I have been unfaithful.

Apologies to Winter, Spring and Summer.  You just can't compete with the comforts of Fall.

Call me a fickle female if you like, because it is true.  Four times a year I change my mind on which season I like best.  It turns out that the current season is always my favorite season.  This time of year is no exception.  I mean, who can say no to hillsides painted in color, crisp mornings, crunchy leaves, wool hats, mittens, scarfs, sweaters, blustery afternoons, bonfires, plus all the comfort foods associated with the season!

The comfort foods are essential.  Summer is much too hot to cook, let alone bake.  There's nothing like warming your house on a chilly fall evening with the aroma of fresh bread, grandma's molasses cookies, a pot of soup, or a kettle of homemade spiced cider.  This weekend lent itself to many of those comforts and more.

Apples were a major theme in my kitchen over the weekend with Sunday being the annual Apple Festival at the Dawn Gardens.   Below is an apple blueberry pie I baked for the pie contest.  It wasn't a blue ribbon winner, but it did get the highest score for the prettiest pie.

The Dawn Gardens had bushels of apples waiting to be picked and pressed into juice.  Despite the incessant rain, people still showed up with their empty baskets and bottles in hand, ready for the festivities.

Out of all the events this little community hosts, the apple festival is definitely high up on my favorites list.  It is all about embracing those simple pleasures of the season.

Remember, an apple pie without cheese is like a hug without the squeeze!

After five days of rain, give me a three day weekend topped with brilliant sunshine and I will do my best make the most of it.

This weekend was kicked off by being stranded on the side of the road with my thumb in the air, courtesy of a goat head.  That brings my flat tire count up to five for this fall semester.  I'm becoming an expert at patching tubes, so if you ever get a flat..... I'm your huckleberry.

Fortunately the flat tire wasn't an omen of what the remainder of the weekend would entail.  Friday afternoon our cross country team loaded up in a van and headed down to the valley for our first conference race.  The course we ran on was much more enjoyable than our first race.  Most of the mileage was on a dirt path cut through rolling hills that were dotted with oak trees.  The sun was going down while we were racing, which was not only refreshing, but it also created a golden glow on the grass as the light was diffused through the trees.  For the majority of the race I was alone, spaced between the front and rear packs.  I was able to zone out and forget that I was racing, which enabled me to enjoy the run. 

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Saturday morning I decided to pay a visit to a friend that I had shared many memories with this past year.  This took me in the direction of Lassen Volcanic National Park, specifically Mt. Brokeoff.  In the course of a year I found myself continually returning to that mountain, each time with different people on different adventures. 

I first made an acquaintance with Brokeoff last November during that time of limbo between fall and winter.  Ravi and I post-holed our way up to the summit right after the first snow of the season. It was a joy to see the sense of accomplishment written on Ravi's face, since that was his first time doing any snow-oriented recreation.  

11/13/09

My next encounter with the mountain was in February on our four day snow camping trip with Adventure Based Outdoor Rec.  I remember skiing in and digging our snow caves during almost-whiteout conditions.  The storm cleared the following day, leaving us with a fresh deposit of snow and glorious blue skies.  On the third day our entire class skied up to Brokeoff....you know.... just another day in school. 

 2/28/10

 

Two months later I took a mountaineering course, which set my eyes on Brokeofff once again.  This time we started at the crack of dawn and ascended with the aid of an ice axe and crampons. 

 4/17/10

  

Three different times of year, three different methods, three different routes.....why not make it four?  My relationship with Brokeoff would not be complete without hiking up the traditional summer trail.  So you see, it was more of a pilgrimage that I was making this weekend.  My feet felt liberated as I jogged through the forests of Red Fir and Mountain Hemlock on the trail that had been softened from the recent rain.  When I stood on the summit I felt like I was reunited with an old friend as we mulled over the memories we shared.   

 10/9/10

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Sunday afternoon Renee and I headed down into the canyon and did some climbing at Grizzly Dome.   Last month we made a commitment to become partners... climbing partners....that is.  We then decided to take our relationship to the next level, which led to us investing together in a rope.   Sunday marked a milestone for us, since it was our first climbing excursion on our own.  We were incredibly slow, taking extra time to double and triple check our systems.  We learned so much more by not having anyone to rely on and ask questions.  We are both excited to grow as climbers this coming year! I have a feeling that this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

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A thank you to Columbus is in order for Monday's adventure, as five of us descended 400' into the center of the earth.  Saylor made the most of the holiday and organized a FROG trip to a limestone cave above the Middle Feather, known as Little Volcano.  It is a challenging place to find even for those who have been there before, which makes getting to the entrance an adventure in and of itself.  Exploring Little Volcano had been on my to-do list for over a year; now it is another page in my chapter of life here in Plumas County.  

  

Saylor rappelling into the first large room

 

 Hunter descending into the final room

 

ascending into darkness

Owen and Saylor emerging from the cave

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I let out a sigh of satisfaction Monday night as I sat in the warmth of a crackling fire while eating dinner in good company.  It was the perfect cap to a fulfilling weekend.   

No outdoor activity conjures up more butterflies in my stomach than whitewater boating does.  (That shouldn't come as a shock to anyone who knows me.) It may just be my own perception, but the river has more variables that are completely out of your control.  When climbing, you are putting your faith in the gear and your group's competency.  Living to ski another day is primarily dependent on your ability to read the snow pack to know if avalanche conditions are present.  And when mountain biking, just follow Rick's saying, "Slow is smooth.  Smooth is safe.  Safe is fast." and it will pull you through most of the time.  The river, however, is a completely different beast.   

Originally, my fear was rooted in ignorance.  When I first started running rivers this spring it was hard for me to grasp and recognize all the hazards on the river.  I felt like I was drinking from a fire hose; no matter how fast I drank, I still couldn't absorb everything.  After one season of boating, the fear inside of is coming from a different avenue.  Now when I look at a rapid, my eyes are opened to all the hazards and the accidents waiting to happen.  There is only one thing that scares me more than a river accident, and that is being involved in one and not having the quick thinking and skill set to respond appropriately.  It's inevitable... accidents happen.  Should the situation arise, I want to be confident in ability to help buddy or another boating party in need.  

Thanks to the swiftwater rescue course through FRC I spent last weekend in the river getting the training and practicing the rescue skills that I've lacked.  It's an incredible deal for students, because FRC contracts the instructing out to the experts at Sierra Rescue, yet we only pay half of the normal certification cost.  I have nothing but praises to sing about the instructors, Abi and Zach.  Their expertise in conjunction with their teaching skills and efficient time management made for three intensive days of learning!

One solid weekend is not much time for a swiftwater class, yet in those three short days we covered an extensive amount of information.  We practiced stabilizing and extracting a foot/body entrapped victim, rescuing by contact and by live bait, using riverboards as a rescue tool, setting up vector pulls, swimming over strainers, and that is just barely a taste of what we covered. 

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Starting with fundamental throw-bag skills

Rescue Scenario:  Setting up a snag line to extract a 

victim who is foot/body entrapped

 

 Rescue Scenario:  Shallow water crossing as means of 

contacting and stabilizing the airway of a foot entrapped victim

Swimming over a strainer

Using a tension diagonal to get people and gear across the river

 

Practicing how to get a person 

in a raft when you suspect c-spine injuries

Parbuckling: a fancy word for pulling
fat customers or dead bodies out of the river

swimming rapids ....just becuase

the "swiftwater entry"

River board as a rescue tool and a toy

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Last weekend made me more eager than ever for the 2011 boating season.  I am motivated to continue to hone those fundamental skills, so they are sharp if I ever have need to use them.  Don't get me wrong, I'm still going to have those butterflies every time I hop in a raft or snap on my skirt, but that is healthy.  Despite my fears, the river still captivates me by it's beauty and through the thrill of the rapids.  That is what keeps me going back.