Industrial & Urban Trekking

12 Times! The Record Falls!

2011-11-25T05:04:00.002-06:00

After a solid month of climbing and running, I caught a lower GI virus that basically knocked me back to little or no training status. It really made me feel weak and lackluster and I missed my Veteran’s Day deadline to break my record.

On top of that, it was unseasonable hot and humid and the timing was all wrong. I was determined to do it though and yesterday, I climbed the big structure 12 consecutive times. It took me 1 hour and 35 minutes. The temperature was about 60 degrees F. and humidity was close to 40% and there was just enough of a breeze to remove the heat as I generated it.

So that’s it. I broke my own record and as far as I know, only a guy named Robert Marshall has climbed in 6 consecutive times and I doubled that yesterday. My next attempt to break this record is Memorial day week, if I’m still physically healthy and willing.

Week 5 a Total Bust!

2011-10-29T17:06:00.000-05:00

Week 5 came and went with me sick with a GI (Gastro-intestinal) virus, so no climbing and no running. I've been off work 12 days, so tomorrow I go back to work and resume my climbing!

Week 4 of Training!

2011-10-16T18:21:00.000-05:00

The training continues

2011-09-28T14:56:00.000-05:00

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Last week I climbed the big structure 1 time each day and various other structures, plus a 2-4 run each day.

This week I am climbing the big structure 2X per day, plus the other structures and running 2-4 MPD. Each week until the week of Veterans Day (Nov 11th) I will up the number of times...and then go for the record of 12 concecutive ascends and descends

To Break a Record!

2011-09-19T17:52:00.003-05:00

Beginning October 1st, I am going to begin training to break the climb record on the big structure at work. The current record is 11 ascents up the 278 foot structure. On or close to November 11th, I will break the record and climb it 12 consecutive times.
In preparation, I've been running 2 to 4 miles a day and walking and climbing everything in my path. The effort should take almost 2 hours without stopping. I owe it to my son, Sgt. Nick Marshall to continue on without him. R.I.P. son.

Big Climb Record Falls...Yet Again!

2011-05-15T12:19:00.001-05:00

On May 10th I found myself with all my work finished and I still had 3 hours to go before my shift ended. I stood at the bottom of the giant nemesis structure and looked up towards the top railing and said to myself that this was the day. Today I would make an attempt at felling the record of 10 continuous climbs by going 11.

Back on April 30th I posted I had been training for this day for the last 3 weeks and now I had another 10 days of climbing and running behind me. There’s no time like the present, so up I started. In the back of my mind, I kept telling myself to take it easy and if worse came to worse; I would log it as a training day.

3 times up and down and I began to sweat. The ambient temperature was the high 80’s and the saving grace was the strong wind. The wind was both savior and menace. On one hand, it removed the extra heat my body was generating. On the other, it all but blew my hardhat off many times during the climb.

The climb became a blur of slow ascensions with rapid descendings and nagging doubt and then renewed determination as each flight came and went. 284 steps up and half that amount descending, as I took the stairs 2 at a time coming down.

By the time I started up for the 8th time I was an hour and 10 minutes into the attempt and kept telling myself I only had “3 more to go” after this one. Coming down from number 9, I pondered "I had this one in the bag” and I just needed to knock out number 10 to do my last climb…number 11.

Finally, as I slowly stepped up the structure for the 11th time, I walked around a bit and then sat down on the top step and let the wind wash over me. So who did I beat? Nobody, or just me, or everybody – you decide. One thing is for sure, come November I’ll have to challenge my title by going for number 12.

Maybe I’m running and no one is chasing or maybe, just maybe, I’m having the time of my life.

59, Here I Come!

2011-04-30T14:31:00.000-05:00

Next month I will turn 59 and I can still lift heavy stuff. In celebration, I plan to break the Plant record of 10 continuous climbs of the giant structure by climbing it 11 times.

It’s been a long cold winter and dry spring on the Texas Gulf Coast and it’s taken its toll on my motivation. I simply cannot motivate myself to Indy Trek when it’s cold and windy and dark and ugly outside. It’s to my detriment I know, but that’s the simple truth.

About 3 weeks ago, I broke out of my funk and started climbing again – and running, or jogging really. I start my day with a one mile meandering walk through the Plant, getting my closing readings and then home in on my nemesis, the giant structure with 284 steps. After leaving work, I began jogging on a side road and I’m now up to 2 miles. This is after working 12 hours in steel toed boots and Nomex.

59 never looked so youthful. More to come.

Team Fits Tackles - One Huge Smile Series

2011-01-15T11:56:00.010-06:00

On January 14, 2011 a group of 9 intrepid geocachers & 1 geodog assembled on the northwaste side of George Bush Park in Houston, Texas intent on tackling the infamously thorn-laden One Huge Smile series of 25 caches deep in the scrub bush and swampy bogs. The team consisted of veteran cachers, HoustonControl, MuddyWaterGirl, TeamTroglodyte, and Ags91; sub-1000 find cachers Nebulus703, myself, and Latitude_Attitude, along with the sub-100 finders mom/daughter team SavvySireGirls 1-2 & geodog Eowyn.

I had spent the last few days worrying over the near freezing weather and over-analyzing everything from the terrain, food, and how much water to carry, to how many layers of clothes I would need.
Let me back up a bit – I did this series October 1st, 2010 by myself and it was 80+ degrees and later hit 90 and back then to my amazement, the park was in full pollen bloom, most of the open areas had waist and higher vegetation and the hike took me 7 hours with not a single break, other than to sign a cache log, or untangle myself from the multi-layer thorn matrix. I also depleted my water and towards the end of the search, I was pert-near staggering.

Thus you can see my concern going out this time.
Of the 25 finds in this series, I lacked 2, as they were missing. Since then, cache maintenance has been performed and frankly, I just wanted to go along, grab the missing 2, visit with this good bunch, and get in some exercise, so I volunteered to tag along and shoot a silly video to boot.

We started off at the crack of 8am and entered the woods and within 10 minutes we realized we had ran into a wall of thorn bushes. Making a group decision to push through, it wasn’t long before we arrived at #1 and signed the log. We all high-fived around and congratulating each other began to pick-off the next caches like mutual veterans.

Latitude-Attitude had an aerial view of the smile (the course was laid out to project a giant face with eyes and a mouth with a circle going around it as the head) and a proposed course for us to follow and since it was his idea to mash-up and tackle the series, we all gladly followed his route.

One by one we made our way to each cache with me finally checking off the 2 that I did not have. Along the way, most all of us took a thorn strike (or 10!), stumbled, became entangled, fell flat on our face or buns (ouch), stumbled again, had a vine wrap around our leg or foot, or had our hat ripped off our head. No one complained, not even MuddyWaterGirl when she stepped off in a hole and fell so hard, it broke a strap on her pack. Our traveling geodog, which was a leashed pit bull, had to be dethorned a number of times also.

Our group was a unique mixture of ages, sizes, gender, and experience, but what amazed me is how equally all were treated by each other. The veterans did not show-out or put on airs and were quick to help out those of us with less experience. They also get tripped up just as fast in the heavy thorns and bush.

We saw no snakes on this trip, but we saw numerous deer and a herd of feral hogs ran in front of Latitude_Attitude. We had a great time and when we exited the woods we were met by 4 Constables wondering what all of our parked vehicles signified. We ‘splained to them our hobby and I gave away a couple of my Baytown Bert wooden geonickels after giving them my name, rank, and serial number. It was a fine geocaching day to remember and we will meet again soon on yet another geocaching adventure.

Geocaching Adventure in Kingwood, Texas!

2011-01-13T18:20:00.000-06:00

Big Climb Record Falls...Again!

2010-11-06T06:14:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, in honor of Veterans Day, I set out to break the Plant record (I hold it) to climb the giant reactor structure ten times. I was successful. The structure is 14 long flights of stairs and a total of 284 steps to the top.

After a long very hot summer of sporatic and sweat-soaked Indy Trekking and many many long geocaching hikes, the weather has finally fell into the 60 degree F. range. I didn't bother to post the internal treks, as they are basically a good solid work-out which I've covered many times before this article...and there is only so many ways it can be written where it is of interest.

I am very close to 58 1/2 years old and I do realize the importance of pushing my body, if I want to be able to get around when I am really old. I'm afraid many of my younger co-working friends have yet to learn this. They languish in the control room awaiting the time when they can leave work and go to the gym, or worse, do nothing physical.

Geocaching the Alphabet Soup Series GC253NY

2010-10-16T11:10:00.001-05:00

Well folks, Nebulus703 and I did all the Alphabet Soup series, plus 14 more yesterday in 7 hours. We started at the Pond park and finished on the west end at GC194VC (Come one come all). I goofed up and didn't load GC253px (Eager...), but we detoured way too far north and found Heme the Hunter, so we got the 40 we were after.

The weeds were even worse than described and I say that w/o exaggeration, with pollen plumes exploding around us to the point that my arms and face were yellow. There are at least 4 levels of thorns close tot he woods and the path to each cache takes you side to side to experience them, then there is an evil weed which wraps around your feet, necessitating a lift of the knee straight up repeatedly, or you will fall face first to the ground.

The bayou had at least 3 good crossing points and we took the one closest to GC252F0 (The point of no return). I filmed Nebulus703 crossing after I made it across. Crossing the second half of the bayou, the log broke and I plunged one foot into the water to my knee. However, all 3 logs are doable if you have the confidence to go over the water.

I found the whole trip exhausting after the fact and slept real hard last night. The time after I got home at 3pm was a bust and I crashed at 8pm. I cant speak for Nebulus703, but I've had my fill of uncut power lanes.

Baytown Bert does the One Huge Smile Cache!

2010-10-04T18:30:00.000-05:00

Houston Control does the Brawndo series!

2010-08-14T17:01:00.001-05:00

Baytown Bert goes after Maude!

2010-08-05T19:34:00.002-05:00

Brawndo Series of Geocaches

2010-07-30T07:40:00.002-05:00

Not too many days ago, I watched the totally stupid movie ‘Idiocracy’. I thought it was stupid and idiotic and the more I thought about it, the funnier it became. I especially loved the movie population’s infatuation with Brawndo (a futuristic version of Gatorade) and their devotion to its electrolyte properties.

Whenever the word Brawndo came up in a conversation, any and all would repeat the commercials by-phrase of “Brawndo’s got electrolytes! It’s got what plants crave – it’s got electrolytes”. Apparently in the future, people are so brainwashed by advertising that they believe any and everything. If it comes across the TV, then it must be true!

Against all reason, my fellow geocachers are a lot like these future Brawndo worshipers in that when they could be sitting comfortably on their couches, they are instead wandering ankle deep in goopy mud, or having their arms and legged scratched to pieces by thorns so they look for something a stranger hid. It’s totally crazy.
Each outing is the equivalent of a blood donation to the mini blood-sucking mosquito phlebotomists and then there is the ever-spreading poison ivy rain forest over-taking Baytown and surrounding area they deal with on a daily basis and all of this is beyond normal reason. Then there are snakes. Why?

Take today for instance. For the last two weeks, I’ve been pouring over photographs of a wooded area in Baytown, which adjoins the Goose Creek Trail, using a ruler to figure out how in the world I can place 11 geocaches inside this area without violating the 528 foot rule between caches, required by geocaching.com. Yes, there are rules to this game.

My Bride is confused (she’s always generous towards me, as she well understands I do things like this as a form of self-abuse). “Why do you continually put yourself in predicaments like this, Hon?” “Because I must” I spout and we both know it’s a Bert thing and sacrosanct. Move on, there’s nothing to see here.

My problem was indeed self-inflicted and early on, I confided in my friend Levi McAllister, known as Skathious in the geocaching circles, as I hashed out the logistics in my head. In the long run, we agreed I would go solo and figure this entirely out and this would enable him to “find” the caches and ensure the secrecy of the cache locations. The fewer people who know, the harder the hide and it’s that simple.

Over the last week, I created 11 unique containers to hide in the most difficult locations I could think of and I must admit, most all of them will be difficult for cachers to find.

This wooded area is a wet, snaky bottom land beside a small slough or bayou and today, it was snaky indeed. City Manager Garry Brumback came driving by and stopped to ask me what in the devil I was doing when he saw me starring at the thick underbrush close to “The Loop”. When I told him I was hiding geocaches to attract people to the Goose Creek Trail, he told me city employee Patti Jett was also a geocacher, so I gave him a couple of my Baytown Bert Wooden Nickel Geocoins to share.

Here I was, loaded down with containers, busting brush with fogged-up steamy glasses when in the back of my mind, something screamed DANGER! I came to an abrupt halt, tried to find a dry place on my clothes (no luck) to wipe my eyeglasses, and there in my path was a short fat wiggly thing my brain told me was a cottonmouth rattle-moccasin. It actually was a cottonmouth water moccasin this time, but it knew this was its territory and I wasn’t supposed to be there.

Since this adventure is getting long-winded, I’ll continue it in part two.

Brawndo Series of Geocaches - Part 2

2010-07-30T07:32:00.000-05:00

I backed up a bit and I kid you not, I was as soaked as a wet Billy goat (and just as gamey I imagine), as I dug around in one of my 2 shoulder bags for my water-proof camera. I snapped a quick photo and then put the camera away. Looking around my feet for the snake, I realized it was…what(?) – gone! I back-tracked a bit kangaroo-style and made my way towards the direction I needed to go for my last cache…number eleven.

Number ten and eleven are both deep into the thick and overgrown terrain of the Texas Gulf Coast mixture of giant thorns and heavy underbrush. Bear Gryll’s while hiking south of New Orleans commented that this was the worst swamp he has ever seen – even worse than Borneo. We have swamp like that here and heavy underbrush and this is what I was encountering. Each step may or may not have a surprise and my fogged up glasses were not helping a bit.

In our wooded areas live a very large species of spiders. Most people call them banana spiders, but they are actually a golden silk-orb-weaver spider. They are usually about face-high and that is usually where they end up when you are bush whacking and results in face whacking. Their webs are very hardy too.

Texas has many varieties of thorns also and some are dark brown and the size of your ring finger. My arms look like I’ve been in a cat fight – and lost and I now have some sort of rash on my arm that’s not poison ivy. I have bruises on my legs and my eyes itch.

I’m having the time of my life.

Anyway, to make a long journey shorter, I finally sloshed back onto the Goose Creek Trail close to the existing Rusty Hands cache, which requires the finder to creep along the outside of the bridge over the bayou. Thus, the rusty hands and one that required me to make 5 long trips before I found the geocache.

I made my way back to my geocachemobile, drove home, shucked off my dripping clothes in the garage, showered, ate, and submitted the cache data to geocaching.com for approval and publication. Maybe my efforts will draw people to Baytown. I have a feeling this endurance series is going to be a real bonus for our restaurants.

Custom Geocoin Wooden Nickel!

2010-07-25T11:59:00.003-05:00

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About 3 months ago, I decided I wanted to create a signature item to place in the *geocaches I visit, instead of putting in a small toy, erasure, chip clip, or doodad, so I began looking around. What I found was custom printed wooden nickels.

The cost of these was a tad much in my opinion, until I came across a fellow in Wisconsin named Fred. Fred’s prices were good – real good. He was willing to take my design and text and print it on a 1 ½” wooden blank, with no set-up fee for roughly 1/3 lower than anyone else – so I placed an order for 500.

After 3 months, my first 500 are almost depleted and I have had a blast placing them in the various geocaches I visit. Here is the basic design, but on the real coin, one side is in red and the other in blue.

You can get your own wooden nickel Geocoin by following a link on http://www.baytownbert.us/ to the Ads-Tuit Wooden Nickel Company, or by clicking this link. http://adstuit.com/

Of course, you can call them at: 715-528-4352 Tell Fred I sent you and have fun with your own special and custom Geocoin Wooden Nickel!

I just ordered another 500 geocoins!

Note: Geocaching is an outdoor activity in which the participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers (called "geocaches" or "caches") anywhere in the world.

Geocaching In La Porte, Texas July 4th, 2010!

2010-07-04T19:32:00.002-05:00

The Record Falls Once Again

2010-06-17T07:45:00.000-05:00

In 2009 on Veteran's Day to honor my son and all veterans, I climbed the tallest structure at the Chemical Plant where I earn my living and I climbed it 8 times. This was a new record for me and as far as I know, a Plant record. Read about it here.

Yesterday was my 58th birthday, so to bump the record, I set out to do it again and top it by one if possible...and I did. The new climb record is nine back to back climbs and descents.

The ambient temperature was 92 when I began and one hour and fourteen minutes later, I believe it was a bit higher. Humidity was high - probably about 80+ %. Starting with a slight breeze which helped me remove my heat, I ran into the wall at ascent number six when the wind stopped dead.

I knew this was a bad sign and my body temperature began to creep up. Ascent seven was the same and I became hotter. Fortunately, the wind began to pick-up a bit when I started ascent eight and then nine came and... went. I briefly entertained the idea of going one more, but I thought it would make it that much harder later on to pass my own record. So, another milestone and a new year for me for new challenges.

Geocaching Texas Brazos Bend Endurance Series

2010-06-12T19:53:00.002-05:00

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We did it! My nephew, Andy Tallant, better known in geocaching parlance as Ateezy and I (BaytownBert, of course) completed the 15 geocache series in Brazos Bend State Park yesterday.

It’s known as the Brazos Bend Endurance Series and was voted by the Houston Geocaching Society as the most physically challenging cache series of 2009. We found 13 of the 15 and just could not spend more time in the heat and humidity to search longer.

I was unaware of this series before my friend; the geocaching evil genius AaronBarbee did it early this past May. He went with his geo-dog and found all them all. We were not that successful.

Each cache is known by a unique GC designation (geocache) and name. The first is: BBES #1 Endurance Test Starts Here. We followed a Long/Lat set of coordinates to the best parking area, then 2 more sets of numbers to get us where we could actually begin to travel to the first cache. It was the most intensive set of guidelines I’ve followed, requiring widespread land navigation and orienteering.

Both Ateezy and I downed a quart of Gatorade in the car on the 70 mile trip to the Park and carried numerous bottles of water – all of which were about 50% of what our bodies actually needed. We were sweating it out faster than we took it in and eventually ran out of water about 4 caches before we exited the woods to sit on a park bench.

I upgraded my Garmin Geko 201 to the respected Garmin Oregon 450 and man this thing is solid gold. For most of the trek to a cache, which incidentally was 30% briar patches and 50% heavy underbrush, I used the compass mode, switching to Map mode when I needed a sure beeline or when I was within 30 feet. It helped put us on top of 75% of the caches.

After a week, I am still suffering from chigger itching from geocaching north of Crosby, Texas with my son-in-law, Michael Sievers (I have 14 chigger bites that itch like the devil), so we layered our protection with a blend of Cedarcide and conventional Deet-based spray and we wore long pants and long sleeves to protect our bodies from spiders, briars, thorns, etc.

Brazos Bend is rated as one of the top wildlife parks in the United States and it did not disappoint us in that regard. Walking in, we came upon a broad-banded water snake that stood its ground and struck repeatedly at my walking stick, a turtle, 2 rabbits, an alligator, moor ducks, and a nutria rat, which ran across the path in front of us.

Leaving the path we plowed off into the woods, which are not the woods of fairy tales, but the heavy underbrush of the Texas Gulf Coast. It was the last manmade path we saw until 500 feet past #15 cache.

Almost immediately we were greeted by a large yellowish flying bee, which sounded like a miniature buzz saw. It had the same flying ability as a bumblebee and after about 5 attempts to swat it, I gave up. Through-out the hike, we were shadowed by these flying devils, along with biting flies, mosquitoes and stuff that jumped on us. Add in the spiders, which I figure roughly weigh about 10 pounds per half acre and you have an environment that is over the top for 99% of city dwellers. There is a tree-web dwelling spider in this park that is the size of a walnut. Last year one fell from a tree and bounced off the brim of my Tilley hat and I thought it was a large nut.

Down a gully, over a creek, up the gully, through the waist deep grass, under the brambles, around the briars when we could – through them with the machete when we couldn’t, we travelled onward. Numerous times (too many to recall as I grew weary) I saw things moving out of our way in the deep foliage.

Buzz-buzz-buzz all around us, I ducked under a weaved blanket of underbrush only to have the toe of my boot catch in a vine and after staggering 12 feet - fell flat on my face. “You all right, Uncle Bert?” “Yea, I’m good, just a root.” If I remember correctly #8 through #11 were solid walls of underbrush, briars, brambles, and downed giant logs which required scaling.

Andy stopped talking somewhere about this time and even though he can play full-court basketball for hours, he confessed that this was something requiring more than he expected. I was holding my own due to my Indy Trekking, but that’s about all. At some point he asked if it would be easier to just turn about and make our way out, but I told him the fastest way out was to finish the course. The woods were winning this contest.

At this point, I set a course as straight of a bee-line as I could, determined to put this series in the bag and I can’t count the times I ate a mouthful of spider webs as I raked my sweaty face. With my Tilley hat for protection, I lowered my head and pushed through the heavy growth, a quiet Ateezy in my wake. It was at this point my cell phone became waterlogged and quit working and I lost my printed cheat sheet. My Vietnam sweat towel is out there too.

All caches by geocaching.com rules have to be no closer than .10 miles apart, which works out to 528 feet. Almost all of these were .11 miles apart, so we were looking at 600 feet or 2 football fields apart per cache – but a beeline is impossible, so if we were real careful and picked our trail, we could arrive at the cache only going about 1000 feet.

To shorten a 5 hour trek in the woods to a few paragraphs is difficult and unfair, but I will sum it up with a question my Bride asked me and my answer: “Why do you do it?”

“Because we are men.” If you don’t get it, I cannot explain it.

Back in the Saddle Again

2010-04-22T12:23:00.004-05:00

I started jogging again. It’s been about 2 years since I last ran and even though I am fast approaching 58 years old, I have been active. Last Sunday, after work, the sun was shining and it was dry and perfect, so I hopped out of my car on the way home, striped off my work uniform to my running shorts and tee, donned my running shoes and off I waddled.

At first I was going to run about a third of a mile, then that became a half and finally I decided to run down to Sens Road (from Miller Cut-Off where I started) and this would be a 2 miler. I ran along what we in Texas call a feeder road and is beside SH-225, a very busy, but safely distant road. I can hear the cars rushing by at break-neck speed, but I am on the shoulder of the feeder and as safe as can be expected.

Anyway, it was convenient and all I could expect in the Houston metropolitan shadow, so I did it. I amused myself watching the Union Pacific railroad engine and train as it rocked by. This is what I love about jogging; what a person does with their mind when their body goes into the robotic this foot that foot mode. If a person cannot conquer their mind, they will soon stop running and it’s that simple.

I passed the 2 miles this time in almost a blur, the weather and sunshine warming me both inside and out. I didn’t feel like a 57 year old man, even though I was running sub-11 minute miles. I felt more like I was 49 again.

I went home feeling euphoric and that lasted the rest of the evening. When I went to bed, I was physically and mentally ready to rest. During the night I dreamed the most colorful and exotic bunch of dreams I have had in a long time. When my alarm sounded I swung out of bed rested, but when I went to stand up, I realized my hips were quite stiff and my knees were protesting loudly.

I expected this though and once again I was waddling. Making my way to the kitchen, I gulped down a coup of French Market New Orleans blend chicory coffee…I grabbed another before I cleared the house on my way to work. All day long I went through the process of limbering up as I had a stiffness relapse every time I sat down for a few minutes.

The next morning all was better and after a couple of yawning stretches, I set out to repeat Sunday’s performance…and I did. The day after the second jog wasn’t bad at all, so after taking a break yesterday and being off work today, I went out and ran 2 miles this morning. Now I can’t say how often or how many miles I will be running in the future, but it sure is a good addition to my Indy Trekking while at work, which I have been doing on a regular basis.

Getaway Car GeoCache Adventure in Baytown Texas

2010-03-30T16:46:00.000-05:00

Great time stomping around in the woods today! Not a whole lot of exercise, but I mowed the lawn (pushed it) and that got the desired results.

ChessKingDav and I Geocache In Baytown, Texas!

2010-03-24T17:30:00.002-05:00

BB's Baytown Geocaching Adventure

2010-03-23T05:39:00.001-05:00

This is a little video I put together while geocaching yesterday. Using my Garmin GPS, I found five and all of them required leaving my vehicle and hiking, climbing and spending a lot of time outdoors, which in perfect harmony with Indy Trekking!

Along the way I picked up an old friend ChessKingDav. He was trekking off of Evergreen Road, in Baytown and on a 10-mile hike.

I asked if he would like to Geocache with me and he agreed. An hour and a half later (5 caches), I deposited him where I met him and he resumed his hike.

It was a great day of hiking and fun and it didn't cost a dime other than a little gasoline.

*The music in the background is the Cornell Hurd Band out of Austin, Texas.
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Texas Camping and Hungry Varmints

2010-03-09T13:27:00.009-06:00

If you camp over-night in a state park, be it Texas or any other park, you will have varmints visit your site while you sleep. It’s what is called, “a given”. In other words you will have animals in your camp looking for nibble goodies; little scraps of food, or more - unguarded loads of food.

The number one camp bandit is the raccoon and in state parks, the raccoons have ninjas-on-steroids skills. They have seen and will open almost any kind of container, cooler, box, or chest. They’ve seen it all and unless you place a heavy rock on top of your cooler, there is a good chance you will awaken during the night to the sound of “coons” rummaging through your stuff.

Raccoons make a very peculiar sound, especially when they are excited after finding something edible. To me, they sound like an alien from outer space, something like Mel Gibson’s character heard while standing in the cornfield in the movie “Signs”. It’s a major creep-out to novice campers, who huddling inside their tent and in the dark have no idea what it is.

I will attempt to describe their sounds: bubbles, clicks, purrs, and a cooing sound - kind of like a mischievous little monkey or a hideous malicious and drooling alien. Add to this the sound of a bungee strap slapping repeatedly against the side of an ice chest, aluminum and plastic cookware and eating utensils falling from the picnic table and the tree limb rubbing against your tent and you have everything you need to plead the mercies of your God.

However, once you realize what it is you are hearing, you have a couple of choices. First and the one I recommend is exiting your tent and chasing the critters to the far side of your flashlight’s beam (that’s all the farther they will retreat - trust me). Secure your stuff and then go back to sleep, hoping you didn’t miss something.

Your second choice is to suffer in silence while the raccoons ransack your site, again and again. My first experience with this phenomenon was about 30 years ago while camping at Camp Strake with the Boy Scouts. We were a bit sloppy in our camp discipline and the raccoons triple-teamed us all night. There is a reason they have the bandit band over their eyes. I think it has evolved along with their skill to rob campers of their goods.

This past camping trip I heard the hanging trash bag rattle as we sat around the campfire. Turning my powerful flashlight on, I spied a large coon peeking inside the bag, only halfway concerned with my awareness and about twenty feet behind it was a small fox. The fox is a second tier thief. Its modus operandi is to rob the raccoon and split the scene before the coon can catch it.

To me, that is justice served.

Meat on a Stick Time - Part 2!

2010-03-07T07:34:00.000-06:00

We came, we saw, we camped, and cooked meat on a stick! Last Sunday, we wrapped up a four-day camping trip to Pedernales Falls State Park and due to my many obligations, I am just now finding time to write about it.

My brother TJ Bustem, nephew Andy Tallant, coworker “Big” John Graham, his son “Texas Slim”, and buddy “Texas Shorty” arrived at the quiet and mostly empty park Thursday about 2pm and began the process of setting up our tents and gear. I began worry about rain on this trip a full month before we arrived and I must say; we couldn’t have dialed in better weather, even if we had that ability.

The day before we left, I defrosted Elk and Axis deer back-strap my friend Brian White brought me and soaked it in milk overnight. Draining the milk and washing it, I put it in a one-gallon freezer bag and added Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning. Thursday evening, we skewered the tasty meats and held them over an open fire.

It was delicious! It was more than delicious, it was heavenly delicious.

The milk removed the normal gamey taste and appeared to tenderize the meat also, as it almost fell off the skewers. There we were, hunkered down, each of us as pioneers of old, cooking meat on a stick. Our two 10-year old “Texans” were getting both a taste of outdoor cooking by their own doing and the secure fellowship of men who actually care about their future development.

The Baytown Hiking Fellowship was enjoying its first campout. As stated in the previous Blog, our fellowship was founded last year to honor the memory of my son, Sgt. Nick Marshall and to promote fellowship and personal development. We all agreed we will have many more hikes and campouts, in the future.

I was determined to attempt a number of methods and new equipment on this trip, as possible for my own development and one of these is a knife/magnesium striker device, for lighting fires. In preparation for the first fire, I made cotton balls soaked in melted Vaseline, a fire-starting trick I saw on the Internet, but widely used by the Boy Scouts, hunters and hikers.

We gathered around the fire-pit and I pulled 2 cotton balls out, placed them in the pit and struck the magnesium rod with the edge of the knife blade. Like magic (and to my utter amazement), the cotton balls ignited and just like that, we had the beginnings of our campfire. My only regret is, we failed to video it.

Friday and Saturday we hiked as a group and Geocached. We were blessed with sunny days, but the nights hovered in the mid-30’s, which was fine, albeit cold. I opted to sleep in my tent with no heater, as did Andy and TJ Bustem and although my sleeping bag kept me comfy, my face was cold as ice and my only option was to wrap a fleece blanket around my head each night.

Once again, geocaching is a high tech treasure hunting game using a GPS device to locate “caches”. Pedernales Falls has close to 30 approved caches hidden within its borders and our first objective was to locate a number of them on the 4-mile loop trail. However, the Pedernales River had the only crossing flooded, so we went off to find other caches, eventually locating nine.

By Saturday, our two pint-sized Texans were weary of the slow-pace us seasoned campers were keeping, so Andy took them off to Pedernales Falls for four hours of hiking while TJ Bustem, Big John, and I hiked part of the Wolf Mountain Trail and located more caches. At the Pedernales Popcorn cache we found our first Travel Bug, which is a cool-looking dog-tag thingy and this one was attached to a travel boot ornament. The idea of a travel bug is the person who “grabs” it, carries it to a distant cache according to the wishes of the original owner and all of this is recorded later on geocaching.com.

This Bug is going to be placed Saturday, March 6th on the Goose Creek Trail, helping it on its way to the Appalachian Trail.

Raccoons, accosted our camp as always, but we kept a clean site, so they got very little besides a couple of my favorite Los Toritos bean, cheese and jalapeno tamales and a can of bean dip. Jackrabbits, deer, and even a fox passed through our site as we sat by the fire and who knows what else while we slept.

It was a weary bunch of trail-broke happy campers who rolled up their gear Sunday morning. At this point all of us could have stayed on without reserve, but commitments and our folks at home beckoned. As we drove out of the park, all were making plans for the next adventure.

Pedernales Falls State Park Texas Camping trip Feb 2010

2010-02-01T09:13:00.000-06:00

I am posting this for future reference and for anyone planning a camping trip in possibly very cold weather and especially if the people are novice campers.

1. I would like each person who attends to "bring a skill to teach" to the camp-out and I would like a commitment asap. I know this sounds demanding, but we are not just camping, we are having a fellowship and workshop. Your skill can be how to prepare a simple food item, or how to make a homemade tent peg - I don't really care. However, you have the option of providing the necessary items for all or posting a list of things we need to bring. Search the Internet or youtube.com for ideas.

2. My selected skill is going to be teaching everyone how to use a GPS device. Please bring one if you have one, or purchase one immediately. The Garmin eTrex H GPS is an excellent choice and is $86 shipped on Amazon.com. I plan to teach Geocaching also to everyone who is interested. The park has many caches alongside the trails and this is a lot of fun to boot. Make sure to bring your manuals if you bring a GPS unit and you are unfamiliar with its operation.

3. Next item is transportation. Who is riding with whom and when do you plan on arriving? Two vehicles only are allowed at the campsite with additional parking not too far away. You can drop your gear at the campsite - we won't know which one we get until we arrive.

4. Each person is responsible for whatever food and personal items you need. It's the best way and proven course of action. Do not get too elaborate or it may be come difficult - due to weather conditions.

5. Footwear: Boots and no ankle socks. Ankle socks may be cool in town, but they are flat cold when camping and your ankles will get scratched to high-heaven while geocaching. Cotton socks are cold, so buy hiking socks and if you can afford wool, then get about 3 pair. Bring extra socks anyway and a second pair of shoes for around the camp area, so you can dry your hiking boots if they get wet. There is a water crossing or two on the trails. A small towel in your kit will help if you have to wade barefoot then put your boots back on. It happens.

6. Hot showers and warm toilets: The park has first class showers and restrooms. Bring flip-flops or water shoes for the showers and all necessary toiletries in Baggies.

7. Fees for the park per person: $3 per day, per person 13 and older, staying overnight- unless you have a park pass, which I do. It's $60 per year and well worth it.

8. Fishing: Fishing is limited to a small area, but you do not have to have a license to fish in a Texas State Park. The park will even loan you a pole, etc.

9. Activities: All group activities are optional, but encouraged. I personally plan to hike the 4 mile trail and the 7.5 mile wolf Mountain trail on separate days. All are welcome to come along and the 4-mile trail is a casual walk, but the 7.5 mile trail is a no joke no fooling around hike.

10. Cameras, IPOD's, chargers and batteries: Bring plenty of everything, but my personal experience concerning IPOD's, et al, is they alienate a person from the group. I have 2 and I'm not bringing either one on the trail. I have a camp radio that has an IPOD connection, which is perfect for sitting around the campfire for all to enjoy. Austin radio, which is excellent will also be available. Electricity is available at the campsite, as is potable water.

11. Firewood: One of us has committed to bringing a lot of wood, but we need back-up in the event that they have to opt out at the last second. The more wood, the better.

12. Containers: Rubbermaid makes excellent locking containers. You can get one of these at Target for about $35 and it will keep the raccoons out of your stuff. Rubbermaid 1172 Action Packer Storage Box, 24-Gallon

13. Raccoons: Raccoons WILL get into your stuff if you do not secure it. Count on it.

14. Tents and sleeping bags. You must prepare for very cold weather. 20 degrees F. or possibly colder. Hopefully we will have moderate weather. Since we are sleeping in a State Park, we have the luxury of taking extra blankets, so bring some. Bring a pull over knit hat for your head while sleeping, or you will freeze to death regardless of how good your sleeping bag is. Trust me on this.

Geocaching and Hiking in Brazos Bend State Park

2010-01-26T06:28:00.004-06:00

I had a good day today and so did “Big John” and “Texas Slim” Graham. They’re father and son and since it’s a tradition of mine to award trail names to folks I hike with, these are the names they are stuck with from here on in.

John is a Safety Specialist at the Plant where we work and since his ten year old son, John Michael has never did geocaching, hiking, or trail finding, I figured it was time and high-time, he got a moniker fitting a real Texas boy. Texas Slim and just Tex for short will do him nicely.

We did a shake-down hike and geocaching adventure this morning, to brush the cobwebs off my GPS skills, since I hadn’t looked for caches in about 8 years and teach them how to read a GPS device.

You see, I bought a GPS (global positioning satellite) device about 10 years ago with the intention of participating in this hide and seek high-tech game of treasure hunting, but my bride was not interested in walking ankle-deep through water or knee-deep through briars out in the woods to accompany me, so I gave it up.

Now, years later, I decided to take it back up and use it as a tool to get my young friends off the couch and onto the trails. This year we are going camping, hiking, kayaking and geocaching together and I see it as a win-win for all of us.

Today, I met my two trail buddies at the park entrance at 8am and we parked at the first parking lot. Before I left my house, I visited geocaching.com and copied the coordinates to 6 caches and printed out a back-up copy of hints and instructions for each cache. It’s a good thing I did too, as I had accidentally typed one number incorrectly into my device, throwing that location off by 8 miles.

Off we went, packs on our backs and reasonably dressed for the cool and mildly windy weather. The sun was coming on strong and was most welcome to boot. I think this was Texas Slim’s first venture into the wild and since we were off the trail, more than on it, he began muttering little ouches and grunts to alert (mainly his Dad) that he was getting poked, stuck and whatever.

Being the son of a man who showed little sympathy for discomfort amongst youngsters, I began explaining to him that everyone who hikes, camps or spends time out of doors will get irritations, injuries, campfire burns, etc. and it is just something we all learn to live with – yes, including the fact that our feet hurt after walking for 5 hours. This had a calming effect on him, as he didn’t utter another complaint – a real fast learner.

As we headed from geocache to geocache, I explained to my 2 tenderfoot companions the things I learned from my Dad, hiking buddies, brothers, my brief exposure to Boy Scouting and books on how to keep safe in the woods. I pointed out poison ivy, the very real possibility of venomous snakes near the caches and most important of all – watch for the American alligator, which inhabit this park and almost any body of inland water here on the Gulf Coast of Texas.

Of the 6 caches we attempted to locate, we found 2, not bad when you consider that 3 of those 4 might be missing or damaged since they were placed. I should have checked the online comments from other geocachers, but like I said, I am rusty. One cache, called the “Just a Swinging” cache was apparently located yesterday and the folks who found it said it was hidden very well; we just gave up thinking it was missing and we were the loser on this one, to my shame.

All in all it was a wonderful experience and did indeed shake the dust off our equipment and ourselves. We have a big camping trip planned for the end of February at Pedernales Falls State Park and there are about a hundred caches hidden there. We plan to find most of them and in the process get exercise, sharpen our orienteering skills and most of all have fun in the great outdoors.

There is no Year Like This Year

2010-01-10T06:18:00.003-06:00

I have very mixed emotions starting this year off. Like many others, 2009 was not my best year. Personal losses, family members whose great jobs disappeared and the general sluggish Obama-led economy all took their toll on me. In a nutshell, I do not want a repeat of 2009 in 2010.

For months now, I’ve felt a lethargic weight on the back part of my brain and what I need is a panacea or elixir to pull me back upright. I’m not a believer in astrology or fortune-telling and I have enough years in my poke sack to realize that if this year is going to be better for me, it is within my power to make it happen. I’ve stated this many times over the last 30 years and danged if I didn’t succumb to the wiles of misfortune anyway.

I learned the hard way in 2009 that a person cannot prepare for every eventuality successfully. However, each time something tragic happens, I am still optimistic that I will survive and in the long run, come out stronger. That too is up to me.

As a fundamentalist Christian with a partial and practiced Zen Buddhist mind, I still became entangled in a state of depression that kept me mentally chained most of this last year. No one can say with certainty how they will react or recover from something truly tragic until they have emerged on the far side, regardless of what they say beforehand.

Racking up over five hundred hours of overtime at the Plant kept my body busy enough, but mentally I ghosted most of the year away. I wasn’t as strong as I should have been for my bride and family and I’ve determined that 2010 would be different, albeit ten days into January, I am just now getting my plan into motion.

I’ve booked four days at Pedernales Falls State Park, out Johnson City way for late February and plan to camp with my brothers and friends more this year than any previous year, excluding my teen years. I camped for almost 3 months in Georgia with my brothers and life’s responsibilities prevent me that luxury now.

I’m going to call on my old friend and nemesis – exertion, to once again rejuvenate my mind. Exertion has never failed me and as I age I realize that exertion is the one constant in my life that has provided me with true physical mental health. As I told a friend recently, “I am not happy unless I am pushing myself physically to the point of exhaustion”. I guess I could ask my niece Tiffany, what kind of mental problem this is, since she has a Masters degree in psychology, but I probably won’t, as it won’t change anything.

Back in the Stone Age when I was young and strong and thought I could take on all comers, I ran and ran and ran and lifted weights, did karate, push-ups and pull-ups like a fanatic and it kept my demons at bay. In 2010 I will make fifty-eight years of age and these days my testosterone level is obviously not what is was, so I will simply tighten up the strings on my hiking or work boots put on my leather gloves and bang my feet on the trails and climb the ladders at work to get my mental buzz on.

I listened on the radio as the exercise sage and godfather of fitness, Jack LaLanne explained that even at 95 years of age, exercise is number one and nutrition is number two. According to his bio, at the age of 70 handcuffed and shackled, he fought strong winds and currents as he swam 1.5 miles while towing 70 boats with 70 people from the Queensway Bay Bridge in the Long Beach Harbor to the Queen Mary, so I think it is safe to say he knows what exercise can do for a person, both mentally and physically. He is full of vim and vigor which is defined as a healthy capacity for vigorous activity and forceful exertion.

Forceful exertion breeds a healthy capacity for vigorous activity and that is my simple plan for 2010 to get my mental health back and in the process my body will benefit also. Want to join me?

A Morning Stroll With a Dragonfly

2009-11-26T08:21:00.002-06:00

I went for a walk this morning; it's cool - right at 56 degrees F., wind calm - perfect.

I happened upon this small dragonfly, perched on a fire monitor trying to catch some warmth from the rising sun.

I noticed its head is covered with dust and debris. That must be awful to not be able to clean your own face and eyes, but I doubt the dragonfly knows this. Anyway, it is a nice morning for a trek and I thought I would share this photo.

JJ Mayes Wildlife Trace 10-Miler

2009-11-14T18:47:00.001-06:00

We combined hiking with photography and this is what we got:

Giant Structure Conquered for New Record!

2009-11-11T15:35:00.004-06:00

The mother of all structures at my Plant is a giant reactor structure, which is 22 stories tall, or 284 steps to the top. If you count the numerous landings, it amounts to 338 steps. Today on Veteran’s Day to honor my fellow Vets and to bring to remembrance my Iraqi Freedom fallen soldier son, Sgt. Nick Marshall, I broke my previous record of 7 consecutive ascents, with an 8th climb.

I set the Plant and personal record back in June and today was the right day to break the record once again. To my knowledge the last record holder was Robert “Elwood” Marshall (no relation), who told me he had climbed it 6 times, but only once and climbed it regularly 5 consecutive times while training to go to climbing school in Colorado. He was 61 years old at the time.

I’m 57 and I thought he was a beast at the time for doing it 5 times in a row. I videotaped it, but using only a 512MB card and the card registered full with 2 flights before reaching the top. I was taking 2 steps at a time, as I knew I had a smaller card, but since it was my 8th ascent, I slowed down a couple of times. Oh well, this record may never fall; not unless I decide to go for number 9.

God bless our Veterans. Men and women and may America continue to be the land of the free and home of the brave.

Industrial Trekking is not Parkour or a Race

2009-11-04T07:04:00.004-06:00

I’ve been quite active the last month, climbing the towers and stairs on the tall structures at work and I’ve even added pull-ups to the equation. At 57 years old, this really boosts my energy level and shows results in stamina. Pull-ups and chin-ups call for strong upper back, triceps, biceps, shoulder and chest muscles and the good thing is, they develop rapidly to meet the new demand.

For pull-ups, I’ve been using the backside of a stairwell, or the cage around the ladders. I stress my muscles going up and down, going for the burn rather than how many I can do, which at this point is very few.

My Area Superintendent is 53 and over the last few months, he’s embraced the Indy Trekking with a passion. He’s a chemical engineer and at times has considerable stress. He now works it out almost daily with a trek through the extensive unit, both for exercise and stress relief. He’s lost over 20 pounds and his blood pressure is well within lower limits, even after extensive exercise.

Another benefit for him is he gets out in the Unit and can look things over. This climbing and stair-stepping takes him by places not often traveled and resulted in another unit engineer (while Indy Trekking) find a small crack in a large gas line. He directly attributes the trekking with finding this leak, as he wouldn’t have been near this place if he had stayed at his desk.

In addition (or with) we use Incentahealth, a wellness program our Company embraces. It's an excellent tracker of your weight and wellness, which has the additional benefit of paying you cash for extended weight loss. They also track your progress on their web site with an online journal and dietary tips. It works for us and helps keep us motivated..

The whole idea of Industrial Trekking stresses safety, not daring-do or parkour. Wearing a hardhat, safety glasses, Nomex clothing, earplugs, leather gloves and steel-toed boots, a person endeavors to follow a meandering path or trail of alternating stair and ladder climbing with ½ mile walks in-between. It’s not a race and safety and caution should be exercised at all times.

Indy Trek When You Can’t Urban Trek

2009-10-02T14:44:00.000-05:00

We experienced a severe thunderstorm this morning and it rained about two inches. It was followed by a dry wind from the north and what we here in Texas call a “norther”. Now, I’ve been laid up for the last ten days with either the flu or a close relative and am trying to get my trekking mojo back and this weather is what I’ve been waiting for.

Today, clad in Nomex™, steel-toed boots, leather gloves, tools, hardhat, et al, I trekked a Level Two. It was brutal, as I am still fatigued from my recent sickness, but now I feel at peace. It took me 62 minutes.

Level Two – 8 Evolutions
The purpose of this series of evolutions is to simulate the stresses and physical exertion of an actual emergency response. It is an indicator of overall physical fitness and gives the participant an idea of how prepared they are for emergencies. This is not a race or a test.

You should be able to complete the exercise within 80 minutes. If at any time you feel unusually exhausted, stop immediately and sit down until you return to normal.

Ø Exit N. Control Room door, turn right and walk to the Column at the end of the pipe alley – Climb it and return to the ground. (Upper body)Ø Climb stairs to top of Column Structure including the ladder at the top and return to ground. (Lower body)Ø Go East and walk at a good pace around the ponds returning on the south side of cooling tower. Ø Climb the stairs of Reactor, then walk around the top and return to the ground. (Lower body)Ø Go West to Extruder structure and climb ladders to the top of the Extruder building, then descend via same ladders to ground. (Upper body)Ø Go to Reactor and climb stairs to top, walk around top landing, then return to the ground and repeat a second time. (Lower body)Ø Go West to Lab turning left at Lab building and walk back to Control via the road and enter South door. (Total walking distance 1 mile)

Deer Flies are the spawn of the DEVIL!

2009-09-03T13:55:00.006-05:00

An 8-mile day hike at the JJ Mayes Wildlife Trace in East Texas turns into a swat-fest, even though we were both coated with insecticide. Lance is a corporal in the US Army and is home before he ships out for a year tour in South Korea.

Lance and I have a good laugh picking up a peanut bar and claiming it is "Feral Hog Doo Doo".

I Photographed a Wharf Roach!

2009-08-28T13:16:00.007-05:00

I hiked the Goose Creek Trail this past Wednesday. There are a lot of improvements on the North end since the last time I was there. The city has added a bridge, a very big and strong bridge, at the intersection of Garth Road and Decker Drive, cemented a portion of the trail leading from the park to behind the old San Jacinto Methodist hospital and guardrails.

Kudos to the City hierarchy and Parks super Scott Johnson! On another vein, the new Dog Park at Jenkins Park is fantastic also.

My trip down the trail, which is almost 4 miles stem to stern - that is from the park entrance on Decker Drive to the tip of the Bayland park peninsula - was mostly uneventful. I had a serious contention for the trail by a gang of mosquitoes. My Cedarcide was ineffective against them, as I was sweating rivers and anytime my cedar oil washed off, a samurai mosquito took a sword to me.

I notified the city of the mosquito problem too. By the way, some destructive idiot sprayed blue spray paint on a historical marker in W. C. Cravens park and also in a couple of places on the sidewalks. I advised the city on this also. While I hiked through the park I decided that caning Singapore-style would be an appropriate punishment for this miscreant.

After my last two hikes of many miles, this hike of 7.5 to 8 miles was not much of a challenge even though it was quite hot. I banged my feet on the trail past the Bayland park boat ramps and decided to walk to the marina building to see this dock where a friend said he has been catching fish.

As I moved close to the building a couple of little “bugs” came running along towards me on the sidewalk. I have seen these critters before whenever I was close to salty water, so I wasn’t particularly interested in dodging them, but rather getting a photograph. This is easier said than done, as they work against this effort.

I wasn’t about to be denied and moved in such a way that I put my foot down right next to one, which cast a shadow over it. This done the trick, as it thought it was hidden from view. I eased my Canon SD950 Is down by my boot after activating the digital macro feature and took this photo. I then of course let the critter go on its merry way.

After returning back the way I came to my trusty adventure vehicle - my KIA RIO 5, I figured to get a quick verification of the identity of this critter and post it on my Blog, but not so fast there! No one seemed to know who, what, when or how, so I set out to get a positive ID…and I did. It’s a Ligia Exotica, commonly called a sea roach, wharf roach or sea slater and it is an isopod and a crustacean related to sowbugs and wood lice.

My thanks go out first to Mary Wicksten of Texas A&M University. She wrote: “Hi Bert. This is a good photo of the sea roach, Ligia exotica. This little animal is related to the common pill bugs and "rolly-pollies" of gardens and thus is a semi-terrestrial isopod. My colleague Luis Hurtado in Wildlife and Fisheries currently is studying this and related species, and warns that the name of the species eventually may need to be changed due to confusion in the identity of the species in Texas. Ligia are fast-moving scavengers that trap water under gills on the abdomen. They can't swim, though, and usually stay among damp rocks.

Mary is a Biology Professor at Texas A&M and from a look at her extensive credentials she’s sure knows her critters.

Next, I want to give credit to friend Sarah Graham at the Eddie V. Gray Wetlands Center for helping me get an ID also. I also had about 30 other people throwing in their 2 cents and one buddy, claiming “it is only a guess, but I think it’s a sardine”.

So, every hike can be a learning experience and an adventure and I was quite pleased to share this trip.

One Hike Over the Line Sweet Jesus

2009-08-19T08:05:00.013-05:00

Brewer and Shipley said it best: “I've been changing, as you can plainly see. I felt the joy and I learned about the pain that my mama said, if I should choose to make it part of me, would surely strike me dead, and now I'm”… one hike over the line!

Yesterday’s adventure in Brazos Bend State Park, which was supposed to be maybe 12 miles, albeit 16.5 miles, all but had me putting both feet in the grave and that is no exaggeration.

My desire to hike Texas despite the August heat and thus ignore all reason once again caused me to over-extend myself and I was warned by almost everyone, including my bride, to “not over-do it”. Anyway, on with the story and now, the next day, I can tell it. Yesterday I was too exhausted; I was sick and wondering if I was going to lose my cookies, or worse. I collapsed in the bed by 8pm and slept the restless sleep of the drained.

After my near disastrous hike at the park in July, where I became self-damningly incognizant of my delirium, I made much better provision for this even longer hike. First, I hydrated heavily and while making the seventy mile drive to the park, I drank almost a gallon of water.

Breakfast was a protein shake (EAS Carb Control) and three finger bananas. I took along 2 packs of salty peanuts and a pack of sunflower seeds and carried an additional three bottles of H2O. At the roughly 1/3rd point there and back I refilled the bottles. I drank all of it too.

I arrived right at 8am when the park opened and launched off down the trail with a rosy attitude and high expectations. I was determined to walk the Creekwood Lake trail, one that I had bypassed twice before when I opted to take the northernmost Sawmill trail. Taking the northern trail added up the miles, but the hike down Creekwood Lake had a lot of elevation changes and was a dead end. It was uncharted waters for me and mysterious. It is also remote – maybe the most unused trail in the park – be wary of this.

Today’s hike was very fruitful with a lot of wildlife, including deer, an owl, many birds, rabbits, ducks, Golden silk spiders, Mexican Eagles, squirrels and even a coral snake which slithered across the trail at my feet, causing me to jump back. As it left the trail, it was almost invisible in the short dry grassy landscape, even though it was bright red and yellow.

A rough, but fair estimate of distance to the trailhead was two hours one way and about five miles, then down the Creekwood lake trail and back – another two hours and a measured 6.4 miles and then back – another two hours and five miles. This added up to 16.5 miles, a very long distance in the August heat of Texas.

On my way back out, after re-gaining the Bayou Trail and still five miles from my car, a park ranger drove a Kawasaki Mule up behind me and looking me over asked if I needed a lift. Once again, I blurted out that “I was okay, just a little hot” and he drove off. Pure stupidity on my part and I swear the next time this happens I’m going to take the ride.

I was so tired, both physically and mentally that I was in denial. Now I’ve been to this place of exhaustion many times on one of my long distance bicycle rides, but never to this level on foot. This was worse than July’s hike, albeit, not quite as hot in temperature. In fact that was probably the saving grace – the sky had become overcast and a distant thunderstorm caused the ambient heat to fall into the upper 80’s, but the distance, lack of wind (once again) and humidity amplified the heat exhaustion that overtook me.

By the time I made the return trail head of the Pilant Slough, I was literally weaving like a wino on Friday night and I was powerless to walk straight. Each bench I encountered beckoned me to plop down and I did – for a minute and then reproaching myself, I staggered on. I say all of this as a warning and a self-rebuke. Finding my way after a mile, I came to Elm Lake and even though it was devoid of shade and wind, I collapsed on one of the benches and seriously thought I was going to die.

After about 10 minutes this feeling passed and I got up and staggered off to attempt to put this hike in the bag. I had 2 miles to go and passing no one, I came up the trail at the end of the 40-Acre lake to my car. Maybe I will learn something from all of this about myself and that will be my reward.

Hiking in the Texas Heat

2009-08-08T07:38:00.005-05:00

I was bound and determined to “get my hike on” this past week and the memory of my July heat stroke hike in Brazos Bend State Park was still vividly tagged on my memory storage wall. Nevertheless it was once again my plan to tackle another set of trails in this great nature park.

The night before I began to lie out everything I normally carry when I hike so I could gather it up and scoot out the door very early. I have a nifty padded lumbar pack that allows me to carry about 20-25 pounds of gear and water with relative comfort and ease of use. In this heat I steer away from a daypack, as it would lie across my back and hold in the heat.

On this particular day I decided to carry two cameras, my faithful Canon SD950 IS, which is 12 megapixel rated and takes fantastic digital photographs and my newer Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG9, which is 9 megapixel rated which I use primarily for video, although it takes excellent photographs also. I love the compact size of the Sanyo and since I regularly upload video to youtube.com it is perfect as it is in MP4 format, the same as YouTube, so I lose no resolution (or very little) as they do not have to convert the video to this format.

Morning arrived and I checked the weather. High today was supposed to be over 100 degrees F. with no clouds and heat index of up to 114 F. - and no wind. Rats!

My last trip to the Brazos Bend State Park trailhead (about an hour south of Houston) I hiked 12 miles under these same conditions and to say it was dangerous, brutal, stupid and nine other negative words wouldn’t be an exaggeration. I videoed as I hiked and uploaded to my youtube account under the user name baytownbert2. Watching the progression, or rather destruction of my condition, was alarming, even to me. By the time I made it back to the amphitheater I looked like I had barely survived a version of the infamous Bataan Death March.

The weird thing about doing something crazy like this long distance heat hiking is I inevitably get in a state of denial and it isn’t until I get back, get cooled off and rested that I see the folly of my adventure. I’m not alone in this either and many a distance jogger, hiker or cyclist has lived the same experience.

I decided to err on the side of a lesser evil and go to the JJ Mayes Wildlife Trace near Wallisville, Texas instead. It is located on the west bank of the Trinity River off of Interstate 10, about 15 miles from Baytown and since it has a closed to vehicle road that is about 5 miles one way, I figured I could get in a 10 miler. If at any time I felt overwhelmed by heat, I would turn back (right!).

Now the last time I was there it had extensive hurricane Ike damage and the road was closed, but the trail and road were open to hikers and folks on bicycles. The same was true this day and that didn’t bother me one bit, in fact just the opposite as it meant fewer people, if any. Turns out I was there 3-4 hours and not a soul did I see.

As I hiked in I noticed how dry the swampy areas were. In fact they were cracked earth instead and last February I came across a bright red raccoon and I realized there was little chance I would see it again. What I did see were hundreds of lubber grasshoppers. Now if you can imagine the largest grasshopper you have ever seen, then that is a lubber. I took my watch off and laid it beside a dead one for perspective, photographed it and it appeared to be 4 inches long. As I walked through the Trace, I had to sidestep often to keep from crushing them.

I noticed I was losing sweat and salt at an alarming rate, so within 20 minutes of departure, I was sipping my 20-ounce bottle of Gatorade. Gatorade is powerful stuff, so I brought just one bottle and 4 bottles of water. I also brought my standard bag of sunflower seeds to replace lost salt and have a healthy snack at the same time.

Down, down, down the road I walked to the Trinity River and back taking in the untainted beauty of the Trace. Other than the rough road and a few wooden structures, there was no evidence of man and that was good. In many respects I was seeing the same things our forefather explorers witnessed 200 years ago. By the way, I stayed on the road due to the bloodsucking deer flies, which will ruin a trail hike in roughly 5 minutes, regardless of how much Deet you use.

I “got my hike on”, saw nature, had a few hours of quiet contemplation, witnessed thousands of lubber grasshopper procreate and cleansed my soul. It was time well spent and didn’t cost a dime other than gasoline.

Lubber Grasshoppers having an orgy

2009-08-06T17:04:00.007-05:00

The JJ Mayes Wildlife Trace near Wallisville, Texas is evidently a fantastic place to be if you are a lubber grasshopper,as witnessed by Baytown Bert August 2009. The lone dirt road was covered with them is breeding posture.

The JJ Mayes Wildlife Trace is 15 miles east of Baytown off of I-10 close to the Trinity River.

A cleansing 10 mile hike in Texas heat

2009-08-06T16:45:00.006-05:00

I wanted to get out and walk someplace where I could see little evidence of man and mans doings. This is at the JJ Mayes Wildlife Trace off of I-10 and close to Wallisville/Anahuac Texas. It is presently closed to vehicles due to September 2008's Hurricane Ike.

The temperature is right at 100 degrees with high humidity and scarce amounts of wind.

The JJ Mayes Wildlife Trace is approximately 15 miles east of Baytown, Texas on the Trinity river.

Why I hike the JJ Mayes Wildlife Trace in Texas

2009-08-05T12:59:00.002-05:00

I give you a panorama view of the JJ Mayes Wildlife Trace and show you why I love to go to places that are untouched by human hands.

BBSP Golden Silk Spiders 7 9 09

2009-07-11T05:18:00.002-05:00

Brazos Bend State Park - Golden Silk Spiders by the thousands. Very hot July morning. Dangerously hot for hiking.

Brazos Bend 10-12 mile hike in July heat

2009-07-09T17:12:00.002-05:00

I’m in Number Seven Heaven!

2009-06-20T14:23:00.001-05:00

I did it. I climbed the big structure seven times in a row. As far as I know, no one has done this before today. It means nothing to anyone, but me, as I don’t think anyone cares. LOL

It’s in the mid-90’s with a Real Feel temp of 108 degrees F, whatever that means. I know it feels real hot. Real hot. As the other day when I climbed 6 times in a row, the wind began to play tricks with me. Every once in a while it would stop entirely, causing my body temperature to soar, then start back. Occasionally it would really blow and these times I would stand for a minute to cool off before starting the ascent again.

Anyway, here I am on top after the seventh ascent. Hot, happy and in Seven Heaven.

I Nailed it 6 times Today

2009-06-13T14:20:00.003-05:00

Today was a hallmark day for me. I climbed the tall structure at the Plant six times in a row today for a personal record. This tied the Plant record set by Robert Marshall (no relation) and I just didn’t think it prudent to attempt a seventh time today and grab the overall.

The Texas June heat can be and was brutal today, coming in right at 96 degrees F., with light to no breeze and to top it off on the sixth ascent, the breeze stopped altogether. I think I was about 3 flights from the top when I began to ask God to send me something, anything and sure enough a little puff came along and made it possible to top out.

If I remember correctly it is 326 steps to the top landing and each step is about 9 inches. This totals out to be about a 1500-foot climb at a steep angle. Not bad considering the Nomex™ coveralls, hardhat and steel toed boots, Texas heat et al.

What does this bad boy look like you ask? Well, thar she blows!

ExxonMobil backs off opening trails to public!

2009-06-03T14:19:00.001-05:00

I talked with Neely Nelson today and due to the new Federal security guidelines and the TWIC requirements, ExxonMobil has denied all public access to this area (Black Duck Bay roads/trails area), so my proposal to open it for jogging and bike riding is now officially closed.

Below are the 2 blogs and website documenting the proposal:

http://baytownbert.blogspot.com/2008/07/black-duck-bay-trail-system.html

http://baytownbert.blogspot.com/2008/08/black-duck-bay-trail-system.html

http://www.ourbaytown.com/black_duck_bay.htm

Here is Ms. Nelson's contact information:

Neely Nelson
ExxonMobil Baytown Public Affairs Manager
5000 Bayway
CORP-CAB-E-221
Baytown, TX
(281) 834-7340
(281) 834-2261 fax

Steel-toe'd trekking!

2009-05-09T13:40:00.002-05:00

Over the last few months, I’ve been hiking and camping in the State Parks of Texas – a must go to place since most of Texas is private property. This roaming through the foothills of the Texas Hill Country, or the swampy lowlands of Brazos County make urban trekking seem, well – Industrial, at best.

Well, we do what we can, when we can and since I am on another long stretch of overtime at the Chemical Plant that pays my bills, I’m back at it climbing towers and reactors to get my hiking time in.

Today I climbed the 285 steps of our largest reactor three times in a row. It felt real good in the sunny high humidity of the Houston Texas Gulf Coast. However, after three climbs, I was ready to sit down. Ha ha!

We have two seasons here. Hot and not hot. Today it is beginning to get hot and as my body adjusts, I will get back in the saddle of alternating the ladder climbs with the stair climbs, as I did last year.

It’s a fantastic trade-off from real hiking and actually gets a person in shape rapidly.

BB's Hiking Videos on YouTube

2009-04-12T09:09:00.002-05:00

Trail, Road and Sky

2009-04-06T06:46:00.002-05:00

Well, it’s been an active three days. Friday, my bride and I traveled to Brazos Bend State Park and hiked the many trails for four hours. It’s only the second time this year we’ve hiked together and it was very pleasant and fulfilling for both of us, at least it was for me.

When two people have been married for thirty-two years, it would appear walking a trail together would be status quo, but truth be told, many folks grow apart over the years and pursue their own agendas apart from their mate. My bride and I have walked many a mile together over the years, but seldom on long hikes, so this is new and exciting territory for us.

I’m pleased to say this was the second successful hike in the last two weeks for us and more are planned. In fact, I hope we hike many more miles in Brazos Bend SP in the next month so we can witness the American Alligator in rut. They are very active at this time and I am hoping we see a big male rumble and ripple the water as it calls females. If I can video it, I will be very pleased indeed.

My Lady is with me on this hiking business, as she knows it is a good thing. I am about three years from sixty and she is approaching fifty. What could be a better decision than walking the trails, looking at nature and getting exercise to boot? Speaking of boots, I ordered her a pair of Columbia Coremic Ridge hiker boots. The temerity! She reminded me this was very personal and I reminded her I knew it was.

I want my Bride to have all the comfort she can get on the trail, so I ordered her three pair of merino wool hiking socks also. Call it cheek if you like, but I call it protective compassion. Banging your feet on the trail bothers the feet and can ruin a hike and it doesn’t matter who you are or what skill level you have. Having good socks and boots makes a big difference in how long you can walk comfortably.

Saturday rolled around and I went down to Texas Avenue for the Bayshore Fine Rides car show in time to watch Mean Gene Kelton and his Diehard band. I had a good chat with former council member Sam Mahan and a couple of other folks, but the best visit was with Ken “the dauber” Pridgeon. Ken’s a local artist and a mover and shaker in the Baytown Art League. He was sitting at a table in front of the old Brunson Theater drumming up signatures to save the old building. Of course, I signed.

Sunday morning, I skipped Sunday School (again! – Lord forgive me!) and geared up for a ride out Beach City way. In my defense, this area is very hostile to cyclists, as there is very little shoulder on the roads and even less tolerance from cars drivers. It’s so bad out there that riding a bicycle is flat-out dangerous. The only safe time to take a long distance ride is on Sunday morning.

I left the house about 9am and made my way down the south side of Business 146 to Kilgore road. Old Kilgore is now new Kilgore and awesome cement. You would have to see it to appreciate how improved this road is. Passing Roseland Park on Texas Avenue, I peddled to Spur 55/Hwy 99 and crossed over Cedar Bayou, stopping to appreciate the view and look to see what changes have been made concerning the proposed Barge Terminal.

On West Bay road, I turned and rode towards the dump, which believe it or not is odorless and actually not a bad ride. Since it was Sunday, there was little traffic and I had the road to myself. The open road and big sky got me to thinking how much I liked wide open spaces. Trail, road and sky…and me. Just the way I like it.

I usually ride straight out Fisher Road to Tri-Cities Beach Road, but the wind was picking up and I knew I was going to be riding into it one way or the other and that long stretch out by Trinity Bay can be murder, so I elected to ride the opposite direction and have most of this wind at my back and then fight the head wind on the return down the five miles of Fisher Road.

What I experienced though was a bad crosswind on Tri-Cities and total frontage on Fisher. By the time I got to the Wesley Riggs Memorial on TriCities, I was pooped. I always stop and pay my respects to the fallen local hero PFC Wesley Riggs. He and his family payed the ultimate price in Iraqi Freedom and deserves a few minutes of reflection.

Needless to say, that ride into the 10-15 mph wind on Fisher road turned me into a grunting 56 year old man and I finally wheeled down my own street exhausted and once again fulfilled. I’ll do it again, but next time I’ll check the wind report, but the sum of all this is I got off the couch and did something outdoors.

Ted Nugent! Where are you?

2009-04-01T11:32:00.003-05:00

(This is concerning the many Texas County imposed burn bans and how they negatively affect State Parks and campfires/charcoal picnic fires)

Of course I could toss in the towel and think the State and county will take the easiest route and simply continue to stop State Park campfires and just forget the fight for citizen rights, but it is up to us to demand they do otherwise.

Each park government whether State, county or city should keep in mind that parks are provided to promote the welfare of their populace and they are obligated to maintain this for them. We are guaranteed by our constitution a fair and equitable government along with the pursuit of individual happiness.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”.

Texas parks and Wildlife Mission Statement poses: To manage and conserve the natural and cultural resources of Texas and to provide hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation opportunities for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.

I am simply contending that campfires and charcoal fires are part of this “outdoor recreation opportunities for the use and enjoyment” and want them to facilitate it…and others who feel the same way can join me in attempting to make a change – a reasonable one.

It is also a logical step on my part to make the assumption that people are not coming to their reserved campsite because of a fire ban if that was only an assumption, but it’s not. I was told by a Ranger when fire bans are placed, attendance falls off. When I called for reservations, the person who took it told me the same thing, that they have cancellations and possibly openings after a fire ban is placed, so call back to see if there are openings. This was when I tried to book at Pedernales Falls SP for early April, which was fully booked.

Over-regulation and restriction of public resources has got to be called back and we folks who hunt, camp and hike should be very careful what we decide is acceptable. If Texas had bazillions of acres of public land, BLM land and national forest, easily accessible, then it would be no big deal what the authorities decide happens inside a State park, but that is not the case. We are a State with lots of private property, thus you have private parks and many hunting leases.

I bet “The Tedster” cooks meat on an open fire on his private land, regardless of what the County Commissioner decides and I wish I could get him on my side in this one.

Texport Dual-Foam Sleeping Pad REVIEW

2009-03-31T11:39:00.005-05:00

It's listed on Texport.net as the Texsport Dual-Foam Sleeping Pad style number: 15816 and I bought one. I wish I wouldn't of. The quality of construction is good, but the comfort it provides is non-existant.

Their website makes the following claim: Dual-Foam especially formulated for support and comfort.

I wrote them a letter explaining the deficiencies of this pad and advised them to remove it from their inventory - it's that bad. I give this pad 1 star.

State Parks - Improve – not remove.

2009-03-31T05:54:00.000-05:00

Wonderful comments by all and it's this educated feedback, which is very important to discussing an issue with any clarity.

Can a person camp without a campfire? Sure. Can a family still have fun camping without a campfire? We did. I am simply writing about the burn ban and the effect it had on the general population using one of our State parks.

My issue is simple. If there is a chance a campfire will get out of control from one of these fire rings - then engineering controls need to be amended, so it can't happen. Banning campfires and charcoal from picnic braziers is not the answer. Banning fire period literally caused MFSP to be basically empty during Spring Break and the sign at the front gate said "No occupancy".

The reason for this was all the sites were booked and paid for in advance, but the burn ban caused many to reconsider. I do not believe it was the rain, as it came and went both days with plenty of sunshine afterward and Saturday was dry and cool - perfect weather.

As far as "Engineering controls" go, a few issues that could be covered are this:

1. Short class at the station the first night you camp
2. Water hoses at the spigots
3. Possibly a CO2 fire extinguisher at the site.
4. Revised Fire ring with the predominant wind sides blocked (2).
5. Online course of campfire/cooking for a safe TX-issued fire card
6. Handouts at the gate explaining safe fire practices.
7. Random oversight by park personnel/volunteers for unsafe fire situations

Now I also understand that seasoned hikers/backpackers/campers have a more educated view of setting camp and camp-discipline, but most people who use the screened-shelters and improved sites (water/elect) want a campfire and many of us who camp often do too.

My beef is simply that the State needs to improve rather than remove. I asked about the fire ban being lifted and found out that it was imposed on the previous Tuesday. Tuesday? Why not Thursday? Why did it have to wait until the next Tuesday before it was considered again?

One Ranger said they thought the ban was on because of an "incident at Pedernales Falls SP", but they were not sure.

Another issue, which I did not bring up in my Blog and it is nothing more than a conundrum, was the firewood issue for the environments sake and I understand this, you are not allowed to pick-up any wood of any kind from the surrounding area and burn it. Fine.

You have 2 options. Bring your own wood or purchase wood at the gate. I brought in about 500 pounds of hardwood in my little car, which basically took up the whole back, because according to the official website Thursday morning, there was NO burn ban in Travis County and rain was predicted.

When I told the Ranger I was going to leave the wood for the next camper, they replied that it would be removed, as they sold firewood. When I observed the park staff removing a tree that was damaged, I asked if the wood could be made available for campers and they said "No", that would involve the forestry service, so they would use it for personal fires. (At no time did I have a beef with Park staff, in fact I talked with a Ranger for 15 minutes and we reviewed one of the videos).

So, the park sells wood and anything left is removed. However, since the burn bans, there has been little wood purchased, robbing the State Park of funds - but - since folks are losing their deposit for reserved campsites, they are still making some money. Then there's the fact that picnickers are not coming into the park to cook on the many empty charcoal braziers, the park once again is losing money and all of this is due to the burn ban.

Improve – not remove.

Travis County Texas Burn Ban Outrage

2009-03-30T07:32:00.007-05:00

Texas County Commissioners issue burn bans which effectively stop campers from campfire camping or cooking on charcoal in state parks. I witnessed and experienced this first hand this past Spring Break weekend at McKinney Falls State Park near Austin, Texas.

See the first video here.

In order to reserve a camp site at many Texas state parks, it is necessary to book months in advance and this I did. Since Texas is a big state and has very little public land, camping in a park is what most of us are forced to do or we will have no place to camp. I booked this campsite January 20th, 2009.

Upon arrival at the Park Thursday March 26th, I was informed there was an "extreme burn ban" in effect and no campfires or charcoal cooking or fires would be allowed under heavy penalty. I informed the Rangers that I had checked the Texas Parks and Wildlife web site daily and it showed Travis County this very morning as not being under a burn ban and they said I was wrong, as they had checked it also.

I had indeed checked the website and it did not show a burn ban or I would have cancelled my reservation, as camping without a campfire is just not the same thing and evidence of this attitude was everywhere in the park – which was basically empty.

It had been pouring rain in the park for hours and I asked if the ban would be lifted because it was so wet and I was once again informed that this decision had been made the previous Tuesday and it would be Tuesday March 31st before the county commissioner would review the ban.

I was outraged to say the least and once again felt like our Texas government was working against us law-abiding families. The pervasive strong-arm of government interference once again is used to keep anyone from making a decision based on changing conditions. Why in the world would a blanket burn ban be used to stop a family from cooking on charcoal in a State park? The hundreds of picnic tables and charcoal burners were vacant Friday and Saturday each time we walked by them on the many trails.

My pile of hardwood hauled 200 miles from Baytown lay unburned at our screen shelter and I was informed it would be removed by park staff, rather than leave it for the next camper.

See the second video here:

The solution is simple and it involves understanding the nature of families and camping/picnicking and a governing official with enough brass to take this bull by the horns and correct it.

One: The Park superintendent should always over ride the County Commissioner on burn bans, even if it takes the Governor of Texas to step in. Camping and campfires are synonymous, just as picnics and charcoal grills (folks are just not going to tote a propane stove 300 yards to get to a picnic table, but they will tote charcoal, etc.). We must be allowed to have them, so how is this accomplished in a safe manner?

Two: Engineering controls need to be implemented so that fires are always contained. Better fire rings with wind screens and charcoal braziers which do not allow the wind to whip through them are good starting points.

Three: Campers should be educated on safe and acceptable campfires and each camp site should be randomly checked by park staff on acceptable practices. An evening 10 minute camp fire class could be held at the pavilion by park staff/volunteers to facilitate safe camping is an option.

Four: CO2 or Class A fire extinguishers could be made available for campers or at least water hoses for those who wish a campfire.

The bottom line is simple. Campers and picnickers should always be put ahead of County burn bans. The empty parking lots and vacant picnic tables told the sad story. I want to add that my complaint is not with Park staff, but their compliance with the blanket burn ban decisions which effectively ruin camping and picnickers from enjoying the park to the fullest.

I talked to a Park employee for about 20 minutes and we reviewed one of the videos I made and I asked if anything they saw on the video was inaccurate and they said “No”. I am taking this all the way to the Governor of Texas to get this changed and I ask everyone to write, call or do what they can to join me.

Hikers find Anomaly on Pilant Slough Trail!

2009-03-22T11:23:00.003-05:00

Baytown Bert and fellow hiker John Graham discover an anomaly on the Pilant Slough Trail in Brazos Bend State Park and go in for a closer look!
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Pick One up, Put One Down!

2009-03-20T19:33:00.002-05:00

I met my old Air Force buddy, John Graham at the park entrance of yes – Brazos Bend State Park today. After he read my last hike report, he begged me to go on the “next one”. Who am I to deny a friend a good trail hike?

We both had hydration day packs on and since it rained about an inch over the last week, mosquitoes were expected, but thanks to liberal amounts of Deet, they never appeared, or were absent – I don’t know or care as long as they left us alone.

Wonderful 58 degree weather, clear skies and low humidity were welcome signs, but 80 degree temps were predicted, so after donning our gear, we shoved off towards the east side of 40-Acre lake.

This was John’s first trip to BBSP and he was game to do a long hike. So was I, but since the temperature rise was going to seriously affect us, I plotted a ten-miler. We ended up going about 12 miles and both of us were trail weary by the time we came back to where we started. Wait until July in Texas and a ten-miler will be impossible.

Due to the 50 degree weather, the American Alligators were laying low and we only saw a few along the Spillway Trail and Elm Lake before we came across a big Daddy towards the back of the lake. It is to date the largest alligator I see at the park. We did however get a close look at an American Bittern, as brownish bird that is normally reclusive.

Rosette spoonbills, Little blue herons, Moorhens, Blue-wing teal and many more waterfowl are everywhere and it is pure delight to be in this park. The duck-weed lies across the many sloughs, ponds and lakes and makes alligator spotting difficult. They are right in front of you and look camouflaged beyond instant recognition.

The last two times I’ve hiked BBSP, it has been during the week. Today was Friday and since it is Spring Break, there were kids and families on bicycles on all the trails. Well to be honest, we saw a few families on the trails, but that was more than I was used to. Last week, I walked for 5 and half hours and didn’t see another human for 90% of it and that was fine by me.

John was excellent trail company and this meant he listened while I talked and talk I did. I ran on about trail philosophy and philosophy in general. I told him about experiences I had hiking in California, Michigan and Georgia. We talked about protein, fat and carb control to keep stamina high while hiking and we shared a couple granola snacks. We both had a hard time hiking through the feral hog ruts and we both returned to our vehicles weary, but better for the experience.

There is something about good clean and hard work that cleanses the soul. Today we experienced this in abundance.

We vowed to do it again soon and we will.

Fourteen Miles of Foot-Banging Trail Music

2009-03-12T09:56:00.002-05:00

I guess I’m the proverbial glutton for self-abuse. Only a week has gone by and I’ve went hiking again and I blasted off like I was a spring chicken after working a shift at the Chemical Plant that pays my bills.

I blame Brazos Bend State Park, its wildlife and the Staff that maintains this great Park for drawing me back so soon, plus the fact that American alligator breeding season is in full heat. If you want to see gators, now is the time to go where they live.

I made the hour and twenty minute drive from Baytown to the Needville, Texas State Park (BBSP) and pulled in the Ranger station right about 8am. I was greeted by a friendly Hispanic Ranger and I attempted in my meager Spanish to ask about mosquitoes. She instantly warmed up to me and told me in Spanish that zancudos were no problemos right now due to the dry weather.

I parked in the first lot, next to the bathroom facilities and made my way down the short Prairie Trail towards the 40 Acre Lake.

Right off the bat I noticed two large alligators lounging close to the bank. This was a big change from a week ago when the alligators were more sluggish. This morning they were alert and numerous times during the day I witnessed them sliding along or moving towards me as I walked the trails.

They tell me they’ve never had a serious incident in the park concerning alligators, but warning signs are posted and during breeding season, the gators move all over the place. This is important to note, as one could be directly on the trail, or lying beside it in deep grass. When in doubt, keep to the middle of the well-maintained trail.

Since the park was for the most part devoid of people and it was early morning, my head turned back and forth like a pendulum, as I walked, but I was confident and cool and I was steadily hiking, looking and taking photographs and videos to post on the web.

I was having the time of my life and the best part was I knew it as I was doing it.

All the State Parks have online maps and also in the park you are visiting. I grabbed one at the Ranger station and they are printed on 8X14 paper and quite rugged. Each time I’ve hiked, I used mine extensively (with sweaty hands) and they hold up very well.

This day I plotted what I figured to be about 12 miles, using a series of trails and visit part of the park I did not hike the week before. The only problem I encountered was getting from one trail to the next across the park and not having a to-scale map to gauge the distance. This hike grew as I walked it and even though I kept on a steady pace, it turned into a 14 miler by trails end.

I shot 11 videos for posting on youtube and if you subject yourself to them in the order I shot them by following my web pages, you will see how beat down I became by the last one. I had foolishly run out of water, even though I took what should have been enough, my feet were sore and I was dehydrated. Live and learn you say? Not likely, as this wasn’t my first rodeo…but, I am okay and next time I’ll bring a hydration pack instead of my lumber pack, which only carries 32ounces of water.

What got me down was the temperature and rising humidity. Up until then, I’ve been hiking with cool temperatures and 78 degrees while hiking 14 miles and carrying 20-pounds of gear multiplied the stress factor. That and the five and a half hours of strenuous hiking.

Anyway, my photos are posted here along with the many videos.

All feedback on http://www.youtube.com and ratings will be posted and appreciated.

Brazos Bend Here We Come!

2009-03-05T08:10:00.001-06:00

I’m fresh off the Pedernales Falls State Park camp-out; my coat still has the faint scent of wood smoke and I decided I just had to go check out another set of trails. I’ve got a fever and the only prescription is more trail-hiking, to plagiarize Christopher Walken’s famous line.

Now I have reservations for a 4 day campout at McKinney Falls State Park in three weeks and since there is a burn ban in effect there, I’m cancelling it and going back to Pedernales Falls, where they will let you have a campfire. Anyway, even though I have a trip planned, I still want to go hiking and I want to do it anytime I get the chance, so here is how it all went down this week.

Back about ten years ago, my bride and I drove through BBSP (Brazos Bend State Park) and basically stayed in the car and visited whatever was viewable from the front seat – hardly the best way to see nature and this was my meager memory of the Park. However, we now have the Internet at our fingertips and the great State of Texas’ website people have gone way out of their way to attract campers, hikers and day-trippers. Maps, photos, scads of information and even videos of the park grace their well-built web pages.

I downloaded a park map and a separate trail map of BBSP so I could plan out a good 10-mile hike and then I enlisted the fellowship of my son, Nick and nephew, Andy Tallant. These two mid-20’s fellows made for some good company and a lot of trail humor to boot and we all benefited from pounding our feet on the trails.

Now, I’m in Baytown and according to Google Maps, BBSP is about 70+ miles from my house, but Houston traffic had a tail-wind and we arrived exactly one hour after leaving the house. My goal was to arrive at 9am and we did. I stopped at the main gate and flashed my Texas State Park Pass ($60 once a year and well worth it), which allowed me and my trail mates free access, so to speak.

Nick, Andy and I wore semi-warm clothes, as it was 50-degrees F and both young men wore water bladder packs, as we wanted to make sure we did not get dehydrated. I wore my excellent High Sierra Ridgeline Lumbar / Waist Pack w/2 water bottles. I like to eat sunflower seeds when I hike and we each took a couple Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut granola bars for an energy fix. A 10 miler was planned and 2.5 mph is about all a person can do if stopping to “smell the roses”. Our hike took about 4.5 hours and we felt a bit pooped afterward and real hungry.

This Park is really an amazing place for wildlife viewing, more so than any place I’ve hiked. We saw many American alligators, a wide variety of waterfowl, logs loaded with turtles and even a river otter. The park is not a zoo by definition, but we were able to see such a wide variety of wildlife that it felt like we were observing tame animals. I had no idea we were in for such a visual treat. I’m used to seeing wildlife high-tail it for the horizon, not ignoring me and this was fantastic and really added to our outdoor experience.

Both of my trail companions remarked that this would be an excellent place to bring a lady friend instead of “just going to the movies”, or sitting in front of an Xbox 360. There are camp sites, screened shelters, excellent bathroom and shower facilities available and picnic areas for park visitors.

One two occasions, I peaked over an obstacle to spy the American bittern, the only time in my life that I have been this close to this normally secretive bird. Blue-wing teal swam in groups and alligators lounged along the trail – so beware. One time Nick spotted a large gator covered with green pollen, not 40 feet off the trail. While we looked at it, Andy spotted an even larger cousin right behind us, just 30 feet off the trail. The Park’s web site warns us 30 feet is as close as we dare to get to these large carnivorous lizards, as they can cover the first 30 feet of ground at 30 miles per hour.

Great park, great time and I will be going back in April during the alligator breeding season, so stay tuned. Here are my photos.

Pedernales Falls State Park is Awesome - Part 3!

2009-02-28T18:27:00.000-06:00

We are on day 3 of our 4 day camping trip at Pedernales Falls State Park, it’s about 55 degrees, cloudy, windy and feels like it is fixing to rain. I don’t care, I’m going hiking and I’m going solo, as my brother, TJ Bustem has an aching back.

The trail itself is 7.5 miles, but about 1.3 miles from our campsite and I aim to walk to the trail and back which will give me a good 10-mile hike. I’ll be honest and say I am a fair weather/sunshine lover, but I can also be a determined person and nothing short of a heavy downpour of rain will dampen my hiking spirit.

Now, it’s still winter and the vegetation is fairly bleak and the absence of other hikers on this trail makes it appear less than hospitable. There are parts of it that look like Mirkwood from ‘The Hobbit’ in fact. Goblins probably hang out here while on R&R.

The first part of the trail resembles a gravel road, as the primitive camping area is about 2 miles up the trail and is serviced by vehicles, but after you pass that, it becomes more rustic and in places a mountain biker would have trouble. However, I did not find any of it difficult and anyone capable of walking that distance could walk this too. Now, after saying that, I want to add that any trail can be hazardous and if I would have slipped and sprained my ankle, I would have been in a fix. In the summer, there is the extensive heat and then there are the snakes also.

On this hike, my main concern was the wind and a smattering of rain. 50 degree F weather with a 20-mile per hour wind is flat cold. I was wearing a large lumbar pack with about 20 pounds of gear and water and despite the cold, I was sweating. Sweat, wind and cold can cause hypothermia and people have been known to die in these conditions when injured and I was hiking solo. I moved on and watched my step.

Up on top of Tobacco Mountain there are the remains of a old stone house. On the rocks around it are all kinds of old nails, pieces of pottery, and relics that hikers have found and left. It is close to Jones Spring, so if you hike this trail, look for it. Remember the rule of hikers everywhere – take only photographs, leave only foot prints.

Now I’m not a paranoid person, but I am a cautious one and the upper part of this trail under these dark, windy and cold conditions can get a person to look over their shoulder a bit. I thought I heard voices a number of times, or sounds of pursuit, but each time I stopped and listened, nothing appeared.

In the book ‘A walk in the woods’ by Bill Bryson he touches on lonely hiking when a hiker begins to hear things and becomes obsessed that they are being followed. I knew there was no one out there, as I had saw two mountain bikers early and the trail showed no signs of them and at the primitive camping area, I had talked to one fellow only and he was looking for the latrine. I moved on against the wind and cold and just kept my eyes open.

I was about 4 miles into the trail and 5.3 miles from camp when I caught the first ray of sunshine and it sent a bolt of adrenaline through my soul. From there on in, the sun gradually came into full view, the clouds dispersed and I made my way around Wolf Mountain a happy hiker. Bring on the orcs.

The trip around the top is about a half mile and I began my descent, camera in hand. Hikers and primitive campers with their large backpacks began to pass me heading up the trail, as I made my way back across the three dry creek bed crossings and finally arriving at the trailhead, I walked the 1.3 miles on the road back to the camp site. I must admit, I was a relaxed slow-moving camper the rest of this day.

My brother TJ Bustem drug out a largish sirloin steak and tossed it on the grill side of my Stansport propane stove and he had whipped up his specialty salad mix of artichoke hearts, tomatoes, avocado and onions and we dined like Kit Carson did, only better. Meat on a stick – yeah, meat on a stick. It doesn’t get any better than that, except when I looked up from my plate and there were five deer standing between us and the campfire. One even walked over our pile of kindling.

Closing out the day by the campfire and slipping into my bag for our final night, I drifted off perfectly content to stay another week and slept like a baby. Rolling out early for more coffee, I greeted the sunshine and the 26 degree F weather. Reluctantly we broke camp, cleaned up after ourselves and made the drive home.

Pedernales Falls State Park is Awesome - Part 2!

2009-02-27T14:17:00.001-06:00

It’s day two of our camping trip to Pedernales Falls State Park (PFSP) and we’ve decided to tackle the 4-Mile Loop Trail and since my brother, TJ Bustem has a temperamental back, I will hike the Wolf Mountain Trail solo on Saturday, which from our campsite is a little over 10 miles.

The first obstacle we encountered was a shallow river crossing called the Trammel Crossing. TJ removed his low-quarter hiking boots and socks and waded across, but I was able to ford the river without getting my socks wet. He remarked that it was not even close to being as cold as a river he forded in Montana.

We began catching close-up views of deer and Thursday night we spied a 9-point buck was within 50 feet of our camp. After a mild ascent of this trail, we began seeing extensive evidence of feral hogs, but no hogs. The weather was beautiful, sunny and pleasingly cool, but without wind. It was picture perfect and we were taking pictures aplenty.

It was also fairly easy and we wandered over the trail taking photographs and our time. Up on top, we tried to get a cell phone signal and we stopped by an ancient family graveyard. It was so old the stones were in disarray and their marking were faint. We also came across quite a few cairns. Cairns were used by Native Americans and Mountain men to leave messages and point directions. A cairn is described as a mound of stones piled up as a memorial or to mark a boundary or path.

The hike took a total of about 4 hours and that included many diversions, photographs and observations of this and that and since we were not on a schedule, the time was well spent.

The temperature rose into the 60’s and was quite comfortable. We cooked on our stove, drank more coffee and toured the park using their map, which is free at the welcome center and finished the day back at the Falls. This area is very rough and flood prone when it rains up north and since it is basically like God made it, kind of unsafe to those who are not agile or inattentive. There are no signs warning you to watch out or you could fall and break your bones and I liked this immensely. Go down around the rocks and you pay attention – it’s that simple. We met a number of good folks and a couple from Fort Worth/Dallas.

Back at camp, we lit off our campfire and settled in around the flames to watch the stars. Wow, there are a lot of stars visible when you are away from city lights. We saw a number of satellites too. Hitting the sack about 11:30, I was not near as wary as I was the first night and since we had already had a visit from our raccoon marauder while at the campfire, I figured the night would be uneventful. It was not to be.

Somewhere around 2 am, the raccoon was back and I got up and threw rocks at it. They are extremely adept at accessing your equipment. Yesterday morning, the little rascal had eaten about 15 Hershey mini-candy bars from my brothers container. It had reached through the carrying hole and one by one had pulled the candy out, removed the aluminum foil wrapper and left a small scattered pile of debris. Evidentially chocolate is not hazardous to raccoons.

When we awoke Saturday morning, we discovered our furry friend had opened my ice chest and removed about 3 pounds of fish fillets, ate his fill and even left a small amount on the trail leading away from the camp area. I imagine this happened about the time I got up to chase it off. The sound we heard was evidentially the noise a coon makes when it is very happy. It sounds like a bubbling warble with a few clicks thrown in for good measure. TJ Bustem wasn’t a happy camper, as he had warned me and wanted to put the cooler in his truck for the night.

In Part 3 I hike the Wolf Mountain Trail – Stay tuned.

Pedernales Photos posted!

2009-02-26T18:55:00.002-06:00

See my photos and videos here!

Pedernales Falls State Park is Awesome - Part 1!

2009-02-25T08:28:00.003-06:00

Well, I finally got my Camp-out on and it was everything I had hoped for and more. This past weekend, my brother TJ Bustem and I spent four days in Central Texas, specifically Pedernales Falls State Park. Texans know it as “Perdenales” thanks to LBJ and both pronunciations are acceptable according to the Parks and Wildlife web site.

Back in January while making plans to camp, I made a number of purchases to replace old camping gear, including a new tent, mummy bag and camp stove, etc. On this trip I planned to prove this equipment and since it had been years since I had camped, I also planned to tote along anything else I might need, erring on the side of too much equipment.

I was pleased with the quality of my “3 season” Eureka Apex-2 Dome tent. It was about a hundred bucks and is easy to set-up. I did get a surprise Thursday night when I went to zip up the tent at bedtime when a honeybee stung me on my right pinky finger. I had left the fly open on the tent and when the sun went down and the temperature fell, the bee landed right by the zipper. Lesson learned – keep that tent zipped at all times.

My sleeping bag is the Kelty Mistral 20 degree mummy and I was toasty, even when the temperature fell to 26 degrees F Saturday night. My propane stove is the excellent Stansport H.O. model 206 and I heartily recommend this model to everyone. The H.O. stands for high output and I made coffee on it in under four minutes using my vintage Comet aluminum coffee percolator, and this at below freezing temperatures.

I broke-in my new cookware, which is a 3-piece set made by Texsport. They call it the “Hard Anodized Cook Set” and it was used to heat up water for oatmeal and clean-up, along with the various foods we cooked. I bought everything through www.JoesSports.com and their service and prices are very satisfactory.

It’s about a four hour drive from Baytown to PFSP and check-in time for a reserved site is 2pm, so that doesn’t give you a lot of daylight to set up camp and do much of anything other than walk down to the Falls and look it over. The Falls on the Pedernales River can flood in 5 minutes and I’m told they have a siren set up to warn folks that a dangerous (and I mean a Tsunami) amount of water may be on its way. It’s something to consider if you crawl over the rocks in the river bed and have physical limitations. 5 minutes to clear the area and if you think you can’t, then don’t go down there, but stay up high on the sides of the river. Here is their web site.

Let me tell you about the rest facilities (toilet/shower) at this Park. They are heated, clean and make your camping experience wonderful. The Park itself is well-staffed with “Park Hosts”, which are basically retired campers who help maintain the Park in exchange for parking rights and they do an excellent job.

It’s been a number of years since I broke out of my comfort zone when it comes to sleeping and I’m not counting motels beds either. Sleeping in a mummy bag inside a tent, out in the woods is a far cry from what our spoiled bodies like and the first night was a bit uncomfortable. Add in the raccoon that decided to check all our gear for food and I didn’t get a whole lot of sleep. Neither did TJ Bustem.

We were up at the crack of dawn though and it was 29 degrees. My hands and feet were beginning to freeze as I made coffee and stoked the fire pit. Camp fires are allowed at this SP if kept inside a metal pit, unlike the Guadalupe River SP, which is under a total campfire ban. Thank the Lord, as camping without a campfire, is like showering without water in my opinion.

We shook the cold off, made a breakfast of hot oatmeal, jet-fuel strength black coffee and jalapeno, bean & cheese tamales from Los Toritos in Baytown. I decided this would become a staple on my campouts, as you can easily heat them up in a covered pan of boiling water and they taste great and stick to your ribs; besides camp food always tastes great regardless of the combination. Stay tuned for part two.

JJ Mayes Wildlife Trace Revisited

2009-02-13T05:50:00.003-06:00

This past Thursday, I looked out my front door and all I could think about was going hiking. The weather report from the day before called for mostly cloudy skies and possibly a bit of rain, but what greeted me was just the opposite. Evidently a Norther had blown in and we were once again being blessed with clear blue skies and temperatures in the 50’s. My kind of day.

Looking my bride square in the eye, I appealed to her about my need to hike and nodding her approval, she watched as I packed my High Sierra fanny pack. It’s a real gem of a pack and heavy duty as all get out, allowing me to comfortably carry quite a bit of heavy stuff. Over the years I’ve tried a good number of packs and carriers and this is the best thing short of a full day pack for my needs.

In case you are interested in getting one, I bought it online at www.joessports.com and it’s called the High Sierra Ridgeline Lumbar / Waist Pack and it costs about $50. I recommend Joe’s also, as I’ve bought a lot of stuff from them and they are fair in price and excellent in service.

My usual gear went into the pack, which includes my Powerlock MultiTool (which my son carried while serving in the Army in Iraq), Canon digital camera, Nikon binoculars, Sansa MP3 player, 2 bottles of water, red neckerchief, cheese crackers, sunflower seeds and a couple other essentials.

Rolling down the driveway in my hoopty in anticipation of hitting the trail, I cruised off towards I-10 and the hectic traffic, which is exactly the opposite of what I am trying to find on the Trace. The trail is twelve miles from my house, but due to road construction on I-10, it is an unbelievable twenty-four miles to get home. To leave the Trace, a person has to head east, not west, go over the Trinity River and drive to Anahuac to make the turn-around. This adds twelve miles to the return trip.

Pulling into the Trace, I spy another vehicle in the parking lot and it turns out to be a couple from Baytown and they plan on biking in the Trace. Since the road is closed and the gate is locked with a sign that states “U. S. Property – NO Vehicles”, they are hesitant to enter. I tell them I interpret the sign to read no motorized vehicles and they decide that’s what it means also.

What a beautiful day for hiking and riding and we all head off into the Trace, me going towards the Hurricane blasted picnic area and they, after preparation, into the Trace proper. We did not cross paths again, but I did see them crossing one of the boardwalks hours later. I wish I would have asked their names and email addresses.

The picnic area at the front of the Trace is filled with giant oaks and there are a lot of downed limbs which makes it look inadmissible, but after negotiating the destruction I found most of it is wide open and quite majestic. I hope it is cleared and opened soon.

Leaving the picnic area, I crossed the fence into the Trace with the intention of walking the main road to the locks and dam on the Trinity River. The locks are maintained by the Wallisville Lake Project workers and the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers on the east bank and if my feet are any indication, this is about 4.5 miles away on a very rustic and storm-beaten dirt road.

The last time I was here was about 3 weeks ago and the fires that were burning then were now out, but the pleasant smell of wood smoke lingered. I couldn’t get over the feeling that I was seeing raw nature though, as fire-burned areas existed long before man and this burned area looked plum primal.

I was delighted to see the oddly red-colored raccoon at work looking for crawfish, which I spied the last time I was here, but this time, he had the jump on me and ran before I could get more than a blurry photo. This trip allowed me to glimpse numerous well-fed nutria, shorebirds, predatory birds, a small snake and diverse ducks, but alas, it is still too cool for alligators. The upside is the absence of mosquitoes.

I made my long walk in the sun to the locks and back feeling totally cleansed by the exertion and sunshine logging in about ten miles, if I can include the many meanderings I allowed myself and I posted my photographs here, for all to enjoy.

JJ Mays Wildlife Trace Feb 2009

The J.J. Mayes Wildlife Trace Day Hike

2009-02-01T14:47:00.002-06:00

The J.J. Mayes Wildlife Trace is an area set aside at the Wallisville Lake Project where both the casual and experienced nature observer can get as close to nature as he or she may desire. Located south of Interstate 10 on the west bank of the Trinity River in Chambers County, the JJ Mayes Wildlife Trace uses a mixture of the old and new to create a complex of roads, trails, boardwalks and picnic facilities designed to allow for a close-up view of both marsh and riparian habitats located along the river.

January 31st, 2009 I took a day hike into the JJ Mays Wildlife Trace and photographed it. It has been severely beaten down by Hurricane Ike, but was still worth the trip. Here they are and all comments are welcome.

My Review of Texsport Hard Anodized Cook Set

2009-01-13T16:28:00.001-06:00

Originally submitted at Joe's

This Texsport® hard anodized cook set provides versatile cooking options for your campsite. It includes a 7 1/2-in fry pan and 2 pots, each with folding "stay cool" wire handles. The set nests together, and a mesh carry bag is included to hold them all.

Good Camping Starter set!

By Baytown Bert from Baytown, Texas on 1/13/2009

Pros: Easy To Clean, Compact, Lightweight, Stable, Durable

Best Uses: Car Camping, Hiking

Describe Yourself: Casual Adventurer

What Is Your Gear Style: Comfort Driven

I'm building up a set of camping gear that doesn't necessitate extreme compactness or weight restrictions and this well-built set fits my needs to a tee.

(legalese)

My Review of Timberland White Ledge Mid Waterproof Hiking Boot Mens

2009-01-13T16:20:00.001-06:00

Originally submitted at Joe's

The Timberland® White Ledge Mid Waterproof men's hiking boot is engineered for on-trail comfort and all-day support. The leather upper offers comfort and durability, while the dual-density EVA midsole provides lightweight cushioning. The boot features B.S.F.P.™ motion efficiency lug ...

True to size chart

By Baytown Bert from Baytown, Texas on 1/13/2009

Pros: Comfortable/No Break-In, Water Resistant, Flexible, Sturdy/Durable, Ankle Support, Great Traction, Arch Support

Sizing: Feels true to size

I took a chance on sizing and ordered these fine boots. I am 100% satisfied with the size and description. Thanks, Joes!

(legalese)

Getting Back to the Basics

2009-01-11T06:48:00.000-06:00

I am like you; the average American and I’ve had enough hustle and bustle to last a lifetime.

We are swamped to the gills with ignoramus product advertising claims, reality-television nonsensical blah, blah, blah, end of the world doom and gloom news reporting and are in serious need of a change of pace, relaxation and just a break from it all.

Good news of any kind for us average Americans would be most welcome, especially about the economy, world peace, global warming and the future concerning American politics, the succeeding security of our investments, health care and the cost of living staying within reach.

We however are not stupid enough to think we should hold our breath and wait for the inauguration for “new air”, as we have already figured out that Washington DC politics have little to do with how we breath down here, regardless of how many times hysterical fanatics from either party say otherwise.

About ninety percent of all these invasive distractions and worries can be brought into control by simply shutting off the television and returning to the basics of just enjoying life. Most of the doom and gloom reporting is not going to affect us anyway, so why do we abuse ourselves with it, especially on a minute-by-minute basis, via TV, radio and the Internet?

Why do we keep looking for a fast-acting disposable remedy or a visual and sensory over-loading instant mini-vacation spot to make us happy, when deep down inside we know what we really need is simply a major detour from our noisy existence and a bit of old-fashioned peace and quiet?

A truly rewarding peace and quiet existence can’t be found in a rapid-fire quick airline flight get away or a hell-bent-for-leather cross-country drive to Branson, Orlando or Six Flags over Whatever regardless of how many of us attempt to find it there. What we need is a true safe haven from our hustle and bustle, which is the opposite of what we normally consider and can only be discovered by deliberate planning.

We need to get back to the basics of living folks, if we are going to live well and protect our well-being. Personally, I plan to do it by hiking and camping and in the process, I’ll be cooking meat on a stick over an open campfire, something my ancestors did and enjoyed. I want to pitch a tent and sleep on the ground and bust out of my routine before my routine destroys me.

I have to be honest with myself and make a few initial concessions though, as I am so deeply entrenched in our fast paced lifestyle that going totally primitive would probably find me sitting along a trail in a catatonic state, drooling and mumbling computer code. I’m making plans to stay at some of our fine State parks - the ones that have camping sites with running water and an electrical outlet. It’s a start and I need a jumping off place after all these years of city living. I’ll worry about going totally primitive after I get a few of these under my moccasins.

Back in my high school years I camped often. One year my brothers and I camped out for over a month straight and as an Airman in central California, I took camping/backpacking trips each weekend. Looking back it seems like it was simpler times and I yearn for that again.

Of course, I could fish or hunt again and that would bring a measure of mind-numbing repose, I’m sure, but truth be told, I want to hike and exert my aging muscles to the point of weary exhaustion and that is difficult to accomplish in a 14-foot John Boat or a deer blind.

I plan to squat on my haunches over an open fire and cook cowboy coffee for starters. I’ll crack a few eggs to go with about six thick slices of peppered bacon for breakfast and after that, I’ll ponder the trail, camera in hand. Somewhere during the day, I’ll break open my trail rations and finding a scenic overlook, I’ll savor the moment and maybe nap a bit.

As the evening rolls around, I’ll stumble back into camp, tired and at peace with the world and myself. I’ll cook my meaty provisions over an open fire, much as my ancestors of old and look at the heavens and marvel. Maybe I’ll see a few falling stars or an orbiting satellite.

At the end of my nature and wonder-filled day I’ll plop down in my dome tent smelling of leather, wood smoke and cooked meat with the intention of doing it all again the next day. I’ll fall fast asleep with a smile on my face.

Baytown's Best Kept Secret

2008-12-21T10:37:00.005-06:00

I've been itching to get out of my work/eat/sleep routine and git walkin' and what better time than the present? Over the years I've learned waiting for the perfect time to do something is nothing short of a case of excused procrastination and that perfect time will arrive when I am too busy to take advantage of it. I must make time work for me, not against me.

This past Thursday was wet and foggy – typical Baytown, Texas winter weather and if I was going to git walkin, I had to do it and do it now, so trusty camera in hand, I did.

Grabbing up my usual accouterments, I drug my hocks out the door (I always get sluggish when the sun is hidden from view) and plopped heavily down into the cockpit of my hoopty for a trip to Baytown's best kept secret – the Baytown Nature Center, or BNC for short.

The Baytown Nature Center is hidden away off of Bayway Drive and has taken the place of the Brownwood Subdivision, which was fatally flooded in 1983 by Hurricane Alicia. Driving from East Baker Road towards the Center, I was saddened to see how rough my old neighborhood had become. My old house on Ashby Street is long gone, but this section of Bayway Drive definitely needs a facelift.

Turning into the Nature Center, I was greeted by the window attendant and paid my three bucks for a day permit. The next time I go, I'm buying a season pass, which is only twenty dollars, or fifty for a family pass. Exiting my car in the Center's parking lot, I was immediately reminded that I had forgotten something very important – mosquito spray!

Swinging back to the entrance window, the attendant let me use a can of spray, plus two handouts showing the trails and I was ready to start walking. Hikers beware, the BNC is swampy and you WILL need repellant. I knew this and in my enthusiasm to git walkin, I flew out of the house repellant-less. Never again. Nothing short of a lightning storm or accident can ruin a good time on the trail, as mosquitoes and this place breeds the pesky varmints by the pound.

The first thing I noticed was a new trail through the woods that was under construction, so I walked it until I came to the construction crew, then I crossed over to old Brownwood Drive and headed into the fog for the Egret Tidal Flats. I want to make another note here. I believe in walking around town to truly see it, but much of the BNC can be seen from your car, so don't think that you must walk to enjoy bird watching here. Now after saying that, if you intend to see all of it, you must walk, so come prepared.

Due to the fog and the absence of other humans, I was able to get very close to a large number of wildlife. Ducks of many sizes and numbers, egrets, great egrets, herons, rosette spoonbills in their pink glory, hawks and cormorants were everywhere. I looked and looked for an alligator, but did not see one. I did see some really fat squirrels and if I could have spotted a bald eagle, I would have been especially fulfilled.

Not wanting to end my two hour hike without making a wide loop through the BNC, I turned off of old S. Bayshore Drive and hiked down what's left of Katherine Street, then Cabaniss Avenue, followed the fence line to Crow Road, back to Mapleton Avenue and finally arrived to see the Wooster Pavilion on Bayshore Drive. It's nice. Now, none of these street names exist anymore, having been replaced with trail names like the Arkokisa Loop Trail and park identifiers as the Crystal Bay Butterfly Garden. Incidentally, the Arkokisa were "a people formerly living in villages chiefly along lower Trinity river, Texas" according to www.accessgenealogy.com.

A must see is the view from the hill which elevates the Brownwood Educational Pavilion. On a normal day, a person can easily see the Fred Hartman Bridge and surrounding area. Today it was foggy and that was just as well, as it gave the area a feel of a misty elven forest. And that made my hike worth every step.

You may visit the Friends of BNC online and the photos I took by following the links on www.OurBaytown.com

Indy Trekking spreds to Germany!

2008-12-05T04:14:00.003-06:00

Jana Bohlmann of OutdoorActive magazine has written a fine article in the German language online magazine spotlighting Industrial Trekking. Here it is and it's in German only. Thanks, Jana!

It's Level 3 time!

2008-11-30T14:46:00.004-06:00

How I love this time of year on the Texas Gulf Coast! Finally the temperature has dropped below 70 degrees F and that means it's time to bump up the Indy Trekking to something a bit more strenuous.

Along with the lower temps comes lower humidity and that is most welcome also. Pulling my steel-toed bootlaces tighter, I steadily climbed up 20 flights of stairs to the top of the air-ish structure. It’s amazingly cooler up here and throw in the 20 mph wind and it’s invigorating.

Descending the steps two at a time (hands on rails), I make my way to a fractionation tower with eight 20-foot caged ladders. Up I go to the top and while there, I look around and off to the north I see a tanker ship making it’s way up the Houston Ship channel. Down I go and then turn and re-climb the tower.

Returning to the ground I walk briskly around the retention ponds, which is close to a half-mile walk. I’m alternating lower/upper body on my trek, something I think is important.

Next I make two ascensions on a tall reactor, using the many sets of stairs. Each time I walk around the top and look at the view. Back on the ground it’s time to work my arms again, so I climb the caged ladders on the side of a building. This evolution is my least favorite, as it has a 30-foot ladder at the bottom and at the top and there is always a portion that is either absent of cooling wind or fiercely hot in the summer.

The last 2 evolutions are the tallest structure at the Plant I work in. I think it is close to 300 steps to the top and I do this twice. Back on the ground I walk the final half-mile to my desk and finish up today at right under 1.5 hours. I feel great.

Knocking out a Level Two

2008-11-09T06:57:00.006-06:00

Beautiful cool and sunny weather beckoned me to climb the towers and reactors today. I did a level two, which entails climbing three towers/structures, walking a half mile, climbing three more structures and finishing with another half mile walk.

It felt great as I finished in fifty-five minutes and today, I feel invigorated due to yesterdays exertion. We have the same weather today, so maybe I'll attempt a level three, which adds two more structures for a total of ten evolutions.

Note: The weather was still pleasant, so the next day I completed another Level Two, albeit using a more strenuous course. It's very important to wear well-fitting shoes/boots, as the ladder climbing can cause a lot of stress on your feet. I also wear leather gloves.

Cooling off finally

2008-10-12T05:59:00.004-05:00

Well it's been a while since I posted, but the weather is finally cooling off, so I have been hitting the trail fairly often.

This past week, I trekked a 9 mile and a 12 mile trail and one day I jogged 2 miles.

Hurricane Ike kind of put a hit on my exercise plans for the last month also, along with the hot Texas weather, but fall is upon us now and the clean-up from Ike has progressed nicely.

Here I am in hiking attire yesterday in a self-portrait from a reflection in a school window.

2008-07-27T14:50:00.000-05:00

Average temp today is 93 degrees F with a real feel of 101 and 41% humidity. Here on the Gulf Coast of Texas 41% humidity is about as dry as it gets. Today in the Unit I work in, it's 104 degrees F with very little shade or wind.

That didn't stop me from doing a Level One(6 evolutions)though, just made me go slower and take a few breaks along the way. I told myself I could quit anytime the heat got unbearable, but I made it all the way through.

Health benefits of canned Tuna

2008-07-12T12:30:00.001-05:00

Tuna, an excellent source of lean protein, vitamins and minerals, is a wonderful way to excite the palate while maintaining a balanced diet. However, tuna has more to offer than just great taste and nutrition. Tuna can also help lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Research has shown that omega-3 fatty acids - found in abundance in fatty fish like tuna - can help lower the risk of heart disease, ease the pain of arthritis, reduce asthma complications, and is essential in the growth and development of young children.

The overall benefits of fish, especially those high in omega-3 and lean protein like canned tuna, have never been more apparent. In fact, the American Heart Association recommends that people eat "at least 2 servings of fish per week" for its cardio benefits. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids have been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Additionally, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005, released in January, recommend two eight-ounce servings a week of foods rich in the omega-3 fatty acids EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), such as canned tuna. The American Dietetic Association goes as far as to say that canned tuna may "become known as a basic ingredient in healthful eating plans."

Tuna adds variety to low fat, low cholesterol menus and is the perfect addition to a healthy, balanced diet. Tuna is a rich source of the nutrients that are essential to healthy and balanced diets and have protective and therapeutic effects on our health. Canned tuna not only provides a rich source of lean protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins and minerals, but also is low in saturated fats and cholesterol.

Protein is essential to building lean muscle mass and providing the body with energy. Tuna is so high in protein, that just one 6 ounce can yields a third of the recommended daily allowance (0.8 grams for each kilogram [2.2 pounds] of body weight). Fitness gurus have long praised tuna because it is high in protein, but naturally low in fat, unlike many other high protein foods.

A naturally low cholesterol, low fat food, tuna helps the body eliminate bad fats consumed from eating other foods. What's more, eating tuna and foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids can help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of stroke.

Leading health and dietetic associations in the U.S. have cited the benefits of fish consumption for good reason. Cooked servings of most fish provide about 20 grams of protein. The protein in tuna is of high quality - containing an abundance of essential amino acids, and is easily digestible for people of all ages. Lower in fat and saturated fat than beef, poultry or pork, canned tuna not only provides a rich source of lean protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins and minerals, but also is low in cholesterol.

Read the original article here

Benefits of Stair Climbing

2008-07-12T09:42:00.001-05:00

Stair climbing burns about twice as many calories than any other sport or activity. Sources
Because it is a grueling sport, stair climbing requires less time to do the same intensity of a workout. For example, if you run 30 minutes per day, the same workout intensity could be achieved with 15 minutes of stair climbing.

Stair climbing is a total body workout. It makes the arms stronger with the use of the arms pulling you up with the use of the rails (or banister) which is allowed and encouraged. Stair climbing especially builds muscle mass in the legs, including the quadriceps and calfs. It is an aerobic sport as it works the cardio-vascular lung package. Stair climbing becomes an anaerobic event after about 10 to 20 flights of stairs as it strains your aerobic capacity to hold an intense load on the cardio-vascular package to the top of a very tall building. Since the contest is vertical, even a 70 story race up is not a total sprint and requires endurance, sprint, and muscular strength to complete in a fast time.

Stair climbing is excellent for cross-training. Runners, swimmers, cyclists, rowers, soccer (or football), and others find stair climbing to be helpful with its total workout. Cyclists, skiers, and rowers are especially attracted to the muscle mass in the legs which can be developed with stair climbing. Remember the 1976 Picture of the Year? Sylvester Stallone played the boxer, Rocky Balboa and one of the most famous scenes in the movie was when Rocky was training for the big fight with many exercises and ended with a run up the stairs to a museum and raises his arms in triumph at the top with the hit music "Gonna Fly Now" playing.

Stair climbing does not require the purchase of any expensive equipment. It can be done almost anywhere. You could practice stair climbing at any public place that has many flights of steps, including, but not limited to: your apartment building, condominium building, your house stairs, the stairs leading to a public building, the library, or at a gym.

See the original article here.

Shake off anxiety with beneficial exercise

2008-07-04T12:47:00.001-05:00

Committing to a workout routine can do more than get you in shape

Exercise effectively relieves anxiety, according to recent studies done at major universities. The benefits are actually comparable to other treatments for anxiety including stress reduction techniques. Now individuals suffering from anxiety can begin a low-cost treatment while receiving all the other advantages that exercise has to offer.

Anxiety afflicts millions of Americans every year and can cause symptoms including jitteriness, shortness of breath, nausea, trouble sleeping, poor concentration, headaches and irritability. Most everyone will experience anxiety for brief periods of time, usually in response to normal stresses like family or health problems, financial trouble or job pressures. Even positive stressors, like taking a vacation, can cause anxiety. Anxiety over time, however, can adversely affect our overall health, even increasing the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and depression. This condition can also interfere with relationships, productivity and social interactions.

Exactly why exercise reduces anxiety is not known. It might increase levels of certain chemicals in the central nervous system that improve mood. Exercise might also help by enhancing other body functions, such as more restful sleep, decreased muscle tension, and reduced levels of cortisol, a known “stress” hormone in the body. Of course, by positively influencing other areas of health, exercise can improve overall body conditioning as well as elevate self-esteem.

Although all types of exercise can reduce anxiety, some activities are better than others. Aerobic exercise provides the best results. Good examples include brisk walking, cycling, running and swimming. The most effective regimens are high-intensity exercises. The good news is that even after just one workout, anxiety can be relieved within minutes with this result lasting for over an hour after the activity is concluded. A regular exercise program lasting several weeks offers the best reduction in anxiety. The most impressive results have been shown in people who start with a high level of anxiety and in individuals who have low fitness levels. Women also have better outcomes in many of the studies; this is good since anxiety affects women almost twice as often as men.

Exercise programs need to be individualized. A person who currently gets very little activity should start slowly. Doing too much too quickly can actually worsen anxiety and increase the risk of injury and boredom. It’s also a good idea to have a complete physical, especially in an inactive person over the age of 35. It’s often more enjoyable to join a friend in a workout, but be wary of competitive sports that can actually add to stress rather than relieve it. The best programs involve at least three 30-minute workouts a week, but this schedule might not be right for everyone. Beware of buying expensive exercise equipment; they can get boring after a while. In fact, there might be some great bargains on equipment at local yard and garage sales.

A walk around the block is much more appealing than wanting to knock someone’s block off in periods of stress. In fact, hitting the sidewalk is a lot safer than hitting the wall. Exercise more; worry less.

Battle Of The Bulge: Low Leptin Levels Undermine Successful Weight Loss

2008-06-22T18:34:00.000-05:00

ScienceDaily (June 20, 2008) — Individuals who are obese are at increased risk of many diseases, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease. As 75%-95% of previously obese individuals regain their lost weight, many researchers are interested in developing treatments to help individuals maintain their weight loss.

A new study, by Michael Rosenbaum and colleagues, at Columbia University Medical Center, New York, has provided new insight into the critical interaction between the hormone leptin and the brain's response to weight loss.

Leptin levels fall as obese individuals lose weight. So, the authors set out to see whether changes in leptin levels altered activity in the regions of the brain known to have a role in regulating food intake.

They observed that activity in these regions of the brain in response to visual food-related cues changed after an obese individual successfully lost weight. However, these changes in brain activity were not observed if the obese individual who had successfully lost weight was treated with leptin. These data are consistent with the idea that the decrease in leptin levels that occurs when an individual loses weight serves to protect the body against the loss of body fat.

Further, both the authors and, in an accompanying commentary, Rexford Ahima, at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, suggest that leptin therapy after weight loss might improve weight maintenance by overriding this fat-loss defense.

Walking and cycling

2008-06-22T16:05:00.006-05:00

For the last two weeks I've been on vacation, so I've had to improvise to keep trekking. This past week alone, I logged in 3 four-mile hikes, 2 six-mile hikes, a twelve-mile hike and a thirty three-mile bike ride, which was killer as I ride a modified single speed beach cruiser and all this week it has been mid-90's here in Texas.

Saw some interesting scenery too!

THINK FAT LOSS, NOT WEIGHT LOSS.

2008-06-08T12:58:00.001-05:00

Don’t weigh yourself everyday. This is absolutely pointless since body-weight is mainly water and that can fluctuate drastically throughout the day and from day-to-day. This is especially true for women, whose weight can fluctuate even more than men’s due to fluid retention and the menstrual cycle.
If you are obsessive about weighing in, do yourself a favor and throw away the scale. Your disposition and outlook will improve dramatically. A positive mental outlook will help your exercise program more than knowing you weigh “x” pounds today and “y” pounds tomorrow. If you want a practical measure of your success, use common sense and a mirror.
If your clothes feel more lose, you are thinner. If you look at yourself in the mirror and like what you see, you are burning fat. If your friends tell you you look better you do. Who cares what the scale says! Instead of using the scale, take your measurements (chest/bust, arms, waist, hips, and thighs) when you start your exercise program and chart your progress as you workout by re-measuring every five to six weeks.

Read more here

Weight-loss the Taubes way

2008-06-08T07:12:00.001-05:00

- Expending more energy than we consume – exercising more or eating less – does not make us lose weight. It makes us hungry.

- Dietary fat is not a cause of obesity or heart disease. The problem is the carbohydrates in our diet, and their effect on the hormone insulin.

- Insulin makes us store calories as fat. Simple carbohydrates – starches and sugars – raise insulin levels and so lead to excessive fat storage.

- The smaller the amount of fattening carbs you eat, the leaner you’ll be.

- Obseity is not a disorder of overeating – it’s a disorder of excess fat accumulation. We overeat because we are hormonally driven to grow fat; we don’t grow fat because we overeat.

Read more here.

Brief, intense exercise benefits the heart

2008-06-07T12:32:00.001-05:00

Short bursts of high intensity sprints -- known to benefit muscle and improve exercise performance—can improve the function and structure of blood vessels, in particular arteries that deliver blood to our muscles and heart, according to new research from McMaster University.

The study, lead by kinesiology doctoral student Mark Rakobowchuk, is published online in the journal American Journal of Physiology. Regulatory, Integrative & Comparative Physiology.
The findings support the idea that people can exercise using brief, high-intensity forms of exercise and reap the same benefits to cardiovascular health that can be derived from traditional, long-duration and moderately intense exercise.

"As we age, the arteries become stiffer and tend to lose their ability to dilate, and these effects contribute to high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease," says Maureen MacDonald, academic advisor and an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology. "More detrimental is the effect that blood vessel stiffening has on the heart, which has to circulate blood".

The research compared individuals who completed interval training using 30-second "all-out" sprints three days a week to a group who completed between 40 and 60 minutes of moderate-intensity cycling five days a week.

It found that six weeks of intense sprint interval exercise training improves the structure and function of arteries as much as traditional and longer endurance exercise with larger time commitment.

"More and more, professional organizations are recommending interval training during rehabilitation from diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, peripheral artery disease and cardiovascular disease. Our research certainly provides evidence that this type of exercise training is as effective as traditional moderate intensity training," says MacDonald. "We wouldn't be surprised to see more rehabilitation programs adopt this method of training since it is often better tolerated in diseased populations".

Further, this research also shows that those who have a hard time scheduling exercise into their life can still benefit from the positive effects, if they are willing to work hard for brief periods of time, she says.

Source: McMaster University

What is Nordic walking?

2008-06-02T06:40:00.001-05:00

Q: What is Nordic walking?
A: Nordic walking is fitness walking with lightweight poles that take stress off the lower body. A time-efficient, low-impact, total-body workout, Nordic walking was developed in Scandinavia as a summer training exercise for cross-country skiers in the 1930s.
Q: How do you use the poles?
A: It's a learned skill. You drag the poles behind you and push off with them, the same as in cross-country skiing.
Rather than bend your elbows and pump your arms with each step, as in power walking, you reach out straight in front of you, keeping your hands slightly lower than your elbows. The tip of the pole stays behind your body. (Poles come with instructions, and some include a video.)
"You drag the poles, plant and push off and get a good stride going. Plant and push," says Amy Kalb, 34, of Fort Worth, who has been using Nordic walking poles since last fall.
Q: What's special about the poles?
A: A little longer and lighter than regular trekking poles, Nordic walking sticks have a spiked tip on the end for soft surfaces and little rubber "boots" or paws to slip over the tip for walking on asphalt pavement or concrete. Some poles are adjustable, but they can be purchased in fixed lengths, ranging from about 42 to 54 inches. The fixed lengths are considered more stable.
"The little rubber boots we tested are meant for concrete or sidewalk walking, but the differences (between trekking poles and Nordic walking poles) are a little confusing. Often, trekking poles are shorter and meant primarily for balance. ... Some trekking poles are marketed for Nordic walking (or have separate tips you add for Nordic walking). You just need to be sure you are buying what you want," Church said by phone.
Q: What do Nordic walkers say?
· "You can use them anywhere. I walk with them two or three times a week, usually on the horse trails out around Benbrook Lake (near Fort Worth, Texas)," Kalb says. "I think they are a lot of fun, and they definitely help my form, let me walk faster and keep my back from hurting."
· "You can feel muscles engage in your whole upper body, but especially your back," says Kalb's friend Davy Kady. She was recently visiting from California when she tried Nordic walking for the first time.
· Fitness walking is "the simplest, most underrated, overlooked recreational exercise out there, especially for recovery days, and when you add poles, it increases all the benefits," says Rick Faulkner, co-owner of Colonel's Bicycles in Fort Worth.
Q: Any other benefits?
A: The poles add a level of stability that encourages older, less steady walkers to take up the sport, and poles reduce risks, Church says. "You are a lot less likely to be attacked by a dog or a mugger with a big stick in your hand."
Q: Where can I get sticks?
A: LEKI and Exel are the largest manufacturers of trekking and Nordic walking poles. They are sold in pairs and available at specialty stores including Backwoods in Fort Worth, Mountain Sports in Arlington, Texas, and REI in Dallas. Prices range from $99 to $199.

Easy way to burn calories

2008-06-02T06:36:00.001-05:00

Nordic walking is low-stress, low-impact weight-loss method
By CAROLYN POIROT McClatchey Newspapers

When researchers at the Cooper Institute in Dallas found that Nordic walking burns 20 percent more calories than regular power walking, they expected the new sport to take off among fitness enthusiasts eager to take up lightweight trekking poles and turn low-stress walking into a great weight-loss workout.

"In Finland, you can't get from the airport to your hotel without seeing hundreds of people walking with sticks," says Dr. Tim Church, former medical director of the Cooper Institute. He headed the 2002 study that found using poles to push off while walking increases calories burned and oxygen consumed without any perceived increase in exertion. A few participants in the study and Church himself increased their calorie burning by more than 40 percent, without increasing their walking speed. The average was 20 percent.

"It's really pretty simple," Church says. "The more muscle mass you use (in any exercise), the more oxygen you consume and calories you expend. When you use sticks, you get your arms and shoulders and neck into your walking. The more vigorously you pole, the more calories you use."

'Runner's High' May Also Strengthen Hearts

2008-04-30T14:30:00.001-05:00

ScienceDaily (Nov. 9, 2007) — Endorphins and other morphine-like substances known as opioids, which are released during exercise, don't just make you feel good -- they may also protect you from heart attacks, according to University of Iowa researchers.

It has long been known that the so-called "runner's high" is caused by natural opioids that are released during exercise. However, a UI study, which is published in the online edition of the American Journal of Physiology's Heart and Circulatory Physiology, suggests that these opioids may also be responsible for some of exercise's cardiovascular benefits.

Studies have shown that regular vigorous exercise reduces the risk of having a heart attack and improves survival rates following heart attack, even in people with cardiovascular disease. In addition, exercise also decreases the risk of atherosclerosis, stroke, osteoporosis and even depression. However, despite these proven health benefits, much less is understood about how exercise produces these benefits.

The UI study investigated the idea that the opioids produced by exercise might have a direct role in cardio-protection. The researchers compared rats that exercised with rats that did not. As expected, exercised rats sustained significantly less heart damage from a heart attack than non-exercised rats. The researchers then showed that blocking opioid receptors completely eliminated these cardio-protective effects in exercising rats, suggesting that opioids are responsible for some of the cardiac benefits of exercise.

A better understanding of how exercise protects the heart may eventually allow scientists to harness these protective effects for patients with decreased mobility.
"Hopefully this study will move us closer to developing therapies that mimic the benefits of exercise," Dickson said. "It also serves as a reminder of how important it is to get out and exercise every day."

Adapted from materials provided by University of Iowa, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Urban Trekking - Town Hike

2008-04-27T09:32:00.003-05:00

Watching the forecast, I was delighted to see the storm move off to the east, so donning my walking paraphernalia; I hit the streets of Baytown looking for some place to walk. I headed off through the park and got on a drainage ditch right-away.

It was still pretty cloudy and not too humid, so I crossed a main thoroughfare and kept going. I’d punched my stopwatch before I left, just to kind of get an idea of how much walking I would accomplish. I figured with the possible terrain changes and traffic I would have to negotiate, I could probably get about 3.5 miles an hour in.

About a half hour into my trek, I left the highway to walk along Goose Creek, which is hardly a developed walk and I found it necessary to jump across quite a few feeders to keep going. Many times, the weeds and wild flowers were 5 feet deep.

See a few of the pictures: HERE – HERE - & HERE.

I had a great time and button-hooked back to the house, logging in a decent Urban Trek of a little over 10 miles and 3 hours. Not bad at all.

Urban Trekking - Mowing

2008-04-24T16:50:00.004-05:00

I was mowing my yard today and thinking about Urban trekking, as opposed to Industrial trekking. It seems to me that the challenge of Urban Trekking is inventing new ways to burn calories. With Industrial trekking, a person can just climb the towers and stairways which abound in the Plant environment, but not so for the Urban trekker. They must search for inventive ways to exert extra energy.

Mostly what is available here on the Gulf Coast of Texas is flatland legwork (walking, jogging or running) and bicycling. For the folks who live in hilly areas this provides more action and if you can rock-climb or water ski etc., so much the better. Throwing on a 20#+ backpack is another option.

A far more economical way to get your trek on is using a push mower. Yes, I said push it. Today, I mowed for 2 hours and 15 minutes using my now self-propelled/disabled Toro brand mower. The gear box went out in pieces, so I pulled it out and decided I would keep on trekking instead of replacing it. I cut close to an acre when I do the pipeline and the vacant house next door, so this is a tremendous amount of calorie depleting exertion.

Using this web site, it easy to see that I burned almost a whole days intake of food mowing this much. Something around 1500 calories and I'll tell you I was covered with sweat and the last half hour was done only through perseverance and determination.

No pain, no gain and it's only because of the IndyTrekking I've been doing at the Plant that I was able to keep mowing for the duration. So - crank up the push mower folks. it's a great way to get your trek on.

Common Diet Blunders

2008-04-23T04:35:00.002-05:00

Avoid the most common blunders: The dreaded "D" word, diet, brings images of deprivation and failure to the minds of many. Nobody who has been there would claim that it is easy to stick to a weight-loss plan for the long haul, but it can be easier to stay motivated if you watch for and avoid the most common blunders.

Eating Regular Meals: Many dieters try to reduce their calorie intake by skipping meals, such as breakfast, but this common mistake is a sure recipe for failure. Most diet plans aim to spread meals out over the day, usually breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack or two so that you never feel "hungry" and are therefore less likely to indulge in that bag of chips after lunch.

The "All or Nothing" Mentality: So let's say you did eat the bag of chips. Don't make the mistake of allowing the negative self-talk to start discouraging you from your goal. You know, that little voice that says, "You may as well just give up. This diet isn't going to work. You've blown it now." The key to success is persistence, not perfection.

Planning Ahead: Make a list of all the groceries you will need for this week's meal plans and buy them all at once. Not having the ingredients you need on hand makes it easy to justify getting off track. Make lunch the night before so you have no excuse to go to the deli instead.

Drinking Water: Besides giving you a feeling of being full, water also helps your cells do their job. Visualize the water gushing into each cell of your body, flushing out toxins and waste and leaving behind a clean, lean, fighting machine ready to function at optimal levels.

Exercising: Dieting without exercising is like filling a car with gas and then never driving it. You have to burn the fuel to empty the tank. This doesn't mean you have to torture yourself, just do something that you can enjoy and that gets you moving, even at a moderate pace.

Forgetting Your Reasons: Make a list of the reasons you want to lose weight. Brainstorm and include everything without screening out things that seem small or trivial. Keep the list to remind yourself of your goals when you're feeling like giving up.

Using "Radical" Diets: It is unlikely that you will be able to stick to a diet plan of only grapefruit and watermelon, or only meat, or only liquid shakes. These methods may provide a quick initial weight loss, but they are unhealthy and unbalanced. Losing weight takes time -- it just isn't going to happen overnight. Keeping weight off involves retraining your bad habits, something these "quick" solutions won't do.

Focusing on the Short Term: Taking things day by day is a good thing. Weighing yourself every day is a bad thing. Try limiting weigh-ins to once a week or once every two weeks. A loss of one or two pounds a week is the goal, so daily weigh-ins can be counterproductive and frustrating. However, with a weekly or biweekly weigh-in, you will see bigger, more motivating jumps in the numbers.

Unrealistic Expectations: You know the ones, "I am going to look just like (insert model/actress name here) when I finish this diet." Or "I am going to lose eighteen pounds by the end of this week." Not to say you won't look even better than model X, or that you won't eventually lose those eighteen pounds, or even that you won't see positive changes in other areas of your life after losing weight. But fantasy thinking often leads to a big crash, leaving you feeling like you have failed because you didn't reach the unrealistic goal. If you find yourself having fantasy thoughts, do a quick reality check. Unrealistic expectations often lead to quitting before you get started.

By Michele Bloomquist

Endorphins 101: Your Guide to Natural Euphoria

2008-04-22T14:12:00.002-05:00

By: Melissa Walker (edited for space - whole article here)

Do you ever wonder why you feel better after a long run? It's not just because you've relieved exercise guilt. That elated feeling, which can last up to 12 hours for some people, has a scientific explanation. It comes from a release of endorphins.

"Endorphins are neurotransmitters produced in the brain that reduce pain," says Alan Hirsch, MD, neurological director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago. "They have also been known to induce euphoria." Drugs such as morphine, heroine and cocaine are classic endorphin-releasing entities, according to Dr. Hirsch. But luckily for us, there are less addictive ways of experiencing such sweet rhapsody.

Work Out: People who jog regularly often talk about a "runner's high," which is a release of endorphins that happens when they hit a certain point in their workout. Dr. Fuhrman notes that the science of endorphins-from-exercise is controversial, and that some medical professionals believe the positive feeling you get when you meet a physical challenge, rather than the exertion itself, is what stimulates the endorphin release. But whatever the cause, exercise has been proven to enhance mood. Dr. Fuhrman recommends prolonged activities such as cross-country skiing, swimming, tennis or a long cardio workout for the best effects.

Sweating and exercise

2008-04-22T05:21:00.001-05:00

I notice a number of folks refer to sweating as a bad, uncomfortable, or ugly word. Sweating is actually a very good thing and an indicator of exertion. Dress for exercise and hydrate, hydrate hydrate and sweating becomes normal and no biggie.

If you can jump-start your body through exercise, you will notice an all-day effect of higher metabolism. What this means is it will be easier to break a sweat, as your body is already setting on an advanced exertion level, thus you will start to sweat quicker - this is a good thing, as it means you are burning calories.

3500 calories equals one pound.

A word of caution though, do not use anti-perspirant, use deodorant or nothing.
People tend to interchange the words "antiperspirant" and "deodorant," but as regulated by the FDA, they are not the same. Antiperspirants have an aluminum-based compound as their main, "active" ingredient, which can be any number of compounds within an established concentration and dosage form. The active ingredient gives antiperspirants their sweat-blocking ability by forming a temporary plug within the sweat duct that stops the flow of sweat to the skin's surface.

You do NOT want to block off your sweat glands and with summer approachng, you want to sweat to keep your body cool. Don't worry about what people think when they see you out there walking and sweating. We are fat and ex-fat people attempting to get our health back.

IndyTrekking Levels

2008-04-20T15:17:00.003-05:00

I've expanded my various levels of difficulty to five levels, 1-5 with level one being the entry level.

Level One has 6 evolutions - one hour

Level Two has 8 evolutions - one hour

Level Three has 10 evolutions - one hour + half

Level Four has 12 evolutions - one hour + half

Level Five has 15 evolutions - two hours

The idea is to start on Level One and work your way up until a Level Three is the norm. Four is for advanced IndyTrekkers and Five is for - well - for those who are in top shape.

I've completed Level Three twice now and it is taking me right at one hour and thirty minutes.

I'm pretty beat after I finish and stay amped up for hours, where the slightest exertion makes me sweat and we haven't come close to warm weather yet.

Fractionation Tower Climbing

2008-04-16T08:44:00.007-05:00

Climbing towers like these usually take an enormous amount of energy, especially if after returning to the ground, a person goes back up for a second time.

This particular tower has 8 sets of ladders averaging about 30 feet each.

The view from the top landing is its own reward.

After ascending/descending this tower, the next evolution should be stairs and then more ladders or walking. by alternating the ladders and the stairs, you exhaust the various muscle groups and can be quite aerobic in nature.

Remember to not push yourself too hard, but keep your heart and breathing rate high enough to get a good work-out.

Activity and calories burned over a one hour period.

2008-04-14T11:53:00.002-05:00

(Calorie amounts are approximate - gender, age, ethnicity, muscle mass, and other individual characteristics aren't factored in these data)

Calories Used:
-Walking (moderate movement) in the park 130 per hour
-Bicycling, (6 mph). 135 per hour
-Mall type shopping; walking through stores at an active pace, trying on clothes, carrying packages, (not resting on benches) 135 per hour
-Light exercise, walking 2 1/2 miles per hour, sweating somewhat 250 per hour
-Lawn mowing, using a push mower, (bending down often to remove rubbish from the way) gathering up leaves and carrying them away 295 per hour
-Playing golf, pushing a bag cart (with wheels) and walking between holes, some sweating 300 per hour
-Bicycling, (12 mph), 385 per hour
-Hiking, Rock Climbing, uphill 390 per hour
-Dancing to Rock and Roll Music 400 per hour
-Step Aerobics, 400 per hour
-Power walking, 4 1/2 miles per hour (almost a jog), 400 per hour
-Walking up and down steep stairs in your own home (12 steps to each set of stairs), 425 per hour
-High Impact Aerobic Dance, 440 per hour
-Spinning class in a gym, 440 per hour
-Racquetball, football, hockey, basketball 460 per hour
-Jump Rope, 480 per hour
-Bicycling, (12 - 14 mph) 530 per hour
-Circuit Weight Training, using heavy enough weights to allow only 8 - 12 reps per set, 540 per hour
-Stairclimbing 125 - 140 sets of stairs 600 per hour
-Jogging (5 miles per hour) 600 per hour
-Squash 650 per hour
-Heavy, vigorous running 10 miles per hour, 700 per hour

Source: Compiled by Helen Ann, Public Health Educator using various health education resources including Utah State University textbooks

Dieting only - no exercise

2008-04-13T06:14:00.001-05:00

Dieting only:

Whether or not diets work, diet is still only one half of the puzzle of weight loss. If you use more energy than you eat then you will lose weight - it's a simple physical fact.

There are about 3,500 calories in a pound of body weight. To lose one pound a week, you must consume about 500 fewer calories per day than you metabolize. Most fad diets, if followed closely, will result in weight loss -- as a result of caloric restriction. But they are invariably too monotonous and are sometimes too dangerous for long-term use. Moreover, dieters who fail to adopt better exercise and eating habits will regain the lost weight -- and possibly more.

Vocab & Lawn mowing as a work-out

2008-04-09T06:55:00.002-05:00

Fartlek, which means "speed play" in Swedish, is a form of conditioning which puts stress mainly on the aerobic energy system due to the continuous nature of the exercise. The difference between this type of training and continuous training is that the intensity or speed of the exercise varies, meaning that aerobic and anaerobic systems can be put under stress. Most fartlek sessions last a minimum of 45 minutes and can vary from aerobic walking to anaerobic sprinting. Fartlek training is generally associated with running, but can include almost any kind of exercise.

Farlek is a form of cross-training.

Next is using lawn mowing as a form of exercise. Hop off that riding mower and get your self-propelled mower going, but do not self-propel - push it as much as possible for a terrific upper and lower body work-out.

The Stair Climbing Workout

2008-04-06T14:21:00.002-05:00

Stairs are Everywhere and They Provide a Great Workout
© Jan Beecher Apr 19, 2007

Stairs provide a quick and readily available workout that can be easy or intense. High calorie burning aerobic exercise. Safety tips and training program suggestions. Stair climbing may be the fastest and most convenient way to get an excellent aerobic workout, no matter what your fitness level.

It is the perfect downtown or rainy day workout. The stairs can be anywhere-at home, in an office building, an apartment building, a park, or even a hotel or cruise ship.

Stepping up on a stair is great work for the leg muscles and butt muscles. It’s more work than running because each step requires the lifting up of the entire body’s weight through the height of the stair, using just one leg. You get even more of a workout going downstairs which involves negative contraction of the quadriceps, intensifying the workout considerably.

Calories Burned: Using the stairs as an alternative to the elevator or escalator is excellent exercise and can burn about 500 calories per hour, depending on your weight. Running upstairs, however, bumps you into a whole new training class - burning in the range of 1000 calories per hour! That is comparable to running a 6.5 minute mile. Stair Climbing can be an awesome addition to your running program and can replace a hill or speed workout to add variety to your training.

A serious workout: If you choose to do a stair climb, treat it as a serious workout and

-Do a warm up that includes quadricep and calf stretches and a few flights of stairs at an easy pace
-Bring water, keep hydrated.
-Always wear good running shoes, leave the oxfords and the pumps under your desk. Concrete stairs can be especially hard on the joints.
-Be careful of corners and knee alignment, being conscious of how you take corners can prevent a twisted knee or ankle.
-Do a cool down that includes a walk as well as hamstring, calf and quad stretches.

Pace Yourself: Don’t go crazy the first time out, whether you are a novice or a seasoned marathon runner. That is the beauty of stairs, you can start with one or two flights and then take the elevator the rest of the way. Or, if you are in training, control the intensity by running one flight and walking the next. Set a goal of increasing the workout by one flight of stairs per week.

Be Safe: Keep these safety precautions in mind

-If you are in a large building be sure you can exit the stairway easily. Many stairways are locked at the floor exits. Be sure to bring a key, arrange to have someone meet you at your exit floor or bring your cell phone.Let someone know what you are doing, where you are doing it and when you should be back.
-Let someone know what you are doing, where you are doing it and when you should be back.
-Walk your route first time through to be aware of any hazards.
-Watch out for doors opening!
-Don’t forget to have a fun!
http://fitness.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_stair_climbing_workout

2008-04-05T15:07:00.002-05:00

I completed my first IndyTrek today...WOW. Having little time to exercise at home and maybe a little extra time at work, this works out well.

I have to admit half way through the first stage I wanted to quit. I did not quit and I completed Level One of our Trek in under an hour.

I believe this industry could use this type of exercise to stay physically fit. Mike

Level One and Two today

2008-04-05T14:15:00.006-05:00

Today I felt pretty good and I completed what I am now calling LEVEL TWO in less than an hour. It consists of what at first was LEVEL ONE as I was told by my coworkers that it was too much for beginners - so I changed it.

In this photo you see a coworker on his first LEVEL ONE IndyTrek and he still has one set of stairs to complete and a half mile walk after he's done (with this long set of ladders).

The only difference in LEVEL's ONE & TWO are the number of evolutions required. Today I wrote a LEVEL THREE, but have yet to attempt it and I set the time at 80 minutes.

10 Reasons to Work Out That Have Nothing to Do With a Sexy Bod

2008-04-04T18:48:00.002-05:00

10 Reasons to Work Out That Have Nothing to Do With a Sexy Bod

Posted By John Wesley On April 3, 2008 @ 1:45 am The greatest challenge in developing a permanent exercise habit is finding motivation that lasts. It’s easy to get to the gym when you’re preparing for that big beach vacation or want to look great for your high school reunion. But what about the rest of the time?

For much of my life I followed a pretty consistent pattern:

Get a bit fat.
Start to hate the way I look.
Hit the gym with a vengeance for a few weeks.
Start to look noticeably better.
Smugly enjoy my new found vanity.
Lose motivation and stop working out for a few weeks.
Repeat from beginning.

Vanity, it turns out, isn’t a great longterm motivator for most people. It wasn’t until I associated exercise with rewards beyond physical appearance that I was able to get myself to the gym 5-6 times a week without any lapses.

To help you bring consistency and enthusiasm to your exercise schedule, here are some powerful reasons to work out that have nothing to do with looking good.

1. Testosterone

This one is mostly for the gents (sorry ladies) and it applies to weight training. Testosterone is the essence of manhood. When you lift weights and gradually increase the level of resistance, your muscles produce testosterone. This gives you the energy, stamina, and aggressiveness you need to take on the world.

On days after a big weight training work out, I’ve experience a significant increase in energy. I tend to pop out of bed (I’m usually groggy) and feel more vigorous over the course of the day.

2. Clarity and Concentration

An active body has been linked to an active mind. The more consistently you exercise, the less prone you’ll be to grogginess and lapses in concentration. As anecdotal evidence of this, my best cure for writer’s block has always been going for a long walk, run, or hitting the gym.

3. Reflection

Exercise is a time to let your mind unwind while your body does the work. Strangely, when you stop actively trying to solve a mental challenge, the solution often pops into your head. Exercise is an opportunity for your subconscious mind to put together the pieces.

4. Enjoyment

Working out needn’t be seen as a chore or obligation. There are tons of enjoyable ways to exercise. For example, if you live in a scenic area, going for a run or bike ride along a beautiful route can brighten things up. Since I moved to Los Angeles a couple months ago, running on the beach has gotten me out the door much more frequently.

Other great options include: using exercise as a chance to spend time with friends and family, playing a sport or game, striving to achieve new personal bests, week after week.

5. Cleansing

Have you ever gone a couple weeks without exercise and noticed that you begin to sweat an exorbitant amount? That’s because sweat, along with toxins, tends to build up over time. Sweating regularly through exercises removes these toxins and will help you feel more comfortable.

6. Better Sleep

Studies have shown that exercise improves sleep. I love my sleep, so this is big for me.

7. Longer Life

When you choose to exercise, you’re making an investment, not just in your present physical appearance, but in the rest of your life. People who exercise regularly live longer and stay healthier into old age. If not for yourself, consider the family members that love and depend on you.

8. Stress Relief

Exercise has also been shown to reduce stress. This is a combined result of the benefits of cleansing, reflection, and a physical outlet for frustration.

9. Superior Strength and Endurance

About 4 years ago I went through a rough stretch where I gained 15-20 pounds in only a few months. Being unfit drastically changed the way I could move my body. It threw off my balance and made everyday tasks more difficult and uncomfortable. By exercising regularly, you’ll be better able to live and act, and in the event of an emergency, seize the moment.

10. Self Confidence

The sum of all these benefits is self confidence. (And, yes, looking good will help here too.) Greater self confidence is drives success, so its value can’t be underestimated. Exercise and fitness are an enormous part of reaching your potential.

How do I?

2008-04-04T04:26:00.005-05:00

I am basically a stay at home Mom and do not have access to buildings, steps/stairs and ladders. How can I IndyTrek?

The answer is really quite simple, but not near as demanding as climbing a steady diet of stairs and ladders.

You have to plan your walking strategy as before. Think about where stairs are located in and around your locale. Maybe the local hospital or high-rise bank building. With a friend if possible, visit the various places and work your way up and down the steps. It is the most natural inclination to take the path of least resistance when traveling, but IndyTrekking is all about taking the path of most resistance and that is the key to figuring out how to do it.

Examples are: Park in the corners of larger parking lots each time you shop and incorporate the walk into your daily movements.

Take stairs instead of escalators and elevators whenever feasible.

Walk instead of riding if the locale is safe and time and clothing are not an issue.

Walk mow your yard and you would be amazed at how far you walk when moxing on foot.

Wear a backpack when walking in the Park. Load it first with about 20 pounds (10 kg wil do).

Yesterday, I dropped my car off at the dealership which was 6 miles from my house. I was wearing slip-on sandals, but decided I would attempt to walk home and if the sandals proved to be a problem, I would call home, which I did just past the 4 mile mark. Regardless, I walked at a good pace for one hour and ten minutes.

2008-03-30T17:01:00.000-05:00

Baytown Bert,

I am from Georgia, and enjoy your articles very, very much. Sometime I have a hard time trying to decide if it’s your Brilliance, Talent, or just Good Common Sense that makes me have such a high regard for your columns. My wife, and I deeply enjoy your articles. Bert, your way of thinking has made us both better Citizens, with an enhanced appreciation of things, including ourselves.

We are 50 (something years of age, ha) and believe you are definitely a writer of our generation. You convey so well the principals and beliefs that we grew up with back in the day. But because of your tremendous talent, you make it where ALL generations can understand and appreciate it. Bert, you have such a COOL, good way with words, and communicate the message real WELL.

Your latest article about Industrialtrekking exercise is another one of your great suggestions on how helpful and useful we can be, with your creative, common sense approach. Think of all the benefits people could have just by doing your simple exercise. The benefits are countless. The only group that may not gain from your suggestion would be the Medial Association, ha. We (and our employers) would greatly benefit from good health, by following your simple Industrialtrekking exercise. If we follow your suggestion, perhaps (maybe probably?) we all can enjoy a longer healthier life, in my opinion.

Bert sorry for this long comment. This is the first time that I have ever wrote any comments to be published. Baytown Bert, to my wife and I, you are our favorite Columnist, the greatest. We appreciate and thank you very much.

Alan

2008-03-30T15:20:00.000-05:00

What all do we need do to post our comments? Do we need to use a word verification, and user's name? I noticed in the comment section these were 2 fields, but not sure if they are required or not? Just want all the good folks in Baytown to know that you are our favorite writer, here in Stone Mountain Prison, ha...Just kidding! Cheers, Alan

Well, Alan, I think there is a comment box where you can add a comment, but so far I've been posting what folks send me in email. I'm not sure how much I'm going to publicize this site, but maybe a lot.

BB