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contact me at:
justin (@) deepdrift dot com
Comments
GyozaQuest
is a non profitable site,
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Go climb a mountain.
I can't help but understand just a
little bit why men climb mountains, first there's the challenge
of it, it seems like the more challenging the better.
Everyone learns to walk.
Thus
walking quickly becomes hiking,
which soon becomes back country
mountaineering,
which begets rock climbing,
which begets
ice climbing.
Now all of a sudden you're
climbing mountains.
Pretty soon you're clawing your way
past 10K meters to the
edge
of the heaven.
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My adventure in Tucson AZ
continues!
It was good a reasonable weekend.
Although I as planning on going down
to
Rocky
Point Mexico,
but after
calling the
guy at the
sailing
club down there
who said they wouldn't
be open, given both the fact that it was spring break and too
crowded. Go figure, I might have enjoyed the three hour drive to
the ocean.
The challenge:
After a filling breakfast of huevos con chorizo,
tortillas, hashed browns and coffee. I decided to drive around
Tucson.
I stumbled across the Finger Rocks trailhead on Saturday,
about 12:30 in the afternoon.
So I decided to see how far up the mountain I could get. I
got about an hour and a half into it then decided that going
up the mountain on two cans of diet mountain dew wasn't
a bad idea, so turned around and went
back to the car.
I didn't realize how much I enjoyed hiking by myself.
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Thwarted!
So on Sunday, I was planning on going to the
Arizona desert museum, basically a zoo dedicated to the wildlife
in Arizona. Since the trail had disappointed me on Saturday,
I decided that it was earlier and I'd make another assault up
the mountain. This time with 64oz of Gatorade, and plenty of
gumption
.So I made another attempt at it.
Although I still didn't make it to the top,
there was a lookout spot that I got to, and a peak I would have
liked to sit on. Unfortunately
it was a bit impassable. The only thing which kept me from the
top of this rock was what looked to me like a pretty easy crack
to climb between. Would have only been about three footholds.
Fortunately, I chickened out. Who am I kidding, I'm not a rock
climber. But
then with another person egging me on I might have made it to the
top.
I might make it to the top of the finger rocks
yet. If I decide to give myself a full six hours as opposed to
four, then
five hours.
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Here's me outfitted for a light hiking trip.
Good shorts, fast light trail running shoes. Remember in addition
to power, speed depends on weight. Thus if you're trekking up
a mountain take enough stuff, but I guess every ounce counts.
Okay note to self,
when putting on sunblock, make sure you don't miss spots, there's
a strange burned streak on one of my shoulders, back and chest
now. Sigh... Well at least it'll get covered by a shirt. And
perhaps by the end of April my tan will even out.
Second note: This is the Arizona desert. Everything here is
prickly, poisonous, or bites. Including that cactus I had a run
in trying to scramble up said rocks. Think of it this way, imagine
a plant whose sole purpose in life is to put splinters in you.
Dang it looks like I'm getting fat. Although hiking up a mountain
was good exercise, it's not making much of a dent in my love
handles.
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I kind of know why, maybe I'll be able to climb this someday.
It's not that challenging, and not all that much of a climb,
just something to take your time with, but you might have to
bring some ropes, and it might take some practice but I'm impressed
by that overhang. It doesn't look like too impossible, but
how would you get a top rope on this one?
Maybe I've been reading too many copies of Rock and Ice. recently.
Reading about all sorts of gear, and seeing that there's a
new type of rock climbing shoe, the "approach hikers" Light
trail runners, with enough grip to enable you to scramble up
rocks, and even do some basic rock climbing. I might just have
to get me a pair.
more
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updated 3/24/2003
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