Lunar Eclipse

I forced myself out of bed this morning at 4:45 to check out the lunar eclipse. It's been a while since I've seen one, so I figured it was time. It was very cold this morning in town, and I walked a mile or so until I reached the base of the mountains and out from under the orange glow of the streetlights. As I was walking, the earth's shadow slowly began to cover the face of the moon. There were some incredible shooting stars as well! One streaked across the sky, leaving a greenish trail behind it, that took about 10 seconds for it to dissipate. Once the moon was covered, I waited and waited for the sliver to reappear, but it never did. The moon dipped behind the mountains, so I walked home in the twilight.

Spirit Eagle

Here is an excellent resource about the CDT (Continental Divide Trail.) It's a blog called Spirit Eagle and contains information from Jim and Ginny Owen who have hiked the CDT twice.

Backpacking Bug

The backpacking bug has bitten again, and I have found myself spending a lot of time researching the mysterious Continental Divide Trail. A few fortunate backpackers have achieved the "Triple Crown," which is the completion of the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail. I first heard of the triple crown many years ago while in college, and have dreamed of achieving that goal at some point in my life ever since. I think if I'm ever fortunate to hike another trail, the CDT will be the next one. I ordered Yogi's CDT handbook last month, and also ordered Jonathan Ley's maps a few days ago. I'm keeping a watchful eye on my bank account to see if this dream can become a reality this year or not. Some dreams are great to have whether they are achieved or not in my opinion. So, if you happen to see future posts on the CDT, you will know the reason why. It's on my mind! The next few months, I am going to be making the preparations involved to attempt a southbound CDT thruhike beginning sometime in mid to late June. I will have to decide whether the financial risk will be worth it probably sometime in April or May. If the financial risk is too great, I will continue to work and wait another year. There is a lot to do in the meantime...

Mushroom Hunting

I went mushroom hunting for a couple of hours over the weekend and found a few more shrooms for the first time this year. Some pictured above are repeats. The forest felt like a freezer this weekend. The air was much warmer, and the forest floor much drier, a hundred feet or so up the mountainside. I'm starting to finally distinguish between the different kinds of fungus, no better way to learn, than to be outdoors looking at them in person.

Albino Deer?

I came across this small herd of white animals a few evenings ago while I was driving on a desolate mountain road. I stopped the car to take a couple of pictures and a short video. I thought the scene was absurd. Were they farm animals? Goats? Llamas? My brain was telling me they were deer. A herd of albino deer? That's preposterous!

6 Ways Mushrooms Can Save the World

Here's an interesting lecture from a man obviously passionate about mushrooms. I came across this video on the PCT-L a couple days ago.

Mushroomfest

I took a hike near Montgomery Woods this afternoon and was simply blown away by the mushrooms. Never in my life can I recall seeing so many everywhere I looked. It was like one of those blurry pictures, that if you stare at it long enough, you can read what it says or see the picture come to life. On the forest floor, if I stopped and stared at the ground, all of a sudden, all these mushrooms became visible that seemed invisible at first glance.
Unfortunately, I ran out of daylight, and was unable to explore as much as I wanted. I was blessed with a natural high that I have not felt in a long time, it was simply incredible.
The picture above is one of my favorite of the day. I overturned a large rock and this amazing fungi was growing underneath. It was like a giant cracked dinosaur egg. The gray blob on top was as fleshy as it looks.
These fungi are extremely fragile, and once again, had to constantly watch my step when travelling off trail. There was no way to spare the destruction of a careless step. Many mushrooms had already been overturned by previous hikers as well. Right now, I am content to photograph the shrooms and have no desire to accidentally poison myself by eating one.