Long Nights in a Tent

Updates:

Strangely, on Friday I weighed 163.6, which is lower than I've been in a long time, probably a year at least.  It's strange because I've only been semi-dieting.  The only thing I can think that has caused this might be the extra exercise I've been taking, or mayabe I'm eating less overall without realizing it.  Whatever the reason, I'll take the weight loss!

Chilly weather foiled my backpacking plans for this weekend, but because I have an entire week off (to get ready for my daughter's wedding and also to use leave that will go away at the first of the year), I'm planning a challenging trip for Monday and Tuesday.  My dad read me the trip description and it sounds really hard, and long, but I'm going to give it a try.  Winter backpacks can be trying, not only because of the cold but also because the days are so short.  Living in the southwest, backpacking in the summer is un-doable unless you get up to high elevations because it's so hot here.  But when the sun sets at 5 and you know you're in for 12 hours in the dark tent, it can be disheartening.  I've never figured out a way to comfortably read in a dark tent (getting in a comfortable position with a decent light source on the reading material without the benefit of pillows, lamps and side tables is hard) but that doesn't mean that I don't keep attempting it.  I wish I could be like my dad, who somehow can enter a tent at 5 pm and sleep blissfully until the sun arises the next morning . . . I awaken numerous times, thrash around trying to get warm without being claustrophobically contained in my sleeping bag, lie awake thinking about scary things, and am generally miserable.  However, getting out of the tent in the morning and seeing a the beautiful wilderness scenery makes it all worthwhile.

Succulents limping along, they don't seem to like being inside for the winter, but it's getting toocold at night to keep them outside.  Our climate just has too many temperature extremes to successfully plant the little guys in the ground, so they must remain in containers and be moved around as the days get alternatively too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter.  However, I'm not ready to give up on any of them yet. 

 

Ineffective Toothpicks

So, I haven’t posted for a couple of weeks, mostly due to being busy, but I will try to catch up.

Weight:  still bouncing around in the mid 160’s.  I can’t remember the last time I managed to stay within my weight watchers point range for a day, but I am still tracking and weighing and I think that alone is preventing me from gaining a ton of weight.   At least I have an awareness.  And I’m exercising, which brings me to my next, great topic:

 Backpack:  I got to go on a GREAT backpack in the Gila Wilderness near the Gila Cliff Dwellings.  As it was over the Thanksgiving holiday, I was able to go for two nights.  I won’t describe the entire trip here, but highlights included hiking across a gorgeous grassy mesa that was reminiscent of the Serengeti with its swaying golden grasses and miles-long vistas, camping in a floodplain by the east fork of the Gila River next to what had been vast fields of flowers, now dried and brown but taller than my head, and hiking out the last day down the middle fork of the Gila River and coming upon an actual hot spring, hot water gushing from the canyonside, steaming in the chilly morning air.

My companions were my dad and a good friend of his named John, and my dog Murray.  This was only his second backpack and by far his longest, but he did well, carrying his dog pack, trudging along stoically, and once it was time to sleep, climbing into the tent and staying still all night long.

 Thanksgiving:  had a nice time with my kids and soon-to-be son in law.  We cooked, my daughter made her famous brined turkey, we had rolls and green bean casserole and real mashed potatoes and sweet potato casserole, homemade whole-berry cranberry sauce, cornbread dressing with celery and onions, and my daughter’s made from scratch (even the crust) harvest apple pie, a delicious variant on apple pie that includes cranberries and raisins in addition to sliced apples.  It was a lot of fun, the big kids took all the leftovers, and the next day I burned off the meal by backpacking 7 or 8 miles, I can’t remember.  The entire trip, spread over three days, was about 16 miles.

Getting it Back:  The backpack wasn’t super steep or hard, but being able to carry a pack 16 miles over three days has really boosted my confidence in my physical abilities and I want to do more, harder backpacks and hikes.  When I’m doing my weekly A mountain hike, I’ve started doing it the long way again (haven’t done that in a while) and I’m generally feeling stronger.  This is good.  Too bad I still am 30 pounds overweight.

Succulents:  I had moved my split rocks, baby toes and big variety plant dish garden back outside not only due to mild weather but also because my male kitten was systematically eating the plants. (He didn't die so I guess they aren't poisonous). This was especially annoying because not only was he eating the flower buds on the baby toes plants, he was eating leaves off some really gorgeous plants in the dish garden, rendering them limp and scraggly.  The baby toes has continued to flower, and it is downright bizarre to see a big, wide daisy-like flower emerging from the strange, translucent lobes of the plant.  Another bud is emerged as well, but has not opened yet.  The dish garden is starting to recover, but alas, a forecast cold front and much colder temperatures will require that I bring it back inside today.  Not only was the kitten eating the plants both kittens were lying down in the dish garden, further crushing the plants.  We tried putting sharp toothpicks in the dirt to keep them out, but that was ineffective.  I would awaken in the morning to find the toothpicks on their sides and obvious evidence that they had been laid upon.  I am going to have to figure out a way to protect it  . . . will report back.