Wind Rivers Day 1

This is our crew eager to begin the 35 mile adventure.

Big Sandy Lake was a relatively flat 6 miles from the trailhead.

Some surrounding peaks.

This is Ike and me at Big Sandy Lake.

Wind Rivers Day 2

This was a peaceful resting place at the beginning of the pass.

This view was looking toward Lizard Head Meadows from Lonesome Lake in the Cirque of the Towers. This is where we had lunch.

This was all just Day 2. Here we are looking back toward the Cirque of the Towers near campsite #2 in Lizard Head Meadows.

Wind Rivers Day 3

Does it look like hail is on its way in this picture?

We are just a few hundred feet up above Lizard Head Meadows looking back on the Cirque and some of Day 2's journey. We have over 1500 feet more of elevation to gain today.

This is Valentine Lake and Campsite #3 just minutes after we were pelted with 3/4 inch hail and lightning. It was all worth it.

Wind Rivers Day 4

Day 4 started out foggy. This is Buffalo Head next to Payson Peak.

This picture is in Ranger Park on our way to Grave Lake.

Anyone want naming rites to this lake on Bears Ears Trail?

Wind Rivers Day 5

No, I don't know how Mount Hooker got its name, but this is what it looks like.

Day 5 was a 14 mile push to the car.

Friends and Family at the Winds

Pulling into camp just after the hail.

This was lunch at Marm's Lake. We were just halfway on our 14.7 mile push to the car.

Clint was the navigator for this trip (training courtesy of the U.S. government). He was also the resident chef.

Resting at Big Sandy.

Ike and I at the top of Jackass Pass looking down onto Lonesome Lake in the Cirque of the Towers.

Just testing the timer on the camera in Lizard Head Meadows.


Can anyone find David in this picture? This was dunch just after the hailstorm.


This waterfall was on the way to Grave Lake.

Pie Nazi

Many are familiar with Seinfeld's Soup Nazi. Well, here in town we have a gourmet pie place called Croshaw's. Every August they offer fresh peach pie. It is delicious, much like the soup in the Seinfeld episode. It is only available in August and they only make about 10 per day.

At least since I've been here, it has been an August tradition in the OR to procure as many of those pies as possible each day. You have to begin calling two minutes before they open, and even then you can easily be shut out. IF you get through, there is an absolute one pie limit per caller. Operating rooms that are successful in obtaining a pie quickly become the envy of the other rooms. Pies left unattended in the break room last as long as a wounded seal in a great white shark feeding frenzy.

The other day, with a combination of luck and strategy, we secured 4 pies. Kristen agreed to pick them up for us. She had all four names which had been used to reserve the pies in hand. When the cashier grabbed the pies from the back, the pie Nazi chef, sensing foul play, looked at her cockeyed and said, "What are you doing with all those?" She replied they were for a customer. As Kristen made her way to the door she was able to catch a glimpse of the peeved chef at the verge of erupting with a fiery "NO PIE FOR YOU!"

Work Ethics

I have been reading others' blogs. I have many clever relatives and friends. I have been sitting here reflecting on my own life and pathetically, I have nothing to report. Kristen has already commented on our date last Thursday to the Beach Boys concert. Aside from that, it has been a constant stream of work; 11o hours over the past week to be exact. That doesn't leave a lot of time for anything too exciting.

I made a few New Year's resolutions this past year that I was hoping to keep. They were sleep more and work less. I have managed to sleep just a tad more, but at the expense of exercise time. Work, on the other hand, continues at a steady pace.

When I was 9, Mom would ask me to take out the kitchen trash and I would yell from in front of the television, "I'll get it in a minute." "In a minute" meant I wasn't really planning on doing anything about it until I was asked again. In high school I would typically do my homework in the class immediately preceding the class in which it was due. It's hard to believe that I have now become the person I am today. I never thought I would become a workaholic.

I enjoy my work, but I prefer to be home. So why do I work? Is it the commandment "by the sweat of thy brow?" Is it a fear of poverty? Is it a sense of responsibility? Am I trying to be popular at work? When you are asked to stay overtime, do you think "oh no" or do you think "all right, a chance to make some more money." When do you decide it's not longer worth it?

To be fair, I wear pajamas at work, I blog, and sometimes I can sneak in a novel. So don't cry for me Argentina, I'm just wondering when to pack it in and go home.