"I Trust My Friend," by Andrew Knez, Jr. (www.andrewknezjr.com).
Hope everyone got a rousing start to 2012.
I was determined to start it off in proper Frontier Partisans style, so I took up my dog and gun and hit the woods. Lovely day — a light skiff of snow; 36 degrees; a mix of sunshine and cloud that cast everything under a strange golden light. Pretty cool. I am grateful to be able to do such things so conveniently.
Capped it with a vigorous Frontier Partisan biathlon and went home tired and happy.
Watched a little football and read from my most unexpected Christmas present. A woman came out of the local bookstore as I was going in a couple of days before Christmas. She’d tried unsuccessfully to sell a couple of used hardback books and asked if I wanted them. I took “Early Days in the Range of Light.” Didn’t crack it till after Christmas. It’s by an avid Sierra Nevada climber who sought to commune with the spirits of the pioneering Sierra mountaineers by recreating their ascents of dozens of peaks with out using modern gear.
“Daniel Arnold … spent three years retracing the steps of his climbing forefathers, and in Early Days in the Range of Light, he tells their riveting stories. From 1864 to 1931, the Sierra Nevada witnessed some of the most audacious climbing of all time. In the spirit of his predecessors, Arnold carried only rudimentary equipment — no ropes, no harness, no specialized climbing shoes. Sometimes he left his backpack and sleeping bag behind as well, and, like John Muir, traveled for days with only a few pounds of food rolled into a sack slung over his shoulder.”
It’s a delightful read, full of stories about adventurers I did not know — though their names are attached to peaks in the Sierras, where I did some backpacking when I lived in the Golden State. Arnold’s experience is a reminder that all our modern gear and clothing sometimes insulates us too much from the experience of the wild. It’s good to get down close to the bone.
Therein lies my New Year’s resolution.
Greg says
Jim,
I capped off the last year with a week in Baltimore and Washington, DC.
Myself and family visited Arlington National Cemetery, the Vietnam Memorial, Korean War Memorial, WW2 Memorial, El Salvador Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial. We stood silently at the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier then visited President Kennedy’s Eternal Flame.
We stood in front of the White House and walked past the National Monument. We saw, from a distance, both the Martin Luther King and Jefferson memorials.
In Baltimore we spent our time at Federal Hill and on Fell’s Point. Areas rich in American history from Federal Hill and Fort McHenry to the cobblestone streets where once great sailing ships were built and launched. Edger Allen Poe lived and is buried in Baltimore. His spirit is said to haunt the still working tavern “The Horse You Rode In On” near the point.
America for all her troubles and critics today was then and still remains where people from all over the world came to find freedom, opportunity, a new beginning. It was good to be reminded of just how splendid our country is, of how many, many brave men and women have given their lives in both internal and external struggle to preserve it, and how vibrant it can be if only we continue to be believe and never, ever give up.
Happy New Year to the U.S., my friend!
JimC says
Good to hear from you Greg! Thanks for the heartfelt note — and happy New Year to you and yours.
John Maddox Roberts says
Jim,
What’s a “frontier partisan biathlon”?
Also, for a good description of some less-than-modern climbing experience, read Jack Kerouac’s “The Dharma Bums,” which takes place in the late ’40s. People so associate Kerouac with On the Road that they forget he was a wilderness enthusiast.
JimC says
See this:
“By far my favorite workout, though, is what I have dubbed the Frontier Partisan Biathlon. Alternate sets of kettlebell complexes and sprints with shooting. Cranking up the heart rate, then calming it enough to shoot accurately is a huge challenge and it develops skill and fitness at the same time. Beside, it’s really fun, even when you think you’re going to puke.”
John Maddox Roberts says
Kettlebells, sprints and shooting? Shouldn’t that be triathlon?
JimC says
Well, technically, I guess 🙂 I just lump the KB complexes and sprints together as the “skiing” portion of the program.
If it would just @#$!@##$@ snow here, I’d do an actual biathlon. Or a snowshoe biathlon, which would be very Rogers Rangers. Alas, New Mexico has had more winter than we have in Oregon.
John Maddox Roberts says
If I could give you our snow, I would. My car is still sitting where it got stuck two days ago. I’ll probably have to wait until spring to get it out.