Hiking- South Mollala River Loop

With our Mount Hood climb tonight after church and another overseas trip next week, it occurred to me that I haven't shared any of this year's crazy adventures here.  And we've done some INSANE things recently... some probably too irresponsible to share with impressionable readers.

But let's start with this uncharacteristically mellow hike I led for NW Wilderness last weekend:

The 10 mile loop I had planned for the South Mollala River area was already the second easiest hike I've ever led, and already more relaxed than the typical hike for NW Wilderness or any of the other expedition groups I'm involved with.  But trail closures and also being forced off-trail by obstacles shaved off 1.4 miles from my intended loop, unfortunately making it even quicker.

As I mentioned in my trip report, our group was game to venture off-trail and switch up the route at various points... whenever we ran out of options to "legally" complete the loop that I had originally intended.  As long as everyone is flexible and trusting, I'm eager to modify the route instead of backtracking when conditions surprise us.

A stretch of log hopping

Pushing through a series of trails to form a loop

Maynard waits for the group to catch up at the first creek crossing.

Lou takes a stab at the next creek crossing.

Rachael and Maynard carefully make their way down a steep embankment during an off-trail segment.

Lunch break at Annie's Cabin.

One of the closed trails we encountered while trying to continue our loop after lunch

A tranquil forest mini-lagoon was tucked away alongside our modified return route.

Distance: 8.6 miles (As mentioned, trail closures and being forced off-trail by obstacles shaved off 1.4 miles from my intended loop)

Total time: 3:03 (incl. all breaks except lunch)

Moving time: 2:19

Avg speed: 3.12 mph
Max speed: 7.76 mph
Elevation gain: 1,683 feet

Coming next week...

More hiking in Asia!

Hong Kong hiking awaits

Pic tweeted from Hong Kong yesterday:  Hiking over the Dragon's Back here in Hong Kong, with hang gliders circling below

This post was written from the U.S. Wednesday morning, although I ultimately didn't leave Portland for Hong Kong until Thursday.  Long story... resulting in some disputed hostel charges.

Since I flew home to the U.S. this morning, I can start gathering some pics from yesterday's hiking near Hong Kong.  I'll share the stories and pics here, sometime after our upcoming Hamilton4 family update.  And our next family overseas trip is just around the corner!

From Wednesday:

All checked in for my Portland-Seattle flight, the connecting flight from Seattle to Hong Kong looks wide open, and the Hong Kong Hostel just sent a confirmation of my booking!

This 1 1/2 day standby trip planned for yesterday (Tuesday) was delayed by one day for good reason:  Kathy wasn't feeling well on Monday night. I wasn't even about to leave yesterday morning if there was a chance that she'd still be under the weather. This speedy weekend visit will have a different aim than my goal of checking out the Hong Kong protests (links are this color) last October. This one is all about the hiking.

Hopefully I'll find some Lena and Levi-friendly trails for our next visit!

Hiking the Maclehose Trail in Hong Kong; Photo by David Woo on Flickr

Due to a last minute change to fly to Asia instead of hiking with my friend in South America yesterday, my research is sketchy. In typical Garth style, the past hour has been spent hastily downloading maps and copying blurbs of travel info to my Note phone... everything is paperless. And blogs like Hike Hong Kong have also helped to generate some hiking ideas.

On the way home, yet another of my return visits to Argentina may still be on the table!   My friend Sandra who is backpacking through South America and I have been trying to coordinate a quick dayhike that is a bit "closer" to home:  Iguazu Falls, on the border of Argentina and Brazil!

My visa for Brazil has expired, though, and the Argentina departure fee for U.S. citizens is a little tough to swallow. We'll see what happens.

Check back soon for posts about this Hong Kong trip, other travels, and recent hikes and climbs.

But coming next, the most important stuff...

A Hamilton4 family update!

Rebirth

Update:  New pics were recently added to last week's “Lena’s First Zoo Visit” blog post (link).

One thing I'll miss about my early morning shift at Delta: Catching these gorgeous sunrises at PDX airport!

Thank you, Delta Airlines, for keeping me employed 17 years as of today!  Yesterday was the start of my new sleep-friendly Delta work schedule.  I already feel like a brand new man!

That means goodbye to waking up at 2:30 each morning for work.  Au revoir to scraping by on 3.5 hours of sleep a night.  Arrivederci to reduced intensity workouts compromised by extreme sleep deprivation.  Adios to looking and feeling like my actual grownup age!

And what to do with all of this anticipated energy, renewal, and vigor?  Here’s a hint:  God, family, friends, and coworkers are about to witness the Garth that has been long forgotten.  The real Garth.  I’m ready to start feeling like myself again.  Physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally--   I’m ready to whip myself into the best shape of my life!

This new schedule will require squeezing in significantly more hours for (and commuting to) work than in previous years.  But the time left over will be consumed by loving, living, serving, and adventuring.  And that’s what Garth’s Blog is all about! 

Here's a small taste of what's coming in the next month or so on Garth's Blog...

Camping and hiking in the Olympic National Forest... and other outdoor adventures!

Lena's first visit to Enchanted Forest!

A Daddy-Daughter photo blowout for Father's Day!

And premiering tomorrow night on Garth's Blog...

An outrageous, five part travelogue on how my attempted weekend in China led to the temporary seizure of my U.S. passport in Micronesia last month!!

Ecuador or China?

Dobro jutro, 2013!!

That's right, some of you know who I'm talking to.  I'm coming for you later this year!

This is Day 2 of my attempted weekend getaway to Parque Nacional Cotopaxi, Ecuador.  Each of the flights out of PDX have been too oversold to accept standby passengers.  China is my backup plan.

Climbing Mt. Cotopaxi is my first choice, but mountain biking through the volcanic national park might be a good fallback if I run out of weekend in Ecuador.  Although I plan my own tours, thanks to http://mundo-nativo.ch for this photo!

En route to the actual South American adventure, I could use my Galaxy Tab to knock out so many projects during the plane/bus/van rides:  my three full-length sermons for February, the student ministry teaching for next week, a few more credentialing book reports, and a Warner Pacific Alumni Council meeting agenda for Homecoming weekend.
**********

Yet another flight has departed this morning without open seats.  Beijing, China is looking more and more appealing.  There are open Business Elite seats on our Tokyo flight, tonight's connection to Beijing, and the return trip on Tuesday or Thursday.  My pre-approved "emergency" Delta vacation days (a backup for getting stuck in Quito, Ecuador this weekend) could stay on the books.  Since the additional days fall on Kathy's and my scheduled workweek, childcare for baby Lena is already covered.

The unknowns about Beijing:  Conflicting information about the January 1st kickoff of China's new 72 hour visa waiver program... and pretty much everything else.  I accidentally fell asleep last night without doing a lick of research on Beijing, so I'd better start downloading some free maps and guidebook samples to my tablet ASAP!

10:22 a.m. update:

My original itinerary to Ecuador has been scrubbed.  I'm now listed for today's flight to Beijing, via Tokyo.  Clarification on that 72 hour visa for China still needs to happen, though.  Even when improvising, breaking international law is never on the agenda.


The list of travel time busywork (above) excluded the biggest thing of interest to our readers:  new BlogSpot posts for 2013!  Blogging about some of my unmentioned 2012 overseas trips should keep me busy for a while.

Whatever happens on my trip this weekend, I'll make sure to publish a post or two next week to kick off a new year of Garth's Blog!

Japanese Potty Training

Now that we have Tokyo Drifting 1, 2, 3, and some summery fresh updates from IYC Denver and wave riding in Banks Lake WA (links) behind us, I have a small clarification:  

In my first “Tokyo Drifting” blog post, I had mentioned the utter lack of English signage in my Tokyo neighborhood.  That wasn’t completely true.  The more touristy shops and restaurants in the area sprinkled their Kanji displays with a Yankee phrase or two, and English instructions were ubiquitous throughout the Hostel Kawase Tokyo and Capsule. 

In fact, my capsule/hostel went the extra mile and added a helpful illustration to their posted English instructions for using their Japanese toilet:

Don’t laugh.  Odds are, countless American college backpackers have welcomed said instructions as they opened the WC stall door and found themselves staring down at this:

You just got learned.

Coming this Tuesday night on BlogSpot… Photos and tales from the trenches of Portland’s biggest ever food fight:

TOMATO BATTLE PDX!!!

Tokyo Drifting 3: Fleeing Sumida

CameraZOOM-20120612123724889_orig_1_Salomon.jpg, a photo by gkhamilton on Flickr.

The Tokyo tokkyū limited express train is a splurge. Good thing I’m made out of Yen, right?


At last… I present the breathless (for me, anyway) final hours of last month’s quick trip to Tokyo. Will this live up to the melodramatic teaser ending from my previous Tokyo Drifting 2: Senso-ji Temple post? Let’s pretend it will.



A friend from the journey recommended that I seek a peaceful contrast to my previous evening of Tokyo nightlife craziness. Sumida Park fit the bill.

In about four hours, my flight home to Portland would depart from Narita airport. Being mindful of the time, I followed up my tour of Senso-ji Temple with a walk down to the Sumida River. The nature park that stretched alongside the river banks would be a relaxing place to unwind before beginning my train connections to the airport.



A young Japanese gal rode up to me on her bicycle as I gazed at the flowers growing along the footpaths of Sumida Park. She must have assumed I was interested in the bike-friendly aspects of the area. We walked over to the specialized bicycle tire grooves carved into the stairway of a nearby underpass, and she enthusiastically demonstrated for me the ways of a seasoned recreational bicycler.


At some point, it finally dawned on me how long I had been standing there, struggling to understand her. In less than 10 minutes, my train was scheduled to depart from Asakusa Station. The problem: Ever since I left my capsule/hostel that morning, I had been walking AWAY from the direction of the train station.

I abruptly excused myself and began to run as though my life (or at least my job back home at Delta Airlines) depended on it. The beautiful scenery of the park blurred past as I frantically sprinted through it for several minutes. No way would I catch that train.



I leaped down the stairs of Asakusa station, clutching my small backpack and gasping for air. There was still time to catch a number of local trains to my next stop, but I had blown my connections to Narita airport. Painfully resisting my budget backpacker traveling sensibilities, I slapped down the big Yen at the kippu jidō hanbaiki kiosk to purchase a premium express train ticket, direct to Narita Airport.

The tokkyū limited express train [photo at top] sped to Narita Airport in just under an hour, which put me back on schedule.


My friend Kevin, flying home on standby from the Philippines, was waiting at the airport gate when I checked in for the nearly full flight. His boarding priority dwarfed mine. Despite shrewdly (or foolishly) using one of my S-3 low priority seating requests I was assigned one of the last seats in the Business Elite cabin before the flight doors closed, with Kevin and I onboard.

After nearly 3 days overseas with virtually no sleep, I flew home from Tokyo in Delta's Business Elite cabin. Somehow the traditional Japanese meal course that I ordered on the flight home managed to be even better (Fresher ingredients from Japan? More irradiated?) than the one I ate on the flight over to Tokyo.

With a belly full of French caviar, crab, scallop quenelle, grilled chicken, cod roe, wasabi tofu, and marinated tuna… I slept.


Bonus pic:
On Kathy's birthday, Lena plays with the Japanese toy I bought for her in Tokyo’s Nakamise-dori street fair. I hope that Lena will come along with me for my next visit to Asia this year.


Lena can pick out her own souvenir toy next time!