The Black Friday Blues Jam

Friday, November 25th, 2011

Written in December - The Riff Haus - Fullerton, California | November 5, 2011

Wyatt & Aryia's 2nd show together.  They changed the name of the band from Starlingview to Written in December.  The show was in a recording studio in Fullerton, called The Riff Haus.  The acoustics were horrible, the microphones didn't work (they kept cutting out), but the show went very well.  The room was small so it appeared to be more crowded than it really was.  I would estimate that there were about 50 people there. The boys played great, hitting most of their cues.  They got off to a rocky start with Wishing for the Worst but relaxed a bit and got into their groove.  All of the songs (except Whatshername) are original songs that they have written together.

WISHING FOR THE WORST

DEFIANCE                                                    ALL I CAN

WHATSHERNAME                                                   GONE

 

Dana Point Storm Surge - August 31, 2011

Wyatt & Jason | Dashboard Confessional - The Best Deceptions

Mt. San Gorgonio Expedition | Post #2

So, it's the 18th.  We (I) leave for San Gorgonio on Friday, the 21st.  Earlier today, I got a text from Jason informing me that he isn't able to make the trip.  We were texting back & forth on Saturday & Sunday... he had a 101deg. temp.  Then, by later Sunday afternoon, it had risen to 103.1.  This morning, his fever had subsided to 100deg.  He said he was having trouble making it the +/- 50 yards to the park to let the dogs out... there is no way in hell he's gonna climb 4,000' to the summit by the weekend.

I guess I am, once again, taking a trip with Jason's friends, sans Jason.  Last time was a trip to J-Tree with a great group of "kids".  I was the elder of the group by not less than 10-years.  I still had a great time, however, it would have been even better if Jason had made the trip with me.

So, I'm going solo - with Tristan, Rodney, Chuck, Clive & Philip.  Fellow members of the IAS and my personal guardians.  As, I think, I've noted in the previous post, most have not only camped in the snow, they've been to Mt. San Gorgonio in the snow.  I think I'm in good hands.  We'll see.

We had our last pre-trip meeting tonight at the Stadium Brewery (packing on those last important lbs before the ascent).  I think I've got everything covered.  I still have to make a last minute stop at REI for cramp-ons, snow shoes, gators and some other misc. items.  We're meeting at Tristan's office in Norco and driving, all together, on Friday afternoon.  Hopefully, we'll make base-camp by Friday before it gets dark.

I'm apprehensive but I'm excited and I'm looking forward to a new kind of challenge, unlike anything I've undertaken before.

Mt. San Gorgonio Expedition

San Gorgonio Mountain, also known locally as Mount San Gorgonio, or Old Greyback, is the highest peak in Southern California at 11,503 feet (3,506 m). It is in the San Bernardino Mountains, 27 miles (43 km) east of the city of San Bernardino and 12 miles (19 km) north-northeast of San Gorgonio Pass. It lies within the San Gorgonio Wilderness, part of the San Bernardino National Forest. Spanish missionaries in the area during the early 17th century named the peak after Saint Gorgonius.

Since it is the highest point in a region which is separated from higher peaks (e.g. in the Sierra Nevada) by relatively low terrain, San Gorgonio Mountain is one of the most topographically prominent peaks in the United States. It is ranked 7th among peaks in the 48 contiguous states and 18th among overall.

I am fortunate enough to have been invited to join a group called The International Adventure Syndicate... or, the IAS:

Disclaimer: International Adventure Syndicate is not an organization, it is a collection of individuals seeking outlets from their everyday existence. All trips are self funded, uninsured and all liability for each member is assumed by that party. Strippers and beer are optional and may be funded by group activities such as tree pruning, the sale of International Adventure Syndicate Cookies and sponsored events.

Qualifications to join the syndicate are, being able to walk, drink beer and have a sense of humour. And Rodney is gay and a former member of the Village People if you were wondering, he was the Cowboy wearing arseless Chaps.

So, having said that, the date is set for January 21st - 23rd. The total elevation gain is 4,620 feet.

The approximate miles traveled will be 18.6 (to and back).  Our plan is to backpack about 6.4 miles to our base camp at Dry Lake, at 9,000', by late afternoon on Friday the 21st.  We'll set up our camp for the night, eat, lie and exaggerate about our past adventures and try to get some sleep before the next day's hike.

On Saturday, we will hike/climb approximately 2.9 miles and climb approx 2,430'.  That is equal to 838' elevation gain per mile.  The majority of the elevation gain will be about 1,000' in elevation in what will appear to be nearly vertical or a 60 to 70 degree pitch.  Saturday's hike is expected to take approximately 4 - 6 hours, up & down, depending on snow levels and how much Jason drank the night before.  The summit is at 11,503'...  Due to snow levels, I'm told that the trail from base camp to the summit is non-existent and we will, therefore, climb straight up to the summit, rather than the silly, round-about way of using the trails.  Again, there will be A LOT of snow, so cramp-ons, perhaps snow shoes and ice axes will be needed in order to reach the summit.  This is what I'm told.

I've never hiked in the snow (except to retrieve skis and poles that I discarded while rolling down the ski hills).  I'm looking forward to the challenge but I'm concerned that I'll never know what it's like to be warm again.

I'll post more pics here when (if) I get back from the trip.

On a side note - I'm doing some basic conditioning to prepare for the upcoming trip.  On Sunday, I hiked up to Aliso & Wood Canyon park to go up to the Top of the World, above Laguna Beach.  Unfortunately, the park was closed and the trails were completely destroyed due to the last couple of months' rain.

I did, however, go through the park, anyway.  I stayed on the asphalt Water District access road.  I did 5.99 miles in 1 hour, 53 minutes and 44 seconds.  That includes the 10 minutes I sat taking pictures of a bobcat that crossed my path and another 5 minutes listening to a Park Ranger explain that the signs that are posted that read "Park Closed" don't mean that it's kinda closed, or sort of closed, or closed to everyone but Brad... it's means that it's really, really closed and get out.