Creek Running North 大自然 Briones and climbing

March 12, 2007

Briones and climbing

The secret to endurance hiking: fail to care whether you are comfortable. I went out for what was to be a near-ten-mile hike in Briones, and near the end saw a beguiling ridge I had not climbed in fifteen years, and though my feet burned already and my calves ached, I climbed it anyway, and then the next. I added only two and a half miles to my hike but another 1600 feet of climbing, less than two hundred feet shy of a Diablo summit in 12.2 miles to my usual 14 on Diablo.

I am 15 miles behind my year-to-date thus far compared to last year, but ahead on elevation gain by a thousand feet. This year has been steeper than the last so far.

I am still too locked-in, and the world’s back turned for the most part. The Steller’s jays sang to their own ends today. I sat in oak shade on 13-million-year-old seafloor reading John McPhee. Seventy-five degrees in the shade: six weeks ago we had a hard frost.

I was tired by the time I made the first mile today. I woke a dozen times last night hearing familiar noises in the house. The important thing is to keep going: I walked eleven more miles. The house will be quieter tonight.

Posted by: Chris Clarke

Categories:
Hiking

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This year has been steeper than the last so far. ...The important thing is to keep going...

Yes. Yes to both.

Hang in there, my friend. Keep walking.

1
By: Rana
on March 13, 2007
at 11:34 AM

And you are keeping going. Good for you. If you feel a hand on your back, pushing very gently, it’s me.

Though I like McPhee a lot, I haven’t yet read “Basin and Range.” Will be anxious to know what you thought about it. My mom read the whole thing in installments and loved it.

2
By: beth
on March 13, 2007
at 12:22 PM

Seventy-five degrees in the shade: six weeks ago we had a hard frost.

While making that groundhog look positively prescient, this hot spell, so early, is not boding well for the long, hot, dry summer. We, up here in the Northwest, are experiencing all manner of flooding as rains melt precious snowpaks. I can’t imagine how grave the problems are in CA, what with such a low, measureable-precipitation year for the Sierras, and now all this melting. Alas one must really enjoy the best of it all now, and you seem to be doing just that. Yesterday was one of those magic days for me as well, just perfect weather to hike up the canyon along the raging river.

3
By: spyder
on March 13, 2007
at 02:44 PM

“Seventy-five degrees in the shade: six weeks ago we had a hard frost.”

Hah! Last week we had a day with a high of 20 degrees (most of the day was in the teens) - today it got up to nearly 60! Life in Boston… (c’mon, this sort of thing happened in Buffalo, right?)

I envy your hike, though!

4
By: mroberts
on March 13, 2007
at 05:27 PM

Wow. it’s getting warm here too.

Unless Zeke has taken up supernatural residence you’ll get over most of hearing him eventually. Our brains imprint usual noises, etc. and you hear them even if they don’t happen.

However, I think my calico queen Aja’s ghost moved with us and I see her out the corner of my eye or occasionnally feel her on the bed, she was the lightest cat I ever had acquaintance with (never more than 6 lbs.) so her touch was light.

Hugs across the eways. It gets sort of easier, but in increments. And it hurts more if you don’t have multiple critters that take your attention once one passes.

5
By: Paula Helm Murray
on March 13, 2007
at 11:48 PM

“This year has been steeper than the last...”

You have such a wonderful way with words.
I agree with Hank’s post in Void. I really see
a book here.

Keep climbing.

6
By: jeanie
on March 14, 2007
at 03:08 AM

I love John McPhee. I bought many of his natural history books individually, then finally bought Annals of the Former World just so I could have it all in one big book. Great stuff.

Sean

7
By: Sean Peters
on March 17, 2007
at 09:44 PM