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Here I am on the opening of our amazing trip to the mountains outside
of Lander, Wyoming Summer 2001. Sure, being on the trail for nearly a week
was tough, as was climbing a 13,000 peak of rocks and boulders, but my
greatest challenge was no doubt leaving my beloved still-fairly new Maxima
unmonitored and un-garaged at a reservoir under a pine tree. What did Sting
teach us in that song of his, "if you love something, set it free." - sigh
- On the way up the trail we encountered some odd things, but none more
unexpected than a team of hearty pack animals. This particular furry fellow
bears an uncanny resemblance to our bearded colleague back in Aberdeen,
Professor Dave Grettler. |
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This was near our second camp of the trip. From this base camp we made
our assault on the peak. As you can tell by comparing this picture from
the previous one, by this point in the trip we had climbed quite a bit
- the trees were shorter and the ground rockier. This stream is fed by
an insanely blue lake on the other side of the embankment. I am shown here
at sun-up filtering water of deer poop and other contaminants for the team.
I like filtering water for us. Mine is the only purifier on the team to
use iodine, giving my water a characteristic quality. Take a sip
of my water and you are reminded of Homer Simpson's line, "mmmmmm- mediciny." |
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We looked up many grades that afternoon, each thinking it was the last
one, the top. He is one of those many, and frustrating, faux peaks. |
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Here is a top-of-the-world shot from Wind Rivers Peak, which came after
a memorably strenuous all-morning hike. With a constant 40 mph wind blowing,
uneven boulder surface, and many sheer drop-offs hundreds or thousands
of feet deep, it was one of those times I thanked God I have such a low
center of gravity. Wow. |
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On the way back, we stopped to dangle our dogs on this massive granite
slab. Ken and Steve are shown here buffing the rock surface. Beautiful
country, huh? |
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"I see a bad moon rising! I see trouble on the way! I hear hurricanes
a-blowing . . . !" Ken and Steve stretching before the day's hike
out.
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How many of times have I traveled with Ken Blanchard and said, 'Damn
- now THERE'S a picture! And me without a camera. Well, color me disappointed'
Steve-o captured this side of Ken, and we are all the richer for it. Perhaps
Ken has never seen this shot of himself, but he HAS seen this look many
times before - on the faces of the students in his classes. |
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After our previous death-defying trip to northern Minnesota, we were
a little gun shy, and this trip to Wyoming had been noticeably free of
scrapes with disaster. While on the last leg of the trip home, however,
outside of Tolstoy, South Dakota we encountered a string of large and destructive
tornados. This amazing, gorgeous, and terrifying thunderhead stopped us
in our tracks. Weather is amazing in the Midwest. This storm delayed us
for hours: our strong desire to be home was tempered by our even-stronger
desire to not die. In the distance we could hear the wail of tornado sirens,
the clap of thunder, and muffled cries, "Auntie Em! Auntie! Em!"
"I'll get you, my pretty! You and that little dog!" |