Sometimes death just plain sucks

A great human being died this past Monday. My friend, Mark, who had been battling leukemia for several years finally lost the fight. He was a strong and mighty man, full of vigor, and the disease had to do its best to claim him. He fought on when most would've thrown in the towel. He was a man with a heart of gold and who spread kindness wherever he went. He had a twinkle in his eye whenever I saw him.
I got to know Mark years ago through church service. There I found out that Mark wasn't just a good man, but a great one. I loved him like a brother. The world will miss this guy, and so will I.

Hiking: South Willow Canyon

One of my goals this year in hiking was to explore the Stansbury Mountain Range a bit more. In particular, there is a road called "Mining Fork Road" that I have been wanting to find out about. In 2016 I had been on the road twice, but never to either end of it. Thus, I had no idea if I could drive it, and I only found out recently where I would end up if I did. In my travels around the area, I had yet to find the beginning of the road, so I thought the best way to do that, would be to get on it on foot and follow it.
To do that, I had to head up to Medina Flat Trailhead in South Willow Canyon. The Medina Flat Trailhead is part of the Stansbury Front Trail system.

Nice views of the Oquirrh Range to the east

The surrounding peaks with their snow cover were Beautiful

Another couple of miles up the road from the turnoff to Medina Flat is the Loop Campground and that's where the trailhead to Deseret Peak is located. Another one I'd like to do again and soon.
I arrived about 8:30 and began my hike. The weather was cloudy, and the trail was muddy from the recent snowstorm we had. Most of the snow was melted off the trail leaving a gooey mess in places that clung to the soles of my hiking shoes and added at least a pound to each shoe. As soon as I got to a less muddy spot, I scraped off my shoes. It reminded me of the days of my youth when I had gone on a summer camp as a Boy Scout, which included hiking in for about 27 miles. Luckily we had pack animals. However, on the day we hiked out, we had to deal with mud left over from a torrential downpour the day before, and the huge slaps that accumulated on the soles of our boots. I don't think I have ever been so tired at the end of a hike!
Today's hike wasn't like that and served only as a reminder of things of the past. There were also more pleasant memories of this trail that I decided to spend time thinking about. Like the time the wildflowers were in full bloom which is depicted in the main picture with me in it at the top of my blog.
Probably about 1/2 mile along this trail, it goes down into a canyon and crosses Mining Fork Road. I had already decided that this month I would follow it to the east to try and discover where the road began and to determine if I could get on it somewhere in my vehicle. There were tire tracks on it, so I was hopeful. I was planning on coming back again later on in the year when the snow has melted to find the end of the road. I have already found out that it ends at South Willow Lake, but have yet to visit that lake.
I headed east on the road and it went out to a point which was the furthest I had been on it in the past. There is a fabulous view from this point. The overcast sky made the view not quite as spectacular as it could have been, but it was still Beautiful. Great views of the Great Salt Lake, Stansbury Island, and Antelope Island were to be had from this and  many other vantage points along the route.

The northern edge of the Oquirrhs and the Great Salt Lake

Visible in the haze, the Great Salt Lake, Stansbury Island, and Antelope Island

At that point the road switchbacks to the west and heads down. I followed it for maybe a mile and another switchback or two before it settled in on top of the ridge between South Willow Canyon and North Willow Canyon. At this point the sun began peeking out a bit now and then, but it still remained largely overcast.

There are a lot of interesting geological formations and rock specimens in the area.

Picturesque peaks of the Stansbury Range

I couldn't figure out what this was. Mining stuff maybe?

I followed it for another mile down the ridge before running into a "No Trespassing" sign. At this point I could see the main road going up South Willow Canyon down below and since I didn't want to trespass, I headed down the mountainside, through the junipers and sliding scree. About fifty feet above the main road, I found a nice rock to take home to Ann and I took it with me the rest of the way. I got down to the road, put the rock down where I could find it, as it was too big to carry back to the trailhead,  and began the two mile walk back up the road to where the 4Runner was parked at Medina Flat.

This photogenic truck was parked at one of the cabins.

I had come down near the cabin area and a guy was outside working at one of the cabins and came over and talked to me a bit. I told him about where I had been and the "No Trespassing" sign and how I had decided to come down the mountain.

Later on, when I was just about back to the vehicle, an older guy in a Jeep pulled over and talked to me, asking me where I'd been. I told him the same thing I'd told the other guy and he said "that's my niece's property". I said, "Oh, okay." We then spent a few minutes talking about whether or not I'd seen any deer or turkeys up there. I hadn't, but I'd seen tracks of both, and I mentioned that I had seen a couple of turkey hunters on Mining Fork Road a couple of years ago. He said that both the turkeys and deer had been a bit scarce up there the last year or so. We said our good-byes and I took a couple of pics then got into my vehicle and drove home. Disappointed that I hadn't accomplished my goal of finding the eastern end of the road, and still not sure if there was a way to get on it without crossing private land, but thrilled that I had had another great  adventure. We always discover something even though it's not always what we had planned on discovering. Today was one of those days, but I would be back for more adventure and more discovery in the weeks and months to come.

There's always more adventure to come.

Ringo Starr's Photograph

Ringo Starr is commonly thought of as the least talented Beatle, the dumbest Beatle, or the goofiest Beatle. Frankly though, my thoughts on Ringo is that he ended up being the most contented Beatle. In my mind, that makes him the smartest. Much of his music is very playful and often humorous, from "The No No Song" to "Octopus's Garden". But he could also write a good sad song. The song "Photograph" (which he co-wrote with George Harrison, who also got out of the way of the often feuding Lennon and McCartney) captures the heart of someone pining for a lost love, someone who only has a "photograph" to remind himself of the love that once was. When you think about the words, it's heartrending: I want you here to have and hold, as the years go by, and we grow old and gray...I thought I'd make it, the day you went away, but I can't make it 'til you come home again to stay. Keep staring at the photo you have as you listen to this song. Unless you want to read the lyrics. But look at the photo anyway--and I'm not talking about the pics in the video, unless of course, one of them your lost love. Photograph--it's an oldie, but a goodie.

Fighting our inner battles

Occupying time with God's handiwork can take our minds off of nearly anything.

Do you ever feel lonely even when you're in a crowd--or even when you are around people whom you love and who love you? Nearly everyone has some kind of hidden trials that we don't know about. I guess mine is that feeling of loneliness. I've tried to pinpoint it. I'm a great one for self-analysis. I know that my decision to leave the LDS faith three years ago has left me somewhat isolated from people I love--even those who are closest to me. There are possibly other reasons that I can't identify. I was experiencing loneliness prior to leaving the LDS faith. I think in a way, that's my cross to bear so to speak. My thorn in the flesh. Others have trouble with depression or anger management or any number of things. I think most of us have heard the saying, "Be kind. For everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." (attributed to various people including Plato, but it looks like the original source is Ian Maclaren)
I need to remember that. The truth of it was forcefully put into my mind when I watched the 2017 film Wonder a few days ago. Told from various character's points of view, it shows emphatically how everything isn't always as it appears on the outside, or from one person's vantage point. Each person in that story had their own feelings and reasons for doing things the way they did. In real life it is that way.
I don't know if my feelings of loneliness will ever go away. It is my challenge. I sometimes forget about it when I get intensely interested in something. It happens for long moments as I'm driving and looking at the countryside. I think if I could travel more frequently, get outside with my wife Ann, or some friends and just do something that kept me occupied, then I could keep those feelings at bay for longer periods of time.
And that's likely the same with you who have your own feelings of loneliness, anger, or frustration. The key is to live in the moment and not dwell on what gives you those feelings. It's an involvement of self in things that thrill you, interest you, and enthrall you--occupying the space in your heart and mind where the feelings that make you sad take up room.
I like to think that more focusing on the needs of others helps with that too. I'm sure it helps with the welfare of the human soul. I will keep my wolf howling in the light of the full moon as my background image on my Facebook page. It reflects partially who I truly am. However, I know that my Lord may see fit to remove that image from my heart and mind, in his own timing. Until then, I will ask him to help me deal with it, and I will do as much of what I have found to be a relief of symptoms, even if not an all-out cure.
Just rest assured that we are all fighting a hard battle. Really. My goal is to treat you as if you were, with kindness and love.

Hiking: It's warming up, and time for some nice weather hiking!

I generally don't let bad weather deter me from hiking.

My October hike to the Notch in the Uintas yielded shots like this one.

That being said, once it starts warming up, my eyes light up as I start thinking about the hikes I'm wanting to do sometime between now and next time the snow flies. I never get to do all of them, but one can always dream, can't one?
There are several trips I'd like to make this year. I'll be doing an unscheduled one this month, so I won't count that one. Most of the ones I want to do this year require the snow to be pretty much gone. In May, I'm going up into the Stansbury Mountains to follow a road/trail called "Mining Fork Road". I was on it a couple of times in 2016 and never followed it all the way up. It ends at South Willow Lake, which I'd really love to see. I also want to follow the road down as far as it goes, because I've been unable to locate where someone might get on it and drive partway then hike the rest. So, that's on the agenda. Whether that will take one day or two, remains to be seen.

On the trail to the top of Deseret Peak in the Stansburys

Second on the list is the Pfeifferhorn. It has been on my list for a number of years and I haven't ever made it.
There are a number of other peaks that I have climbed before, but would like to do again. If I do them though, I want to do them with someone this time. I've been a solo hiker for a long time, simply because of my schedule, but I'm wanting to share the experience with others on these peaks. The peaks are Timpanogos, Nebo, and Deseret Peak. I also wouldn't mind doing the relatively easy hike to the top of Baldy in the Uintas if someone were to tag along.

Some of my best hiking partners are my grandkids.

But I also like taking other family members and friends along.

Of course, I'm open to other hikes that aren't as strenuous as the three tougher hikes mentioned above. Hikes to some of the Uinta lakes for a little fishing and relaxation are always part of my agenda.

If I could, I'd do a backpacking trip. I'd really love to go to Red Castle in the Uintas as I have never been there and I've heard a lot of great things about it. One of my friends would really love to go to Kings Peak with me, and I'd do that one again if I could swing the time away from home. My wife. Ann is disabled and hasn't felt comfortable with me going away over multiple nights, or even one night for several years. She has hinted that she might be open to it in the future though, so here's to hoping.

I imagine I'll do my share of solo hiking as well. Maybe up to Silver Glance Lake or elsewhere in the Wasatch. No matter what happens though, it will be great to get out and experience whatever the good Lord allows me to experience. I will be counting each adventure as just a bonus to an already amazing life.

Sometimes ya gotta go it alone if ya want to get out there.