Training Log Archive: brenda

Folding sequence focusing on Pashchimottanasana.

Hiking up the canyon with Rosalie. Wildflowers still blooming profusely, especially deep purple Lupinus parviflorus, bright fuschia Hedysarum occidentale, and deep orange Aquilegia formosa with bright yellow anthers.

Climb up to the pass with Rosalie, then around the lake.

Brisk swim in the lake.

Climb cross country up the East Face of Ruby Ridge with David, through very steep pine forest, then scree, then up beautiful granite slabs to the top of the ridge. Lunch on the ridge at 8400' in the warm sun.

Then scramble down the West Face down huge stacks of granite boulders, then fun glissades down sandy sections.

Then we came to a very steep descending section that would be charted as "vegetation fight" on an orienteering map, and any sensible orienteer would avoid it, but there was no other way down. The extrememly dense shrubs varied from 2 to 5 feet tall. We discovered the best way to travel down it was to grab onto shrub tops with your hands for balance, then walk on top of the bending branches from one shrub to another. The manzanita had thick red branches that bent easily and provided enough support to walk on top of them. But some of the other shrubs were quite slippery.

Finally the shrubs gave way to pine forest and thorn bushes. We found plenty of large diameter downed trees to walk across and stay above the thorn bushes. Then we came to the stream and walked along the banks to Cliff Lake, where we jumped in for a refrehsing swim.

Then, back up a beautiful granite slope, and fun rock hopping to finish the trip.

Refreshing swim in Cliff Lake.

Nice little run on my "coffee break".

Evening hike.

Ride along the lake with Estella, Joe, and Kristi.

Swim in the lake.