What's in a name? A pine grows from the clouds in an area filled with Jeffrey Pines
Maybe that's what the 'roadway to heaven' looks like
Jenni below peak, waiting to be enveloped by beautiful clouds
Even a strong editor can be overcome with colds and sore throats. We took a break on Wednesday after the tough Mount Lukens climb of the previous day. Jenni was nearly ready by Thursday but the original idea of climbing Los Angeles’ highest had to be shelved—hopefully, remaining for the way back from Seattle. Thinking of Washington, we have a plane to catch in two weeks and we are a mere two hours north of San Diego—leaving a further twenty to go plus drives to and from hikes. We hope we make the plane at this rate and see Gavin before then.
The hike was quite a distance from Pasadena, our base. Each time we travel on mountain roads, we salute the designers, engineers and builders—it is truly a marvel to macadamize paths to enable vehicles to rise thousands of feet over passes. Highway 2 is no exception; it was an enjoyable experience driving it, especially on the way back. We mentioned the other day: The mountains and scenery beyond La Canada and neighboring cities are stunning. By the way, try and pronounce the city name.
Lost? We didn't know we were supposed to be lost. Mind you, it would not be hard for us. Apparently, it's
the fire-helicopter so maybe we're really 'hot'
Jenni peaks with a great smile and unfortunately, feeling off-color although black seems to suit her
Second 'summiteer': As Maude remarked once before, 'I'd like to walk upon those clouds'. (After you, Maude...)
We left Pasadena heading north-west in cool and cloudy weather. Things became ominous as we climbed until we approached the Pleasant Valley Wilderness area where the sun shone brightly. We were high enough at that stage to be above the clouds. The hike took us to the peak of Mount Williamson, an altitude exceeding 8,800 feet. We only gained, cumulatively speaking, 1,800 feet over 6 miles, return. It was an interesting hike as once again we were on an outside, narrow edge the whole way. Towards the summit, we had to negotiate jagged rocks, moving down to cross a small saddle and then rising again to reach the peak. Once we stood on the top, to the north, we overlooked the Mojave Desert which is as barren as one would expect, sweating under a blue, cloudless sky. Facing to the south (thereabout), things were completely different as the photographs show: Thick clouds covering a mountainous region. These opposite views were available by simply turning the head.
On the other side of the mountain, the view towards the Mojave Desert. Extraordinary separation
Two old stumps, difficult to tell which one is in worse shape
Trail blazer without jacket, climbing rocky outcrop on way down. Huh?
Late in the hike, we met the only other person we saw on the mountain. He told us he was a dealer working the casinos in Tahoe. He had taken off a few days to walk part of the Pacific Crest Trail. We found his comment interesting if not a little embarrassing: "I wish they’d fire me so I can claim unemployment benefits from the government." It makes one wonder about the welfare state mentality as this is but one of many that we have read or heard about. By the way, does anyone know where we can pick up an unemployment check?
We needed to frame the clouds. Versatile eager-beaver-editor chopped down the tree, then shaped it
Mountains envelop clouds or is it the other way around?
We are excited as we head for San Francisco this Sunday, the city by the bay. Our younger son and third child lives in that city. Robbie does not have a split personality but occupies that position on the family tree. We won’t be hiking with him as he has a soccer injury. However, it should be a cultural couple of days as he shows us around. It makes us think of the time when Barbara Frank wrote us an email while we were in South Africa, the country with one of the highest crime rates in the world. Makes one really proud, holding such a record. At the time, she mentioned she feared for our safety which was most touching. We did not have the heart to tell her that an hour earlier, we learned of Robbie’s mugging in San Francisco.
Feeling the strain of the last push to the top with the surrounding mountains on a par
Every few days, we wake up in a different setting. One of the reasons for this is because we go to sleep in a different setting. While some express the view that it seems onerous and it may well be, there is another side to it. It’s quite an experience waking up in a different bed each morning…that might not sound quite right. What we mean to say is waking in a different environment commences each day as a fresh and new beginning. Just a thought…
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
One for the road. As we neared the trailhead on our return, the clouds began to move
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