The Road to 65, Mile 161: Weather

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on May 9, 2015 in Hiking and Nature

May 8, 2015, Prescott- We had the odd experience here today, of being colder than parts of Canada. Snow swirled here, outside the classroom window, for about twenty minutes, and stuck on the ground, in the surrounding mountains. It’s supposed to be twenty degrees warmer by Monday, so the moisture will be useful in staving off wildfires- at least for a month or so. It was also gratifying to see that the mountains of southern California also got precipitation.

It will be an unusual May, in this regard. I am quite sure we will see more rain, between now and Memorial Day. It remains to be seen what this means for our “monsoon” cycle, though I’d be happy to see it be wetter than normal as well.

Weather has been weird, worldwide, and for several years now. Some blame carbon dioxide, and I’m certain that excess gas emissions of all kinds, from CO2 to methane, don’t help. There is also the shifting of the Earth’s magnetic poles, which I am convinced is happening, little by little, so that by the time my yet-potential grandchildren are seniors, say, in 2080, they will be in a rather different world.

It seems already happening, though. Another friend mentioned that the populace of Maldives are fleeing their island homeland, in droves. People in Kiribati, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands are eyeing property in more spacious, less-threatened places, like Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. The shifting may be affecting the world’s fault lines, thus adding to the dynamic stress that brings about earthquakes-great and slight.

We are surely in for more excitement than some would like, and can expect feast and famine, precipitation-wise, to alternate, with more volatility than the New York Stock Exchange, over the next half century. Don’t put away the longjohns, or the summer wear. Get used to layering; it’s the new normal.

The Road to 65, Mile 155: Oasis Within An Oasis

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on May 4, 2015 in Hiking and Nature, Personal goals, Social

May 2, 2015, Granite Dells- I spent the day immersing myself in better health practices. Around 10:30, I set out to this dazzling blend of rock, water and greenery, to pay a call on a natural healer and anthropologist, who calls herself Happy Oasis. She lives with her husband, John, in a delightful two or three acres of land, known as Heaven on Earth. Happy has been all over the planet, in the course of her twenty-five year career, yet she has chosen, and fought hard for, this sublime paradise.

Thanks to her efforts, there are trails aplenty where there could have been condos too many. So, Happy and her associate, Jack, took thirty of us on a walk of discovery- to meet the wild plants which can be foraged for sustenance, in the ecosystem of the Dells. It rained a bit, as if to bless our jaunt.

Here are some scenes of this unique experience.

The home of our hosts is a work in progress, after a fire took out its predecessor. They are nothing, if not multi-talented.

Here is a slippery elm, with its full supply of salad greens.

I don’t remember what the next several plants are, but they are safe and taste very nice.

Here is a mustard plant.

THIS, however, is loco weed. It is highly hallucinogenic, if ingested.

Happy, in front, showed us about a dozen plants that can sustain a person, in the wilds of Granite Dells.

This flowering plant is often called prairie rose. It tastes fine, flowers and all.

Here are some of my classmates, as we enjoyed the fruits of nature’s labours.

It was one of the loveliest of days, so far this year. In late afternoon and evening, I visited with a friend and essential oils colleague, encouraging her in teaching a class on our oils. The day left me with the knowledge that there is more good in our future than not.

The Road to 65, Mile 154: May Day Meanderings

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on May 2, 2015 in Hiking and Nature, Personal goals, Travel

May 1, 2015, Prescott- Th fifth month of the year always finds me taking stock of my assets, making concrete plans to consolidate my possessions, and downsizing, prior to a summer of journeying and carefully living in balance. This summer will take me to Nevada,Mt. Shasta, the Pacific Northwest, British Columbia, southeast Alaska and back down through the Palouse, Idaho and Utah; then to southern California, after a brief July 4 respite here.

For someone who values survival skills, I am a bit wet behind the ears. Tent pitching and foraging for food are my immediate concerns, as is mastering the art of inflating an air mattress. See, I have put up my tent,had it stand for five or six hours, then woke up and found it hugging my face. This needs to stop. I like sleeping under the stars, and still will, whenever prudent. Being that I will share space with Alaskan brown bears, for a few days in June, I think a solidly pitched edifice will better suit my circumstances.

Later this summer, Grand Canyon hikes and jaunts along the Mogollon Rim in AZ and New Mexico, will afford me the company of a master woodsman. These days will prep me for a 2017 thru-hike of the Arizona Trail, as will this Fall’s earnest completion of the Black Canyon Trail, over four stages, from Bumble Bee to Lake Pleasant Road. The Prescott Circle will finally be unbroken, and the Maricopa Trail beckons, in Winter.

All this crossed my mind, after a day of hearing the woes of a teen boy who has a serious crush on a lovely young lady, ten years his senior. It will go nowhere. The woman has a good man in her life, and besides, that’s where crushes are supposed to go. I used to be there, though my crushes, early on, found more contemporary focuses. He will, as well, no doubt.

After making a brief visit to a school whose constituents and staff observed its last “birthday” as an institution, I came home to find that the man I had befriended, and tried to help, over the past seven months, was actually a wanted felon. He was being taken into custody, as I pulled up to my driveway. I pulled in, through the neighbour’s drive, and was informed that he had vandalized my upstairs neighbour’s property, thus the collar. I have no idea what he is accused of doing, previously, but this does explain the hackles I have started to get on the back of my neck, as the day for taking him up towards Las Vegas approached. Now, that is no longer in the works. I have some of his possessions in my back storage, and his vital papers in the house. These will all stay put, and untouched, until the legal process plays itself out.

So, I begin this fascinating month, hopeful, energetic, and chastened about human nature. Tomorrow, I brush up on foraging and go to help a dear friend, one who can be trusted.

The Road to 65, Mile 140: Happy Returns

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on April 18, 2015 in Hiking and Nature, Personal goals, Social

April 17, 2015, Prescott- I returned an item that was particular to my Kia, and got money back, that will be useful tomorrow. A few hours later, I returned to a neighbourhood trail, the Turley Trail, named for a man who was instrumental in starting the Prescott Circle, which begins at “P” Mountain, east of town, and goes in a 360 around the Bean Peaks, Sierra Prieta, Thumb Butte, Granite Mountain, Pioneer Park and our northeastern lakes, then back towards Lynx Lake and again to “P”.

The Turley is 2.5 miles, one way, and traverses four ridges, before ending at a Prescott Circle marker, in a forested ravine. I’ve written of it before, but here are some views from yesterday.

“P” Mountain is not directly accessible from this point, but it’s quite an inspiration, nonetheless.

Here is the gap between the first and second ridges. This is a moderate hike.

On return hikes, I focus more on the small. Wildflowers are a bit past peak here, but still captivating.

The quartz and granite caught my eye, at several points along the way.

Finally, here is a cave, which I don’t remember seeing last time.

It’s probably an animal lair of some sort, so of course I contented myself with this particular view.

Finally, the journalist David Brooks was on NPR, discussing his book on returning to a community-centered ethos. More on that, later.

The Road to 65, Mile 127: Light and Shadow

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on April 5, 2015 in Hiking and Nature, Personal goals

April 4, 2015, Cherry, AZ- On any given day, there are hundreds of possibilities, for both good and ill. I set out this morning for Tonto Natural Bridge, looking to explore the northern approach to the Bridge, via Pine Creek Trail. I had gone the southern route on my first visit, last Fall. The link between the two is a six-inch wide ledge, that is navigable by hugging the rock face, for about three feet of trail. I have declined to so navigate. My purpose in hiking is never bravado or machismo, but understanding.

I spent about an hour there, looking at the remnants of a waterfall, above Pine Creek, and walking along the creek, going through the small caves above it and marveling anew at the Natural Bridge.

The slight sprinkle of fluid, at the “waterfall” is not done justice by a mere photograph.

Pine Creek Trail, on the other hand, means lots of boulder hopping, along the creek bed.

The basalt, which makes up much of the area, may be examined up close.

This is the consummate Southwest- constant interplay between rock and water.

Small caves abound, north of the Natural Bridge.

You may see the first of my confirmations, as the two ledges meet.

Segments of the Bridge show escape hatches for the light.

I stood, contemplating the Natural Bridge, for about ten minutes, while encouraging those who had selected to traverse the narrow ledge between the north and south sides. I can’t see the thrill, but they felt it.

After a satisfying lunch at Early Bird Restaurant, in Pine, I headed over to Pine Trailhead, for a five-mile roundtrip intro to the Arizona Trail.

Actually, I have walked about three miles or so of the Trail, in Davidson Canyon, near Tucson. The Trail itself runs 807 miles, 795 of which go directly from the Mexican border to the Utah state line. The other twelve miles circumnavigate Flagstaff.

I chose Oak Springs Trail, which takes one across Highway 87, over to a Reservoir and up to a ridge line.

Spring is springing! These looks like houndstongues, but I could be mistaken.

There was no mistaking the horned lizard, however.

I rested at this little nook, just east of a reservoir, called Bradshaw Tank.

I did not go all the way to Oak Spring, choosing to save the majority of this magnificent trail for another time. There were some anomalous sights on the way back: A memento of a previous hiker’s visit;

A scene of life that is emerging;

and finally, my second confirmation of the day.

I headed back down towards Camp Verde and Prescott, after that.

There is an interesting pullout, on the way up to the Mogollon Rim, at Mile 13 of the General Crook Highway. This area is closely associated with the unfortunate conflict between the U.S. Cavalry and the Tonto Apaches, as I have explained in a 2012 post on Fort Verde State Park.

Thus was the interplay between light and shadow. Little did I know, driving down the switchbacks and along I-17 towards Hwy 169, and home, that this drive would likely be the last, for my trusty Kia Optima. Its brakes locked, as I approached the stop sign at the 169 just a bit too fast, and ended in a ditch. Two hours later, my car, shattered windshield, deployed air bag and all, was in a tow yard. I was at home, explaining to those closest to me, by phone, what had happened, as my client listened and offered his own support, while organizing his possessions for Monday’s move. The State Patrol and the judge in Mayer are sympathetic, but still say I need to take an online Traffic Safety course. Yes, indeed, officers, and Your Honour. I will take the course, treat my scrapes and scratches, work with the insurance company, get back to mobility and not take anything for granted, ever again.

Happy Easter.

The Road to 65, Mile 121: Getting In Tune

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on March 30, 2015 in Hiking and Nature, Personal goals, Social, Travel

March 29, 2015, Jerome- After a difficult morning, largely due to my dealing with a few internal conflicts, I headed to this mountainside former mining town-turned-tourist mecca. Jerome, as a whole, and my chosen lunch spot, Haunted Hamburger ( a bar and grill), are not the sorts of places one goes for emotional support. Those who live here are a tough breed, so the affirmation I got from the wait staff was- “Yep, tough it out” . I chose that route, anyway, so I found the meal enjoyable and left right after eating, as the place was way full of tourists- another reason the locals tend to be short, in the listening department.

Driving back up Mingus Mountain, I decided to explore the north peak of the mountain a bit. A four-mile round trip hike along Woodchute Trail was what really restored my equilibrium.

A restoration project, Powerline Meadow, is found at the beginning of the trail,just east of the road that makes up the first half-mile of the route. Livestock and vehicular traffic are banned.

About a half-mile further, I met a couple and their two children, with an eight-week-old puppy, who had walked with them to the nearby ridge, from which there are exquisite views of Sycamore Canyon, to the northeast.

I wonder how much the little dog saw. Nature seems to like togetherness, at any rate.

I know what I always enjoy seeing, besides the greenery.

I also find, when my chemical imbalance gets in my way, as it did once yesterday and a bit this morning, is taking a few drops of a soothing essential oil, and rub it on my neck or forehead. The return to equilibrium is almost immediate. It is a blend of frankincense, patchouli, Roman chamomile, sandalwood and lime oils. I find that, the more severe the zoning-out or disconnect, the faster the blend works to bring me back to where I need to be. I don’t mind sharing this here, as anyone else who is autistic, or someone who has OCD, panic attacks, or even mild schizophrenia, can benefit from applying this oil blend. As with our other products, there are no side effects and it does not counteract medication.

Now that day is done, I feel like, between “Haunted Hamburger’s” get-with-the-program tough love, my walk in the woods and the doses of this blend, I am ready for a busy and successful week.

The Road to 65, Mile 114: V Bar V

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on March 23, 2015 in Hiking and Nature, Social, Travel

March 22, 2015, Montezuma Well- Today would have been my father’s 88th birthday. He’s been gone from us for 29 years now, but the wisdom of the man resonates still. A lot of that wisdom, I am convinced, was passed down through the faded, but still perceptible, knowledge of our Penobscot ancestors. I am ever drawn to Native American perspectives on matters, perhaps because of this. Having lived among the Navajo and Hopi people for several years, I have internalized many of these perceptions. I visited some long-time Baha’i friends this afternoon, in this quiet community, north of Camp Verde and along the tributary of the Verde River that is known as Wet Beaver Creek. My friends, a Navajo man and his wife who is of European descent, and their elder daughter, greeted me at their home just west of Montezuma Well National Monument.

After a light lunch, three of us went over to V Bar V Ranch Historical Site, which is maintained by the U. S. Forest Service. Today was the second Archaeology Discovery Day, at this site. There were several booths, as well as the permanent ruins of the ranch, from the 1880’s and several petroglyphs, which appear to be of the Beaver Creek Style, dating from the 12th and 13th Centuries, A.D., and associated with the people known commonly as Sinagua or, to their Hopi descendants, Hisatsinom. In this style, animals and people are often depicted together- either as prey/predator or as observed and observer.

On the way in, we encountered the ruin of a chimney and fireplace, virtually all that is left of the ranch that that once dominated this area. There is a former ranch house, now used as rangers’ offices, at the north end of the site and next to it, a Visitor Center.

We were first pleasantly greeted by a lilac bush.

The importance of agriculture, then and now, was highlighted by a table which featured traditional plants and seeds of the area, including white and blue corn, and various beans and squash. Brown native cotton was also on display. We were each given several packs of heirloom seeds.

Each sherd of pottery found in the area is kept in a dignified manner. Each piece is treated as representing the energy of the person who fashioned it, many centuries ago. It was explained to us that many modern Native American officials a re now more interested in oil and mineral royalties, and the pursuit of corporate wealth, than in maintaining traditional languages and cultures. The preservation of archaeological sites, then, is, ironically, entrusted to the Federal government.

The petroglyphs themselves, and the way the sun hit an area near a crack in the rock face, drew the largest crowds..

Globemallow were in full bloom.

There was a spear throwing contest, using an atlatl. None of us were immediately adept at it. I would need several hours of practice, in order to properly use the instrument.

Many other wilderness survival tools were on display, including several fishing implements and hunting snares and traps.

As ever, my outing got an affirmation from the spirit realm. There were several heart-shaped rocks along the trail.

I was well-impressed by the site and the various displays, which offered a wealth of explanations to young and old alike. This was a fine way to offer an homage to my father.

site, which is now used as a ranger station, by the Forest Service.

The Road to 65, Mile 112: Spring Affirmations and Goals

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on March 21, 2015 in Hiking and Nature, Personal goals, Social, Travel

March 20, 2015,, Goodyear, AZ- So, as I headed down to this western suburb of Phoenix, for a reunion with old friends, on the occasion of our Nineteen-Day Fast’s conclusion, the March Equinox brought Spring to the North and Autumn to the South. The evening was mostly convivial, and I got to know someone, who had once been off-putting, a bit better.

The occasion of Naw-Ruz, the ancient Persian celebration of the Vernal Equinox as New Year, has been adopted by the Baha’i Faith as our New Year. More about this, in my next post.

I used today as a time to formulate short-term affirmations and goals, for the season of Spring itself. These are in the categories of personal, community and extended community.

Personal- I will adhere to waking at 5:30 AM, each day.

I have eliminated sources of frivolity from my daily routine.

I will continue the regimen of daily health checks, morning devotions and exercise.

I will add evening devotions to that daily regimen. (This being one activity that lacked consistency in my life).

I will walk at least a half-hour after dinner, wherever I happen to be, every evening.

Hikes will continue to be a regular part of my weekly regimen.

I will continue with random, and intentional, acts of kindness, each day, wherever I happen to be.

Community- I will remain actively involved with my Baha’i community, with the Red Cross, with Angels of Prescott, and with Slow-Food Prescott.

I will serve out the remaining months of my term with the American Legion Post, though continuing as its Chaplain is a matter on which I am undecided, at this point.

Extended community- I will continue to expand on the size of this.

I will visit with friends both locally and farther afield.

I will offer daily messages and acts of support to those in my world.

I will continue to share and educate people, regarding Essential Oils.

I will make a journey, in late May and the month of June, to the Pacific Northwest and to Southeast Alaska.

Knowing these affirmations and goals will resonate with some, and viewed askance by others, I will honour them anyway.

The Road to 65, Mile 107: E-Motion

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on March 16, 2015 in Hiking and Nature, Personal goals, Social

March 15, 2015, Prescott- I found myself in three friendly environments today. I spent an hour or so with a kindred soul, catching up with her considerable efforts at staying solvent. She has done far better, historically, than I have, in terms of financial management. I’m far better in that regard than I once was, yet I find her ability amazing. She gave me a link to a film,

E-Motion: Trapped Emotional Energy Is Linked to Disease

articles.mercola.com

More about this, in a bit.

I went to pay my respects, in mid-afternoon, to the members of our American Legion Post who had passed on, since last March. Each year, we have a Post Everlasting ceremony. “Post Everlasting” is the Legion’s name for eternity.

After this brief, but heartfelt, ceremony, I got in some fresh air and exercise, at Granite Basin Lake, a reservoir at the foot of Granite Mountain, northwest of Prescott. Here are some photos of the wilderness that is emerging from winter.

Not all parts of the forest made it through winter unscathed.

The granite endures, though.

In spite of the purveyors of doom, water is a bit more plentiful this year.

As always, there is at least one heart to greet me.

The stuffed rock wall reminded me of the one in Marfa, TX.

A small waterfall spilled over the barrier.

Further up the road, a glorious sunset awaited.

This was not just any outing, but a chance to get a shut-in out to the lake he loves so much. That’s always time well-spent.

Back to E-Motion. I watched the film, this evening. It has presented me with several confirmations of what I have known for some time. It also corroborates the observations of Dr. MonaLisa Schulze, in “Awakening Intuition”, that our emotions remain stored in various parts of our bodies. Replacing negative stuffed emotions with positive is an essential component of reversing a negative mindset/lifestyle. I have offered the link here, so that anyone wanting to get a handle on migraines, lack of sleep, stomach aches, and even many forms of cancer, may commence the healing process. There is also a cute love story at the end.

The Road to 65, Mile 103: Glo’s Asteroids

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on March 13, 2015 in Hiking and Nature, Travel

March 11, 2015, Palm Desert- After a restful night under the stars at Oak Grove Campground, near Aguanga, CA, I made the drive back up to Palomar Mountain, and the Caltech Observatory. The story of this first great West Coast astronomical site is the story of George Hale, its first chief astronomer;

of Kurt Zwicky and Maarten Schmidt, who developed telescopes and focused on far-flung galaxies;

and of Eleanor Helin.

“Glo”, as she was endearingly called by her co-workers at Palomar, had an intense focus on asteroids. Her Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking project resulted in the discovery of 872 asteroids, including # 3267, which was named Glo, in her honour. Because of her work, which ended only with her passing in 2009, NASA has summoned enough interest within its ranks to have sent probes to the Kuyper Belt, and has found such orbs as an asteroid with its own moon, a find which surely must delight “Glo”, in the Spirit Realm. She deserves to be in the ranks of all those women who inspire girls to pursue their dreams, regardless of the heights those dreams seek to reach.

I spent about ninety minutes walking and reading in the Observatory Museum (Here is the original 1930 telescope, made by Bernhardt Schmidt). and the Gallery, on the first two floors of the Observatory itself, then took in the surroundings.

Here is the Hale Telescope’s home.

This small telescope, off-limits to the public, is ancillary to the Hale Telescope’s work.

I spent a few minutes afterward, checking out the base of a California Live Oak, and observing woodpeckers at their craft, in the picnic area.

On the way down the mountain, there is a memorial to a firefighter from Picuris, NM, who was one of those killed in the 1999 La Jolla Fire, so-named for its devastation of the nearby La Jolla Reservation, of the Luiseno people.

An overlook near the memorial shows the outline of the Laguna and Cuyamaca Mountains, which comprise San Diego’s highest peaks.

Near the area leading east to the Colorado Desert, lies Lake Henshaw, a reservoir behind an earthen dam, that draws birds and sportsmen alike.

The desert emerged, about an hour or so later, after I navigated a seven-mile series of switchbacks, through the San Jacinto Wilderness.

At the San Jacinto Visitor Center, I was greeted by a pleasant-looking jackrabbit.

Creosote and primrose are blossoming.

The smoke trees, though, do not.

With the Visitor Center closed, due to illness, I headed the rest of the way back to Prescott- and 2 1/2 months or so of working to replenish my resources.

	Sagittarian Seeker on Worlds Within A World, Part…
	Anonymous on Worlds Within A World, Part…
	Sagittarian Seeker on By Example
	slmret on By Example
	Sagittarian Seeker on False Equivalence

A Sagittarian Seeker

Sharing a life of inner and outer journeys

Category Archives: Hiking and Nature

The Road to 65, Mile 161: Weather

The Road to 65, Mile 154: May Day Meanderings

The Road to 65, Mile 127: Light and Shadow

The Road to 65, Mile 103: Glo’s Asteroids

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: