El Diablo Rojo, The Red Devil Bus Transportation in Panama City

Estoy en Panama! The trip here was fun, had a layover in Atlanta, Georgia yesterday and one of my best girlfriends Sarah picked me up. We went to the Cracker Barrel for breakfast then spent hours at the Bodies Exhibit. I hopped on the plane that evening and four hours later landed in Panama City. I was greeted by the smiling faces of interns who had also just arrived and Johnny the chef who picked us up. As we drove into the city a cop car had its array of flashing lights on the entire time while it was driving along. Well, you don't see that often in the USA.

Lichens in High Places

What is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare?

-William Henry Davies

      Often referred to as “nature’s pioneers,” lichens can be found all over the world in places you might have never thought of. While trekking in the mountains have you ever noticed colorful organisms clinging to the rocks? Or while walking through the forest, the branches and twigs scattered throughout the forest floor, covered in green to brown organisms? Most likely, these are lichens. Lichens are a symbiotic association between a fungus and an algae or cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). They play an important role in not only creating beauty in an otherwise dull and lifeless area, they enable other organisms to grow, are a food source, used for nesting material, and can be used to learn about the health of the environment they are in.

The Wonderland Trail

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 The Wonderland Trail circumnavigates Mt. Rainier in 93 miles through pristine old growth forests and wind swept alpine areas. This endeavor was another challenge I wanted to fulfill after successfully summiting Mt. Rainier four times, living and working at Sunrise and Paradise and covering miles and miles on the Wonderland Trail. I had only six days to do the trip because I started school in a week. I couldn't find any itinerary for a six day trip so I put the numbers together between camps and tried to realistically consider whether it was possible (as you will discover, I pushed the limit). The Wonderland Trail is most often done clockwise but I did it counter clockwise so I could meet my grandmother at Longmire by a certain day and time. September is a wonderful time on the mountain because there are less people and while the flowers have wilted and died in the lower elevations, all of the flowers are in full bloom up on Mt. Rainier.

Lichens In High Places

A few weeks ago I woke up early and spent three hours typing about my adventures on the Wonderland Trail. I was feeling great, coffee in hand, brain swimming with ideas, and my fingers flying across the keyboard. What happened next, I'm sure you can imagine the pain that swept across me. The computer froze just as I was about to post it. I waited and waited for a miracle, for my page to reappear. Instead I had to re-boot, losing everything I had just written.

The Wonderland Trail

I've been pretty lazy all summer, and now that I have one week left before school, I am bound for an adventure that has been on my mind for a few years now. The Wonderland Trail. It circumnavigates the 14, 410 foot icon of Washington State, Mt. Rainier. With a total of 93 miles, this trail weaves up and down through rugged glacial deposit terrain, ancient fog soaked forests, and the key to every outdoor enthusiasts heart. I've worked two summers on the mountain, first at Sunrise and secondly at Paradise. I have explored several portions of the trail and even summited the mountain four times. I've never had enough time to backpack this trail until now. Whereas the majority of people backpack it in ten to twelve days, I will be backpacking it in six. That means, on average, I will be hiking fifteen miles a day. Also, since I've hiked a lot of this trail, I don't want to take it leisurely. My grandma Jean will be meeting me at the Longmire Lodge half way through. She will be bringing me my food supplies for the rest of the trip.

Johnson's Hairstreak

Consider yourself lucky if you see this butterfly. Endemic to the Pacific Northwest, Johnson's Hairstreak spends most of its life in the canopy of old-growth forests, specifically in pines where the mistletoe parasite also makes its home. Johnson's Hairstreak lays its eggs in the mistletoe where the the larvae then eat the new shoots. Once they are strong enough to venture off, they look for mates and collect their nectar from a variety of plants. Unfortunately their numbers are thought to be declining due to the logging of old-growth forests, development, and other factors.

As I bask in the new rays of the June sunshine I know that these butterflies are also taking in the sun, fluttering their way through the tree tops of whats left of our old-growth forests. And wherever you find your "wings" taking you, I know it is someplace magnificent. May I suggest stopping awhile and watching the life going on around you. Each with their purpose in life, living and dying, unselfishly making room for another life to begin.

And just as the sun begins and ends, on this day my independent contract ends and my summer begins. With my newly gained tree climbing skills I plan to venture into many tree tops. I plan to also partake in some smaller tasks in life I've been meaning to incorporate. Tasks such as knitting, or charcoal drawing, reading a good book, jump roping, backpacking, and making jewelry. Will keep ya posted!

Little Water Bear vs. Dancing Gummy Bear

Close up of a Water Bear

"Strange is this little animal, because of its exceptional and strange morphology and because it closely resembles a bear en miniature. That is the reason why I decided to call it little water bear."

J.A.E. Goeze (Pastor at St. Blasii, Quedlinburg, Germany), 1773

Photo by Eny Yusnizar

"The original dancing bear was taller and thinner than the chubby little bear of today, but became immediately popular among the children of Bonn."

Paul a. Schons, The Millionaire and His Candy 2003

Tree Spirits

As he dangled in the air, a small breeze gently rocked his tree boat against the oak limb beneath him. It too dangled from his saddle as he stared at the rope system in front of him and the webbing used to attach one end of the tree boat to the sturdy oak trunk. I rested and watched as fellow student Hallow put the knowledge we learned into use. Here we were in Oregon City, Oregon to learn advance tree climbing skills with Tim Kovar, New Tribe.

The tree climbing was done on a beautiful farm with green grassy hills and groves of Oak, Cedar, and Douglas-fir trees. Hallow drove down from Canada and I from the Seattle area. The first day I arrived we set up our tree boats and hung out in them. Later on that night we climbed up into our tree boats again and looked up at the bright stars as the frogs below talked amongst themselves. The tree climbs spread out in front of me like thick veins. They pulsed with energy and life all awhile being still and content with the passing moons.

Hanging out with the Licorice Ferns

This weekend a few friends and I went to a trail called Mt. Si in the Cascade mountains. We went about one mile up the trail then went off trail to find a tree to climb. The main canopy is made up of tall Douglas-fir trees with branches that start at least 90 feet in the sky. A more appropriate tree for climbing was a Big Leaf Maple. Once I found a good tree I set the rope up and the required knots for DRT. After giving a demonstration and setting each person up, they got to wiggle their way up to where the Licorice Ferns were dangling off the branches. I'm going to "go out on a limb here" and assume they had a pretty good time.


Tomorrow I will be driving down to Portland to learn more about tree climbing with Tim Kovar through Tree Climbing Northwest. http://www.newtribe.com/tcnt.htm
I will be there for four days and look forward to spending more time in the trees!