The Earth Starts Moving: Dio Mio!!!!!!

Was visiting the always interesting All About Lemon who has a most exciting piece about the Earth. Visit the site and then click any picture of the Earth and wow! Scary stuff. Increible!!! is right. Below pic is from region after the slide. Happened awhile ago, not current events but interesting to watch.

CRACKED IN HALF ROAD: A view of a road destroyed by a landslide Tuesday in the southern Italian town of Maierato. A landslide, thought to have been caused by heavy rains in the region, split a hillside in Maierato the previous day. About 200 residents of the town in the Vibo Valentia province have had to be evacuated, authorities said. (Belcastro Antonietta/EPA) | WSJ

Hiking Trails & Not Prepared? Oregon Woman Overdue

As I listen to it pouring outside this morning, I can imagine the front bunched up against the Cascade Mountain Range and in particular the Mt. Hood area. Lost is a woman, Lidiya Dmitriyevna Russu, who parked near a trail head to do what, I don’t know (mushroom hunt, take a hike, contemplate a view, etc). The opinion is she was not prepared to spend the night. Another person’s outdoor plight is your reminder to be prepared for outdoor emergencies. You know the drill. I have posted often enough here re outdoor safety considerations. The reminder is don’t make that careless mental decision to forego the pack, the gear, the notifications that will keep you healthy and found. Best wishes Lidiya……. end of 10/10, still not found

Lidiya Dmitriyevna Russu overdue in the Mt. Hood area. Search and Rescuers are no doubt moving in right now at first light.

Update 10-12-2011

“In making the decision to suspend the search, the sheriff’s office consulted with Dr. Terri Schmidt, a medical doctor from Oregon Health & Science University who is an expert in emergency medicine and wilderness survival. They also reached out to other experts in the search-and-rescue community for advice.

“Mrs. Russu had very limited wilderness survival experience and was not properly dressed or equipped to stay in the wilderness,” Rhodes said. “Given the heavy rain, low temperatures and high winds, the likelihood that Mrs. Russu will be recovered alive is outweighed by the extreme risk posed to searchers in this rugged terrain and wintery weather.” HuffPo

Random Recollections of Years Gone By………..

I spent an enjoyable morning/afternoon talking to George Palmer and his lovely partner in life, ‘Patty’. George told me stories about Montana Fly fishing on the Thompson R., Rock Creek, Clarks Fork, in the 40′s and 50′s. George was the benefactor of a kindly doctor in Missoula, Montana, who staked him, at 6 years of age, to a metal, telescoping rod, reel and line plus flies from Bob Ward  Sporting Goods. Years later George used to hike up the Deschutes R. from the mouth in the early Fall and use the Joe’s Hopper for Summer Steelhead. A good afternoon would yield up to three hookups, but they often were not landed. Even years ago, he would chop a fly line in half and fish a shorter head to avoid drag as he swung the fly across the currents.

George recounted several harrowing experiences working for the U.S. Forest Service (Timber Lake, Oregon) in the 60′s and being stranded with a work crew up by the Bull of the Woods (Cascades) on October 12, 1962. The Columbus Day Storm tore through the NW with epic ferocity that day and stranded his work crew with only a vehicle for shelter as miles of trees about them were snapped to the ground. Other crews spent untold effort, after the storm passed, to cut through miles of trees to clear a path to rescue the work crew. Their safety was uncertain. In the end, their fellow Forest Service mates found them tired but safe.

Then there was the Christmas Day Flood of 1964, when George, his young family and many other families, stationed at the Timber Lake facility, were cut off from the outside world as the Clackamas River and its tribs wiped out roads, bridges and stranded the families for almost a month.

Also, interesting were George’s accounts of his father. A rodeo performer who traveled the West with other rodeo hands. They survived the hard times by often pooling their winnings so all could afford to travel by rail and eat. The father had learned to ride horse bareback and with no bridle from the native americans in Montana. George’s dad was one of the few rodeo hands that could ride bare back and sans the bridle. In later years, George would attend the Pendleton Roundup and sit with old rodeo hands. They all met to reminisce over the old days and would regale George with the exploits of his dad. Often these were very interesting stories his dad had not passed on.

It was a nice visit with a man, who does not get to wet a line much anymore but you can tell he misses it very much. I am sure, due to the din of noise in the restaurant I missed details and such, but I did not miss out on the memorable experiences of a man that fished the fabled waters way back when and was exposed to the remnants of the wilder West before the  developments. Thank you George. Let’s do that again soon.  

Anaphylaxis Shock Risk (How To Use Epi-Pen)

HOW TO USE EPI-PEN FOR ANAPHYLAXIS RISK 

 Additional Wilderness Medical Considerations

Weather Channel Dork & the Others

Such a defense of the coverage of Hurricane Irene. Yes, sad the loss of lives and properties. Yes, the ad nauseam warning probably saved many lives. But, we can all agree, except the dorks that produce weather, disaster coverage, that the fool standing in the path of the wind, debris, and other objects is a needless fool. Stop please with such ridiculous coverage. Dork + Streakers   Considered adult theme because of  the one guys schwantz…so you may need to log in as adult on youtube.

Fly Fishing: Avoiding the Crowd; Explore

It is easiest to fish near parks, stocking points, turnouts with short hikes to the river, campgrounds…these are often actually nice stretches of water…just crowded at times, or agitated after a weekend of fishing, wading, splashing, skipped rocks and the like.

Sometimes you just don't want company or you might just be in the wrong place all together?

New waters, busy waters will require some exploration to separate yourself from the crowds. Research, maps, driving back and forth, exploring spur roads, exploratory hikes are often required to find privacy. Be careful. Falls, slips etc. can ruin part of the fun of fishing, which is finding that special spot. I seldom have access to a drift boat. So, my time on rivers is limited to public access and that, to me, means getting away from the neighboring angler, if even by fifty yards….ideally way more. The locating of a secret spot should be partially mitigated by telling someone where you are parking and where your secret spot is from there…… I know, you the self contained rebel, balks at that. The longer you fish, the more you will come to realize the bumps and bruises of just getting to a point where you can wet a line or get back to your rig.  

Outdoors Skills: Fire Starting (Cell Phone Battery)

Cell Phone Battery-Brillo Pad Fire Starter Technique

Fly Fishing: A Hitch in Your Giddy Up…..

Fly Fishing, Outdoor Safety: It’s a bitch getting old. That could suffice. Says it all. But, then I wouldn’t have anything to write. Random recollections: back pain, hip pain, joints tight, balance issues, tentative moves, a little mounting anxiety, you get there yes, but you still have to climb out.

Muscle pulls and injuries are seemingly normal, early on, if you play hard, work hard. They heal. Some linger. You deal, you wear them like a purple heart…been there, done that. But, later the purple hearts acquire a patina, crusty like coating of something more intrusive…Arthritis

We hear this word, I heard this word, and associated it with little, elderly women with the sadly gnarled fingers/knuckles of their hands. Poor girls. Such dignity while continuing forth. Well, the insidious ‘A’ word does not confine itself to little old hands. It creeps into joints and the spine, into those that are not that old.

Back to the river. As I stood atop the rise above the river, I remarked that the distance and pathway are almost always more cumbersome than it appears from atop. Those rocks are bigger than they look from above. The water is bigger, faster, less than you think from above. So, before you commit down over the edge make sure you size it up well before you make the decision to commit your body to the downward and lateral trek across those boulders.

The ankles, hips and back are tight. The reduced range of motion catches up with you. You commit to those steps out over deep, jagged holes. You reach and place the foot and feel restrictions you didn’t use to feel. The next step is not as fluid as you support your body in a tenuous position over a hole. It dawns on you that your body is tight. You also notice that when you stand upright for a moment you are a bit wobbly. Balance is impeded and you lurch this way and that. Not good. You reach out for the rocks, bent over, holding closer to those abrasive supports. No warm ups or stretching will do much for this reality. You best pick your routes or places to fish with care. The old Clint Eastwood admonition of ‘a man’s got to know his limitations’ is true.

Back Side Creek, Poking Around (SwittersB)

Descending down, fly rod in hand is supposed to be exciting anticipation. A stalking of sort. Don’t let your limitations hinder you, plan ahead. Calculate your route and once you learn that those rocks are bigger than you realize, avoid those routes in the future. Leave it to the younger person that has a bit of Parkour hops in their steps. This is a reality moment that we all must accept. If you don’t, well you will be wearing a bigger purple heart.  

Drano Bottle Bombs

I generally shy away from alerts re computers viruses, scams or Obama’s birth certificate. I thought this one interesting to share considering cleanup projects.  A little scrutiny of suspicious bottles. Would be hard in major cleanup.

Drano Water Bottle Bomb Alert (SwittersB)

Bottle Bombs & Snope’s Confirmation………………The Dipshits That Make These

Water Bottles: Geeze that stinks…..

Clean Bottle Review