Two, Random, Semi-Old

Filler post of two random semi-old photos (point and shoot):


Kayaking through Chicago. I've done this a couple times in both directions, and despite the nasty and polluted river you navigate through, it's great fun. This is a shot of right when you start getting into the Loop. It's like being in an urban canyon when you're paddling between the skyscrapers and buildings. I usually take it all the way out to Lake Michigan, and paddle along the coast for a while. You have to be careful though, the waves on the lake are often big enough to easily dump you.


The red sand Kaihalulu Beach in Maui. Big rocks. I'm in the bottom left corner. The fun part about this beach (besides the red sand) was that you could run out into the ocean for about 100 meters and the water was still barely up to your waist.

Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Pt. 4

My fourth day up here started about the same and I woke up ridiculously early. It was relatively overcast, and although last night's rain subsided some hours ago, the thunder was already threatening in the distance.

While eating breakfast, I realized I had already done mostly everything I wanted on this trip and decided it was a good time to pack it in. The hike back to the parking lot that day was shorter than the last couple days, but a lot harder. I took a steeper return route and was paying back the downhill debt from day one, spending most of my efforts scrambling up and down loose rock, mostly up.


As with most summer hikes through a forest, there was a wide assortment of wildflowers. The one in the middle is Orange Hawkweed, and it is actually considered an invasive species in many North American areas.



I encountered a couple of White-tailed deer during the hike. One actually grazed its way into my first campsite. I didn't hear or notice it until it was already about 15 feet close, and it scared the crap out of me.


They never seemed to be too concerned or interested with me. They just milled about and munched on food, vigilantly keeping an eye or ear on me and everything else while doing so.

I had gone a little over 42 miles in 3 days, which was about twice as fast as I was anticipating. Next time I'll have to visit the Little Carp Trail that the weather forced me to skip out on.

Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Pt. 3

After watching the clouds roll in, I climbed into my tent. Within an hour, it was thunderstorming pretty bad. I became acclimated to most sounds, like my rattling tent and the sound of groundwater flowing under my tent's footprint. However, every 30 minutes or so, a crack of thunder would shock me awake.


Cloud cover.

Despite the overnight drama, I woke up at around 5:30 in the morning the next day. I didn't realize how hard the rain was falling until I saw my tent and boots, which were under the tent's vestibule, covered with mud that had been knocked into the air. I had stored my food in a waterproof stuff sack, and used my backpack cover (I store my backpack up in the air too, since I assume it smells like food too), so that was all relatively dry.


The trail is marked with either a piece of blue metal hammered into a tree as shown here, or simply a small blue dot spray painted on the tree.

The morning was almost sunny, but I was sure it wouldn't last. I checked out the Little Carp Trail, which moved back inland, as a day hike. About four miles into it, I heard thunder moving in and backtracked to my campsite. Although the Little Carp looked like the best trail in the park, I decided to hug the coastline to keep an eye on the weather. It turned out to be a nice hike and a pair of ospreys followed my route, randomly flying out from their hidden perches, trying to nab fish from the lake. Also, because I was able to watch the weather, I found a campsite and finished setting up literally minutes before a torrential downpour hit. I crawled into my tent, and felt lucky and unlucky at the same time.


A Cedar Waxwing, right at the beginning of my hike. A common bird around here.


Some type of wren on the Little Carp Trail? Uh, I'm not sure what kind, and I'm not even certain it's a wren. I'm not very good with birds.

Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Pt. 2

I woke up bright and early the next morning and was surprised to find that it was sunny and warm outside. I left as soon as I could to take advantage of that. The bulk of the day's hiking involved a trail that went around Miscowabic Peak and then towards Lake Superior.


The trail generally followed the Big Carp River. Although in some places you had to cross the river by walking right through it, other crossings had some nice bridges.


Little rapids on a branch off from the main river.


Pile of fur.

Something's undercoat...
Anyway, it was a nice hike though the woods, and I set up camp where the trail and river eventually ran out into Lake Superior. I spent the rest of the day eating, resting, collecting firewood, and exploring.


Lake Superior campsite about 15 feet from the water. Amenities included a windbreak for my tent, a firepit (which was a nice surprise), and a bear pole. It all felt very luxurious.


I ate dinner by the lake, and watched some foreboding clouds move in.

Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Pt. 1

It was about a nine hour drive up to the Porkies. Pretty uneventful, but about five hours into it, you start encountering rolling hills, lakes, and rivers all around you as you drive through the Ottawa National Forest. A quiet and scenic drive.


Road into the park.

After getting to the park, it was too late to start hiking. I set up shop in the Lake of the Clouds parking lot to go over my gear, figuring I would start my hike from there the next day anyway.


Avoiding actual confrontations with bears is easy, but protecting your food is a different story. I've heard stories of bears cutting supporting ropes, finding and retrieving water-submerged stashes, or even sending their cubs up trees to climb branches unable to support an adult.

I spent some time walking around the nearby area to stretch my legs and enjoy the few remaining hours of sunlight. Near the parking lot were a couple scenic views of the surrounding park and the famous Lake of the Clouds:


A popular view of the Lake of the Clouds. It is a huge lake surrounded by old growth forests, resting in a valley between two small mountains. I spent some time on the various ledges soaking it in.

After I finished checking out the immediate area, I backtracked about 10 miles to make my dinner on the beach and watch the sunset.


This was the only night I was able to get a clear view of the sky. The weather took an abrupt turn for the worse the next day.

I eventually decided to head back to the parking lot to recheck my gear, pack it in, and try to get some uncomfortable sleep in my car before heading out the next morning.

Plans Change...

Well I just got back from the Porcupine Mountains.

Plans always change. Originally, I was to spend five days there, I ended up spending three. It was mainly because I kept waking up early. I'd get out of my tent at five in the morning, and I was hitting the trail by six. I'd get to my next planned campsite so early that I just decided to keep moving.

It stormed all three days and they were crazy. The first night, the rain was hitting the ground so hard that chunks of mud were literally getting thrown at my tent and it was hard to fall asleep hearing the deafening thunder. Luckily, it never came down really hard while I was actually hiking, so I always had shelter.

Despite it being a very short hike, I hit everything that I wanted to, I worked out some kinks in my new hiking system, and now I have a couple extra days of vacation. I can live with that. I have a couple pictures (though not too many due to the inclement weather) that I will be post as soon as I go through them, plus some accompanying stories. I've already used a couple photos to make some new "Albert Lee" banners, so you might see one or two scenes from the trip up top.

Until then:


A hole. A while ago, we figured out we could climb up to the roof of our building.


There is some weird shit up there. Not sure if this is for tv, weather, or spying on Russians.


Hey, buildings from the Jetsons.


Our building is sandwiched between Avondale (shown here) and Roscoe Village. You get a nice view of the sunset up here.

Best Birthday Cake Ever

Ok, so a long time ago Cathy asked me what kind of birthday cake I wanted.






Fondant poo, complete with fondant poo flies.


The poo looks so realistic, sometimes I think I can smell it.


Quentin's poo inspired the cake poo. Thanks Q.

Slackpacker or Powerhiker?

Due to my hiking trip, this post is about it.

I know people who are either dedicated slackpackers or powerhikers. Personally, I'm not allergic to low speeds, nor am I addicted to high speeds. One would assume the scenery or attractions are in the area would dictate my manner of hiking, but I don't think that's the whole story. It is my mood that determines how I move, whether I'm hiking, walking, biking, climbing, working, or just standing.

The conventional wisdom is to never hike alone. I'm well aware of the risk, and have actually been in a couple situations where I wished I had someone to help (e.g., charging caribou, partial paralysis from hornet swarm attack, snake bite, etc.). However, I enjoy hiking alone because I believe it is the only way to truly experience and appreciate the outdoors. Then there is the added bonus of me being able to decide my pace or route without having to consult someone else. It's nice during the times when I inexplicably wander off or voluntarily change course to explore an area.

While I'm in the city, I have a schedule. Sometimes I just like to pretend that there's no such thing as either.

Random photos:


Old Pentax photo of ceiling lamps.


I visited my Mom in Michigan during this past July 4th weekend. I did not get an opportunity to photograph fireworks (which is fun), but I had some time to walk around a garden at a local school. Although the garden was extensive, most insects seemed to prefer a specific patch of daisies. Here is one of the "insects on daisies" photos I'll be posting more of. I believe it's a drone fly, which resembles a honey bee. They are harmless, and spend most of their adult life pollinating flowers.

Porcupine Mountains: Getting Ready and Getting Heavy

I'm getting ready for a short solo hike through the Porcupine Mountains. As it stands, I'll be hiking roughly 40 some miles in 5 days. Usually that's not an issue but it can be tough with elevation changes on uneven ground while carrying the equivalent of a 6 year-old on your back.

Ever since the first time I backpacked, I naturally gravitated towards an ultralight style. My 3-season setup evolved into a 17 pound setup (without food), which is feather-like when compared to the 35 pounder I hiked with the first time I ever went out. Here's a pic of an older, heavier, pack:


A shopped point & shoot photo of a middle weight pack, ready to go, from three years ago. I use a smaller backpack now and the blue hydration pack has since been totally abandoned along with a number of other items. The white bag is holding garbage from the past couple days I am packing out.

I'm adding on a couple pounds.  I used to carry a film SLR with a single zoom lens which weighed no more than 3 pounds. I transitioned (involuntarily) to a digital point & shoot weighing not much more than 5 ounces. Now I've gone back to 7-8 pounds of photography equipment, which is a lot in comparison to my other gear.

Crappy photo of everything I'll be needing to live in the woods next week, minus my footwear and a couple days of food. New toy is a Garmin eTrex HCx GPS, near the bottom right, which Cathy gave to me for my birthday. Six ounces and I can confirm orientation, location, and track unmarked trails.

Despite still having a relatively light load with all the photo junk, I suspect it's still heavier than necessary. Hopefully this hike will enlighten me and I'll see some new angles to lighten up.


Random photo from Maunawili Falls in Oahu. You could jump into the little pool down below, it was fun.

Knife History

A long time ago when I started cooking a lot, I got myself a couple Shun Classic knives without testing them out first. They eventually got lost or stolen (I suspect the latter) and since then I haven't bought new ones due to some subjective gripes.

First, they are hand biased. I had to special order left-handed versions. Second, the balance on most of their knives didn't feel right to me. Third, a tad overpriced.

I was recently gifted a 7" Wüsthof Classic Ikon santoku. I'm no pro, but after using it just a couple times, I'm sold.  The handle and balance feels solid and natural (at least in my hand), and it is relatively economical. Any other knives I need will probably be from them.


Santokus have a less aggressive blade curve than a chef's knife. While this means chopping with a rocking motion is more difficult, it also means it has a relatively longer cutting edge.  This reduces overall blade length, making it lighter and easier to wield (which is good for Cathy).


The indentations on hollow-edge blades are supposed to reduce drag when cutting and help prevent food from sticking onto the blade. I honestly don't see much of a practical difference though.


The cutting board here was a gift from Cathy, and I love it so much I haven't even cut on it yet. It's handmade from a section of a fallen, naturally spaulted Maple tree and has the original bark on the edges. Killer.

Decorating Leah's Cake

More cakes!

When Cathy decorates a cake, most of the time I only get to see the final product. One lazy Saturday morning though, I was able to watch most of the decorating process and also test out my new bounce flash to boot. Get ready for lots of cake pictures.


Cathy was asked to make a cake for her cousin's (Christine) daughter's (Leah) second birthday. Cathy decided on a two-tier "basket of flowers." Here it is after the basket weave. Yeah I didn't really take too many photos of the basket weave process because I was too busy watching. Putting that weave on is a painstaking and time-consuming process, but the results are impressive.


A lot of time was spent spinning flowers...


And installing them too.


Adding leaves, besides contributing some contrasting color, is always a nice detail. The orange and pink flowers were per Christine's request. I think the "basket of flowers" look was achieved pretty well.


Detail.


Lots of Play-Dohesque frosting was made. Making frosting isn't easy. Not only does Cathy make the actual frosting herself, she mixes the colors herself using just a few primary colors. This time I was able to help by doing some of the actual mixing. By the way, getting the colors right is difficult. When you sit there mixing and folding the frosting, watching it slowly change color, it just burns your eyes out. At some point I couldn't tell if it was getting too orange, or too green, or if the orange was actually pink or red, or whatever.


The dreaded writing. It's tough.


Yes, yes, it says "Happy Leah." This is because Leah doesn't know how or quite understand the concept of a birthday yet, and so walks around saying, "Happy Leah." The cake looked great, and tasted pretty damn good too.