Random musings from the camping trip

[hrj]

Being away from all distractions, electronic devices, broadcast media, etc. does not solve my insomnia. It does, however, take away all my insomnia crutches. This leaves me a great deal of time to lie there not sleeping and not being able to do anything about it. On the up side, I didn't have to get up at any particular time not dictated by bodily functions.

Supposing that the Big One hit while one was hiking along a steep-sided trail that traces the exact line of the San Andreas fault flanked by many large redwood trees. How likely is one to need to try to dodge falling redwood trees? This is assuming that one has continued standing upright, which is actually unlikely. (I like to think of these as "safety awareness thought experiments".)

If, after walking a couple hundred yards from camp, one notices that one's left shoe is mildly uncomfortable in the toe, it is a Good Thing to go back and change shoes before going on a 12-mile 6-hour hike. I am no dummy. I did a Good Thing.

As a general rule of thumb, "scenic" and "comfortable" exist in a zero-sum relationship. The campground on the other side of Hwy 1 would have been less scenic.

Comments

[cryptocosm.livejournal.com]

Zero-sum? Not in my experience. Scenery may be enhanced by the contrast with the effort to reach it (and the resulting awareness that it won't be shared by those unwilling to make the effort), but it's entirely possible for a place to be beautifully scenic and quite comfortable.

[tafelspitz.livejournal.com]

Agreed. Some adversity in acquiring scenery does enhance the experience. (Rather like how a dash of bitters highlights the other flavours in a drink. For an example of scenery without adversity, the current view from Crater Lake Lodge bears scrutiny.

http://www.craterlakelodges.com/press-room-247056252-818_1394.html

[albionwood.livejournal.com]

The very existence of those large redwood trees in proximity to the fault, suggests that they are not prone to falling over in earthquakes. Otherwise they'd be horizontal already...

[hyperparasitoid.livejournal.com]

I disagree about "scenic" vs. "comfortable." I've experienced a great many highly un-scenic AND un-comfortable places.