For years, I've been...

stating the Europeans make Americans look like a gaggle of "Sissy-La-Las." Those folks on the eastern side of the Atlantic are hard-as-nails tough.

Over there, no one would think of rolling around atop a scooter in a supermarket. Everyone walks and they are really good at it.

Great Britain yields the toughest of the tough.

I know this because I've been hiking and backpacking with Jonathan Deeks for years.

Jonathan embodies the True Grit of the Not-so-United Kingdom. 

He has the survivor/leadership gene of Sir Ernest Shackleton.

He's an explorer and adventurer in the mold of Captain James Cook and Doctor 

David Livingstone combined. 

Jonathan has the stamina of Robert Falcon Scout. 

He makes me look like a statue. He possesses an inhuman amount of crazy energy. He doesn't even require coffee (drugs) like me. Truly amazing.

He's smart too.

Alas, the trips with Jonathan will be coming to an end. 

Soon, he'll be trading cactus for peat.

He and his delightful wife Donna will be moving to Ireland. 

The same Donna Deeks of foodie blogger fame.

( http://www.redmountainrefuge.com/ )

We've had a great run and it's a shame it's over on this side of the Atlantic. 

Thank you Jonathan for putting up with my strange and weird Yank ways. 

Cheers and best of luck to you and Donna on the Emerald Island. 

John Muir Wilderness, California...

"Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean." John Muir

Jonathan and I didn't spend a week in JM's wilderness but pretty close. We ventured over 60 miles in six days of "Can you believe this?" scenery. This is a chunk of the US that is larger than life, like the man it was named after. There's 581,000 acres to get disoriented in. (A clever way of saying, getting lost). John's wild area contains more higher ground (over 10,000 feet) than any place else in the US. There's 57 granite cathedrals/synagogues over 13,000 feet. 

My beloved Colorado mountains seem like the Flint Hills of Kansas compared to the Eastern Sierra Nevada. I love this place and I'll spend more times in the playground of the pikas in the weeks ahead. That is, when my swollen knees stop throbbing and I regain the weight I lost from the 6 day effort. I think real food and a steady diet of IPAs will help.

I'm not complaining though. 

From Bishop, California.

Good Night Mr Muir and thanks,

Public Enemy Number One...

for years I have been harboring a conspiracy theory about our National Park Service. 

Here it is: The unofficial credo is, they don't want visitors coming to our nation's best landscapes. Guests cause problems. We make a mess, trample delicate areas, feed wildlife, make noise and ask a lot of silly questions about trails and bathroom locations. We are a hassle to them.

So...some NPS employees attempt to scare us "Joe Average Visitor" with "Lions! And Tigers! And Bears! Oh My!" Warnings ad nauseam. 

These are the employees who have gone to the "Barney Fife College of Law Enforcement"  In other words, they get carried away with their power and forget whom the tax payers are. (I never saw a bear with a W-2 in his hairy paws). 

Lisa and I were both issued Warnings about our bear-boned mistakes. Her's was the heinous crime of leaving an empty coffee cup in her vehicle. Gasp! Mine was far worse. I had a tube of sunscreen stowed in one of Barley's windowsills. Pure sociopath stuff bordering on being a mass murderer. 

My warning was issued at 10 pm. That was one helluva bored cop to be looking into Barley with a flashlight at that hour. If a civilian displayed suspicious behavior like that, someone would call the cops! 

Now, I'm not saying all NPS employees bought into this idea. I've met many helpful, informative and genuinely good people in uniform. A sincere thank you to those out there. Please continue your positive service to the community. This rant didn't apply to you. 

BTW. I still love National Parks.

Well, that's a wrap on Yosemite. Tomorrow begins a 5 night, 6 day backpack into Kings Canyon National Park. Shhh! Don't rat on me about this blog! 

Live long and prosper,

Jeff