this afternoon and rather than risk putting us in shock with a quiet house again. They've obviously conspired against us.  Justin, Pam, Joel, Bailee, Sydney, Aubrey, Cory, Stacey, Emily, and Katie all crashed our house this morning.

Never a dull moment at our house when the kids are home.  However, although Susie may have a different view,  I don't think that the two of us are really that dull.  There's got to be a little spark somewhere.

http://www.maylin.net/Fireworks.html