#_travels_

ERRATICING

28hirondelle4 — Thu, 22 Sep 2016 22:33:00 GMT

Another off day for Danny. I slept in to 9.30. The night was again freezing cold. In desperation of warmth I had my traditional morning shower, body lotion, hairdo moment spending an hour in the warm heated bathroom. Ruben was gone to work, so we had chill breakfast. Ranger demonstratively sat in front of the hut door while we were eating and I could not help myself but thinking he needed to go out to pee. How long can they hold back? But was it a trick? He seems to know that with his big eyes he can melt my heart. Reuben told me to educate him, so I would make him sit far away enough from the entry, give him a treat, open the door, go out, close it (I mean when I needed to go out and wanted him not to run away without permission) He was supposed not moving. And usually it worked, but this time, before I knew it he ran out the door, kind of behind my back between my legs. Oh Ranger, sneaky boy! The dog outside, challenging us to run after him. You know how dogs look at you, duck down on the front legs and move their front body from one side to the other. There was no point in trying to get closer, he would always back off just on time for me to not catch him. I made him believe I was after him, so we played a little moment, but then I just walked to the hut and went inside. A little bewildered, not expecting that, he approached the house. I was actually simply getting some crackers for him. The good thing about dogs is, they never resist a treat. A too easy way I thought, for such a big and strong dog, to get trapped again. We went for a pipi walk with him.
We had a hard 5 min to decide what to do especially because despite the cloudless shiny sunny weather, the wind was blowing strongly and freezing cold. Should we try and go for a multi pitch route anyway? Two things to consider: the approach and the exposition to the sun. Most of the routes in this part of the park were in the shadow now or needing at least a 1 hour walk to get there. The outlook on hanging long minutes in a wind-exposed stand in the shadow, didn’t cheer us up. Danny was also particularly tired (going towards the end of the year, he had a long season of work behind him) We ended up « ERRATICING » on the Tenaya lake and Knob boulders 15 min down the road (etymology: erratic. in the geological meaning it is a boulder being carried away by glacial ice and deposited some distance from its place of origin. "Erraticing" the verb of it, meaning climbing on an erratic) - who ever liked climbing, will find great pleasure in this activity only if his interest is in refining his technic and strength. I like to see myself as the moving erratic. Detached from where I came from, but having in me the essence, the inner structure of it, having no certain or definite course; wandering; not fixed. Some people would think that this matches who I am perfectly. As an « erraticer » I am a rock hugger, exchanging energies, giving and receiving from it. The Knob boulders are all right off the road. Rocks scattered below a nice granite wall, lying on a granite platform. The structure of the granite is surprising! Hundreds of little knobs stick out the surface of the rock

REST and ACTIVITY

28hirondelle4 — Wed, 21 Sep 2016 04:51:00 GMT

Danny was off and I was hoping so badly to get on the rock… But… Rain! Good for the parc, not good for the climbing :-) Had to think of an alternative and got to participate in the Meadow and Tuolumne Meditation that was organized by Jean Redle again. It was basically a yoga session introducing us to the nature here. Jean was terribly creative about it. She called the downwarddog-position: Dome-pose, the high-lunge would be the Cathedral Peak-pose, triangle-pose would be the Clark Nutcracker-pose, the pigeon-pose would become the Peregrin Falcon-pose, etc. While doing the asanas Jean talked about all these animals, plants and mountains, explaining how they lived, how they became into existence and so on. Jean has a big sense of metaphorical imaging and would translate the natural world to our human world. I loved the way she metaphored REST and ACTIVITY. For example the Golden Chested Ground-squirrel she explained, hibernates. It knows the equilibrium needing to be in balance, to be healthy. These cute little creatures are totally connected to the four seasons and live in harmony with it. With some distance now, she can say that her gratest gift in life was healing after being diagnosed cancer in stage four. It tought her how to respect her body and it's biological needs, living with the biological seasons of rest and activity. The grasses now in autumn are in seeding stage, they plant for what will grow the following years. That could remind us of planting our seeds, when and how. The energy you can feel in Yosemity's nature is most likely linked to the granite that was formed in the heart of our planet by magma and pressure over millions of years. And this energy is still being released now. Moving from the heart. Juniper pines (le genévrier) are the trees growing out of rock cracks. Sometimes hundereds of meters above the ground. It is one of the most resistant trees against drought. It would first dry out some of its branches in order to survive as a whole tree. Nature knows how to regulate itself. Nature lives by the natural laws. We have forgotten it, and must learn it again.
Later in the day Danny and I went down to Mammoth to spend the rainy cold afternoon on the net (no WIFI in Tuolumne Meadows!!!), and doing some shopping. He had also a surprise in store that included I had to take my bikini. The rain had stopped and after a short drive out of town we ended up walking in the desert going I don’t know where. What was this surprise??! Believe it or not, but it started to smell like rotten eggs. And I got my hint: sulfurate hot springs!!! Who would think to find this out there! There are no indications, no signes for them. But all of a sudden, there is a hot spring coming out of the ground. A lot of them. We spent three hours in the sulfurate hot water. It felt like healing my neck and body, immensely good. Nothing hurt in that water. Just total relaxation. Its a popular activity, and by 8 pm. the natural pool was filled with the hippies and kids from town having their beer and weed. We left when it got too crowded. On the way back to the car, Danny collected sage. A plant that the North American Indians used for cleansing rituals. (Later on in India, one of my teachers would talk about it and show us how to use it. Burn the dry branches and swirl them around your body, to get rid of negative energies) Americas roads are the best for listening to music. On the way home we didn't talk but enjoy our thoughts that were generated by great music. Fakear, Bon Iver, Bishop, Twenty-one pilots, Coldplay etc…
We spent that night watching the second part of the Budapest Hotel. It got very cold outside again and Danny felt bad for me, he proposed that we should share his bed for the night because it was so cold outside. I agreed with the perspective of a warm night, but soon realized that being squeezed between a wall and a guy, on a bed that sinks down towards the middle, with two snoring men and a snoring/dreaming dog in one room - do I need to say more? I quickly went outside to sleep in the van.

The Unicorn Peak has more than one horn

28hirondelle4 — Tue, 20 Sep 2016 00:44:00 GMT

Tuesday Danny is on duty, another day « alone ». I planned hiking, up to a place called Unicorn Peak. A summit across form Cathedral Peak. One can really see the back of a horse and the horn of the magical animal peaking out at the top. It is said to be wild, no path leading up there, the only creatures you come across are grizzlies and unicorns. Maybe some squirrels too… It’s supposed easily to be found: going down to Tuolumne Meadows Camping, walking across and taking the only trailhead that is there (sounds good, but I did not know that this campground is considered the biggest in WHOLE AMERICA! The distances on the campsite map were much longer than supposed.) so I got lost. Can you believe that? I was wandering around for 45 min before I asked my way. The path leads up an hour to Elisabeth Lake. So wild and beautiful. For those, who read the comic series: Buddy Longway, from DERIB, know exactly what it looks like. I did not have magical encounters with wild animals but a dutch couple and an old jogging man. From here on I just followed my instincts. The orientational point is the peak itself. I figured I would take the most direct line, which meant to scramble across some easy granite slabs, that would bring me up on a plateau, eventually to a pass, and from there first go left to the lower summit and then cross over the ridge to THE Unicorn, which was at the end of an easy 5er climb. My climbing shoes were in my backpack. It’s not the first time that I go for this kind of adventure. I don’t remember how long it took me to the first summit but it was longer than suspected. It was like, behind this hill is the summit. But there was one hill after the other. Eventually I made it. Perseverance payed off with a stunning view. Horizons make no boundaries to the endlessness of granite and forrest. Stumbling over thousands of granite boulders, I made my way down to the pass, from there, on dusty occre/yellow colored path up, to get to where I had to put my climbing shoes on. What is called UNI-corn is actually a « mutated multiple-corn », a succession of 5 gendarmes. I had the greatest fun to climb up and down, doing it my way, opening my route, as if nobody had ever done that. The emotion was strong. Beautiful exposers to the left, deep view down hundreds of meters, to more rock and more lakes. My heart beat fast. sometimes my hand trembled, I had to be confident. Believing and hoping that on the other side of each peak, was a more easy way down. Sometimes looking up, I studied every exact movement, so I was sure to be able to make it backwards if there was no other issue anymore and I would have to turn around. Half way up the last gendarme I got stuck. Ok, breath, relax, and slowly back up. Down on an save platform I tried to read the relief. Making sure I did not miss out on something easy and so obvious that I hadn’t seen it. It looked doable. With a good sequence in mind I started to climb again. Getting up to the same point, I got this certainty that I would make it, but not down the same way - too much of exposure - and there was no way to see what was hyding behind. I was happy. Full of adrenaline. My life's destiny out-stood this crucial moment of a decision. I decided to turn, go resting and enjoying on the platform. What point in reaching the top if life was at risk. I was sitting on a rusty rappelling bolt. An obvious point of return. A sip of water and back I was on my way down.

Yosemite granites are the best rocks: « climb on! »

Sunrise Lakes on weekend duty,

28hirondelle4 — Fri, 16 Sep 2016 20:17:00 GMT

Friday-Sunday: Danny is on Wilderness duty. So I go with him on a 3 days hike up to the Sunrise Lakes (800hm hike leaving from Tenaya Lakes, it’s about 1h30 to get there) Where he will count day-hikers and backpackers, check their wilderness permits, clean up camping spots and do a survey. Being up here is being time-machined back hundreds of years. If it wasn't for the trails and airplanes, there was no trace of humankind. Pure air, pure water, no garbage whatsoever and a beautiful scenery. I am not going to write about what we did during these three days but more of my strong impressions I got in quite moments, when there was only nature and I.

Sitting at the lake shore my eyes fell open and immediately I knew I was not alone. My gaze wandered along the other side of the lake. A rainbow colored meadow of growing grass, fallen tree trunks and a dense pine forrest. At first the subtle movement was imperceptible, but then I saw him. Sitting on a mustang, long black hair and one beautiful eagle feather attached to it. He rode through the trees - one with nature. I had stopped breathing. My heart pounding in my chest, knowing that taking up breathing again will make this image complete. I filled my lungs and started easily steady breathing, feeling this connection to that particular moment and place. To the trees, the lake, the wind, the ground and the warmth.

At night we found, close to our campsite, a little circus of stones, where we cooked our meal and made a little fire for warmth and looking into each others faces. The flames reflection was dancing on the walls and in our eyes, the shadows were running above our heads and granite blocks and telling stories of hunters and pray in the old indian times, when man and nature were living together and depending on each other, where souls were one, and the great spirit dwelled within every living thing. At that moment Danny started to chant - turning his soul inside out, breathing in the smoke and exhaling sounds from long forgotten times, rooted deep within him. I did not see him anymore but the deeply marked face of an old indian chief singing of heroic stories and memory of his own tribe.

On Saturday afternoon I was alone at the camp site reading a book. After an hour of lying motionless in the sun with the book I slowly turned my head randomly to look over my right shoulder and saw something like a dog walking slowly past me about 10m away. My mind was calm thinking « wolf or coyote, wolf or coyote? Danger, or not. Danger or not? He ignored me and for the first time since two days I did not have my phone with me and could not take a photo. Amazing encounter. I followed him for about 500m. But it simply disappeared into the woods, like a spirit, leaving me to wonder if that had really happened.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVDnXQWFMVA

touching granite

28hirondelle4 — Mon, 12 Sep 2016 23:00:00 GMT

Waking up Tuseday morning was like sitting in a freezer. I did not want to get out of the -40 sleepingbag.. There is no way! I definitely was missing some warm socks and beanie, and sweater. (I had left the warm sweater in Oakland… cause I thought Dan’s home was going to be warm with a nice fireplace..) Having to pee became though so pressing that the argument in my head quickly was gained by the right party. Do what you have to do. With a BIG surprise I found out that the bathrooms had heating and so it became a daily morning and evening routine to spend 45 min there, shower and warm myself up. I think not having been so clean in ages! Danny had a day off so we drove to Mammoth (ski-resort outside of Yosemite National Park) At the park-gate on Tioga pass, Rueben (works at the gate) yelled a « Tschüss » with a smile at us, proud saying goodbye in my language. For him most important in life is « Smiling and spreading love ».This made my day. We went searching warm cloths for me in some thrift-stores. Danny likes thrift-stores. Ok we will get along well those 3 weeks. I love thrift stores, and it seems the Mammoth population does so too. Big choice there. The rest of the day went bouldering. Couldn't wait anylonger to finally touch this famous granite rock myself!
When I first heard of YOSEMITE National Parc, I was reading Lynn Hills book of her life story. She is one of the rock climbing pioneers and has been the first person ever free-climbing this giantic granit wall called El Capitain. A 1000m rock face. Ever since the fascination of that place had me, and so I could not wait to go climbing on those faces myself. To boulder was good, but the granite of the place we were was old, which means it gets really fragile and also very rough. Not what we imagine when thinking of that special rockformation.
Wednesday morning Danny had this smile on his face: Girl I wanna show you some place! That place was Cathedral Peak, 3200m high. The name gives the form. It looks like a cathedral bell-tower from the distance. It meant trad climbing on easy rock and so we decided to go for a simul-climb. About 200 hight meters via the south western buttress. It took a steep 1h approach to get to the bottom of the beast. And there, hoping to be alone we of course were in good german and american company. IT was a great ascent, that we more or less did on a "revers" basis. Danny did the first 6 pitches (so I could get used to the rock) and I did the last three ones. Spectacular is the right word. With breathtaking vues on the surrounding and cracks over cracks, huge jugs, easy slabs. All that I was liking in an easy ascent. To get on top of the needle was making my heart beat faster, a little exposed, and happy to be on a rope we ended on a 2 square meter sized platform. The germans had overrun all 3 climbing teams and we saw them on their walk down like little legomen. That felt like a good start to those 3 weeks. I felt ike a little Lynn Hill, being in a perfect payground...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho-fIG5ggm0&spfreload=5

Photos: Yosemite

28hirondelle4 — Mon, 12 Sep 2016 00:06:00 GMT

Yosemite "simply BEING"

28hirondelle4 — Sun, 11 Sep 2016 03:17:00 GMT

Getting here is coming into a state of simply« being ».
Coming out of town is like being born again. And it’s maybe the crazy oppositeness to town that makes this place to be felt really sacred. The granit is explosive, an abundant energy coming out of it. Sitting on it, grounding oneself to it, is pure gravity, it’s like a magnet that is inviting unrestingly to sit and meditate to sit and drink of the overflow of energy. John Muir said: The mountains are calling, I must go. There is no natural resistance. Every barrier is taken down.
The bus driver had put the AC on full capacity, and by the end of the 2 hours, I had about every piece of cloth on me that I possessed and still I was freezing to a junk of ice. It was unexplainable how a girl next to me just had a tank top and shorts on and did not show the slightest sign of hypothermia. It was pitch-dark in the valley. Impossible to discern any shape of rock or building. We were driving in a wood. Sometimes I saw fire between the trunks. The smell of smoke filled to bus. Bushfire? Fairytale or horror movie? At Yosemite Village I jumped out. We were badly delayed. Felt bad for Danny who waited to pick me up. How would it be to see him again? What would it be emotionally? Would I still recognize him, his voice, his smile, his look? We hadn’t seen each other in 2 years. When I got out of the bus nobody was there. But all of a sudden a figure appeared out of the dark. There he was. Unbelievable to be there, the place I had dreamt of over long years and was about to discover in many different aspects. Since I have not given a shot to prepare any of this trip, I learned that we had another hour and a half to drive to where he lives. At a point Danny stopped the car an took me out to the meadows, and when I turned around we were standing right in front of this giant granit wall of El Cap that was glowing in the moonlight. Overwhelming. Danny lives in the Tuolumne Meadows. Situated north east of Yosemite Valley at 2650m above sea level. He lives in a ranger woodhut covered by canvas. So you can imagine how warm it is inside when the outside temperature is below zero. He shares his hut with Rueben (super frindly park ranger) and Ranger (Reuben's crazy but so friendly bulldog). I got to sleep in the van! With a very warm down sleeping bag.