Wrapping up another Quartzsite winter and on to the AZ Trail.

Gear of Carl Brown, Sr., another AZ Trail Hiker…. now I need to assemble mine.

Yesterday, I joined the Arizona Trail Association and also signed up to volunteer to work on the trail in the Mazatzal Wilderness the first week of May, a week of backpacking and trail maintenance … meals included.  So, it has begun.  All my energies will soon be devoted to training and preparing for the 800 mile long solo through hike in the fall.

There are few places in Arizona more rugged and dramatic than the Mazatzal Mountains.  Massive quartzite cliffs tower above forested slopes and deep canyons are punctuated with seasonal waterfalls.  Between 2004 and 2012, these mountains were ravaged by a series of massive wildfires which changed the landscape forever.  Today, maintaining the over 45 miles of Arizona Trail through the Mazatzal is a constant battle with the recovering forest and the eroding slopes.   The rewards for traveling in this area are unforgettable, though, with sweeping vistas of the Mogollon Rim and the lakes of the Verde River, diverse plant and animal life and unique rock formations that speak to the area’s varied geology. 

First I must wrap up things in Quartzsite.  That means completing my downsizing for this season, selling some things, packing up my trailer, completing a few more misc. projects at the Rock Club, only 9 more days left when Rock Club will be available to use, then it closes until November.

Everyone lines up by the fire station to head out toward Bouse for this trip.  I wear my mask as it is dusty following other vehicles.  Yes, the folk in the Semi truck are Rock Club members.

We get there and all I want to do is take photos of the flowers blooming everywhere.

And the landscape… tall cactus that are decades old and tiny new cactus that may only be a couple years old.

But I never get enough of rocks.  In spite of leaving a pile of rocks out at my camp, I have left more in my friend’s yard.  And then today, I go out on the Rock Club Field trip and come home with a 1/2 of a 5-gallon bucket more of rocks.  I have picked out four to try and do something with at the club and the rest will expand one of the rock gardens I am leaving behind.  I can retrieve them next winter if I like.  Today we went after Yellow Jasper.

The last little stretch of road dropped off sharply, and I foolishly followed the leader down the hill.  When I pulled off the path, the earth sank a couple inches under my van.  I decided not to pull off any farther.  As it was, come time to leave, one lady could not back her two-wheel drive truck up and was stuck. She had to be pushed back as far as was safe and then towed forward to get her back on harder ground.  To do that, I was in the way with my two-wheel drive truck.  They asked me to move it and drive on out, BACK up that hill I should not have gone down.  Jimmying it back and forth, I finally got it pointed OUT, and gave it a try, I got 3/4 of the way up, hit a rock and sank.  Had to back down to the flat area again, some guys moved larger rocks off the road, and smoothed it out some… and I reeved it… and this time made it to the top.

This is looking back down on the rock collection area from the top of the hill.

Next, the guy who pulled the other lady out, came on up… but he had 4-wheel drive.

And finally, the other lady made it up.  There was a lot of clapping and hooting and hollering going on.  In the mist of the confusion, I forgot to sign out.  I had not planned on leaving yet.  Sorry, Tom.

As I headed back out toward the highway, I stopped along the way for more photos.  I surely love the desert.  It amazes me how anyone can say there is nothing to see or do here.

I went on in to Bouse to treat myself to lunch and saw Beth LaFata’s rig at the grocery story so stopped to visit her.  Then as I came past Hi Jolly, I stopped to see Amada and Scott, and another Sharlene…. oh and must not forget Wally.  I love that pup.

Back at my house-sitting gig, I spread my rocks out to see what I had found.  Here they are:  Yellow Jaspers, Red Jaspers, Green Jaspers, and even a Purple one.  I am going to try and work up four pieces before I leave Quartzsite.  Golly, I like rocks.

I am really eager to work this purple and green jasper.

It was a good day.  I am a happy camper.  It is getting hot here.  I am eager to wrap it all up and hit the road.

My plan is to head to the Southern end of the Arizona Trail and hike the area and maybe camp overnight.  Then I will begin driving northward, checking out all the Trailheads on the AZ Trail, all the towns, stores, hiker support services etc. all the way to Utah.  I most likely will make some overnight campouts along the trail, hiking a mile at first, and then two, and working my way up.  I look forward to joining up with the AZ Trail volunteers May 1-7… and working with them and spending my first full week backpacking.  A good way to break in, not only me, but my gear, in the safety of a group.

I don’t know who I will be at the end of the hike (800 miles) as I have never met that person before, but I look forward to the challenge of the hike and the changes that are sure to take place in me.

Next post will be about gear that I have and gear that I need for the hike.  I will be posting a wish list on Amazon of items I need that are available there.  Right now I don’t have the funds to buy the gear I need, but during the next six months of training, I will be living as cheaply as possible in hopes I will be able to purchase the things I need.

Certainly would appreciate your purchases through my Amazon Store.  Thank you.

Escape Into The Wild

No fitness plan summary, no weekly blog update, no goals… just nothing.

Something is wrong.  Something is off.  I have lost my mo-jo.  Woke up a few days ago and realized this… and decided it needed to be fixed.  ... I didn't know how depressed I was until I got home... in the WILD.  Most of this year I have felt like my cup was empty, but the past couple of days, I have begun to find my mo-jo to put back into it. Stay true to your heart and soul.

It was the first time in a very long time where I had my trailer (and all my worldly possessions) in travel mode… and my feet got very itchy.  All the goals I had lined up for this season, seems to be vanishing before my eyes. The values I had, seemed not to exist anymore.  OK, this can not be.  Time to get lost (or is it found?).

With no pre-determined idea of where I was going, I just headed out away from Quartzsite and what had been my dream/plans for this winter season.  It is amazing how your frame of mind changes, once you have all your possessions in tow and no reason to "go back" anyplace. I just can't sit still in a camp any longer. I need to be on the go. Spend way too much time in Quartzsite, just sitting around waiting for others, waiting for classes, waiting for payday, and eating, and sitting and eating. While I was traveling and kayaking all the time... I looked and felt much better. So, I'm off in search of my mojo again. Thinking most likely I will postpone my AZ Trail hike one more year as I need to replace my house batteries (about $600 expense). I could be in areas without signals... so don't expect as much activity here or on Facebook.

I need to get out and just enjoy nature again.  People so confuse me.  The downside of living in the desert is going to bed when it gets dark, and getting all the rest you need by 1am or so. Then not being able to go back to sleep. Sure beats the depression I was feeling in urban camping though... where I just wanted to sleep all the time.  Here, I can’t wait to get up, get out, look at stuff, see wildlife, take photos, think, breath clean air (Quartzsite air is amazingly polluted especially in Jan.).

I’m not a thrill seeker.  I don’t look for “danger” for fun, but somehow this sign make me feel good.  The environment was no longer bland like Quartzsite.  I love the desert but Quartzsite has been so depleted of anything geologically interesting, and there are so many politics when you are in civilization, whether it is politicians or just citizens… someone is always being greedy or trying to get the best of someone else.

After spending the day exploring, hiking, driving, I got off into the wilderness, maybe a little too far, as I am not sure I can get back out again without help. (Help is on the way!)

But, in the meantime, I introduced myself to me.  Where have you been, I asked?  I don’t know!!! was my reply.  Guess I am loosing my mind.  I’m talking to myself, but we are very good company for each other, me, myself and I.

So, I took another hike and talked to the Joshua Tree instead.

Another hike and another tree conversation with the Palo Verde.

Took another two hour hike in the desert looking for petrified palm wood... and all I found was lots and lots of chalcedony. Suppose to be jasper and agates around here too but I think I am 12 miles off where I should be. Not going to try to make it the rest of the way in 2 wheel drive. I went until the wash dropped off 20ft vertically. What a sight.

Oh, look, there is Swankie, all the way down the 20’ drop off in the wash.  I climbed down to have a chat with her.  Went a little farther and another bigger drop off… no burro tracks to follow, so I turned back.

A couple nights in this wonderful place, and I don’t want to leave.  However, I must leave while I have some help getting out.  There was a pretty fast drop in elevation on a very sandy road.  My trailer is way to heavy for me to pull it back up that elevation with a 2 wheel drive van.  I guess I may have to settle for life on the edge of the wilderness… I’ll have to stick to harder surfaces so long as I am pulling a trailer full of rocks and genealogy.  (in my  next life, I’ll have a 4-wheel drive vehicle and will travel without a ton of genealogy in tow)

So some serious soul searching is going on.  I still want to hike the AZ trail, even more so after a couple days of wandering aimlessly in the desert. So much to see out here.  But what happened to my goals?  What happened to the Rock Club time I planned on this winter???  One: My house batteries are six years old and on their last legs.  Cost of replacing them conflicts with funds needed for the Arizona Trail Hike.  I can’t do both.  It was depressing me.  Two:  People were depressing me.  I never have mal-contempt toward others, yet people are reacting to things I say and do as if I do.  I guess they don’t get that such things can be very hurtful…. to a person with a good heart.  It’s happened too many times in the last couple of years…. and so I need to escape, re-access, etc. and so forth.

Here are my new neighbors. Free, free at last, back into the wild.

All is well. I have officially escaped into the wild. I have reactivated my SPOT device... so I can find myself. I know the way out again, but don't want to go. All I can hear at night is a couple crickets and a few high airplanes, and there are burro hoof prints on the ground outside. I didn't know how "un-free" I was feeling until I got back in the wild.  All night long, I heard burros braying and nothing else.

I saw this on Facebook this morning and think I need to play with it a bit and tweak it to fit my lifestyle:

Why did you dance today? · Denpasar, Indonesia ·

Today I celebrate 500 days of dancing everyday...

Am on the 500th day of my running, dancing, yoga, meditation, singing, drawing, drumming, and writing streak.

Today I ran wild and free for an hour in the rice fields and mountains of Bali to enjoy the feeling of aliveness I get when I run, and danced to get inspiration and ideas for choreographing the musicals I am directing in Bali.

I have found it very inspirational to keep track of the days. The longer I keep the streak going the more I benefit and more passionately I want to make sure to write, dance, run, meditate, draw, sing, drum, and practice yoga today.

I write, dance, run, meditate, draw, sing, drum, and practice yoga everyday, and I try to complete this in the morning, before I allow myself to check email or Facebook, but if I cannot complete everything I explore what I need to complete before I go to sleep.

I love to run for an hour, but if I do not have time, or my body says I should take it easy I always run at least a mile, and write, dance, meditate, draw, sing, drum, and practice yoga at least 2-10 minutes each.

Why did you dance today, and what did you do that was good for your body, mind, and spirit today?

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I have to adopt/adapt this philosophy/lifestyle to my own. I think living in the wild has to be one of my daily things. Out of the next 365 days, see how many of them I can spend with no other humans in view.  Should begin on Nov. 20... the day I escaped back into the Wild and began finding my mojo again. Two nights now. 363 to go.

Sometimes you just have to say, Whoa Back!  This was a surprise to me.  I thought I had a plan, but then once the trailer was hooked up… and I realized I did NOT have to go back if I didn’t want to… it all kind of fell apart, or fell together, or something.  I don’t know, but I can take all the time I want to sort it all out to decide what I need to do daily for the good of my body, mind and spirit.  I believe both Quartzsite and the Arizona Trail will still there when I am ready.  Today, I am smiling.

Morning Walk, wonders of the desert

Cold night last night, only 48 in the van this morning.  But the sunrise was welcome as the winds were calm last night and finally, I got some sleep.  Winds have been so rough, they have really been rocking the boat (i.e.. van).

Went for my morning walk to explore a new side of our little hill. Found this little guy.

Another little cluster of cacti.

I walked down along the eastern slope of our camp… and noted lots of larger trees had once grown there but have been sawn down.

Almost stepped on this little one.  Desert plants are amazing.  Just come on up out of a crack and grow.

Cheri showed me some little green flowers she found.  Aren’t they neat?  The bush is covered with them.

We interrupted someone’s breakfast.  Looked like this was a favorite dining spot.  I tasted it too.  Sweet, and slimy.  We were beginning to get cold and someone commented, it feels like ice in the air.

See the big black cloud?  Well, white round balls of snow are falling out of it.  We were right, feels like ice in the air.

When my hands thaw out, I’m going to finish a couple of sketches today.  Burhhhhhh!

But so far my find of this camp is… a coyote skull.