Olympic

I bet you can't guess what I'm going to talk about this week...

On Monday I went—you guessed it—to North Canyon. Because of the wind, a few trees were blown over.

 For some reason, I just didn't have the energy for a full run that day. The last time I ran out of energy like that (2016), I sprained my ankle, so I turned around after just over two miles, making my total run less than four and a half.

As I was coming down, I saw a cyclist stopped on the dirt road. He pointed to the side of the trail. There was a rattlesnake! I have seen at least four or five snakes this season alone, but I think only one was a rattler. I was reluctant to walk past, so the biker insisted on standing between me and the snake, using his bike as a shield.

I went back again the next day when I had more energy, and I ran ten total miles. I've wanted to gradually increase my distance on that trail, but my time is running out before it gets too hot.

More wind-felled trees!

Showy stickseed!

That afternoon, I made mushroom asparagus pie. I made it four years ago and really liked it, even though I don't like mushrooms. Then three years ago, I made a variation, parsnip wheat berry pie, which was not good, and I was too afraid to try mushroom asparagus again. This time I didn't like it as much; it was more mushroomy. And I had more leftovers this time, and I did not look forward to the leftovers.

Since it was supposed to be rainy Wednesday, I didn't want to commit to a long run, so I went to Holbrook Canyon. It's a pretty trail, but it's not a good running trail. It's narrow with lots of stream crossings. I turned around less than a mile up because crossing the stream seemed precarious. The last time I went on this trail was July 4, 2017, and I sprained my ankle (a different sprain than the 2016 sprain mentioned above). But I've never been here in the fall, so I should try that sometime, because the stream would be lower.

The real unusual highlight of the week was on Thursday. Since my dad hasn't been working, he wanted to hike Mount Olympus. So we drove down to the trailhead. Even though it was a Thursday, the trail was very busy; I can only imagine how bad it would be on a Saturday!

 We made it to the saddle, but apparently it's a scramble to get to the summit. I know myself well enough to know that I would not enjoy scrambling to the top—and especially scrambling back down. The saddle was good enough for me. This hike was more than seven miles round trip, with a climb of over 3,800 feet.

 Honestly, I don't know why this hike is so popular. Sure, it was pretty, but there's lots of pretty trails. This trail was very steep, with lots of climbing over rocks. Coming down was very slow. I wouldn't consider it a fun trail. It was hard, so there's satisfaction about doing hard things, but I didn't find it especially enjoyable.

On our way home, there was a large bench or step stool on the freeway. I went on the UDOT website to report it, but the website said that if there's an object in the travel lane, that's considered an emergency, so it's appropriate to call 911. So I did. But there was a decent amount of time before I called. Now I know for next time that I can call 911 for something like that.

When we got home, the bathroom door would no longer latch closed, so I went to the hardware store to get a new doorknob. The one I got most closely matched the old knob, but it turned out it was only for mobile homes, so the inside part was too small. So I had to go back to the hardware store to get another one.

I went back to North Canyon the next day, but I only did the standard seven miles. I couldn't help thinking, "This is the same distance as yesterday's hike, but it's a much more enjoyable seven miles."

Friday was also my arbitrary day to begin the Fourth of July season, as it incorporates Memorial Day and Flag Day as well.

A few days ago, my youngest nephew, Nathaniel, asked me, "Would you like it if every time you opened your mouth, a song from the radio came out?" So I had to show him the episode of Gilligan's Island where that happened. I don't think he was impressed.

We had snow on some surfaces on Saturday morning! I'm still waiting for a year when I see it snow in nine out of twelve months, and it has to snow in May in order for that to happen. I can't decide if I should count it for May this year since I didn't actually see it falling, but I did see the snow on the ground that wasn't there the night before, so I guess it counts.

I went back to classic Bonneville Shoreline Trail Saturday evening so I could smell the Palmer's penstemon. It wasn't as fragrant in the air as I would have liked, but I loved sniffing individual flowers.

 I also went to a lookout where I hadn't been before, but it wasn't much different from all the other lookouts nearby.

The next few months appear to be more of the same, only with hotter temperatures.

Mr. Magoo goes on a run

This week followed the same formula as previous weeks, but there were a few things to break up the monotony at least a little bit.

Since Monday was mostly cloudy, I took the opportunity to run on the shadeless Bonneville Shoreline Trail, which is one of the busier trails. A cyclist was coming toward me, and even though the trail is wide, I hopped off the trail to be out of his way. Once I hopped off, I realized that I had hopped right next to a long snake! But I don't think it was a rattlesnake, fortunately. But the rest of the week, I got a little spooked every time I heard something moving in the grass, especially when I thought about seeing a rattler last summer.

I thought about naming this blog post "Snake in the grass."

 The main reason I wanted to go on this trail is because at this time of year, there is a large field of Palmer's penstemon, which is extraordinarily fragrant. The penstemon was in bloom, but I couldn't smell it.

 Dyer's woad is out in abundance now. It discourages me how many invasive weeds there are, and I even feel guilty when I find them pretty (like dyer's woad and hoary cress).

I came down Woodbriar and Wild Rose Trails.

On Tuesday, I went up North Canyon again, and it was gorgeous as the aspens are regaining their leaves. The best thing about trail running is that it's different every time, because different plants are at different stages.

Wednesday was cloudy again, so I went on the less shady trails again. I saw three cats on this run!

 I decided to take a really steep trail above Wild Rose, an alternative to the Woodbriar Trail. The last time I went down this trail was October 20, 2016, and the last time I went up was sometime in 2015. It was difficult, but it was less hard than I remembered, probably because I'm in better shape.

 That afternoon, my nephews wanted to get milkshakes (which they erroneously call smoothies). My oldest nephew, Preston, was talking about me getting shakes on "Leprechaun Day." Of course, he meant St. Patrick's Day. I don't quite understand what happened next, but for some reason he decided to Google "Leprechaun Day." It turns out that there really is a Leprechaun Day—and it just so happened to be that very day, May 13! We were amazed at the coincidence.

Now, back on St. Patrick's Day, I had thought about going to Pace's Dairy Ann to get a green mint milkshake, but I didn't because I had already eaten enough. And then I felt bad that I hadn't supported a small business during this difficult time. So I decided that I could have a Pace's mint shake on Leprechaun Day to make up for it.

Now, I feel a need to clarify. I do not observe those nonsensical, made-up holidays. But because of the remarkable coincidence of the day, and the desire to support small businesses, I could justify it.

But the reason I feel a need to clarify is that people often come up with bizarre reasons for me to eat out-of-season treats. (I don't know why they are so concerned with what I choose to eat or not eat.) So I don't want this incident to become a justification for future situations. I have heard people say things like, "You can eat this brownie because everything is brown outside," "Today is the birthday of the wife of this obscure general authority, so you can eat this treat from her cookbook," "Today is National Coconut Day, so you can eat this coconut cake [when he literally just made up the 'holiday' on the spot]." But I pretty much only eat treats for my nine canonical holidays. 🕛💘🍀🐣🦅🐝🎃🦃🎄 (In case you are wondering, I will start the Fourth of July season on Friday, as it will be the start of Memorial Day weekend.)

We went to my sister's house, and Preston put his hand on the rail handle and touched something weird. Then he realized it was a large jumping spider.

I must say that I am continually amazed at how good my phone's camera is!

On Thursday, my dad and brother dropped me off at Mueller Park, then they drove to North Canyon. I ran up Mueller Park, past Elephant Rock up to Rudy's Flat, then down North Canyon. It was nine and a half miles round trip. After all this time in the more challenging North Canyon, Mueller Park was refreshingly easy. Once I hit mile 5, it started to get harder, but then once I hit mile 6 it was all downhill. Since I prefer North Canyon, I had forgotten how pretty Mueller Park is. However, this run reinforced why I'm sticking with North Canyon for the present. It was so busy! I saw at least a dozen people on my way up to Elephant Rock. Between the rock and Rudy's, I saw one person. And then I saw maybe a half-dozen people between Rudy's and the trailhead.

Elephant Rock

Caterpillars!

A meadow between the rock and Rudy's

 I did feel accomplished for running six miles uphill that day.

Here's a random picture of Jimmy by a mirror, because two Jimmys are better than one.

 I did another shadeless run on Friday because it was mostly cloudy.

Tufted evening primrose!

I think I smelled the Palmer's penstemon this time, but it still wasn't as strong as I had hoped.

Then on Saturday, I planned to increase my running stamina by running ten miles in North Canyon. The trail was exceedingly busy. On the dirt road portion, I passed two people on horses. Ugh! I hate sharing with horses! A mile and a half up the trail is a little spot where I like to go off the trail for a bathroom break. When I got back to the trail, the horses had just passed. Drat! I felt like I was far ahead of them, but they caught up to me. It was going to be hard to pass them again, because now we were on singletrack trail. I took off my glasses to wipe my forehead, but I accidentally dropped them—and they broke right in half! 

 Well. I didn't think it was a good idea to do my whole ten-mile run if I couldn't see, so I just turned around. And that would solve the problem of passing the horses (and the busy trail in general).

Let me tell you, running while squinting through the blurry woods is a surreal experience. I had to go slower than usual, and I had to mostly look down since it was harder to see trip hazards. And I had to call my brother and have him bring me glasses so I could drive home.

These broken glasses came from Standard Optical in 2017. They're an old prescription, so it's not a tragic loss. But I have had other glasses that have lasted much longer. In fact, I got the glasses in February/March 2017, but I had to have the frames replaced in November 2017 because they had already cracked. It was the most I ever spent on glasses, even though I had insurance at the time, and they turned out to be some of the lowest-quality frames I have owned. It also took me longer to get them than from any other glasses place. Let's put Standard Optical out of business!

In non-running news, on the side of our garage is a plot of soil that we have never done anything with. It's just been a place for weeds to grow. A couple of months ago, my dad told me he was going to extend the sprinklers and put grass there. But that groundwater class I took in 2013 taught me things. I said to him:

"My thought is that Utah is a desert, and it's only going to get bigger, so we need less grass, not more. If we're going to do work, why don't we xeriscape it instead?"

And he said, goodnaturedly:
"If you want to do it, I'm fine with that."

So I thought once the quarantine was over, I would go to a plant nursery and ask for help in selecting xeriscape plants. (This was early on, before we knew how long it would last.)

But instead, my mom went online to High Country Gardens and ordered an entire collection of xeriscape plants that came as a unit. I was glad for this, because it sounded overly daunting to figure out what to plant.

They arrived yesterday, so I arranged them according to the map that came with the plants, and then we placed them in the ground!

I am really excited for this. I hope they survive, since we're not good at growing things. But the idea of having a garden full of of low-maintenance, low-water plants really appeals to me. And then if it works, maybe we can xeriscape other parts of the yard as well!

More of the same

Each week is basically the same these days, so I don't always know how to say something that is different or new.

My mom is a teacher, and each teacher was given a day to clean out their classroom. But my mom is switching from third grade to fifth grade, so my dad, my brother, and I all went to her school to help her move her stuff from one room to another. It would have been impossible for one person to finish in one day; it took four of us five and a half hours. My mom was sad that it was like the sadness of the end of the school year, but without the excitement of summer because there's still online school.

This week the snow was sufficiently melted that I could run up North Canyon. In fact, I ran up there five days in a row, Tuesday through Saturday. It is my favorite trail, but there are practical considerations. Evening runs are prettier and possibly even more comfortable (even though the temperature is warmer) because the sunlight is less direct. However, it is more convenient to have my running done early in the day, and it also makes me sleep better. But most of the trails around here aren't very shady, making them uncomfortable during the daytime. (I'm not a morning person, so early runs are out of the question.) The exceptions are North Canyon and Mueller Park. But Mueller Park is always busy; a slow day in Mueller Park is like a regular day, or even a busy day, in North Canyon. So I'm staying away from Mueller Park for purposes of social distancing. And that leaves North Canyon!

On Wednesday, there was a forest service truck at the trailhead (meaning at the end of the dirt road, which I count as part of the trail). When I came down the canyon, they had installed a new sign! Which is good, because the old one was in bad shape. 

 Speaking of things in bad shape, the winter hasn't been kind to the trail. It's a lot rockier than I remember, with large roots sticking out worse than they used to. It is sad to see erosion taking its toll.

On Thursday morning, my dad wanted to go up the Woodbriar Trail, so I went up with him and my brother.

Tufted evening primrose! It smells like Froot Loops.

Overlooking City Creek Canyon.

I did my usual run on Friday morning, and in the evening I went with my nephews up the Woodbriar Trail again. It really is prettier in the evening, and this trail is the prettiest spot in all of North Salt Lake, especially in May. We heard a woodpecker, and we were able to see it in the trees! That's the first time I have knowingly seen one.

Nathaniel and Franklin. Preston is on the left in the distance because he avoids sunlight because it hurts his skin.

Each day in North Canyon, I have gone just a little bit farther. My Saturday run was eight miles round trip. With all this time and opportunity, I hope to increase my running distances until I can reach where I was in 2017 or even better.

This was the view where I turned around, a half-mile past Rudy's Flat.

Here are awards for all my regular trails:
Most convenient: Wild Rose
Easiest: Wild Rose or Bonneville Shoreline Trail
Best trail condition (fewest rocks, etc.): Bonneville Shoreline Trail
Prettiest: Woodbriar
Least trafficked: Woodbriar
Shadiest: Mueller Park
Best workout: Woodbriar
Best overall: North Canyon

For Mother's Day, I got my mom some garden plants, including catnip, since I inherited my love of cats from my mom. We gave one of its leaves to Jimmy, who pushed it around on the floor with his face before gobbling it up. He kept rolling around on the floor. And then he licked the wall.

Trail rules

Guys, this really is getting boring, just doing the same stuff all the time. I'm still not going back to This Is the Place in the immediate future, so I have to decide whether I even want to find another job, since I am going to school in the fall. It's just a weird limbo time in life.

So really my highlights continue to be all the runs that I do. I've tried to explore parts of trails where I've never been. On Tuesday, I decided to go on a portion of the trail above Wild Rose that I only recently noticed.

As I got to Wild Rose, I was shocked to see a massive group assembled at the trailhead. It looked like a scout group or young men's group. Really, people?! So I went to the other trailhead instead.

I went up the hills and got to my desired new trail. It's always fun to be in a spot you've never seen before.

 Soon, the trail got less clear and became steeper, and I wondered, "Does anyone ever come here?" And soon I saw another guy running up while I was going down. (I have seen a lot more trail runners during this pandemic, which makes me feel less special.) So that showed me that yes, people do use this trail.

 But I really didn't understand why people use this trail. It was steep and a little hard to follow, and no prettier than all the better-established trails nearby. I'm not sure whether it's a real trail or not, but there were signs of trees being cut to make way for it.

Ultimately it ended up at the Chukar Loop, which I usually go to. I don't feel a need to go back to this new "trail."

On my way back, I passed a lot of people. As I came up behind people, I would say, "Excuse me," and they'd get out of the way. But one teenage boy had earbuds in, so I literally said it three or four times and he didn't hear me. His friend, who was like six or seven feet ahead of him, heard me and had to tell him. As I passed, I said, "Headphones aren't a good idea." I hope I wasn't rude. I didn't feel like I said it in a rude way (especially considering that I had said "excuse me" several times without him hearing me), but I hate to be a jerk.

Here are rules that I wish people followed on trails:

1. If you must have headphones in, keep the volume down or only use one ear so that you can still hear what's going on around you. Mountain bikes can come down fast, and it's really not safe for you to have earbuds. Besides, why would you immerse yourself in nature if you're not really immersed in the sounds of nature?
2. Keep your dog on a leash. You might know that your unleashed dog is going to leave me alone, but I don't know that. Also, everyone thinks their dog is well-behaved, even when they're not. Your dog might not be as good as you think it is.
3. If you cannot clean up after your dog, you should not own one. Full stop.
4. Obey trail rules. If it's a foot-only path, keep your bike off it. If it's a bike-only path, keep your feet off it. If horses or ATVs are not allowed, then don't use them!
5. Don't leave beer cans or bottles behind. If you do, then I hope you have liver failure, or I hope that while you're on your drunken hike, you stagger into a tree, and its branches poke your eyes out. Nature is far too spectacular to "enjoy" in an altered state of mind.
6. Don't leave your cigarette butts behind. If you do, I hope you set your clothes on fire. (But I hope that happens while you're at home, because we don't want any human-caused wildfires.)
7. If you're hiking in a group, don't spread out across the entire width of the trail.
8. DON'T PICK THE WILDFLOWERS! If you do, not everyone gets to enjoy them. What makes me maddest is when they pick them and then leave them on the trail. At least if you take them home, you're still getting enjoyment out of them (as selfish as that enjoyment might be). But if you leave them behind, then no one gets to enjoy them. Jerk!
9. Don't create shortcuts. They're almost always inferior (harder, less pretty, more dangerous), and they're unsightly.

Moving on...

I guess another new thing this week was that my dad decided to build another garden wall, but this was smaller. I helped for about an hour.

On Thursday, I decided to go on part of a trail where I went on Thanksgiving in 2017, a trail that goes down to City Creek Canyon. I tend to think that I'm in my best shape right now, but then I remember some of the impressive things I did back in 2017, and I'm not convinced I'm in better shape now. When I went down to City Creek years ago, I had already been running for a long time. I might be too afraid to try that again these days because it's a challenging trail.

 I didn't feel great at the end of that run, so I had to walk the last mile home. As I was walking along, I heard some meowing. And then a long-haired cat came out, and I got to pet it! And then I remembered that cats can carry coronavirus. Oh well. If I get the virus, it was worth it.

Super blurry picture, but it's proof that it happened!

On Friday, I went running when it was cloudy. It did end up raining, but running in the rain isn't too bad in itself. It just makes me sore afterwards.

 When I came home, I found that I had an inchworm on my shirt! I let it off outside, and then Google Photos created an animation of it.

I wasn't the only one to have a stowaway bug this week.

Uh, I don't mean to alarm you, Jimmy, but there's an ant stuck to your ear!

Then yesterday, I decided to return to a trail where I haven't been for almost two years. You see, there's part of this trail that is very steep with lots of loose rocks and gravel. I can do steep, but when it's slippery as well, NOPE. Some of my regular trails have slippery parts, but not so bad as this.

Do you see that split trail on the hill? That's the steep, slippery part.

 Well, I did make it up the steep part, and then the trail met with a trail that I did a few weeks ago. I decided to keep going just a little bit farther at a time, and I ended up going past where I stopped last time. It was steep, but soon I found myself on a little peak. One of the other hikers there told me it was called the Dude Benchmark. There were some USGS markers there. It really was lovely! I had no idea what to expect, and I was happy that was what I found.

 Most of the way back down was fine, but then I hit the steep part again. Going down steep parts is worse than going up. I went super slow, and I walked on better traction when possible, and yet I still slipped. Going this trailhead (which is at the top of the Summerwood/Eaglewood neighborhoods) gets you two miles closer to the Dude Benchmark (one way!), and yet I legitimately don't know whether it's better, just because of this blasted portion! Yet as I was struggling to make my way down, I met an old friend who said this was his third time going up there this month, and I felt like a wuss.

Fads

Today, May 1, is the ninth anniversary of this blog! I haven't missed a Sunday in all that time. I always like to make a special post for the anniversary.

When I started this blog, it was already a dying pastime, as Facebook and other social media sites had taken the place of blogging. Since then, it has declined even more, and I'm one of the few people who still do it. (I'm talking about personal blogs, not commercial or institutional blogs.)

That got me thinking about various fads: fads that should stick around, fads that should go away, fads that should come back, and fads that can stay in the past. It's a pretty random list.

Now, where does blogging fall in all of this? I'm not sure. I'm fine being one of the few bloggers, but I do enjoy reading others' blogs. But some people have (or had) rather dull blogs, so I could do without those.

Current fads that should stick around

Fun prints on socks, shorts, shirts, etc. Life is more fun when you're wearing a shirt with paper airplanes, shorts with pineapples, or socks with pugs in turkey hats, ya know?

Kindness. In the early 2000s, I remember a lot of mean-spirited t-shirts, like "Did you have a big bowl of Stupid-O's this morning?" or "Your boyfriend thinks I'm cuter than you." These days I see more positive messages about being kind, especially on children. I think that is beautiful, especially when our country is led by someone who eschews kindness.

Seasonal flavors/flavors of the month. I love that so many bakeries, ice cream shops, and food companies have seasonal flavors. Twenty, thirty years ago they would just do festive colors, but flavors are much more inventive.

Veganism. I have no intention of becoming vegetarian or vegan myself, but it really is better for the environment. When there are more vegans, it makes it easier for us non-vegans to also consume plant-based foods. Good work!

Athleisure. I love that jogger pants and athletic shoes are considered regular apparel. When I was at Sundance, I could wear clothes to work that I could also use for daily runs, and I was comfortable too! So practical!

Cats. I think most pets (reptiles, rodents, fish, birds) have declined in popularity, but thanks to the internet, cats and dogs are more popular than ever. I'll pass when it comes to dogs, but I'm glad that people are realizing how adorable, affectionate, sweet, and hilarious cats can be. I just love them!

Smartphones. I know we have smartphone addictions, limited face time, and other problems, and those are real concerns that need to be addressed. But how wonderful it is that we carry the world's collective knowledge in our pockets, and we have so many wonderful apps to improve our lives. I can use my phone to log my calories, keep track of my spending, play music, document my life, stay connected, study anything I want, and so much more.

Current fads that should go away

Anatomically inaccurate narwhals. First we had unicorns, then we had mermaids, and I didn't care. Now it's "narwhals." If they were realistic narwhals, I would be 100 percent on board. I love polar animals. But these fake narwhals have a horn from their forehead, like a unicorn. They are not unicorns! The tusk comes from their face, not their forehead!

Alcohol. All the DUI headlines and littered beer cans show me that we have a drinking problem. Prohibition doesn't work, but how wonderful would it be if people said, "I could drink if I wanted, but I choose not to"? I see literally no drawback.

Scrollbars, etc., that fade away for a "cleaner" look. In Microsoft Word, the scrollbar fades away when you're not using the mouse, which means you can't tell how far down a document you are. On Google Play Music online, the running time of the song is hidden unless you hover over it. I don't even bother using Pandora anymore because of their horrendous new design. All these "clean" design elements are more work for the programmer, and they have literally no benefit, but they have lots of drawbacks. My brother blames Apple. The people who designed things this way should go work in different industries.

Bluetooth only. Bluetooth does have plenty of benefits, but it has lots of problems too. In many ways, a good old-fashioned aux cable is better. Why can't we have both, instead of just Bluetooth?

Slim-fit pants. I do like the way they look, but that's probably because it's the accepted fashion right now. They're not very comfortable, especially for me: this is going to sound super cocky, but they get caught on my calf muscles.

Vaping. Just stop already!

Bro country. I don't so much mind the sound of bro country. I hate the lyrics that objectify women and glorify beer (and sometimes even flaunt drinking and driving!). I think country music sees itself as the genre of American values, but when Sam Hunt gets arrested for DUI, those things aren't American values.

Cultural appropriation. I'm not talking about cultural appropriation. I'm talking about the tendency to label everything as cultural appropriation. What do you want us to do, stick to our own culture and ignore the others? Because we can't even look at other cultures without people accusing us of appropriation.

Portraying dads as dumb on TV. When you see a commercial with a couple, ask yourself: if the roles of the man and the woman were reversed, would it be appropriate? So why is it appropriate to portray husbands as irresponsible and dumb but not to portray women the same way?

Internet shaming. Sorry we can't all be as perfect as you.

Old fads that should come back

Brightly colored pants. Remember in 2012, when people would wear pants in every color of the rainbow? I miss those days. I never let myself wear the brightest pants, and I feel sad about that. (But I did collect a lot of colorful shoes!)

Sunshine pop. In the 60s and 70s, there was lots of music with vocal harmonies and lyrics about nature. The popularity resurged in the 90s. I would love for it to come back again.

Camp. I'm not talking about tents and sleeping bags. I'm talking about things that are knowingly terrible and therefore enjoyable.

Cel animation and stop-motion animation. CGI is great, but sometimes I miss the old, classic forms of animation!

Holiday TV specials. Think of a classic holiday special (not a TV episode or a movie), and I can guarantee you it comes from the 60s or 70s. (Garfield isn't classic, sorry.) We need a resurgence of holiday shows; it's boring watching the same things over and over!

I bought this kitschy Peter Cottontail figure on eBay this past week, from the special Here Comes Peter Cottontail from 1971.

Old fads that should not come back

Tobacco. If you work for a tobacco company, I hope you lose your job.

Leotards. One of the many mistakes of the 80s.

"Baby, It's Cold Outside." This song was super popular in the early 2010s, and thankfully it's declined. Besides the obvious problems of consent and rape, it glorifies smoking and drinking, and it's not even about Christmas!