BajaNomad - Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice

djh - 12-19-2006 at 08:28 AM

Nomad, Amigos,

Enjoy this special nodal point, when the days start to grow longer... especially important for those of us in the cold, snowy north... (waiting for my next trip to Baja :-).

I 'll be sitting in a hottub, watching the stars, and dreading the dash back into the house.... (12 degrees F. and falling...). And sharing Soju with my friends visiting Shing and I ~ from Korea. We'll take them skiing and boarding the following morning

This has always been an important day for me... maybe because it signals both the beginning of winter (on the calendar, anyway), and also the beginning of the slow march towards spring and longer days.

See you in Baja after Christmas!
djh

shari - 12-19-2006 at 08:33 AM

And a merry soltice to you too djh, enjoy your winter and thanks for reminding us of longer days to come...hasta pronto

Bajagypsy - 12-19-2006 at 11:12 AM

I love winter solstice as well, means my seed catalogs will start arriving, and I can start playing in the dirt again!!

Merry Winter solstice one and all.

Feliz Solsticio a todos

fdt - 12-19-2006 at 01:10 PM

Winter Wonderland

MrBillM - 12-19-2006 at 01:46 PM

I hear that it's also a great time to go Mountain Climbing, especially up North.

Then Again ..............

Cincodemayo - 12-19-2006 at 01:46 PM

djh....Couldn't agree more as in the Seattle area November and December have proven how much Spring and Summer are missed. As a comedian said about the PNW and Seattle...Everytime I'm in Seattle there is this drizzling rain constantly coming down and I look up in the corner...there's the sun with a gun to it's head.

Cincodemayo - 12-19-2006 at 01:49 PM

Bill......tell that to those poor souls that are frozen solid on Mt. Hood...
I don't get it.....Climb mountains in the DEAD of winter with hurricane force winds and blinding whiteouts. Watched the Discovery's Mt. Everest with those fools and I'm struck with what the "F" are they thinking!

vandenberg - 12-19-2006 at 01:54 PM

No problem with fools that risk their lives climbing a mountain, but definitely having a problem with rescue people having to risk their lives to get forementioned idiots off the mountain, dead or alive.

Cincodemayo - 12-19-2006 at 01:57 PM

Vandenberg I couldn't agree more but from being in the Fire Service those guys and gals in Search and Rescue love what they do.

Cypress - 12-19-2006 at 05:05 PM

The sun's gonna start heading back up this way. :bounce:

bajaandy - 12-19-2006 at 08:27 PM

I saw the topic of this post and I just had to reply.

Many years ago a long time friend and I started to journey south to Baja every year around this time to discover and surf points unknown (to us, anyway). Eventually we came to call these surf getaways our Winter Solstice trips.

Since that good friend moved to Washington State, we don't make those trips every year like we used to. But he did fly down a couple of years ago to join me and some other friends for a commorative Winter Solstice trip to the Seven Sisters.

He and I used to joke about how long the nights would be on those trips. Its tough when you're sitting around the campfire and it's just a tad after 6:00 and its already dark and cold. We had to convince each other to stay awake and not turn in so we wouldn't wake up at 3:00 a.m.

Once we invented a game that we called Mouse Trap. There we were, sitting at the fire, a camp box between us with chips and drinks on it, when we saw a mouse scamper along next to the bottom of the box. We'd been sitting there so quietly and not moving that the mouse began to get very bold. Bad move on it's part.

Now you have to understand that these were long and boring nights, and we'd do just about anything to keep ourselves entertained. Back at that time, I was making a living building custom stairs, and as such often had left over balusters or pieces of hand-rail to bring along as firewood. Turns out that an old baluster makes a pretty good wacking stick. Armed with a baluster in hand, we'd wait silently, poised and ready to strike as soon as the mouse was in range. The funny thing was, we wound up with about a half a dozen dead mice before we were laughing so hard the mice wouldn't come around anymore.

Anyway, I have so many good memories of those early Winter Solstice trips, that this time of the year always makes me long for Baja. Cold sand in the morning, strong offshores blowing, good northwest winter swells. The spray blowing back up in your face as you drop in and set the rail. We used to throw a single strip of bacon on a piece of fire wood so that we could smell it when we were out in the line up.

Good times, those Winter Solstice trips. Thanks djh, for bringing up the memories.

mtgoat666 - 12-19-2006 at 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bajaandy
Armed with a baluster in hand, we'd wait silently, poised and ready to strike as soon as the mouse was in range. The funny thing was, we wound up with about a half a dozen dead mice before we were laughing so hard the mice wouldn't come around anymore.

Good times, those Winter Solstice trips.

What stopped you from driving into town to bean a few stray dogs?

Diver - 12-19-2006 at 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by vandenberg
No problem with fools that risk their lives climbing a mountain, but definitely having a problem with rescue people having to risk their lives to get forementioned idiots off the mountain, dead or alive.

Costs for the Mt Hood rescue, so far, are estimated just over $100,000. Oregon law does not require the families to pay; the taxpayers foot the bill.

Some ill prepared adventurers decide to test their skills at the expense of their families, their children, the rescuer's lives and the huge costs.

While I Won't judge others for following their passions, I do believe in the old saying;

YOU WANNA PLAY; YOU GOTTA PAY !!

I'm glad I don't pay taxes Oregon. We could see the action by telescope from our front deck in Washington.

.

mtgoat666 - 12-19-2006 at 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Diver

Quote:

Huh?
If you make climbers pay, then you better make boaters pay.
If you make boaters pay, then you better make all people that live in wood houses pay for the fire department responding to their house fire.
I would rather have my tax dollars to saving recreationists and wood home owners than paying for war in Iraq.

Diver - 12-19-2006 at 08:53 PM

Huh ?
We do pay for fire protection; it's itemized in our taxes.
You want an ambulance; your insurance pays.
If you fall off your horse, you or your insurance pays, etc...
So why shouldn't recreationists pay for their own mistakes ?
Those that don't make mistakes and need rescueing should pay the bill for the others ?
Huh yourself !

And let's not get into Iraq; that goes without saying.
.

Footing the Bill

MrBillM - 12-19-2006 at 08:54 PM

Earlier today on the "Big Story" Fox News Channel, John Gibson was interviewing a character on this story and said person was rambling on about the "adverture spirit" that drives men to conquer new territory, yada, yada, yada, and without it, we never would have gone west of the Rockies.............

Gibsons' reply was "Yeah, but Lewis and Clark didn't expect the government to come and bail them out".

My solution ? Forget about charging them for the rescue. Simply don't go looking for them. Either they'll make it back or they won't. If they don't, TOUGH ! Darwin strikes again.

bajaguy - 12-19-2006 at 09:04 PM

When I was involved in SAR activities with DPS, any costs incurred over a certain threshold was billed to the victim's home insurance carrier.......sometimes we collected, sometimes we didn't. Don't know how it is in Oregon

bajaandy - 12-19-2006 at 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mtgoat666

Quote:

What stopped you from driving into town to bean a few stray dogs?

HEY HEY!!! Check it out everybody.... the goat can edit!

Oh... by the way, driving into town was out of the question. Dog's would have required something more than a baluster, say maybe a 2x4.

Mango - 12-19-2006 at 10:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MrBillM
Earlier today on the "Big Story" Fox News Channel, John Gibson was interviewing a character on this story and said person was rambling on about the "adverture spirit" that drives men to conquer new territory, yada, yada, yada, and without it, we never would have gone west of the Rockies.............

Gibsons' reply was "Yeah, but Lewis and Clark didn't expect the government to come and bail them out".

My solution ? Forget about charging them for the rescue. Simply don't go looking for them. Either they'll make it back or they won't. If they don't, TOUGH ! Darwin strikes again.

That's kinda how I feel about it.

It's a tough situation. When I climbed Pico de Orizaba in Mexico with two of my friends back in the 90's we knew we were on our own. It's part of the adventure.

I've climbed several peaks in the Cascades and Sierras. I've aided in rescues or searches for fellow climbers a few times. Most times people pushed themselves too far and exceeded thier limits... often in a short sighted attempt to make it back to work on Monday, etc..

Trying to explain to someone who has never climbed a big mountain, why you climb big mountians.. is like trying to explain god to an atheist.

It was almost ammuseing watching the press try to understand climbing, the equipment used, and what was really going on. The famous "Y" signal in the snow...was a snow anchor setup.. it's snow caves... not ice cave.. blah blah blah..

Some routes on big mountains are actually safer to climb in winter due to decreased rockfall and better ice conditions on the glaciers. Again.. most people just would not understand.

Here is a sunrise from about 13,000 on the north side of Mt. Shasta.

My heart goes out to the families and friends of the climbers. Sometimes climbers have a problem when they climb big mountains.. they don't stop at the top.. the just keep climbing.

Bless their souls.

[Edited on 12-20-2006 by Mango]

FARASHA - 12-20-2006 at 01:04 AM

WINTER SOLSTICE - YEAH - days get longer again!!!!!! :bounce:

Will spend my day/eve on that day in the sauna, sweating a bit (to cure my baja fever) and also dreading the dash back to the house!
MANGO - WHOW - nice picture, what a view!!
And here too some nutty people climbing up the Mountains (Alps of Austria) to ski down in areas that are not safe, and sometimes causing Avalanches, or breaking their bones, getting lost in an Glacier's Crack,.........
BUT nevermind - the Rescuer's Troops are carved of the same piece of wood. They just love doing their job. And the insurance pays, (if you got one) otherwise it's your bill.

Crusoe - 12-20-2006 at 11:32 AM

We can only send our sincerest condolonces to the grieving familys of the dead and missing climbers on Mt. Hood.( As an active participant in the sport for more years than I care to remember) I have to agree with Mr.BillM. In some places and in some ways there are permits and regulations that keep people off mountains when conditions are deemed to hazzordous, and keeping uneducated climbers down when they are not capable of making intelligent enough weather choices.When there are huge onshore north pacific weather systems stacked up and blasting the coastal mountain ranges here in the P.N.W. in Dec. no less, is the time you stay down!!!!!! Bieng dependent on a cell phone for getting rescued just reaffirms the old saying----Nature Bats Last!!!!! :wow:

Cincodemayo - 12-20-2006 at 12:03 PM

Once again Devilgoat hyjacks a good thread for his mission against Iraq.
Bahhhh bahhhhh bahhhhh you idiot.

As for the mountain...if they are out of state climbers they should foot the bill.

[Edited on 12-20-2006 by Cincodemayo]

Hikers Lightly Equipped

MrBillM - 12-20-2006 at 05:52 PM

Photos in the camera recovered in the Snow Cave showed that the hikers had been lightly equipped for such a climb in these conditions.

One reason for their lack of adequate protective gear may be explained by the newspaper article this a.m. which discussed their personal lives. Two of the hikers were from Texas and had met the third when he was climbing MT. Ranier at the same time with a different group from theirs. One of the two from Texas was a personal trainer and had been lauded as the BEST Personal Trainer in Dallas by the leading Gay and Lesbian publication in that area.

They were probably not worried about staying warm because they intended to "Cuddle Up Close" at night.

Cincodemayo - 12-20-2006 at 06:45 PM

Crusoe....especially the last storm that roared thru here. Gusts on the coast were over 100 mph and a few up in the mountains were marked at 135 mph..Not to mention the 10 feet of snow that fell on the mountain. The experts said the conditions were the same that exist on Everest. Well over 100 MPH on Mt. Hood with total whiteout conditions.

Bill....you saying that Mt. Hood is now Brokeback Mountain???

Paula - 12-20-2006 at 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MrBillM
Photos in the camera recovered in the Snow Cave showed that the hikers had been lightly equipped for such a climb in these conditions.

One reason for their lack of adequate protective gear may be explained by the newspaper article this a.m. which discussed their personal lives. Two of the hikers were from Texas and had met the third when he was climbing MT. Ranier at the same time with a different group from theirs. One of the two from Texas was a personal trainer and had been lauded as the BEST Personal Trainer in Dallas by the leading Gay and Lesbian publication in that area.

They were probably not worried about staying warm because they intended to "Cuddle Up Close" at night.

Mr. Bill M,I think this post says much more about you than it does about the missing hikers.

Paula - 12-20-2006 at 07:21 PM

This started as such a nice thread-- winter solstice is always a magical time, especially for people up north where the days are so short.

In the winters we spent in Montana we would always be too busy to notice the darkness through the holidays with all the colorful lights, and then a few days into January we would start to notice the days lengthening little by little. And then comes that indescribable shade of blue shortly after the sun goes down...

Crusoe - 12-20-2006 at 07:47 PM

Cinco--Put a reef in your shorts and another round on your wood stove because its going to blow like stink again tonight. Nature Bats Last!!!!