Planning for the unexpected along the PCT… Peggy’s Perspective: Part II

March 29, 2019 / Curt Mekemson / 27 Comments

Smoke along the PCT near Chester, CA in the summer of 2018. — Curt’s extensive experience backpacking, didn’t prepare him to deal with the smoke and fires along the PCT last summer. This photo was taken near Chester, California.

Curt knew I would be nervous without detailed planning of trails, mileage, rendezvous points, and alternatives. With 50 years of backpacking experience including planning, organizing and leading backpack treks for 30, he is something of an expert on the subject. Having a GPS/Spot Gen 3 tracker along was a new experience for him, however. He could upload his location each night via satellite and I could track his progress on my maps. He could also use Spot to signal for emergency help if needed and carried a cell phone, which he could use in the rare times he had cell service or if he had to hike out for some reason.

Then there was the unexpected— lack of water, smoke, fire, and possible injuries on the trail plus my challenges on the road of finding campgrounds and spaces near trailheads, power outages, limited cell service, and RV repair issues.

The first part of the trek introduced us to water shortages! Following mountain ridges over much of its length, the PCT is noted for its limited supply. The mild winter of 2017-18 with its lack of snow fall in the Siskiyous, Cascades and Sierras made it worse. Streams that would normally have been running through July were dry. Springs were sometimes a mere trickle. Even though we had downloaded the most recent information from the PCT site on water sources, the situation was changing rapidly. Our first day on the trail from Mt. Ashland proved the point.

We had planned a 10-mile day since it was our first day out. There had been sufficient water over the first seven miles. It wasn’t the case when we came to our planned camp site. Curt parked me in a pleasant location and took our water bottles down into the canyon where a stream was located. And came back empty. The stream was dry. “The map shows that there’s a spring in about a quarter of a mile off on a side road,” he announced. “We can camp there.” I loaded my pack and away we went. The spring was also dry. Have I mentioned that I was getting grumpy? Our options now appeared to be hiking three miles back or three miles ahead on the trail. “Let’s try farther down the canyon,” he suggested as a third alternative. I dutifully followed along. Fortunately, we hit water in a half mile. Curt’s experience with all-things-woodsy had paid off. The creek, by the way, was the headwaters of the Applegate River, which runs past our front yard.

We had just set up our tent when crashing thunder announced a deluge. I made it inside dry. Curt came in soaked. Mother Nature was having fun at our expense!

The greatest surprise and challenge was fire and smoke. The thought of making a fast exit ahead of a fire was always on our minds, but smoke was the main problem. Curt’s many years of working with the American Lung Association had educated him to the danger. “Wildfire smoke can be extremely harmful to the lungs, especially for children, older adults and those with asthma, COPD and bronchitis or a chronic heart disease or diabetes,” ALA warns. “I resemble one of those categories,” Curt said. Older people are to stay inside and avoid strenuous exercise. Ha!

Fires started to impact the plan as soon as Castle Crags and smoke changed the trail plan totally in Chester when we couldn’t see a hundred yards into the forest. As Curt has shared on his blog, he had to alter his journey to avoid the worst of smoke and fire. Was I worried? Yes! The most difficult situation encountered was at Sonora Pass. I awoke the morning I was to meet him there to learn that a new fire had started on the far side of the pass. As I waited, I watched the smoke billowing from the fire grow larger and larger. When Curt hadn’t arrived several hours after I expected him, I became quite concerned. Fortunately, a long skinny fellow with the trail name of Bone came hiking up to our RV.

Sonora Peak as seen from Sonora Pass where I was waiting for Curt. He’d be coming around the peak to the right.

I hiked up the trail for a couple of miles hoping I would meet him along the way. No luck.

My worry about Curt being late increased substantially as smoke from a new fire filled the air.

“You must be Peggy,” he said. When I responded yes, he told me that he had passed my missing buddy on the trail. Curt had asked him to pass on the information that he was fine and should be along in an hour or two. Much relieved, I settled in to wait and invited Bone to charge his cell phone in our van and have a cold beer. After Curt’s safe arrival (he tells the story in his blog), we drove to an RV campground for the night and learned that the pass and the PCT trail had been closed after we left!

Bone wearing his Portland Blazer T-shirt with a small guitar attached to the back of his pack. Note how skinny Bone is, thus his trail name.

While Curt was facing challenges out on the trail, I also had my share doing back up. As I mentioned earlier, I’d had lots of experience in camping with the RV. But I was a newbie at camping alone. Fires and lightning caused outages at campgrounds and RV parks, cell phone service was often spotty, And Quivera, our RV, demanded attention. Internal lights, the awning, and the air conditioning unit all had issues.

Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem. We’d just find a shop that serviced RVs. But the local shops had a common response: “If you have a problem, call 30 days in advance for a reservation.” Does anyone else see a problem here? Repairs were up to me. Fine. The awning jammed, my solution? U-tube! I fixed it. Internal lights out? I read the manual, rewired the one I needed to read by and decided to let the other three go. AC servicing: well, other than pumping out playa dust from Burning Man— a forever problem— it was still working. Why worry?

There was a good ending to my efforts to find an RV service shop. I stopped by Camping World in Rockland near Sacramento and talked with the service staff. One of them walked out with me, confirmed that I would need to replace the awning eventually but told me bungee cords were a great temporary solution. He then replaced all the lights for me. Last but not least, he told me how to flush the AC with a hose. There was no charge for his good advice and help!

Next up: I will talk about the help that was generously offered to me along the way and a unique way of communicating with Curt: The Trekker Telegraph. Bone was a good example.

Our Trek along the PCT… Peggy’s Perspective: Part I

March 26, 2019 / Curt Mekemson / 39 Comments

Curt and I had just started down the PCT when we came across this sign near Mt. Ashland

In the beginning: lots of questions!

When Curt first shared that he wanted to celebrate his 75^thbirthday hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail, I was not surprised. He has 50 years of backpacking experience and loves wandering in the woods. Then he added the 1000-mile goal. That surprised me! There were so many questions. Reading about the challenges faced by Bill Bryson in A Walk in the Woodsand Cheryl Strayed in Wildadded more. Their combined ages when they started their adventures was less than Curt’s. The conversations and planning began.

The first question was, can we (yes, we) physically do this? I had every intention of joining Curt on the trail whenever possible. He had introduced me to backpacking in 1980 and I, too, had fallen in love with the sport. But there was this age thing— for both of us. I’m 68, a child bride perhaps from Curt’s perspective, but not in the reality of miles traveled in life. Off we went for a week’s backpacking trial run on the 40-mile Rogue River Trail. Other than Curt falling down a cliff (well, only 20 feet head first) after his trekking pole collapsed, suffering minimal damage to his arm, and bouncing back on the trail, it was a beautiful adventure and a confirmation that we could still backpack longer distances with a bit of practice and preparation.

Here I am in the late 90s above Lake Tahoe. When Curt introduced me to backpacking by hiking through the Desolation Wilderness, he brought his 87 year old friend Orvis Agee along for inspiration. Plus, how could I complain?

Peggy Mekemson hiking along the Rogue River Trail. — We trained for our trip by backpacking along the Rogue River Trail in southern Oregon. Not 30 minutes after this Curt’s trekking pole collapsed and he went off the cliff. I thought he had a heart attack and charged over the edge myself. Ten minutes later we had washed the blood off his arm, slapped on antibiotic cream and were back on the trail.

Crossing over a creek on the Rogue River Trail. — Usually, our backpacking adventures have us wading across fast flowing streams or balancing precariously on logs. The Rogue River Trail provided beautiful bridges. My kind of river crossing!

Hiking down a steep, narrow trail covered with loose rock to reach camp at the end of a long day was not my idea of a picnic, however! (“You, want me to hike down there!?”)

A ranger cabin along the way provided a photo op for us.

The next question was how much could I backpack with Curt and still provide support along the way? I was to be his ‘trail angel’ in PCT lingo. I’d be driving our 22’ Pleasure Way RV/van as the support vehicle. We had been traveling in it for years sharing driving responsibilities, so I was confident I could manage. It was to be my first solo trip, however! My job included carrying three months of food and other backpacking necessities and resupplying Curt between trail segments. There was the fine print of course— and other duties as required (grin).One was that I’d greet Curt with a big smile, a hug, and a cold beer when he came off each segment. Given that my young/old husband had survived another 70 to 100 miles of backpacking through the wilderness over challenging terrain, the smiles and hugs were really easy! My presence would also offer a comfortable break from the trail and provide the flexibility of changing mileage, timelines, and length of breaks if needed. It was an advantage that few PCT hikers have. Curt is spoiled rotten, what can I say.

We used our 22-foot RV Quivera for back up. (Quivera was a mysterious Native American city that was supposedly full of treasure but was always moving around so no one could find it.) I’ve had plenty of experience driving it. We always take turns, but there is more. When Curt and I retraced his 1989, 10,000 mile solo bike trip around North America a couple of years ago, I drove the whole way so he could take notes and photos.

A #10 can of Mountain House freeze dried food. The back of our van was packed to the brim with food when we began the trip. Each time Curt finished a segment of the trail, I would help him put his next resupply together.

This will give you an idea of what Curt looked liked when he came off the trail: Skinny, disheveled and sweaty! (Here, he had just covered 16 miles in a little over four hours.) And I was supposed to hug this guy and give him a cold beer? Yep.

Ah, the things that love will do to you.

In my role as ‘Trail Angel’ I provided many a through hiker with a cold beer, which Curt fully supported… as long as I saved one for him!

Realistically, I would not be able to backpack much of the way without someone moving the van from Point A to Point B. However, we could backpack the first segment together from Mt. Ashland to Seiad Valley which would be a great confidence builder for both of us. The rest we would figure out on the run! Once we hiked into Seiad Valley, 6 days and 60 miles later, I was assured Curt could do anything he put his mind to! (So could I.) Still, waving goodbye to him as he left Seiad Valley on his first solo segment up through the Marble Mountains was hard. “If you don’t come out, Curt, I am coming in after you,” I told him and meant it. He had looked nervous and said, “Call Tony first.” I am geographically challenged when it comes to finding my way around in the woods. Tony is our Coast Guard pilot son who has participated in numerous rescue operations.

Our journey along the PCT from Mt. Ashland to the Seiad Valley brought us to the Oregon-California border. It is a major objective for the majority of through hikers who travel north. For Curt, it was just the beginning of his journey.

While we were only hiking 60 miles, there were plenty of challenges. Here, I am hiking up the back of the Red Buttes. We can see the other side of these mountains from our home.

A picture of the now snow-covered Red Buttes taken from our patio this morning.

Of course there were occasional breaks. I couldn’t resist this convenient chair.

Here we are celebrating at the small campground where we had left our RV in Seiad Valley. It appears that I was to get one beer and Curt five. Not.

My emotions were mixed as Curt turned to wave goodbye before heading up into the Marble Mountains. For one, I was proud of him, proud of both of us, for undertaking this fantastic adventure. On the other hand, this was the first section of the trail he was hiking by himself. So many things could go wrong out there. He was no longer the 20, 30, 40, 50, or even 60-year old of his earlier backpacking days. Would he come out of the mountains at the place and time he had planned? I smiled bravely and waved goodbye.

NEXT POST: When the unexpected happens along the PCT. Peggy’s perspective: Part 2.

Rabid Transit, Never Was Haul, a Vast Vase and Other Mutant Vehicles… 11 Years of Burning Man

March 21, 2019 / Curt Mekemson / 22 Comments

The Rabid Transit mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — This scary/wonderful creature called Rabid Transit is another creation from the fertile imagination of Duane Flatmo, the same person that brought El Pulpo Mechanico to Burning Man. In fact, Rabid Transit is built on the same Ford chassis that El Pulpo was built on.

Duane Flatmo lives in Eureka California, a short 3 plus hours away from where I live and a million miles away in imagination. Wanting to create a new creature, he struggled with a concept that would live up to his fantastic El Pulpo Mechanico.

Rabid Transit was his answer. Like El Pulpo, Rabid Transit was created from items gathered at a local junk yard in Eureka. Note El Pulpo’s legs made out of abandoned barrels.

Rabid Transit mutant vehicle at Burning Man — A full view of Rabid Transit. Various animals are situated around the vehicle. Note the sharp toothed fishy hood-head.

A side view of the Rabid Transit mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — A side view of Rabid Transit.

Rabid Transit shoots out fire. — Rabid Transit in full fire! As you might imagine, you can feel the heat and hear the roar.

Never Was Haul comes as a Victorian home on wheels with a cow catcher on the front. (Cow catchers are what trains use to put on the front of their engines to remove cattle, moose and buffalo from the tracks.) Born in Berkeley as part of the steam punk art movement, Never Was Haul has been to Burning Man many times.

Never Was Haul mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — A photo taken of Never Was Haul by Tom Lovering. When Tom first saw the mutant vehicle, it was love at first sight.

Photo of Never Was Haul at Burning Man by Tome Lovering. — Another photo by Tom.

Never Was Haul mutant vehicle at Burning Man closeup. — A close up side view.

Front view of Never Was Haul at Burning Man. — And a front view.

For sheer fun, I’d have to list the large vase mutant vehicle shown below as a top candidate. I was even more entertained when I discovered it changed colors at night.

Mutant vehicle vase at Burning Man. — Settled into camp, this is what the vase looks like during the day time.

Vase mutant vehicle at Burning Man at night. — And here it is at night.

Mutant vehicle vase at Burning Man during twilight. — In twilight’s glow.

Nighttime view of mutant vehicle vase at Burning Man. — And a final night time view.

Several trains have appeared at Burning Man. There has even been a caboose, the Dust Bus, which proudly claims it is part of the Nor Cal Black Rock Railroad..

Train mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — One of the trains, complete with cow catcher.

Side view of mutant vehicle train at Burning Man. — A side view…

Mutant vehicle train at Black Rock City. — Another train.

Burning Man mutant vehicle train at night. — Here it is at night with its cow catcher lit up.

Before trains, people got across the US in Conestoga wagons. The Oregon Trail passes through the Black Rock Desert not too far from Burning Man and would have seen many of these wagons carrying pioneers west, among them, my Great, Great Grandmother.

Conestoga Mutant Vehicle Wagon at Burning Man. — This giant rendition also transported many people across the desert, or at least the Playa.

Conestoga wagon mutant vehicle at Burning Man. A side view. — A side view.

Conestoga Wagon mutant vehicle at Burning Man at night. — At night.

I’ll finish today’s post with four individual mutant vehicles:

Kilroy mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — I’d go with Kilroy, here.

Phone mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — Needs no introduction for those over 40. It’s a phone. (grin)

A brain mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — A brain.

I will conclude today with Walter, the giant VW van from Arizona. I think they used an airport firetruck as its base.

NEXT POST: Peggy’s perspective on our hike on the PCT this past summer.

When a Vehicle Mutates… 11 Years of Burning Man

March 18, 2019 / Curt Mekemson / 29 Comments

Having trouble persuading your kids to climb on the bus and go to school? I bet they would climb on this Burning Man mutant vehicle in a flash. When they arrived at school they could exit via the slide! Woohoo!

Once again I am returning to Burning Man on my blog and posting photos from the 11 years I have attended the event: 2004-5-6-7-9-10-12-13-14-15 and 17. As I have over the past couple of weeks, I am focusing on mutant vehicles today.

I’ve featured some pretty wild land and sea creatures in my past several posts. Today and Wednesday I’ll be introducing mutant vehicles that are closer to their cousins in real life. For example, a number of retired school and city busses make it to Burning Man. While their look has changed, they more or less maintain their original form like the school bus featured above and below.

Orange mutant vehicle bus at Burning Man. — Here’s another view of the school bus with its intricately carved exterior. This bus has always been a favorite of mine.

This school bus has been decorated with orange somethings. What, I’m not sure. Writhing beetle grubs are about as close as I can come.

A psychedelic paint job and horns served as disguise here.

The silver bullet hides the bus, sort of. Think of it as a see-through outfit.

Bus mutant vehicle at Burning Man — This fellow added a neon top knot and cutouts.

Mutant bus with tail feathers at Burning Man. — And finally, a bus with tail feathers. It had a beak on the other end.

Do you remember the cult film Mad Max where Mel Gibson and a cast of seedy characters went at each other with souped up, modified vehicles? Well, there is a whole genre of mutant vehicles at Burning Man that look like they belong in the movie, or a demolition derby. These vehicles are not among my favorites but I find them interesting and they belong in any compilation of Burning Man mutants. Besides, some of you might say, “Wow, that’s my dream car!”

This one was prepared for battle. It came with a missile and a coffin! What kind of bad dude carries a garbage bag for his trash, however? And the empty bottle and mattress suggest the 60’s mantra “Make love, not war.”

Feelers swept back from the hood of this vehicle. And maybe it had legs.

I think these these seven toothy heads also shot out fire.

Was she glad to see him or was it a hold up. It appears that the guy is high on something.

Tom Lovering took this photo at night. Playa dust was reflected by the flash from his camera creating a desert ‘snow storm.’ Is that an alien piggybacking on the vehicle?

One of Burning Man’s tribes, The Death Guild, likes to decorate its mutant vehicles with skulls. Not surprising.

Art cars are different than mutant vehicles. They are simply highly decorated cars. Therefore they aren’t allowed to roam the playa and have to be parked. None-the-less, some of them make their way to Burning Man and are on display. Here are a few examples.

Art car featuring Kilroy at Burning Man. — Kilroy was here.

Art cat VW bug with aliens at Burning man. — The aliens have landed and they are running around in a VW bug.

Art car with glasses at Burning Man. — Here’s looking at you.

Highly detailed hood of an art car at Burning Man.

I think of the following vehicles as modern day ‘hot rods,’ so I googled ‘hot rods at Burning Man’ and what did I find? My photos of ‘Burning Man hot rods’ from earlier posts. Oh well. Here they are again for those of you who haven’t been following me for several years.

Modern hot rod at Burning Man. — Speeds are limited on the Playa, and maybe that’s a good thing.

Gears on top of modern day hotrod at Burning Man. — All of the gears, shown here in black and white, suggest a touch of steam punk.

Exhaust pipes on mutant vehicle hot rod at Burning Man. — Exhaust pipes?

Side view if mutant vehicle hot rod at Burning Man. — A side view. Not sure about the camel’s role.

Mutant Vehicle hot rod at Burning Man with attractive woman. — The few hot rod magazines I thumbed through in my youth featured attractive women. Given my interest in cars, I suspect that may have been my reason for perusing the pages.

Hot rod photo session at Burning Man. — It turns out I had walked in on a photo session, which always presents an opportunity I am more than willing to take advantage of. That’s it for today.

NEXT POST: More mutant vehicles including trains and planes!

The PCT Is Wearing a Different Coat… Mt. Ashland

March 16, 2019March 15, 2019 / Curt Mekemson / 24 Comments

Snow covered trees along the PCT near Mt. Ashland. — I started my trek down the PCT at Mt. Ashland this past summer. A few days ago, I revisited the area. It looks a bit different.

Our son Tony, his wife Cammie and our grandkids are visiting from Florida and wanted to go skiing, so we took them up to Mt. Ashland, which is where I started my journey south on the Pacific Crest Trail this past summer. It was a gorgeous day with lots of fresh snow so I thought I would share some of the photos.

Tony, Cammie and the boys prepared to hit the slopes.

Oops. (The kids actually did a great job of skiing regardless of the occasional face plant.)

Wind driven snow had coated the trees the night before.

Creating some interesting snow sculptures. Is that Cupid snuggling up to Big Foot in the center?

Deep blue skies and crystal white snow made for some dramatic photos. It was quite clear which way the wind had been blowing.

Peggy and I had started our first segment of the PCT about a quarter mile down this road.

Looking up toward Mt. Ashland with its weather dome for spotting incoming storms from the Pacific. It has had a busy winter.

It was cold cold outside. These icicles were growing on the eves of the ski lodge.

A view from inside the lodge where it was much warmer! I thought that the icicles looked a bit sinister.

As we packed up to leave, I took a final photo of the family. Wait, what’s that poking out behind?

Mt. Shasta, of course. If you followed my journey down the PCT you will have seen numerous photos of this beauty as I backpacked around it heading south. It’s a good place to end this post.

NEXT POST: A wrap up on Burning Man’s mutant vehicles.

Mutants from the Deep… 11 Years of Burning Man

March 14, 2019March 9, 2019 / Curt Mekemson / 17 Comments

Octopus mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — I doubt that there has ever been a mutant vehicle at Burning Man more known and loved than El Pulpo Mechanico, the steam punk octopus. El pulpo was born in a junk yard in Eureka, California.

As noted in my last post, I’ve been sorting through and categorizing my Burning Man photos from the 11 years I have attended the event: 2004-5-6-7-9-10-12-13-14-15 and 17. I’ve created 15 categories and will do posts on several of my favorites from each category over the next several weeks.

Burning Man’s home, the Black Rock Desert, wasn’t always a desert. 15,000 years ago it was part of the huge, 500 foot deep Lake Lahontan. Given this, it isn’t surprising that many mutant vehicles take on an appearance of having once swum in its murky waters, or boated across them. Creatures range from an octopus to a hermit crab; Boats from a sailing ship to a yacht. Today’s post features some of the more fishy things about Burning Man.

Brown fish mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — Big teeth seem to be a requirement of the fish that swim across the Playa on wheels. This one resembles an angler fish that dangles what appears to be a tasty morsel right in front of its mouth.

Mutant vehicle fish at Burning Man with large teeth. — This one has great chompers. Is that blood on its teeth? (Photo by Tom Lovering.)

Another perspective of the fish showing its scales. (Photo by Tom Lovering.)

Large angler fish mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — Another angler fish. This one seems to know what Burners want, a disco ball, and appears to have been successful at attracting dinner. Is a little pole dancing in order?

A fish eating fish mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — No people on the menu? How about another fish? The tongue seems to promise an interesting ride.

Shark mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — Not surprisingly, a shark was roaming the Playa at night. Should we break out in a Jimmy Buffet song?

Crocodile mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — More like a crocodile. But it has the large teeth.

Big city people will be familiar with articulated busses. This is a Burning Man equivalent: an articulated fish.

Pin eyed mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — Small teeth, perhaps, but a fancy pink eye.

A guppy mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — A guppy, perhaps?

Squid mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — I decided that this might be a streamlined squid, but I could be wrong. Land speed records, BTW, have been set on the Black Rock Desert.

Narwhal mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — Do you know what this is? It’s a narwhal.

A closer look. A narwhal’s tusk is made of ivory. I like the eye.

Hermit crab mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — No question about this fellow. It’s a hermit crab.

Sailing ship mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — I never expected to find a full scale sailing ship at Burning Man.

The yacht Christina mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — Or a yacht. This is the Christina.

River boat mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — How about a river boat plus mermaid? (Photo by Tom Lovering.)

Another sailing ship of yore. Nevada Burners created this ship.

Reed boat mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — Ready to float down the Nile, perhaps.

I’ll finish this post off with a couple more photos of El Pulpo.

NEXT POST: Peggy provides her perspective on our hike down the Pacific Crest Trail last summer.

A Steampunk Horse and other Small Mutant Animals… 11 Years of Burning Man

March 12, 2019March 9, 2019 / Curt Mekemson / 15 Comments

Steampunk horse at Burning Man. — Steampunk, the fantasy world where life and machines meld together, is fairly common at Burning Man for costumes, art, and mutant vehicles. This horse is one of the best examples.

In my last Burning Man post, I introduced some of the larger animal mutant vehicles that roam the Playa at Burning Man. Today is the turn of the smaller mutant animals, like the horse above. Check out the head and the expression in its face. If my innards looked like the horse’s, I’d be a little wild-eyed too. Usually if you see gears used like this, you can assume that you’ve entered the world of steampunk.

Pink pony mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — It would be really hard to find a horse more opposite from the steampunk horse!

There aren’t a lot of insects normally found on the floor of the Black Rock Desert. In addition to being hot and dry, there aren’t any plants. When Burning Man comes to town, so to speak, things change.

Praying Mantis mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — One of the most impressive bugs to ever visit the Playa was this praying mantis.

Buggy eyed mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — And it doesn’t get much more buggy eyed than this.

Beetle mutant vehicle at Burning Man with shell. — Any decent beetle needs a shell…

Bug mutant vehicle at Burning Man with a shell. — Right?

Dung beetle mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — Now here’s a sweetie, a dung beetle. It rolls up a large dollop of poop and drags it along behind. I think it is supposed to be the home for its new children.

Burning Man has its share of fur bearing mammals that slip into the mutant vehicle category.

Cat car mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — The cat car is a favorite standby that makes it back to Burning Man year after year.

The kitty from the rear. I confess to finding the tail pipe rather amusing!

Green cat mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — A cool cat of a different color!

Furry rabbit mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — Rabbits range from this friendly, furry fellow you’d probably allow up on your bed if he weren’t so big.

Buck teeth rabbit mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — To this guy you wouldn’t let in your house…

To this one. You would probably get a rabies shot if you encountered it.

Dog mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — Dogs are few and far between. And this one may be a cat. Anyway, one way or the other, I have probably insulted the dog or cat kingdom.

Tutu wearing dog mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — This robot looking dog is wearing a pink tutu, which is what I expect to see at Burning Man.

Normally, one avoids polar bears. But a polar bear carrying a rose? (Photo by my friend Tom Lovering.)

Small dragon mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — A small, Chinese dragon? Or is it a duck?

Duck mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — Now this is a duck! I think. It shoots fire out of its head at night.

Chicken pox mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — Everyone recognizes chicken pox. Especially if it is labeled.

Turtle mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — I’m guessing that this mutant vehicle moves across the Playa slowly. (Photo by Don Green.)

I’ll wrap up today’s post with the king of beasts hitching a ride on a what… a whiskered slug? Do you have a clue?

NEXT POST: These mutant vehicles came out of the deep. There is something fishy about Burning man…

Fire on the Trail… Hiking down the PCT

March 9, 2019 / Curt Mekemson / 29 Comments

Cow along the PCT in the Carson Iceberg Wilderness — I stopped for a discussion with a cow about trail conditions in the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness.

I was late, like the white rabbit, for a very important date. Peggy was waiting for me at Sonora Pass and I had miscalculated the distance and difficulty of the trail. The night before I had found this lovely little campsite on the edge of a creek that I couldn’t resist. Later, as large ashes began falling on my tent, I began to question the wisdom of my decision. The 97,000 acre Ferguson fire near Yosemite and the 229,000 acre Carr fire near Redding that had been filling the skies with lung-choking smoke for the past month were now contained. Another fire was lurking out there— close by somewhere — and it was suggesting that I get on down the trail.

My goal, I decided, would to be get up at four and on the trail by five. But sleep had been as elusive as my knowledge about the fire. My eyes had popped open around 6:30. There would be no early start. The good news was that the smoke had partially cleared. All that remained of my previous night’s threat was a thin layer of ash. By 8:00 I was fed, watered, packed and raring to go. I figured the 1000-foot, three-mile drop into the East Fork of the Carson River would fly by. I figured wrong. The last part of the trail was steep and narrow over loose rock. It was not the type of trail that one flies over, at least not at 75 . I was ever so glad that I hadn’t tackled it the evening before when I was tired.

It was with relief that I began hoofing up the Carson River. While I had a 2500 foot climb ahead of me up to 10,000 feet, the first part of the trail was relatively gentle. I was making good time when a small root hiding out in the shade caught the toe of my boot and I went crashing down. This wasn’t one of those stumbles where you catch yourself, or at least slow your fall. It was a nose crunching, glass breaking fall. Thankfully, I bounce well. Lying there face down in the dirt, I reached up and touched my nose. It was solid and not spurting blood, although my finger came away bloody. Even my glasses had survived without a scratch. I picked myself up, shook the shock out of my head, and babied the scratch on my nose.

Right about then a through-hiker came hurrying by, going in my direction, moving out. We said hi as he disappeared down the trail. A thought passed my mind. “Can I ask a favor,” I called out to his disappearing back. He stopped immediately and walked back.

“My wife Peggy is waiting for me at Sonora Pass, I explained, “and I am running a couple of hours behind time. I know she will be worried. Could you carry a message for me?” I figured he would be there by mid-afternoon.

“Sure,” had been his response. I provided the details and we introduced ourselves using our trail names. “I’m Bone from Portland,” he told me. I imagined a small squeak in my pack and yanked Sierra Bone out. I made the introductions. “Bone meet Bone,” I said. Naturally there had to be a photo of Bone with Bone.

2018 PCT through-hiker Bone. — Bone and Bone.

Relieved that Peggy would get the word that I was alive and well, I continued my journey and started the slow, steep climb out of the river canyon. I spotted a couple near the top who were off the trail eating a snack. One called out, “You must be Wanderer,” she said. “Your wife is worried about you.” Of course. Turns out Camilla and Bastien were from Leon, France and Peggy had met them while they were waiting for resupply at Sonora Pass. She had fed them scones loaded down with peanut butter. Peggy, Camilla explained, was concerned because the parking lot closed at five and she would have to move. Bastien chipped in that he didn’t think I would get there in time.

French through hikers, Camilla and Bastien, at Sonora Pas in 2028. — Photo of a happy Camilla and Bastien after eating peanut butter with a scone attached. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson.)

I wasn’t concerned. I had two hours and it was only four miles. Still, I moved out and made it in a little over an hour. Bone was waiting with Peggy when I arrived. She had offered our van to charge his phone. He was enjoying a beer. While Peggy got me one, Bone and I discussed the wind we had encountered up on the mountainside. He had put his pack down and barely caught it as the wind had pushed it down the narrow trail toward the edge. My pack was fine but the wind had almost sent me tumbling off the cliff. We estimated that there were gusts between 50 and 60 miles per hour. I’d had to lean in toward the mountain to keep my balance.

The wind was having another impact as well, pushing a fire up the mountain. As we watched, a small plume of smoke had grown to cover half of the sky. It was the Donnell fire that had dropped ashes on my camp the night before. It was frightening to think of being out on the trail facing a fire pushed by 60-mile an hour winds. An hour after we left, the Sonora Pass road was closed. The next day, the PCT was closed between Ebbetts Pass and Sonora Pass, the trail I had just hiked.

The following photos are taken along the Pacific Crest Trail between Ebbetts Pass and Sonora Pass traveling south.

A smokey day along the PCT in the Carson Iceberg wilderness.

PCT Association volunteers working on the trail in the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness. — A trail crew of volunteers from the Pacific Crest Trail Association. Much of the PCT trail work is carried out by volunteers.

Tree along the PCT in Carson Iceberg Wilderness with scars caused by barbed wire. — This was an interesting tree trunk. The ridges were caused when the tree grew over attached barbed wire. We have a few like it on out property.

Cattle in the Carson Iceberg Wilderness. — Cattle are not uncommon along the PCT. I always stop to chat with them.

Rhyolite boulders along Pacific Cres Trail in the Carson Iceberg Wilderness. — I was surprised to find rhyolite boulders along the trail.

The boulder had an interesting little cave. I wondered what lived there.

Here’s the reason why Boulder Mountain is called Boulder Mountain. It was one heck of a scree slope.

A tree perched on a granite rock caught my attention…

Hiking down into the East Fork of the Carson River provided this view.

I filled my water bottles here at a small creek crossing the trail.

This is a photo of the Eastern Fork of the Carson River. The water falls were indicative of the fact that the trail had started to climb.

When I stopped to photograph the river, I also caught these roots.

PCT trail work in the Carson Iceberg Wilderness. — Climbing higher I came across some extensive trail work. I have nothing but admiration for the crews that placed these heavy rocks.

A view of the trail after I left Camilla and Bastien.

Looking down toward the Sonora Pass where Peggy was waiting.. This is where Portland Bone and I had encountered the high winds.

I’ll conclude today with this shot of smoke boiling up from the Donnell Fire. Had it been like this an hour earlier, I might have made that last 4 miles in 30 minutes instead of an hour! (grin)

NEXT POST: You met the large mutant vehicle animals of Burning Man in my last post, now it is time to meet the small mutant vehicle animals.

Gargantuan Animal Mutants… 11 Years of Burning Man

March 6, 2019 / Curt Mekemson / 24 Comments

Large sheep mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — The massive beast wandered across the Playa at Burning Man, coming straight for me. I quickly got out of its way, but not before I snapped a photo. Wildlife photographers have to take chances! And there is lots of wild life at Burning Man.

The bigger tribes (groups) at Burning Man often create large mutant vehicles to transport their members around. Many of these come in the form of large animals— like really big animals.

The gargantuan fellow I dodged looked even scarier from the side.

I caught up with it at night a few days later at a burn and discovered it had laser eyes, which was even more disturbing. When I was processing photos for this post, however, I noted that the license plate on the front said Wool. The mutant was a sheep. It changed my whole perspective. Who worries about sheep! Going back to the top photo, I saw a friendly animal looking at me.

And why worry about a sheep when there are rhinos and lions and hippos and angry unicorns about! Oh my! Following are my photos of the large mutant animals I have found wandering the Playa during the day and at night. Enjoy.

Head shot of large mutant rhino vehicle at Burning Man. — This rhino is one of my all time favorite mutant vehicles in the Black Rock Desert.

Large rhino mutant vehicle crosses the Playa at Burning Man. — Here it is out wandering across the Playa.

Head of large mutant lion at Burning Man. — Here we have the king of lions. Note the Burning Man symbol cut outs on its cheek. Burning Man is ok! I guess.

Lion mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — A look at the full lion. My friend, Tom Lovering provides perspective by relaxing on the lion’s tongue! Is he about to become fast food?

Another favorite of mine: a mammoth. This fellow was on a potty break. Its passengers had all climbed off to use the port-a-potties.

Rooster mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — You could crow home about this fellow.

Rooster mutant vehicle at night at Burning Man. — Even more so at night.

Warthog mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — Your friendly, local neighborhood warthog.

Sideview of warthog mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — And a side view.

Large mutant vehicle unicorn at Burning Man. — Judging from this unicorn’s face, it had gotten up on the wrong side of the bed.

Large mutant vehicle unicorn at night at Burning Man. — It was still scowling at night.

Elegant unicorn Mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — A more elegant unicorn.

Cheshire Cat mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — The Cheshire Cat. Alice would be pleased. She would probably be enamored with Burning Man as well. I always feel like I am in Wonderland. And I am pretty sure that I have seen the Mad Hatter there.

Large white cat mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — And another cat. A very large white one. At least I think it’s a cat.

Blue hippo mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — Here’s another animal I am not 100% sure about, but I think it is a hippo.

Hippo mutant vehicle aT Burning Man. — Looking a bit more hippo-ish.

Hippo mutant vehicle at Burning Man at night. — There’s no question here. The hippo even came labeled: Hippo Love.

Large canary mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — One very large canary. I’ll bet it would be good at tweeting. Watch out Donald. You may have competition. (Peggy thinks it’s a rubber ducky.)

Horsecars mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — No cart before the horse here. The horse is part of the cart.

Close up of mutant vehicle horsecart at Burning Man. — The horsecart’s head.

Large elephant mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — A large elephant apparently having fun with a truck.

Wild thing mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — Burning Man is where the Wild Things are. Yum!

An armadillo mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — Folks from the South will recognize this Armadillo mutant vehicle.

Cockeyed frog mutant vehicle at Burning Man. — And I will conclude today’s post with another favorite of mine, a cockeyed frog. I think the tongue is made to shoot out flames. Apparently the frog likes to cook its bugs before it eats them!

NEXT POST: A PCT post if I have the time to put it together. A post on smaller animal mutant vehicles if not. It’s ready to go.

Magnificent Mutant Dragons… 11 Years of Burning Man Art

March 4, 2019 / Curt Mekemson / 33 Comments

Burning Man green dragon mutant vehicle. — A green dragon waits patiently while its passengers climb off to admire a 30 foot high sculpture on the Playa at Burning Man.

I’ve been sorting through and categorizing my Burning Man photos, all 11 years’ worth including 2004-5-6-7-9-10-12-13-14-15 and 17. As you might imagine, there are several thousand pictures. I’ve created 15 categories and will do posts on several of my favorites from each category over the next few weeks. My plan is to use Mondays and Wednesdays for my Burning Man posts and Fridays for my Pacific Crest Trail posts. Expect a few other subjects on Fridays as Peggy and I wander.

I debated with myself over how to kick the series off. Frankly, starting anywhere works when focusing in on the creativity of this annual event in the remote Nevada desert. Art is everywhere. Appreciating and enjoying it is the primary reason I have returned to Black Rock City again and again. Of course, people go to the event for many other reasons as well, such as dancing and drinking to the rolling thunder of heavy metal into the wee hours of the morning. They also go to see and be seen, to dress up in elaborate costumes, to attend lectures, to escape from their everyday worlds, and to participate in and contribute to Burning Man’s unique culture. The latter is central to the event. I consider photographing the art and sharing it with you as part of my contribution.

One of the most creative endeavors at Burning Man is the building of mutant vehicles, which is undertaken by both individuals and groups, or tribes as they are sometimes called out on the Playa. They are three ways to get around at Burning Man: to walk, to bike (which most do) or to travel in radically altered vehicles— i.e. mutants. Normal cars, vans, trucks, etc. must be parked. Mutant vehicles come in a variety of forms from bugs, to animals, to ships, to you name it. Today I am going to focus on dragons, most of whom breathe fire! Now, back to the green dragon featured at the top of the post.