Helter Skelter

CABLE TELEVISION!!!!

7:14am a short walk to breakfast and coffee and coffee and its still cold but its only a short walk and....then.
"sorry guys."
"the what?"
"Again?"
"no one's seen the horses."
"Theres been an escape."
"A break out."
"They've discovered charley tunnel, we dig through the night."

I feel like its been much more than two weeks, but we're in town once again. the following is excerpts from letters and random writings and thoughts on another letter and anything.
Last weekend matt and i crossed 7 mile mountain, as it has been nicknamed. there is a summit just above the ranch known as the sleeping indian and this hill as we've begun to call them is connected by saddle and summit to a number of other mountains whose total distance is roughly? yes. sentences. no. not far up the trail we discovered a fantastic waterfall which matt claimed looked like a movie set and essentially it just had to be done. we discovered a beautiful green lake that gave us our precise location on the map. the water was clear and sparkled in the sunlight. evergreens lined the bank and of course there were wildflowers. Its peaceful on top of the hill and without a trail we drap ourselves to the nearest high point for a look around. we've discvered the edge of a cliff which we need to travel around. a similar story repeats itself, a number of times. this is partially due to what i've named the deceptive mountain distance. it can be related to more than mountains. the connected peaks are all sparse meadow and rock with the occasional patch of snow this late in the season. the snow reminds me of the merainge topping on lemon merainge pie. a discussion of they get that golden tint just near the pinnacle of the merainge gets us soundly around another cliff.
i think i'm learning to appreciate how the same trail can give new insight and new adventures at a different time of day or year. even only weeks apart hiking the same trail we've seen so many new things. matts glasses are now under only two feet of water in disappearing lake. i suppose its very possible that a second glance at a different time could change many things, in many aspects of life. maybe i should keep my eyes open.
Elbows.
rubbing elbows and elbow grease. what we do. who we meet. and don't.
the people who come to the ranch as guests are generally well off as far as i can tell. they come from across the country in private jets and bring nannies to watch the kids as they fly fish. they have ex-navy seals taking care of their kids and insist on the bell boy bringing their bags into the next room. all together though they're nice folk. polite, etc.
generally our work encompasses all areas of the ranch. we work in direct consultation with the chef to ensure dish sanitation and serving. manage the upkeep of secondary energy resources, supplement the labor force needed for habitation adjustments, work alongside those in charge of overseeing the recycling and wastemanagement programs and occassionally feed the horses hay, which subsequently is found in all of our clothes.
Wilderness camp.
For the past few weeks we've been setting up the wilderness camp where matt and i will spend nearly half our summer. with no one else in sight. we cut wood. and look at wildflowers. and build things. we cook. somewhat. and read and hike and find trails. we hiked with our boss, joe earlier this week and tied yellow tape around trees to mark our trail. a bit lost; along the way we passed red, white and orange tape. it was a good hike and will eventually be a good trail. ups and downs. like the mountains. such is life. "those are some big rain drops." "twould be hail"
matt and i sit cross legged at the edge of the meadow just above the camp. a large twisted evergreen tree accompanies us atop the hill and together we listen to the rustling long stalked yellow wild flowers whose name is unimportant in light of their grace. there are many insects. they buzz. tomorrow is another day.

early afternoon walk

this is true.











from the apartment we decided to take a short hike up and around the hills in our backyard.
the green roofed buliding at the foot of the hill is the apartment we stay at on our days off. this is a veiw just south of jackson.










i couldn't even force myself to go out in public. i'm going to shave right now. but how could i resist posting? matt laughs every time he looks at me.

Gros Ventre

i had some wonderful correlation between great expeditions and my notes from last weekend but upon review almost a week later i've decided that what i wrote was mostly crap. these things happen. so the notes from our weekend in the gros ventre are only notes, thoughts etc. i've been trying to rethink my idea of a travel narrative. combine a strict account with reflection and thought. maybe even make it interesting. i've discovered the blog idea to be very different from a personal journal in that the blog needs to interest not only the writer but the reader. obvious of course, but often a journal is only interesting becasue it is written for a single person with no thought given to the reader. hopefully this will improve.

"Two roads diverged in the wood and i took the one less traveled, this has made all the difference; Frost."
"yeah, but we're trying to get somewhere."
"maybe we should get out the map"
-with a slight miscalculation matt and i have rolled up our jeans, changed into sandals, and waded bravely, yet inncorrectly into a stream of waist high snow melt.
-dinner is a hobo; no, but tinfoil packet of leftover chicken, vegetables and pasta. compliments of andy, a cook a the ranch. they claim the only difference between a chef and a cook are tattoos. as far as i know its true. andy cooks in puerto rico during the winter, his girlfriend and her friend are also working at the ranch. if it were not raining we would have warmed the hobo on coals, but instead we throw wood on the fire and eat it cold.
-theres snow
-we are following flat creek south, upstream to the source
-with snow melt and rain the water is high and everywhere. we cross streams and creeks by log rock and leap. we shimmy, wade and stretch from one spot of dirt to another. streams and meadows are crossed in a similar manner when the water is this high.
-its raining and cold, but beautiful.
-snow covers the path, but its not hard to follow the stream or tracks of elk and coyote.
-make camp and attempt to build a fire with wet wood; fall asleep next to the half constructed fire when the sun comes out.
-always bring more dry socks than you think you will need.
-continue our ascent as there is still daylight left.
-there is 3 and 4 feet of snow covering everything. the stream can be seen rushing by through tunnels of ice and snow. it would be best not to fall in.
-i continue up alone. myself, rock, ice, sparse trees, the sky is getting closer. maybe a roof of the world.
-moose calls to matt
- fill my pink nalgene with cold sweet water from the side of the snowy peak.
-sound my barbaric yawp (i dont know any bloodhound gang(smile)) ski down on my shoes
-Matt has followed my footprints and he spots a sign pointing towards flat creek in one direction and granite creek in another. barely rising above the snow this is a graceful indication of our current location.
-biscuits and summer sausage, kings of our domain. humbled by the power that surrounds us.
-reading james joyce, a portrait of the artist as a young man.
-gets cold in the mountains, sleep between rocks and chills
-collect rock for ross, bask in the sun beneath a tree
-the small white flowers in each clearing are very small. they present themselves so subtely that they go unnoticed until one is standing directly upon them. it is only then you will look up and notice the green clearing speckeled by offwhite is actually blanketed by flowers.
-matt fills his boots with fish on our return trip. (those streams are wet and the decaying logs are slippery) no lifeboat, only a short quickening of the heart.
-we stop at disappearing lake; it will be gone by august and return again next spring with the snow melt and rain
-of course we are inclined to swim; a leap from a nearby rock gets us in and most likely when matt looses his glasses. i've been in some seriously cold water, but this may win.
-one weekend, 20 miles, a mountain, a stream, snow, rain, and two beat ranch hands
-home sweet home.
this is our summer residence, the bachelor pad. everyone else lives in fancy cabins. somehow we were convinced to set up the tent. one could say its quaint, or even cold.

Yellowstone backcountry weekend

In Jackson we sauntered into Albertsons grocery store and immediately lost all sense of direction. It was nearly 40 minutes later when we emerged from the vast store of produce, packeged, frozen, and organic goods (for not only the rich but the hip as well). With us we carried the scant items we purchased; milk, jelly, trail mix, loaf of bread, 4 bannanas, and a 5lb bag of rice. If matt can catch fish (no problem) we eat like kings, on a limited budget, for at least another two or three weekends.
We spent our first friday evening sitting at the kitchen table in the apartment on deer drive. The evening dwindled away as we drooled over recently purchased maps of the area and discussed possible weekend pursuits. early the very next morning found us in Yellowstone National park.
Stopping at the backcountry office we learned more about the valley where we hoped to spend our evening. As soon as we walked through the door of the small brown wooden trailer office we were persuaded to watch a video, most likely made before we were born, about the dangers of the backcountry. bears, bison and thermal activity oh my.
After a lunch of peanut butter and bannanas, we hoisted our packs onto our backs and hit the dusty trail. It was soon discovered i packed too much crap i didn't need, but alas this knowledge arrived too late.
Not a mile into our hike we were confronted with a bison. the very same species continued to force us into arcing circles off the trail for our entire trip. to fully appreciate the rudeness of the bison who will not step to the side of the trail you must first understand that in yellowstone, bison are rarely rare. in fact they abundant in the area we were hiking and tend to use the trails because they are easier walking. The typical yellowstone tourist (later i'll discuss the elitist theory) however, seems to find the bison incredibly interesting and tends to pull off the road at every sighting. it becomes unnerving. we saw a bison hitchhiking on the highway. frankly after the first two or three bison neither matt or i could understand the further fascination. they can be entertaining, but i digress.
Our hike saturday afternoon was somewhere between 8 and 9 miles and quite enjoyable. nearing the top of every ridge we hoped to find a bear on the far side, at a safe distance of course. to our dismay we arrived at the top of every ridge with no bear on the other side. There was only matt and i (we saw no one more than two miles from the road) with heaving chests and sweaty brows sarcastically discussing the effects elevation will have on the pa hiker. feel the burn. our trail began in lamar valley and rose slightly through the valley intersecting with the cache creek trail which we followed until stumbling upon our lovely campsite. we set up our bear bag near a grove of evergreens by the stream, and pitched our tent approx. 100 yds away across the meadow/bog area beneath a tree amongst bison droppings. nearly quaint. completing this task we followed a stream up the side of the mountain and purified water before making our ascent straight up the relatively small mountain. needless to say we were zonked, i dont think i've ever actually used that word before but it was typed, by 7 and fell asleep by 8:30. we intended to awake at 5 but took a nap after the alarm and awoke at 6. we broke camp, ate poptarts, purified more water and hit the ole dusty trail once again.
due to a fire in 1988 that ravenged a large portion of yellowstone most of the trees in lamar valley and along cache creek are downed and lay on the mountain sides like a box of toothpicks dropped by some divine being and never picked up. we were lucky enough to spot a heard of 12 or more mule deer crossing the stream and bounding away up the mountain. we didn't encounter any bears on our return hike but did run into more bison, which we strategically avoided by skirting around them through the downed trees. we figured the bison wouldn't be able to run through the tree trunks but read later they can jump six feet high. i think i may have accidentially ganked a book of yellowstone trivia.
we decided to see the sights and stopped at firehole river hoping for a swim but were disappointed to find the river closed and most likey for good reason judging by the whirlpools and high water. we drove on to old faithful where we sat with the rest of the tourists and waited for the geyser to erupt. while the eruption is impressive and amazing i'd like to be there the day it doesn't errupt. that would be a day. we forgot a camera. sitting on the bench we were situated beside a chubby 10 year old with a digital camera and his grandparents. the jokes and the discussion of the building crowds were less than lovely. to be there alone when the great geyser erupts would be bliss. man and nature in combat far from flash photography, ice cream, and lines of cars. we're elitist and thats just how its going to be. dodging the patron in kakhi pants, brand new hiking shoes and a hawaiian shirt with camera slung around the neck i occasionally wish i were there alone. do i feel like i hold a greater appreciation for the wilderness around me just because i've hiked a bit? maybe. i once had brand new hiking shoes, how am i different? then again maybe its something more. or less. we really shouldn't judge. the people surrounding me could be the most interesting people i'll ever meet. but i never do. so we continue to judge and wish we were there alone. elitist i believe. i'm ok with it. such is life. old faithful was impressive.
we met eric, who is on waitstaff in yellowstone, 40 mintues later and he treated us to a cheap employee dinner that really hit the spot. eric we forgot to pay you. we will. thanks for dinner. visit jackson. eric then joined us in our search of huckelberry springs. the spring is between yellowstone and teton parks behind flagg ranch on grassy lake road. find it; the trail isn't very long at all. huckelberry springs is a hot spring that flows into a larger stream. the spring is damned in places to create warm pools of water that rival yergeys hot tub. the view was beautiful.
thus ends our weekend. tomorrow is work and the arrival of the first guests. we're attempting to do wash at the moment and i think the washer is going to explode. best to all.

mountains and moose

wyoming is big and wonderful
i dont have pictures at the moment.
we're in the jackson library. there are tree trunks supporting the ceiling in places. its spectacular. the ranch sits on a lake in a valley shadowed by snow capped peaks. this morning while splitting wood matt and i took a break to follow two bald eagles around the lake. more when there is time. the library is closing. yellowstone this weekend. hopefully we won't get too close to any grizzly bears.