Back Off, Barbie-Boy

Have you run into the Mt. Peak hiker with the "Barbie" backpack (well, you know what I mean). Apparently, he owns the trail, as he will sometimes stand in the way of someone struggling to the top, breaking the rhythm of their workout. And if you are going downhill and he is coming uphill, and you step out of his way so as not to break the rhythm of his workout, he passes you without thanks.

Being a somewhat older hiker, tall and muscular-fit, you'd think he'd be happy to be fitter than many much younger people, rather than carry a mysterious resentment up and down Mt. Peak.

He's one of our characters; I wish he'd be courteous on the paths.

Elk on 276th Near Mt. Peak

On the way to Mt. Peak today, cars were pulled over on 276th. I wondered what the reason was, when I saw a herd of about 30 elk in the fields to the east. Then, the real immediate reason: one elk was on 276th, trapped, trying to break through the barbed wire fence along the road. I'm sure it tore itself up a little continually trying to bash through different sections of the fence. At last, it found a driveway and trotted up to a farmhouse, went around the east side of it, reappeared on the north side, majestically jumped a fence on the west side, then circled around to join the herd back to the east. It was a lot of elk.

Christmas Music Still

Inane Christmas music still playing in the stores -- ugh ugh ugh.

A chipmunk ran across the trail halfway up Mt. Peak. Lots of dogs, including tiny ones.

House fire near Mt. Peak on Dec. 23rd. Saw no sign of it.

Herds of 15-30 elk seen recently in the fields.

Mt. Peak gives me a clear head and chest and endorphins that last all day.

Three-Legged Dog on Mt. Peak

Up Mt. Peak Christmas Day -- a 3-legged short-haired lab with a couple near the top. This is the second 3-legged dog I've seen recently on the hill. Think of the able-bodied people who complain they can't climb the hill, or even walk on the level. It's shameful. The elderly and toddlers go up the hill. It brings great health and a powerful sense of well-being. It's one of the best exercises in the area, or anywhere.

Christmas Eve day kind of sunny, dry. Frosty last night. Christmas Day mostly sunny, clear.

As I got to the bottom of Mt. Peak, there was one chipmunk racing around a tree, right next to the parking area.

Think of the 3-legged dogs for inspiration to get and be healthy, a good thought for Christmas.

Quiet on Mt. Peak

Up Mt. Peak today -- pretty quiet, but a fair amount of people there, probably because the sun came out earlier.

Again saw or heard no chipmunks or birds on the hill.

Just crows standing on the fenceposts in the fields along Warner.

Stone Stacking

Recently, on the top of Mt. Peak, someone restarted a tradition from a few years ago: stone-stacking. This is simply the building of small towers or stacks of smooth stones, as a simple art form and landmarker.

The stacks have a charm to them, maybe because of the simplicity of them evoking childhood, and just the fact someone is taking the time to make a little something without real self-reward. They seem to be made for no other reason than to create a little wayside fancy for other hikers' eyes:

Fairy stacks, made from fairy stones.

Scrub Jays, Seagulls, & Chipmunks?

I awoke today to the squawk of a scrub jay, and soon after, the cry of a seagull. Both sounds evoked California, seagull cries being the main chorus of San Francisco's soundtrack. It was odd hearing them, since I haven't heard either for a long time. It seemed to have something to do with the warmer weather and morning sun, after the cold and snow and low, grey clouds recently.

Up Mt. Peak today, it was quiet. Usually a chipmunk or two peeps and peeks, but I didn't notice any animals on the hill this time. Were the animals elusive, or was I just distracted and preoccupied?

Mt. Peak Vandalism

Any time a man made structure is placed on Mt. Peak, it usually doesn't take long for it to be defaced or destroyed.

The first obvious instance of this was when a boy scout troop planted signs at intervals along the trail to the top. Each of these was mounted on a 4x4 post, had a hinged cedar cover, and underneath a plaque explaining the flora to be seen along that area of the path.

Almost immediately after these signs were placed, the cedar covers were ripped from their hinges and disappeared. Some of the plaques underneath were destroyed or went missing. And several of the signs were pulled out completely by their posts and thrown downhill on the side of the trail.

Recently a monument was placed at the top of Mt. Peak, commemorating a former regular hiker. It's a large, solid, wooden pillar, set in cement. It has an angled top, where a plaque was attached with a quote and the man's name. This monument lasted about one day intact: The plaque was shattered and removed, and the pillar cracked and gouged, probably in attempts to split it completely.

Recently, the stone sign at the north entrance to the Mt. Peak trail was defaced with a warning in spray paint for those of a certain race to keep out. The Parks Dept. has been unable to completely remove the lettering and restore the sign.

The oddity about the vandalism of the signs along the main path to the top, and of that of the monument at the top, is that why would vandals go to all the trouble to climb Mt. Peak just to destroy these things? Climbing that hill takes a little work, and you would have to pick a time when you wouldn't be seen by other hikers in order to wreck these things. Why go to all that effort?

Building is hard; destroying is easy:

Why would vandals, who don't like hard, but do like easy, do something relatively difficult by climbing Mt. Peak in order to wreak all this damage? Rather than run-of-the-mill vandalism, maybe the motive behind some of the actions is resentment of human alterations to the hill. Maybe not all of the damage is from a human agency.