6/24/14
The weather is starting to warm up a bit as we head more west. After a few days in Glacier National Park in the low to mid 30’s a night in the mid low 50’s is welcome. When I purchased by sleeping bag for the trip I picked one with a lower comfortable range at 50. The mentality was that I would rather be too cold than overheating. Although the nights were manageable it’s nice not to have to put on two pairs of socks to sleep. As we look forward the weather will only get warmer and warmer.
After a quick breakfast of oatmeal Connor and I decided to explore the North Fork of the Howard’s Creek. The trail head was a few yards beyond our campsite so to miss walking it would be a regret. During all of our hikes the number one memorable experience would have to be the diversity of wildflowers. My favoritism towards botany has show it’s bias in that regard, and I’m fairly sure my photographs reflect that. There’s something about leafs and flowers that are interesting to me. Maybe it’s the way they demonstrate a coevolution with their environment and their pollinators or it might be the fact that they offer so much color to their ecosystem I just enjoy studying them. Once we got about an hour out and the landscape become more mundane we headed back. A choice Connor and I made early in the trip was that instead of immersing ourselves in a single ecosystem for a long time we would try and experience as many different locations as possible over a short time. A choice that has led to a great deal more of experiences and ecosystems to study.
Once the hike was done we spent the rest of the day driving west, further into the forest. We quickly passed into Idaho, a first for me, and stopped at the Lolo Pass Ranger Station. The station, by far, earns the award for best ranger station of the visit. Although it was small inside it offered a great selection of books, a fantastic display on the Lewis and Clark expedition and best of a free coffee and wifi. I joked with Connor that so far our experience in Lolo as the exact opposite of the excruciating pass L and C had to make. We used the opportunity to update the blog and catch up on email.
For lunch we stopped en route at the Bernard DeVoto Memorial Grove. Devoto was the historian in the 40s who compiled the Lewis and Clark journals and made it available to read. The grove was one of his favorite places to camp while working and when he died it was dedicated to him. The grove was beautiful. It was composed of old growth cedar trees and a series of fallen trees. The short walk around the grove was littered with plaques describing the life and death of trees in the forest. To me it was one of the most simple and well articulated memorials I have ever been it. The whole forest had a gravitas of importance. I’m very happy with our choice to stop there.
We completed our daily trek up the forest road Elk Summit. We found a flat spot on the moderately steep uphill road with a pre made stone campfire ring. It was around 3 pm when we arrived. This left us with a lot more time then we were use to a campsite. It’s also worth noting that it was around 85 degrees at the campsite and sunny. Generating a heat not experienced since St. Louis. Connor and I spent the majority of the time separate in quiet reflection.
6/25/14
Connor eludes to this his last post but things have been rocky between us lately. Which we both feel is natural during a month of solitude together with someone. We both have our particular quirks. I know I can be very intense with my frugality and particular about how things are done. After we resolved our issues we had a great conversation about how in the history books it’s noted that Lewis and Clark never fought. Which has got to be some revisionist history. There is no way that two people over three years never argued. One aspect of the trip that has been fantastic is the journey of self discovery that I’ve been on. Traveling with the same person over such a long time acts a mirror. There are definitely parts of my character that I’ve learned about and have space to improve upon. Also, I feel this trip has strengthened Connor and I’s friendship. Something we try and impart on our students is that it’s ok to have disagreement with your friends. The important part is that you are able to talk through them and find a resolution. I’m sure as we are working with our advisees over the years we will use this experience as a tool for conflict resolution.
The highlight of the day would easily have to go to our trip to Jerry Johnson Hot Springs, a spot
John Fathergill recommended. A short one mile hike took us to a small hot spring you can relax in. I would say the temperature was around 80 to 90 degrees in spots. I don’t know what it is about being submerged in water, but for some reason it automatically relaxes me. I can spend hours laying in water. Combine that with a roaring river next to me and the sun on my face and it’s a perfect moment. All of my troubles melted away. Up into this point I was extremely worried about my impending home purchase upon arrival back in Louisville, my longingness to see Courtney again and my curriculum work I needed to do for my revamped engineering and earth science class next year, but the water made it all go away. At that point I knew everything would be alright.
The day even found more ways to get better. During the hour and a half drive through the last of the mountains Tom Petty’s Wildflowers popped up on Connor’s iPod. That album fills me with very fond memories as a child growing up in Michigan. I remember my father playing that album, on what seemed to be a loop, all summer while he finished the basement of our new house. It was a welcomed sonic experience.
The weather is starting to warm up a bit as we head more west. After a few days in Glacier National Park in the low to mid 30’s a night in the mid low 50’s is welcome. When I purchased by sleeping bag for the trip I picked one with a lower comfortable range at 50. The mentality was that I would rather be too cold than overheating. Although the nights were manageable it’s nice not to have to put on two pairs of socks to sleep. As we look forward the weather will only get warmer and warmer.
After a quick breakfast of oatmeal Connor and I decided to explore the North Fork of the Howard’s Creek. The trail head was a few yards beyond our campsite so to miss walking it would be a regret. During all of our hikes the number one memorable experience would have to be the diversity of wildflowers. My favoritism towards botany has show it’s bias in that regard, and I’m fairly sure my photographs reflect that. There’s something about leafs and flowers that are interesting to me. Maybe it’s the way they demonstrate a coevolution with their environment and their pollinators or it might be the fact that they offer so much color to their ecosystem I just enjoy studying them. Once we got about an hour out and the landscape become more mundane we headed back. A choice Connor and I made early in the trip was that instead of immersing ourselves in a single ecosystem for a long time we would try and experience as many different locations as possible over a short time. A choice that has led to a great deal more of experiences and ecosystems to study.
Once the hike was done we spent the rest of the day driving west, further into the forest. We quickly passed into Idaho, a first for me, and stopped at the Lolo Pass Ranger Station. The station, by far, earns the award for best ranger station of the visit. Although it was small inside it offered a great selection of books, a fantastic display on the Lewis and Clark expedition and best of a free coffee and wifi. I joked with Connor that so far our experience in Lolo as the exact opposite of the excruciating pass L and C had to make. We used the opportunity to update the blog and catch up on email.
For lunch we stopped en route at the Bernard DeVoto Memorial Grove. Devoto was the historian in the 40s who compiled the Lewis and Clark journals and made it available to read. The grove was one of his favorite places to camp while working and when he died it was dedicated to him. The grove was beautiful. It was composed of old growth cedar trees and a series of fallen trees. The short walk around the grove was littered with plaques describing the life and death of trees in the forest. To me it was one of the most simple and well articulated memorials I have ever been it. The whole forest had a gravitas of importance. I’m very happy with our choice to stop there.
We completed our daily trek up the forest road Elk Summit. We found a flat spot on the moderately steep uphill road with a pre made stone campfire ring. It was around 3 pm when we arrived. This left us with a lot more time then we were use to a campsite. It’s also worth noting that it was around 85 degrees at the campsite and sunny. Generating a heat not experienced since St. Louis. Connor and I spent the majority of the time separate in quiet reflection.
6/25/14
Connor eludes to this his last post but things have been rocky between us lately. Which we both feel is natural during a month of solitude together with someone. We both have our particular quirks. I know I can be very intense with my frugality and particular about how things are done. After we resolved our issues we had a great conversation about how in the history books it’s noted that Lewis and Clark never fought. Which has got to be some revisionist history. There is no way that two people over three years never argued. One aspect of the trip that has been fantastic is the journey of self discovery that I’ve been on. Traveling with the same person over such a long time acts a mirror. There are definitely parts of my character that I’ve learned about and have space to improve upon. Also, I feel this trip has strengthened Connor and I’s friendship. Something we try and impart on our students is that it’s ok to have disagreement with your friends. The important part is that you are able to talk through them and find a resolution. I’m sure as we are working with our advisees over the years we will use this experience as a tool for conflict resolution.
The highlight of the day would easily have to go to our trip to Jerry Johnson Hot Springs, a spot
John Fathergill recommended. A short one mile hike took us to a small hot spring you can relax in. I would say the temperature was around 80 to 90 degrees in spots. I don’t know what it is about being submerged in water, but for some reason it automatically relaxes me. I can spend hours laying in water. Combine that with a roaring river next to me and the sun on my face and it’s a perfect moment. All of my troubles melted away. Up into this point I was extremely worried about my impending home purchase upon arrival back in Louisville, my longingness to see Courtney again and my curriculum work I needed to do for my revamped engineering and earth science class next year, but the water made it all go away. At that point I knew everything would be alright.
The day even found more ways to get better. During the hour and a half drive through the last of the mountains Tom Petty’s Wildflowers popped up on Connor’s iPod. That album fills me with very fond memories as a child growing up in Michigan. I remember my father playing that album, on what seemed to be a loop, all summer while he finished the basement of our new house. It was a welcomed sonic experience.
The day ended with a coffee stop in Lewiston, ID to update the blog and plan the next two days. It was there that I discovered that I had regained cellphone reception. Something I lacked since the first week of travel. I also decided to try and reschedule my flight home for a day earlier. It didn’t take much, but after a long conversation with Delta they moved my flight. The reasoning behind the move was to get an extra day in Louisville before I close on the house. The day ended with setting up camp at the island Chief Timothy State Park in Washington just west of the twin cities of Clarkston, WA and Lewiston, ID. After a rough day yesterday it was nice to have the exact opposite of day today. I look forward to what the last few days has to offer as we wrap up the journey. Maybe a few canoeing trips, some hiking or even a trip to Mt. St. Helen’s is in order.