April through June, 2015

Getting Ready

Much of this Spring has been consumed by our preparations for our trip to Africa. Gary has spent a great deal of time on long hikes around the property and on local trails. Pauline has been worrying over all the logistics of destinations, schedules and air travel.

We have noted a decrease in the number of bear and moose around the property in the past two years. Then we spotted this article on poaching. The families and properties in question are at the western boundary of our property. There is a ridge between our house and the western half of our property so it is difficult to monitor what goes on there.

Kendal has taken up bee keeping and has become quite the expert. She was invited to be on a radio panel along with a number of professors and PhDs. People who called in tended to focus on Kendal since she was the one they could most relate to.

Training for Kilimanjaro: Kendal and Gary took a hike to both summits of Saddle Peak (elevation 9,165 feet). This was a 9.6 mile round trip with 3,900 feet elevation gain (and loss). The one-way distance and start/end elevations are a close approximation of the first day on Kilimanjaro, so making it up and down without problems was a good indication of their readiness. It was unusually hot; about 95°F at the trail head, making the hike even more challenging. The anticipated temperature at the Kilimanjaro trail head is 60°F.

Oh, yes — there were mountain goats at the summit. One wonders if other hikers offer them treats; that would be a way to get even closer, but would be a radical departure from their normal highly specialized diet.

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