This past weekend we had about 30 mushers come out for the weekend and they were great. This winters storms caused the Chiwawa River to cut a new channel that came right through Trinity's back pond, and eroded one of the bulkheads and flooded part of the Buck Creek Tr. We had put out a few sandbags, but with the ever changing river flow they were sent downstream and the hole got bigger.
Well we had about 12 people that got their feet and legs very cold that Friday morning started filling sandbags and hauling rocks up & down the pond in our small boat, in about 2.5-3 hours they had closed it off building a nice rock/sandbag wall. I am very grateful because what they did in three hours I couldn't have done in 2 summers, especially in the water and silt they were working in. I want to thank: Bill, Carol, Laura, Mark, Allan, Diane, Brian, Dan, Jared, Jake,& Alex for the wonderful job you did. I couldn't find my list so if I left anyone out please let me know my memory sometimes doesn't remember everyone that helped with this. This was the largest group that has been here since I've been at Trinity, loads of fun. We had many more show up Friday night & Sat morning, we were treated to a slide show and video from Margaret & Don who had done the Serum Run in Alaska this past winter, we had about 25 mph winds that evening and everyone was bundled up watching the Alaska pics where at times it was -55 during their run. I apologize to everyone that was here but I have misplaced the tablet where the names were, I believe it will show up. I found it,so now it's all good, now I can remember all of the places I want to visit this summer. I'll put other pictures up in the online album which is linked to the blog. Thanks again for all of the help. I forgot to mention that Peace was a good hostess to the 10 or so dogs that also visited this weekend, not counting the dog teams that stayed at their kennels, she kept up with all of them and there were no problems at all they all got along great it wa a pleasure to watch them interact also. We have more sandbags on the way.
I found my Paradise, hope you find yours too. Namaste'
The cottonwood trees are exploding here and there is so much cotton flying that it looks like snow. The deer are liking the corn and salt lick and there is a constant parade all day except the hottest part of the day. The creeks and river are getting back to normal what ever that is they are wild and subject according to what falls or what blows out, one thing for sure they are doing what they are supposed to. There are still snow fields above 6000' even in the meadows. As the snow recedes at the bridge going to the dam more and more destruction becomes apparent from the avalanche that happened. There is much to be cleared up yet, it is beautiful when you see that it all happens to keep things in balance. Watching and listening to the creeks & rivers there is such power and rhythm, so blue and clear, refreshing on a hot day. Everyday I have a greater appreciation for the beauty surrounding me.
The birds are singing their different songs yet it sounds like a choir to me brings me joy to hear them, the doe are having their fawns but it depends on where in the forest you are not many have been born around Trinity yet but have across many on the road in & out of Trinity. This is the time of birth and new things flowers popping up everywhere never trying to be anything but what they are supposed to be, we can learn from them to be ourself and to fulfill the purpose we are here for, not trying to be something we aren't. As I walk through the forest with Peace at my side frolicking and playing with anything she can find I'm reminded to enjoy the moment , see the beauty, peace and harmony that surround me, it is intoxicating and such a wonderful feeling, and when I share it with others it connects us because we are really all connected, and life is as it should be. As I walk through areas that were damaged severely during the storms I realize that it was necessary to maintain the natural order of things, and because of it, we can see the beauty if our hearts are open and tuned in to the spirit that IS.
I found my Paradise, hope you find yours too.
Well you can tell it is summer, the fawns are hitting the ground, many of the early blooms are turning to seed, the rivers and creeks are coming down in flow and the water is beautiful. Buck Creek Trail continues to be under water at Trinity and we have talked to the Forest Service they are aware of the problem and said they would fix it but so far nothing has happened, you will get your feet wet on the trail, the road has been fixed and cleared of trees there are some places that is still very rough but passable. The other night while coming home I saw the allusive bull moose that lives out in the forest here , I followed him for over 1.5 miles before he finally decided to get off of the road it was a beautiful sight. It's getting warmer and much drier which here means more dust, so it would be nice if it rains today as has been forecast we could use it. Everything is green and beautiful, it has been very windy for most of the month which has been nice keeping it cooler than it would be without it. There are many hikers and campers taking advantage of all of the beauty out here.
I'd like to say congratulations to Rob and family at Plain hardware for 10 years, buy local. They had a great celebration with music food and fun yesterday evening with a wonderful turnout, may you have many more.
I found Paradise, hope you find yours too.
These last few weeks have been difficult and I've been using the time to reflect and seeking spiritual peace and how I got away from it. It's easy when you stop doing the things that work in your life. For the last 6.5 years I've searched out what it is to be happy and it all starts with a decision to be happy which includes love, peace, kindness, patience & honesty. We learn lessons from our experiences and if we don't learn from them then we will repeat them until we do, it's really our choice. The problem is that most people seem to like staying in the past and others like the future, both of which aren't NOW and that is really all we have because we can't change the things from the past and the future hasn't arrived, what we can do is make our today the very best we can.
I believe that everyday I learn is another day of life, when I stop learning then that will be the end of this experience. I was raised in church and had many questions even as a kid that were never answered in a satisfactory manner, usually only causing more confusion, as things just didn't add up. For the last few years I started reading and for the first time hearing answers and explanations that made sense for the first time, things that witnessed to my spirit. When I moved to Trinity and being surrounded by majestic mountains, the rivers and creeks, the wildlife, I found Paradise and realized the beauty that is the Universal Spirit.
For the last 3+ years I've changed the way I look at life and realized that living in the past was not where I wanted to be. I've taken the lessons I've learned from it but to continue to talk about of live out the past brings spiritual death to each of us, we have today and making the best out of it is all we can do to spiritually alive. It all starts with a choice to be happy and to see what the day has to offer, what chance I will have to give to someone else. One thing is for sure we can not give what we don't have, we can't share love or peace if we don't have it in us first. I first have to love myself to love others, and if it works don't fix it but if something you try doesn't work you must change something in order to get different results.
These past 5 days with Peace being at Trinity has been a great lesson in living in the NOW. She discovered snow on our first outing to the dam on Monday morning, since then when we are out walking she has to go through every patch of snow she sees, slipping, sliding and biting the snow. She finds pleasure in everything she sees, constantly running to keep up, finding sticks and weeds swaying in the wind each a treasure for her but as fast as she picked it up she finds something new, constantly changing according to where she is. That is what I want to do, to enjoy every moment and to be in awe of the things I see and experience. For a period of time I quit doing the things that worked in my life to try to make someone else happy but we can't make anyone else happy, I've made a choice to be happy here at Trinity it's where I feel very connected to Spirit, magic happens here, but it isn't for everyone, it is hard if you think it is but for me it's ideal. The biggest thing I'm learning from watching Peace is that she doesn't take ownership of the things she picks up, instead just enjoys it for the moment, I believe it is what I am going to do, not worry about the what if's or the could have beens, just stay in today taking moment by moment giving thanks for every moment. Getting back on track, happy, grateful, loving and caring and living in Paradise. Life is Good , to be enjoyed, not watched as it passes you by.
I found my Paradise, hope you find your too.
The Chiwawa River and Phelps Creek are raging right now and at the dam it is running everywhere, you can barely see the dam under all of the water right now. It is finally starting to clear up a bit after being muddy and full of debris from this past fall season. After finally getting to the dam for the first time since Nov which was not an easy task due to all of the trees on the road and the snow slide remnants on the road to the dam, one area still has over 6' of snow on the road along with trees and rocks from a late season avalanche. We had to walk the last 1.25 mi because of everything on the road. The screens have been filling up with debris or trees coming down the creek have been blocking the water flow to the powerplant so we have been going up a couple of times a day since Mon just to clear things out and keep the water flowing. I was amazed to see how high the water in the creek was and Reid mentioned that it was the highest he has ever seen. The Chiwawa River has cut new channels to the east this year and part of the river is running right through the back pond which is flooding the Buck Creek Tr and it is under 5-6' of water right now. Not only is there lots of water everywhere but the road into Trinity is only open to Atkinson Flats, the 2nd snow gate is closed due to large numbers of trees being down and blocking the road in places and even part of the road is gone washed out with a creek running across where the road was before Nov. It looks like a war zone and the question is now does the Forest Service have the funds to make the needed repairs & to clear the trees and debris from the road alongwith repairing the washout, not looking too good at this point. Back to going to the dam Peace and I have made several trips to the dam since early Monday morning after the plant dumped Sun night from lack of water due to the screens being clogged with debris and silt, we cleared the screens twice Monday and once Tues, this is my busiest time of year just keeping them cleaned and the plant up, once the water clears up it will be easier then there is more water than we can handle. Peace is a trooper and keeps up getting plenty of exercise and then sleeping after we get back, she's a joy to have here but definitely keeps me on my toes. So if you are planning to get out in the woods be prepared for anything especially with the high water and trees down everywhere pack a saw and shovel and some extra rope you might just need to tie off to be safe. Even with all of this that has happened out here and the difficulty driving in and out, it's still Paradise to me.
I found my Paradise, hope you find yours too.
This morning Elaine and I were out riding around and just checking things out and as we were checking the back pond Elaine spotted the mallard hen resting in some brush.. What is so exciting about this is that this is the 3rd year she has come back here , usually she is seen in the company of a couple of drakes, that isn't so uncommon but one of them is a wood duck and the other is a mallard. LAst year she laid and hatched 4 eggs and were were able to see thewm when they first were swimming with mother in the back pond but as they got older we got see them journey to the front pond about 200 yds away before they were gone for good. It was very exciting then and again now to have her back again. Please forgive no pictures today as we are waiting for a power supply for the computer that has all of the pictures loaded on it. Spring is here that is for sure.
We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too.
The last couple of days Elaine and I have been going out and looking at how much snow still is on the ground and on the bridges, both the foot and auto bridge at the Trinity TH. That however isn't so unusual at this time of year but what is different is that the trail that hikers usually use to get to Buck Mtn, Chiwawa Mtn and the PCT is at the present time under water, not just a little bit of water as has been the norm but a lot of water because the Chiwawa River has cut a new channel and now is feeding the back pond then heading back to the river. It will be very interesting to watch during the melt out to see if it stays or not but right now it would be good to bring waders.
The 2 top photos are of the foot bridge just different sides but there is still 8' of snow on it, the bottom pictures are where the Chiwawa River has cut a new channel it used to be the trail, the pond is overflowing to the trail that runs behind it, normally hikers have no idea the pond is there, now they will. What else will happen as the snow starts melting. Both the river and Phelps Creek and running about twice as much as it usually does at this time of year and it will only get faster and deeper as the melt/thaw happens.
It's been great having Elaine home and being able to enjoy the snow with her, now she is starting to understand what I've been saying all along "Winter is my favorite time of year, it is so beautiful and clean". We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too.
