Lazarow World-Hike-About

Whenever we spend time with Ellie, we become both invigorated and tired—we also remember why we stopped having children after number three. Back to Ellie—what a little blessing. We often say, one should get married, skip having children—go directly to the grandchildren option—what a system. With the parents away, we were able to spend quality time conspiring together, that’s Ellie and ourselves. By the way, the little delight is three years old. We developed a couple of useful ideas as well as made or planned some changes in the Josephson household—that’s Ellie’s surname. After messing about on the trails, Jenni finally gets serious Firstly, when Ellie baths, the tub is already filled with a few playthings, amounting to about 162 items, give or take a couple. We find this most uncomfortable. As parents, we would demand these items be removed from the tub less a half dozen or so, forthwith. As grandparents, we cannot stand to see our little girl overcrowded. With this in mind, we...

Going into a semi-blind situation but invigorating Situation not improving as we obtain altitude We are heading for Sacramento, boarding a plane for San Diego, babysitting little Ellie and then returning after 4 days, to the trails. Ellie should help us with our fitness, although it has been quite good of late. “We need to get some laundry done,” our editor announced. Unfortunately, the Inns did provide such facilities. After completing our second hike up to the hut at the Sierra Buttes, we showered, checked out the hotel and headed for the local laundry. What a good idea, we thought, as we had plenty of time. Watching the clouds move in to shield the summit Going to check the 'view' We had left the Inn at 5:45am on Sunday morning, completed the hike in freezing conditions, extensive cloud and fog covering the mountain and trail creating an exciting contrast from the previous visit. The walk up the two-hundred or so steps and around the observation platform, if ...

Before beginning a climb, we could not resist stopping at Packer Lake “Where to today?” We asked our editor, after an extraordinary hike to the peak of the Sierra Buttes the day before. ‘Let’s try Deer Lake, Dear,’ she answered, making us feel quite special. She added that if we are quiet we might spot deer on the trail. Of course, the problem with being quiet, normally a good thing, is that we could surprise bears in close vicinity. Surprised bears become quite testy resulting in fisticuffs or worse. Besides, being right-handed, we have never been able to deal with a ‘southpaw’ in a fight, easily. Here’s the dilemma. Using a quiet approach might enable us to see deer, but surprise bears; being noisy, scares both the deer and bears away—it also gives our editor a headache. When we consider it: ‘Oh dear, we barely have a chance.’ No sunshine at Deer Lake with Sierra Buttes in background 'Gesundheit' at Deer Lake rocks We awoke to much cooler weather, lovely actually...

A serene moment—actually , one of many "No man is an island"—kindly explain that 'burst of wisdom', please? We were not expecting too much excitement following a hike up to Mount Elwell in the Sierras, the day before. We were wrong, fortunately. The Plumas National Forest is no slouch although it might not have the same ‘pull’ as some of the other natural wonders—we prefer it that way. Once again, the serenity, tranquility and beauty mesmerized us or it could have been a case of tired muscles after a 9-mile hike. It’s not often we have the feeling of foregoing a hot bath, comfortable bed and well-prepared food. On Tuesday, camping under the stars seemed like a very good idea. Fortunately, our sleeping bags were left in the motel. Grass Lake—the ducks isolated from most of humanity Superb rocking climbing opportunities We left Shasta on Sunday, stopping in Redding for provisions and an oil change for the car. That’s where we developed the idea ...

Jenni standing at an altitude of 8600 feet. Steps built upon granite cliffs and spires to reach fire hut overlook After 20 minutes, we notice the fire hut protruding at the summit, 2500 feet climb We see and experience so many beautiful parts of the world that one wonders what can possibly be next. As a principle, we gave up comparing hikes, natural wonders and the world in general. Each and every part is unique; each has its own character. Having enunciated the principle, a good one we think, along comes the Sierra Buttes; we almost want to add an addendum to the principle. We left the Inn at 5:45am. By the way, the Downie River flows past our bedroom window (10 feet away)—it is delightful. After the hike and a shower, we sat on the balcony taking in the sights while doing some work—it’s uplifting. However, it would be nice if they stopped the water flow between 10pm and 6am. Back to reality. One idea for the early departure was to avoid the road construction gang on hig...

Long Lake, below Mount Elwell, but still above 6,000 feet Mountain arising from the lake We spent over four hours negotiating 9 miles in the Shasta Wilderness, a forest with pine fragrance, streams and the odd tree or two—that’s in the millions. It turned out to be a mixed day, a mix up in understanding the hike but our best at judging a difficult-to-follow path. It’s easy to understand that people often get lost, spending days in a forest. How much further to go before the summit? Finally, at the peak We did not see another soul during the hike. However, when we do meet people, it’s often an eye opener discovering different lifestyles. We came across a young couple meandering along a mountain on Monday. After a brief chat, we suggested they hike Black Butte. “We don’t have a car,” they replied. ‘How did you get here?’ We asked. “We walked from the town,” they said. For the record, the town is eleven miles away. The woman, who is a nurse, was carrying at least 50 po...