Saving and Wasting Time

Tomorrow is the end of Daylight Saving Time. I get an extra hour of sleep. Or I guess I do if I decide to use the time for sleeping. I'm not going to sleep that extra hour away. I'm going to ride my mountain bike in the morning. I have a ski mask and goggles to wear this winter as I ride. I'm riding the bike to see how it affects my hip joint.

On June 9, 2012, I ran a half marathon. During the training for the half marathon my left groin area started to hurt. I took some time off but knew I needed to train to be prepared for the thirteen miles. As I posted in a previous story, my groin tightened up at the four mile mark of the race and I had to bear pain for the remainder of the run. Since then, I have only run one other race a 5K in my hometown. I've tried to keep running but each time I do at about two or three miles my groin will tighten. Lately, I have a very light popping feeling periodically in the inner hip area around the hip flexor. I have also had a slight catch in the hip when I move a certain way. All of my research indicates that I have a hip impingement. I'm not sure if it is a cam impingement or a pincer impingement. I suspect it is caused from tight muscles, I'm guessing the psoas. Either that or a labrum tear. I haven't been to the doctor yet. I've been holding off and resting and doing some stretches and exercises hoping it will help. My greatest fear is that when I start riding my bike, the symptoms will get worse. If they do, then for sure I will be seeing the doc. I want to keep running and stay active, but have a feeling that running may be a thing of the past. Time will tell.

Time tells us other things as well. I'm not sure how the change in time will affect what I see on my way to work in the morning. Lately, I have enjoyed looking at Ben Lomond summit. The first snow of the season had it covered. At about 7:45 AM it is illuminated with sun light. What I find interesting is that the sun has not risen above the Wasatch Front. I'm sure physics could help me understand how the peak of Ben Lomond can be illuminated with sun light even thought the sun is still behind the other mountains. I'm sure it's a pretty simple explanation--something to do with angles and heights--but I'm not so interested in that as I am in just enjoying it. The sun light makes the snow so bright. The fact that the sun is not seen but its effect is, draws my mind to some metaphors for life. Seeing is believing. Believing is seeing.

Albert Einstein said, "Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." Scientists are looking deep into nature and trying to explain the what, where, why and how of things, giving us a better understanding. I'm grateful for that. I'm also grateful for being able to enjoy nature without having to know all the scientific reasons for some things existence and behavior. Sometimes, I like to enjoy nature for how it makes me feel. When  I see a Kestrel hover over a field looking for prey, I can smile and enjoy watching without knowing the aerodynamics of its hovering. When I see trout dart up or down stream when I think I had put the perfect sneak on them, I marvel that the lateral line can sense such subtle movement and vibrations without having to know exactly how it all works. When I look at the colors on trout, I know that some of the markings and color are for camouflage, but I like to think that a creator might have added a crimson dot, a blue halo, or a red slash under the jaw to add beauty to the work of an artist.

I'm hoping my hip will be okay. Maybe my running time will be replaced with more hiking time. So far hiking hasn't caused pain. There are those who feel the time I spend outdoors is wasted time. I love when we go to Daylight Saving Time in the spring. It gives me more "light" and time to be outside doing the things that bring me joy. To me it's precious time.

Fall Fly Fishing Finally

I've posted some pictures from my latest fly fishing trip.
The weather is supposed to turn more like winter this week.
I'm glad I was able to get out and enjoy a great Fall day.
Check out the pictures on my fly fishing blog:
www.troutseeker.blogspot.com

Good Timber

I've always liked this poem by Douglas Malloch.

"The tree that never had to fight
For sun and sky and air and light,
But stood out in the open plain
And always got its share of rain,
Never became a forest king
But lived and died a scrubby thing.

The man who never had to toil
To gain and farm his patch of soil,
Who never had to win his share
Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man
But lived and died as he began.

Good timber does not grow with ease:
The stronger wind, the stronger trees;
The farther sky, the greater length;
The more the storm, the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
In trees and men good timbers grow.

Where thickest lies the forest growth,
We find the patriarchs of both,
And they hold counsel with the stars
Whose broken branches show the scars
Of many winds and much of strife.
This is the common law of life."

My dad turned 80 years old this past week. He's an amazing man. He's a manly man. He's been the strong tree in my life, a forest king, good timber. Though a little worn with age with branches that show scars, he holds counsel with the stars, and I do, and always will look up to him.

Added Some Pictures to my Fly Fishing Blog

Here's a link to my fly fishing blog:
www.troutseeker.blogspot.com

Tackling Timpanogos

Phyllis, myself, and Kiele Nelson near the start of our hike.

Small waterfall on the way up Aspen Grove Trail.

Our destination Timpanogos Peak in the far background.

Working our way through some rocks.

Myself, Phyllis, Kiele and Kevin--old people pretending they are young.
Give us credit we're out doing something!

The summit saddle.Timpanogos Peak in background.

The end of the trail about 11,500 feet or so.

Starting back down the Timpooneke side.

Looking back toward Timpanogos Peak on the way down.

We dropped off several high meadow plateaus on the long hike out.

My fear of heights kicked in hard at the saddle summit near the peak of Timpanogos. I stared at the slick looking rock with a slight tilt and could not make my feet step on it. A hiker that we had periodically shared the trail with walked back to me and offered her hand to help me through this scary situation. I took her hand walked across the scary area and onto the saddle that looked out over Utah Valley. Smoke from forest fires in Idaho had blown into the area on the north wind so the view was a bit hazy. Still we could see Utah Lake, the cities of Provo and Orem, and other smaller cities.

I knew I was not going to the peak. My mind was made up. My wife was disappointed to come this far and then not reach the summit. I felt bad for her. We discussed several options that would enable her to reach the peak but in the end it was not to be. She hiked to the corner where the trail started a series of climbs to the peak and had her picture taken by some friendly hikers from Florida. I felt good for making it to the summit saddle. It was a long hike uphill for the most part. The views along the trail were majestic and beautiful. I was satisfied. The thought of being within a mile of the actual peak and not going to the top will probably haunt my wife for a long time.

We hiked with some friends who were very strong hikers. I felt bad for dragging them down. It was nice to hike and talk with them. The plan was to leave a car at the Timpooneke traihead drive to the Aspen Grove trailhead, hike up the Aspen Grove trail and then back down the Timpooneke trail to the shuttle car and then drive back to the Aspen grove trailhead. This would mean we would be hiking approximately 14 or 15 miles. We would attain an elevation of around 11,000 feet.

Utah had one of the driest years on record in 2012. The lack of snow and precipitation made an impact on the size of snowfields in the drainage. The usual springs and waterfalls were almost all dry by the end of September. Still the scenery was fabulous with the fall colors starting to abound.

This hike had a little of everything--elevation gain, rocks, boulders, quakies, pines, a few late season wildflowers, a herd of mountain goats, and distant vistas. It was well worth the effort and as Gregg Witt writes in his book, 60 Hikes within 60 Miles of Salt Lake City: "Some hikers make their ultimate destination one of the many waterfalls, meadows, or lakes, while others go as far as the saddle, less than a mile from the summit, and consider the view from the saddle as a worthy reward for their effort."

Quick Trip to Big Cottonwood Creek



Little Brown on Big Cottonwood Creek



Beautiful, Wild Brown Trout with Orange Spots

Wary, skittish trout are fun to stalk.

Wildflowers are in bloom.

A side trip to Hidden Falls. Not much water in a drought year!

Little creeks like this are my specialty.

EXPLORING ON PIONEER DAY (SURVIVING)

The 24th of July is Pioneer Day in Utah. In other states it would be referred to as "Founders Day" or something similar. Most Utah businesses shut down and let their employees celebrate. My wife and I took advantage of the time and went exploring.

A few years ago, I had heard about a couple of small, brushy creeks from a UDWR fisheries biologist. I'm sure when I asked him where some semi-secluded unknown small creeks with small colorful trout might be located, he wondered about me. I'm sure most people asking for secrets pose a question about where one might go to catch BIG fish. I was glad that this UDWR biologist was gracious enough to mention a few of these places. It took me a few years before I took the opportunity to locate these little gems and to cast a fly upon their waters. They are not places even I would travel to as a "destination location" yet, it was well worth the effort to find them and spend some time there. And I can see myself exploring them a little more some time in the future when in their vicinity. Both of the creeks are classic little mountain trout creeks. The rocks in the creek bottom are colorful. The trout are skittish, quick, and colorful. I'm assuming the trout are planter Rainbows, but wouldn't be surprised to find that some of them are holdover survivors from previous years. The water looked good and I fully expected to catch a  native cutthroat or two but didn't. I also assumed that the creeks may have held a few "wild" reproducing brook trout but never caught one. As I mentioned, going back sometime and fishing different stretches in search of natives is in order.  

A beautiful little Rainbow.

Very small water--especially this drought year.

Hungry little Rainbow caught on a Twisted Foam Hopper.

These types of creeks are hard to fish. It takes patience. It's easy to get frustrated when your fly ends up in a tree or bush every other cast. One has to approach this water knowing that you will get hung up a lot. With that in mind, you have to accept it and deal with it as part of the experience. This is all easier said than done, but I find that trying to keep a positive attitude helps keep the frustration down a bit. Be prepared to lose a fly or two and spend some time reaching to untangle a fly or stop to tie on a new tippet and new fly. My wife and I decided that both of these creeks would be fun places to tent camp on. Tent camping involves a few tin-foiled trout for lunch or dinner. The planted Rainbows would be perfect for dinner. Most of the time these planters are a put and take proposition. I found it rewarding that these Rainbows were starting to act like a wild trout. They were somewhat skittish and would dart out quick to take the fly. When I missed a take, they wouldn't come right back after the fly and I would have to rest them for a few minutes. I have a pioneer heritage. Some of my ancestors were homesteaders within a mountain range from where these creeks are. They had small creeks like these to fish and provide water for their needs. I always feel like I'm following in their footsteps when I fish areas like this. They fished as a means of survival. I fish as a different means of survival. I honor them and their lives. 

Little deep holes like the one under this log held a few jewels.