“Redditor AdventurousHuman posted the photo of hiking China’s Mount Huashan. The trail is one of the most dangerous in the world.
The trails up Mount Hua Shan involve steep staircases, vertical ascents, and a plank trail consisting of wooden platforms bolted onto the mountainside.…”
Click here.
Sent by Jack Fulton
“…These are the wandering writers June and Farrar Burn and their sons North and South in their homemade camper in 1928.”
Photo from Shorpy here. Sent in by Anonymous.
June’s book Living High is listed in the upcoming Tiny Homes on the Move bibliography.
For details about their wonderful lives, including homesteading on an island in BC, see The Skaggit River Journal here.
Sirveyor has left a new comment on your post “On Foot Yesterday From Bolinas to San Francisco:
“Lloyd, look at Alastair Humphreys’ blog, he advocate’s Micro Adventures such as you have just completed.”
I listed Alastair last year, but it was great to be reminded. My adventures are pale shadows of what this guy does.
I’ve wanted to do it for a couple of years. On foot, out my doorway, into San Francisco—or, I should say—on my own power, because the first part of the trip involves swimming. The night before, I was so excited I could hardly sleep. Got up at 5:30, walked down to the beach. My son Evan met me and paddled my day pack and clothes across the channel in a kayak.
Sun just starting to glow in dark eastern sky. 6:45. I’d psyched myself up to do this. Crunch time. Stripped down, waded out into the channel, and it was c-o-l-d. Had been a windy week, chilling the ocean. Mama mia! It’s only a short swim across, maybe 50 yards, and it felt like forever. BUT once out of the water I was stylin. Got dry, clothed, walked barefoot along the beach and got to the Parkside Cafe coffee stand at 7:30, got latte and a really good donut and was off along the coast. Got to Slide Ranch by 9, to Muir Beach 9:30. Nice morning, winds had died down, you could see as-they-say for miles. It’s maybe only 30 miles to SF, but pretty much all up and down.
View north from Tennessee Beach. I kept along the coast here on the southern side, rather than go on the (prescribed) Coastal Trail, which goes inland for a ways. There were faint animal trails and I eventually made it to the Marin Headlands. What really stokes me about this photo is that in the very distant background to the north (very faint, just to left of dark low peninsula), you can see the tip of Pt. Reyes, which I hiked to (from home) a year ago.
I have a bunch of things to say about the trip, a few photos, will try to get back to it later, but in a nutshell, it was fucking hard. Probably mostly so because, dumb shit that I am, I didn’t drink enough liquids. I was dehydrated and didn’t realize it until I limped home. Plus I can’t seem to walk slowly; the old race horse (competitive runner) syndrome.
I got to the San Francisco side of the Golden Gate Bridge at about 3:30, about 8-1/2 hours. Caught buses home, saw two friends downtown; one said, “Did you hurt yourself?,” the other said, “You look tired.”
Getting enough liquids in me last night got rid of most of the tiredness and soreness. I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. I kept telling people it was do-able, and it was. There are lots of adventures to be had in anyone’s neck of the woods. More later.
Loaded my (mountain) bike into the truck and drove into San Francisco yesterday morning to see the last race of the America’s Cup series. I parked at Fort Point under the Golden Gate Bridge, where surfers were riding small waves, weaving around the offshore rocks.
I rode over to the Marina Greens, pleasant sunny morning, Got a 4-barrel latte and donut at a dockside kiosk, rode past Aquatic Park, South End Rowing club, a half dozen cove swimmers in the water (half of them wearing wetsuits, no less!), past Fisherman’s Wharf — hadn’t realized how gaudy it’s become. There were two gigantic cruise ships in port, grotesque pieces of shit. San Francisco, still a beautiful and wonderful city, once a vital west coast port, but here whoring out to the tourist buck. I digress.
The entire bay side of the city, from bridge to bridge, was full of strolling (and biking) people. I got a burger and chocolate shake at the In-n-Out — don’t do that often, but needed some energy. Biked down to Pier 29, where the boats were berthed, then back to the hill between Aquatic Park and Fort Baker, and watched the big boats racing across the bay. The New Zealanders were out front, but Oracle sped by them in the upwind leg. Call it perverse, unpatriotic, or rooting for the underdog, but I wanted the New Zealanders to win. Whatever, these boats are awesome. There were hundreds of other boats of all persuasions out in the bay.
Rode bike back to my truck, bucking 30mph-or-so winds, crossed the bridge, jumped in my mountain canyon pool on the way home, walked a bit on the sand at Stinson Beach, winds dying down. Pretty nice day. Tomorrow I’m going to try walking into San Francisco, leaving here at dawn…
This blog has been wonderful for me with feedback. There are a bunch of like minded people out there who to turn me on to things I’m into, and give me advice, leads, facts, and criticism. Totally great, especially out here in the boondocks.
BUT I’m getting so many good tips in the “Comments” section here that I can’t keep up with them all. I need to get this book done!
What I’ve been doing is going to the link recommended and if I like it, make it into a post — which takes time — downloading images, selecting text, creating a link, then posting.
I do this because I don’t think many people read comments on old posts, and a bunch of these things are so great. It’s got to the point where I have a backlog of referred URLs to post, and it stresses me out to look at them all in my (Eudora — still) inbox in the morning
SO! I’m going to start posting the comments (or emails) as they come in, au naturel, so you can check them out from scratch. Big time-saver for me. To wit:
Hey Lloyd,
A filmmaker friend of mine just completed a short film about a boot-maker in Pendleton, Oregon who is searching for someone to carry on his legacy. Thought you might want to help spread the word.
<https://blog.farmrun.com/post/58742813729/in-search-of-succession>https://blog.farmrun.com/post/58742813729/in-search-of-succession
Best,
Sean
From Lynn Kading:
4-Year-old Girl’s Vegetable Garden Must Go, Says USDA
https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/4-year-old-girls-vegetable-garden-must-go-says-usda/
From Mike W:
“….Have you ever felt trapped in a static life you didn’t choose? Ever considered just walking away from it all and creating your own adventure? When Josh and Jessa Works asked themselves these questions, they answered by loading their son Jack into an Airstream and launching into an exploration and rediscovery of America, not in search of a place to settle, but rather creating a new kind of home out of wandering….”
stumbled onto this on someone’s facebook page..
From: CLL
FYI
https://www.pressherald.com/news/getting-into-living-off-the-land_2013-08-25.html
Thanks for all your good work. Been a fan for more years than either of us would want to admit <g>.
Very few people come here, path is overgrown, no one today for miles, no clothes, lying on warm sand, water maybe 64. Getting immersed in water anywhere is magical, you are now part of the creek/river/lake/ocean…
Coming down a dirt road at 7 this morning, heading into town for latte and wi-fi (+ ginger scone), Third Rate Romance playing on 102.3 FM, “Real Country,” enjoying the real country surroundings, redwoods and tan oaks, then on Highway One from Pt. Arena to Gualala, Gregory Isaacs singing Tan So Back, reggae an integral part of Mendo culture, my Honda Fit continuing to be a nimble delight to drive, sunny morning on the coast, healthy kelp beds off shore, the ocean blue…
Louie and I went down to the Pt. Arena pier yesterday. This salmon boat was being hauled out of the water. Later we went into Franny’s Cup & Saucer, one of the best bakeries anywhere, to get some almond croissants for afternoon tea; this sign in window, ain’t it the truth…
In a few minutes, I’m heading north along the coast and will cut across the mountains to Philo, thence northeast to Hopland and this year’s SolFest.
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post “Surf Rack On Bike“:
Some cool bike trailers:
https://www.wicycle.com/cargo_buddy_bicycle_trailer.php
https://www.wicycle.com/cargo_suitcase_bicycle_trailer.php
http://www.wicycle.com/cargo_park_pioneer_bicycle_trailer.php
I took off Tuesday in my car (Honda Fit, such a pleasure to drive) heading north along the coast. Overcast day, the colors best then (blue-sky sunny days wash out the color). Visual treat as i headed along the country roads, subtle colors, summer gold of the hills, green patches where there’s a bit of moisture; bales of hay, sheep grazing.
Gotta admit, I like driving (Calif. boy, started at age 14). With Sirius radio. Away from office and phones, mind can wander.
Turned on Outlaw Country for truckdrivin music — bingo! The Meat Purveyors singing “Burr Under My Saddle,” all the reasons she’s (they’re) dumping this guy… next song, “Zip-i-dee-doo-dah,” — “wonderful feeling, wonderful day.” Upbeat. The Coasters doing fabulous version of “Zing Went the
Strings of My Heart.”
Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart by The Coasters on Grooveshark This all put me in my best polyanna mode. Glass half full. Acc-en-chu-ate the positive. Can’t help it, optimism’s part of my m.o.
There must have been 100 boats out along the coast. The salmon are back in a big way. They’re fat and large. Best in a dozen years. Guys catching them out of kayaks. Good news in this bad-news-filled world. The ocean here is healthy.