Back in the saddle?
#1
Well, I'm not dead yet... thinking of going for a walk.

My neighbor has a few donkeys and wants to buy my saddlebags.  I am not sure I am done done yet.

Yeah, it's a pain to walk, and I can't breathe without oxygen sometimes, and I sure can't sleep without it. I can carry a small bottle on a day hike.  I miss getting out. And I have so much cool stuff. 

I bought a bear-proof tent. My daughter-in-law is afraid of camping for fear of bears, so what does that do for my grandkids?  So I got the tent.  It is 7'x7'x16' and fits nicely on my flatbed trailer. It's open air with heavy steel rod mesh. I have an oil tarp to cover it.  you can hang a whole lot of hammocks from the walls or roof.  It makes me look like some kind of character out of a fairytale when I drive down the street towing it behind my truck. Especially if the chained kids inside are wailing. 

I can do some crazy car camping with it. I am tempted to get one of the Hobie sailing canoes. i like the water.   But I am not sure that i don't want to go out hiking anymore.  There's just something about aching legs, burning lungs, and blisters on your hands and arm pits from your hiking crutches that just makes you feel alive. 

I used to tell people who hiked with me and the goats that if I died on the trail, they should not pack me on a goat to get me out because i was too heavy. Instead they should quarter me first and split me between four goats.  If I go on hospice before going hiking, they won't even investigate my death.  

The thing now is that I might still be alive when I collapse on the trail, and the thought of being quartered to get me out no longer sounds like a viable option.
We have finally reached the point where we have more money in the bank than we owe on the house, so a helicopter rescue is out. Wouldn't want to mess that up.

I have often thought a single wheel goat cart would be nice on the trail. it would have a bicycle seat and some foot rests, but be easy to stand and hop off to get over trail obstacles. But in many areas they don't allow wheels. I'm not sure if the Wilderness Act, or the ADA takes precedence. Finding out would probably have the same downside as a helicopter rescue.  I thought of making a wheel with spoke mounted tennis shoes so that it leaves footprints rather than wheel marks.

Two goats or not two goats.. that is the question.   Maybe two goats and a rescue donkey. If my wife hears that I may not live to get to the trailhead.

I have recommended to others wanting pack goats that they get them early enough to bottle feed them and have them bonded. But I know others successfully use older goats. I learned a lot working with Diego (aka Diablo) who had been in two herds before I got him.  I learned why they tossed him out of two herds. 

So I am literally on the fence about selling my saddlebags. Even if I don't get goats, maybe they will inspire my kids or grand kids.   I think I will try Mill Creek to Dog Lake this weekend. Hannah, the goats and I used to go two or three times a week. We could almost run up after a while.  We had a lot of fun training the goats to avoid bicycles and face dogs.   Maybe I'll take some grand kids.  I wonder if they can carry me out if quartered.
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#2
Bob, I don't know you, but I feel like I would really enjoy hiking with you! I feel like a goat cart is a great idea and the tennis shoe mod might just work.
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#3
Hello Bob. Always nice to see you pop in!
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#4
Hey Bob. Remember Herb from that hike we did in Little Wild Horse? I live next to the San Rafael now. Somehow I think that hike, and a trip I did as a boy scout pointed me in the right direction. Wouldn't change a thing (other than getting out here earlier in life)
I don't drink beer, but if I did, I'd prefer Dos Equis.  Stay thirsty my friends!
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#5
(09-18-2020, 02:07 PM)Charlie Horse Wrote: Hey Bob.  Remember Herb from that hike we did in Little Wild Horse?  I live next to the San Rafael now.  Somehow I think that hike, and a trip I did as a boy scout pointed me in the right direction.  Wouldn't change a thing (other than getting out here earlier in life)
I remember Wildman Herb.  Lol  Man you are a truck yourself on the trail.  Good to hear from you.  Still have all your animals?  That was a crazy trip. Just going down killed me. and then you ran back up to get the vehicles... lol

Remember that slot to the right of Little Wild horse?  You were going to go back up it?  They found the body of a woman in there. She was coming down and got to one of those death traps. She could get down the obstacles but couldn't get up, then she couldn't get down the next one.  

It turns out that she probably died from miscommunication.  She met some guys coming out of LWH right where Bell and LWH split and not having a map she asked which canyon she was in. they told her Bell, which technically is correct. But because Bell turns sharply to the right it looks like a dead end from there. She likely went up LWH thinking it was Bell, and hoped to turn right and come down LWH.  I almost made the same mistake the first time I went. I actually walked up to see Bell turn before we went back and went into LWH.

It took me a week to recover from it.  I was in such pain I almost ran half the way just to shorten the time  lol.

I have a silly OCD thing ... I go back to the places I know.  I need someone else to drag me to a new place. I'd love to see the San Rafael area. 

I'm starting a new Ancient Hebrew class next Saturday for some people in Africa.

Here's a rough starter outine:
https://sensusplenior.net/wiki/As_a_little_child


and these are highlights :
https://sensusplenior.net/wiki/Pneumnemo..._Beginners
https://sensusplenior.net/wiki/The_Dietary_Law

Hope your family is well. I remember your sister too.  Noisy one  lol.

rcjones@xmission.com
utahareacode two three zero - 2254
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#6
(09-18-2020, 09:48 AM)k.benefield Wrote: Bob, I don't know you, but I feel like I would really enjoy hiking with you! I feel like a goat cart is a great idea and the tennis shoe mod might just work.

Thank you.  My wife doesn't like me to go alone, but she doesn't really enjoy camping. Maybe it's not so much the camping itself but more the thought of having to watch them quarter me lol.   I think my gasping for air bothers her more than me.   When she hears it she thinks I'm dying. When I hear it I know I'm alive  lol

Are you in Utah? My eldest daughter has invited me to join her in a 5K.  I know she hates me. So against  my better judgement, I am starting to exercise to build up to it ... tomorrow.  Well, maybe Monday; if I'm not too tired from work.

A guy at work yesterday said he was amazed that a person in my condition would actually still come to work and be productive, rather than just sit at home... he tilted his head and flopped his tongue out.   That was encouraging  lol

I actually got my picture in National Geographic recently, an article on Robots. I'm the old fart in the background working the computer while the operator is in the exoskeleton robot.   

I got distracted... If you have any trips planned for Utah and don't mind a drag-along let me know.
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#7
(09-18-2020, 11:12 AM)Nanno Wrote: Hello Bob. Always nice to see you pop in!
Hi Nanno.   A new guy at work is from New York City.  So Kris and I took him to see arches.  I actually made the 3 mile hike up to the arch.  So there we are, Two old farts with a young black man.  He told us that if anyone asked, just to say that he was adopted.  lol   I told him they would understand. In Utah a black man still needs two chaperones to visit National Parks   lol.  It was a good trip.  We had fun but it took me three days to recover.

The difference between young hikers and old hikers is that young hikers quit when it hurts. Old hikers hurt when they start, so they don't quit until they can't do anymore.  The young hikers still go farther  lol

We were mentioning you while at Arches.  Kris would like to see Mesa Verde sometime. If I remember, you aren't far from there. We were fondly remembering Cusco. ... oh, and you of course too  ;P
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#8
Again...

I was down for the count again with Covid. My doc told me to go to the hospital, she would give me Remdesivir and watch me die. I fired her.  Made it through bleeding lungs with 7 liters of O2, and monoclonal antibodies.

Recovering this time took much longer. If anyone wants a slow hiking partner, call.

I am retired now, and always looking for excuses to take Kris on a road trip.

We did a huge garden and have been harvesting, drying and freezing stuff. We'll start canning tomatoes soon.  We spell it 'tomatoe' because they are Bush tomatoes. ;P
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#9
Bob Jones!! Well hello there! I'm sorry to hear that Covid kicked your backside, but I'm glad to hear you kicked back! I'm all about slow hiking partners. Phil and I are headed to Utah in the first week of October. We're meeting some other packgoat folks we haven't met before down in Monticello. Herb is also going to meet us there. Or if you ever want to come to Colorado, Phil and I know a few good hikes for slow going. Smile
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#10
(08-23-2023, 10:34 AM)Nanno Wrote: Bob Jones!! Well hello there! I'm sorry to hear that Covid kicked your backside, but I'm glad to hear you kicked back! I'm all about slow hiking partners. Phil and I are headed to Utah in the first week of October. We're meeting some other packgoat folks we haven't met before down in Monticello. Herb is also going to meet us there. Or if you ever want to come to Colorado, Phil and I know a few good hikes for slow going. Smile

Monticello is a possibility.  Without the goats I do either car camping or ultralight. Kris can camp a day or two then she needs a motel with a shower. Don't tell her that. ;P There should be snow in October at Monticello.  Not far from there is where they grow the Anasazi beans.
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