127 Hours: A movie review

Josh loves scary-situation/"I shouldn't be alive" entertainment. He made me watch Frozen, which I couldn't even watch most of. But when we heard they were making a movie based on the book Between a Rock and A Hard Place, written by Aron Ralston, we wanted see it. 127 Hours was actually being filmed this spring when we were in Robber's Roost/Hanskville area.

As avid canyoneers and lovers of the desert, we had to go see this movie.

The premise: Aaron is a bad-boy outdoor enthusiast who takes a solo (first mistake) trip to the outer area of Canyonlands, Utah to descend Blue John Canyon. He triggers a choke stone to fall on top of him, pinning his arm between the stone and the rock wall of the canyon. There he sits, stands actually, for six days until he finally frees himself by cutting off his arm with a cheap and dull pocket knife. All this we knew going into the movie. So I knew it was going to be somewhat painful to watch and was bracing myself for an hour and a half of being stressed out.

Before seeing this movie, I held ZERO respect for Aron Ralston. He was stupid and careless in his quest for adventure, and I do not approve of his selfish and self-righteous attitude. And to top it off, he made millions by doing what you're not supposed to do.

There are simple rules that Josh and I always follow when going into the backcountry.

1- Never go alone

There is safety in numbers. Had Aron been with another person, that person could have left him with water and food and gone for help, he would have only had to sit in that canyon scared and worried for a day at most!

2- Be prepared for the worst

Always carry more water than you'll need, and an extra layer and some extra food

Aron kind of followed this, no one is ever prepared for a week-long stay when setting out for a day trip- but he could have had more water.

3- Tell at least TWO people where you are going and when you plan to be back.

Everytime Josh and I go anywhere away from home, we tell someone in Jackson, usually a friend who knows the area in which we are headed and then Josh's mom, or my mom... they are most likely to worry if they don't hear from us and call SAR (search and rescue). Now make sure the first people you call when returning to civilization are those two people so tax dollars are not unnecessarily spent. And stick to your schedule! don't take side trips too far off your plan! No one will find you if you're not where you said you'll be. Aron didn't answer the phone when his mom called and told no one where he was- even remotely!

4- Check the Weather!

Especially when decending into canyons, once the walls are high, you can't see the sky anymore and rain in the desert=flash floods. Of course, mountaineering and climbing and even just backpacking can be very dangerous if the weather turns on you. SO check the weather and check it again before you leave for any kind of backcountry trip. Aaron, luckily did not get caught in a flash flood, otherwise most likely would have drown.

Okay- so all that being said about why I did not respect of like this man, the movie was fabulous!

James Franco is very nice to look at and more importantly is a phenomenal actor!

The movie kept close-up pain staking footage to a minimum and used a lot of flash backs and hallucination scenes to break up the monotony of "Aron" being pinned by a rock. He had lots of revelations about how is actions have lead up to this time in his life. He realized he should call his mother and sister more often. He realizes that he is alone figuratively and physically because of the choices he has made in his life. Walking away from the movie, I almost liked the guy again. But still hold no respect for his foolish actions.

My only real problem with the movie is that it showed my favorite place in the world and truly captured it's essence- bad for us, it may send lots of gorpers to the canyons of Utah we hold so dear...

Our first canyon, only a mile or two from Blue John where Aron was trapped.

I swear this tree was in the movie

Pine Creek in Zion, UT. The most technical of canyons we have descended thus far.

It's like a cave-but cooler!

Antelope Canyon, totally non technical that if you're interested in Canyons, you should start here, in Page AZ.

Overall I recommend you see the movie. But (Mom, Barb) if you do go see it, know that Josh and I are safer than this-don't let it scare you. You cannot control nature, and we know that! We are always prepared for the worst, and we never descend a canyon that we can't get out of. We never pull a rope until we know that we are in the right place, and we always tell you where we are going!

Magical, Mystical Mind of Trish

I had an interesting conversation in the hot tub the other night. The woman I was talking to lives here and was very interested to find out my "story." Mostly the story about how I ended up in Jackson Hole. My simple answer is always: "Broken engagement and I decided I was tired of being responsible." Both true, both also very vague. The next question is always, "but why Jackson?" That to me is the answer. Jackson Hole... it just made sense.

But WHY JACKSON?

Jackson is surrounded by mountains. Beauty on every corner. Friendly people (for the most part). Jackson is a playground year round. And when the going gets tough in Jackson, you're not too far from some other really cool playgrounds. All of these very rational reasons to choose a place to live.

The funny thing is I had never been here. I had not really even seen pictures so much... I didn't move out here with a group of friends. The only real thing I was going on was that Lola said I would love it here. Lola is a friend of the families; I barely knew her personally. It all just fit together. I was moving to Jackson Hole. I would stay with Lola for a month or so and get a job and make friends and make a life. I did.

However, tonight I started to get the impression that maybe Jackson Hole is the one doing the methodical choosing of her residents. There are some interesting stories about how people ended up in JH. I know a guy whose van broke down here twenty-five years ago. I know a woman who was planning on moving to Oregon, made a pit stop here and stayed, Uhaul in tow. I get the feeling that this area- whatever you want to name it- is a magical place that chooses its residences with careful planning.

Jackson Hole is a vacation spot for most people. Tourism is our biggest industry- Jackson brings in 3 to 4 million people a year, yet has a population of roughly 8,600 (town limits). How is it that more people don't just stay?

My only guess is that it has to to with the type of people. The people that visit range from cross-country, RV-driving retirees to families of six to young professionals to spring breakers. (I'm going to generalize and stereotype here) A lot of tourists, in the winter months especially, are über rich professionals from back east. I'm willing to bet that the money is what keeps them in their home towns. The money, the glitz, the cars, the wardrobes, the fancy restaurants (which we do not lack here, but you get my point). The "city folk" stay in the city because it's what they need to survive.

Those of us that end up in Jackson Hole, are polar opposites to the "city folk." Speaking for myself, and quite possibly the rest of the population of this valley: We need big spaces, open air, mountains, fresh air and water... we need adventure!!

I think that this valley knows that in some way... it draws people like me, and Josh and Brandi and Scherba and Steiner and.... it draws us in. There is some mystical, cosmic force. And I am GLAD it found me!

Outdoorsy VS girly?

Why does a girl have to choose?

Why can't a girl have it all?!?

Why do you have to sacrifice looking sexy while having drinks apres-ski just because you rode hard that day?

Why not spend the day on the hill looking like this:

and transform yourself into something more like this before hitting the bar?

The reason most girls don't bother, is they are under the assumption that it takes a lot (of work and product) to look beautiful and fresh, especially after a day of skiing. Well, I have discovered the secret. And I'm going to share it with you. The best part: all you need can fit into your jacket pockets (or your climbing bag, a dry box in your kayak, whatever your outdoor poison.)

All you need are four simple things:

1- FACE LOTION

you would be surprised how a simple application of facial lotion can give a refreshed glow to your face.

I use Weleda Almond Moisture Cream (sometimes I use Rose)

If you're concerned with blemishes or redness (I know my cheeks are always very rosy after a day in the snow) you can try a tinted moisturizer.

ORGANIC WEAR (found at Target)

2. CHAPSTICK!!

I know that I can't be outdoors for any length of time without having chapstick with me. Nothing is sexier than smooth lips and you're much more likely to smile and allow your personality to shine through when your lips feel healthy and not chapped!

I have so many brands I cannot point you in a direction. I honestly buy whatever is organic and on sale.

I stick to non-tinted. But for a little extra "umph" you could go with tinted- Burt's Bees has some nice tinted chapsticks.

3. FOLDING COMB(optional)

I rarely actually use one, but when I need one, it's quite nice to have. If you find yourself without a comb it is just as easy to wet your hands slightly in the sink and run your fingers through your hair several times.

4. ESSENTIAL OIL ROLL-ON (optional)

I prefer Khuumba Made "Water Goddess"

(no pictures of the flavor, but all Khumba Made roll-ons are in the same packaging- the Amber is nice too)

Now there is something to be said for planning ahead. If you're planning on having drinks after a day of skiing, wear your brightly colored thermal underwear.

I prefer Capilene 2 zip-necks. Not only does it keep you warm and dry as a while on the hill, but when stripped down to the base layer, you do not appear to be wearing your grandmother's thermals.

Base layers look super sexy paired with a vest. I have a Marmot Power Stretch vest. It's fleece lined so it's practical and it's fitted so it's fashionable.

Top it all off with a bandanna or scarf that matches!

The execution is crucial and luckily, quite simple! When you enter the warm, toasty bar after a long day of skiing, you simply tell your hottie ski-bum boyfriend/date that you would like a PBR (no need to be too fancy) and to please excuse you while you duck into the ladies' room. (sans date this is even easier, just got straight to restroom)...

Step 1: remove crucial items from pockets of your ski jacket and place them on the counter.

Step 2: remove outer wear

step 3: brush hair, WET hair with hands to maximize the removal of ponytail bump.

step 4: rub moisturizer on face, apply chapstick, pinch cheeks just a tad and apply roll on oils if desired

step 5: use whatever accessories you may have on your person (scarf for example) to ad a little something extra to your "outfit"

That's it! You now look fresh and hot!

Ode to the Subbie

**this was written while still on the road, so the timeline is off**

As I lay here in a pool of gear in the back of my Subaru Outback waiting on Josh to get a few runs in on Loveland Pass, I must reflect on my vehicle's performance over the last week.

This is the first true road trip I've been on in my wagon. She's been to a couple of festivals, plenty of car camping trips and 100+ mile trips, but not until this week has she provided transportation, shelter, gear tote and overall comfort for an entire week.

Josh and I set off for an intented loop from Jackson, to Moab to Loveland Pass to Boulder and back home. We left Sunday (19th) evening with bikes, climbing gear, backpacking gear, skis, snowboard, boots, camping chairs, a cooler, clothes and a crash pad. We had the seats down and put as much gear as we could fit into the Sky Box. We left Jackson after dark and drove as far as we could. We eventually found some BLM land in Southern Wyoming and found an out-of the way spot to camp- in the car. See, as much as we love camping: setting up a tent just to sleep in, then take it down, repack it into it's tiny little bag and stuffing it back into the car can be a pain. SO, instead we just took the Backpacks and cooler out of the car, and set up camp in the back of the Subbie. With two inflated Thermarests and sleeping bags that zip together and a couple of fluffy pillows, the back is rather comfortable. Josh and I have it dialed in. In the morning, at the crack of dawn, we were semi-ready to get on the road. I had a lot more motivation to get to Salt Lake City than Josh did, so I drove while he slept in the back. After lunch in SLC, I was pooped, so Josh drove and I took a nap in the back. I woke up just as we were getting into the interesting part of Utah.

The landscape went from flat and vast to spiny, rocky and ancient. It looked like we were driving into the Jurassic period. Southern Utah is beautiful. Unfortunately we were pulling into the desert as the sun was setting, so we pulled off the Interstate on exit 131 and drove through the San Rafael Swell towards Goblin Valley. We were deep in BLM land, so it was quite simple for us to find a nice camp site and catch some shut eye. We were able to find an actual camp site with a fire pit and what seemed to be a pretty nice view, but it was dark, and we were lazy, so car camping won out again. This time around, we discovered that if we set the cooler just outside the door, we could use it as a "bedside table" and enjoy a coldbeer before going to sleep.

We woke up early the next morning, to realize that we were about to get rained on. Quicky-packed the Subaru and headed out just before the rain hit. We high-tailed it to Moab, with the Subaru all disheveled and starting to smell a little like feet. The rain slacked off when we got to Moab, so we decided to put my All-parks pass to work (For $80 a year, you can visit every National Park in the Country- a Teton-Yellowstone is $50, so it's a pretty good deal) and go to Arches. The rain held off long enough for us to see one "gaper" set of arches and explore two off the beaten path.

The bottom dropped off on us so we raced to the Subaru for shelter. Once in the haven of our campsite on wheels, we were able to dry off a tad before heading into Moab. We ate lunch at a Mexican restaurant, where the power went out on us. (Apparently Moab is not built for rain.)

While in Moab, we went to a gear shop to find out some insider information about the area. We bought a harness for Josh and a book on slot canyon exploration. We headed back up the interstate towards Robber's Roost. Just outside of Moab, but before you get into the cast Robber's Roost area, there is a little town called Green River. Green River had quite a selection of hotels, and although the Subbie has proven herself comfy and functional, the idea of being able to spread out a bit and dip in a hot tub was awfully appealing. So we stayed at the best Best Western I've ever stayed in!

After an overnight re-coop Josh and I headed out for the desert! Robber's Roost is an area located between the Colorado River, Green River and the Dirty Devil River about an hour north-west of Moab, Utah. We turned off I-80 onto Hwy 24 and drove about 20 miles west. We turned off on a ranch road and headed 55 miles back into the plateau. As we were driving, we consulted the map over and over again because it just didn't seem that there would be any kind of canyons in this vast open space. Finally, the guide book lead us to a spring, and we were supposed to look for some signatures on a wall, then we would find the mouth of the canyon.

Our first Canyoneering experience was a good one.

We got back to the car with plenty of time to travel 70 miles to the San Rafael Swell before we slept. Again, we slept in the car and woke up to a beautiful day in the desert...

We set off for Music Canyon. After traveling about two miles down Music Canyon, we realized that this canyon was not nearly as interesting as the one we had found the day before, so we turned around and headed for another spot just a few miles away. We still never found the one in the book, but we did stumble across a pretty cool drainage that we followed for about three miles before we had to turn around at 5:30 (did NOT want to get stuck in the desert away from the car after dark).

Josh was pretty upset when I made him turn around...

But when we got back to the car just in time to crack a PBR at sunset, he was pretty happy

From the San Rafael Swell we headed back to civilization. I drove well into the night while Josh slept. I pulled over at a rest stop in Rifle, CO around midnight, slept for a few hours then got up and drove to Loveland Pass.

All-in-All the Subaru has been WONDERFUL to us! She never complained when we drove her through treacherous terrain, she sipped gas when we needed her to conserve and kept up when we needed to trek on! She deserves a bath and a good detailing after her trip to the dessert!!

Waterfalls Canyon Trip

Every day is a new adventure here in the Hole.  This weekend was no exception.  

Josh had a long weekend off work, so he headed to the lake to put around on the Wailer.  I had to work Wednesday until 8, so I told him I would meet him up there early Thursday morning. Wednesday night around 9 or 10, he calls (from the boat) to tell me to plan on backpacking, we're going to do Waterfalls Canyon, which sits between Eagle Rest Peak and Ranger Peak, just to the North of Mt. Moran.  "Okay!" I said cheerily and started repacking my pack for lightweight travel rather than luxury lake-side "boat camping."  

Thursday morning I get up early and head for the park.  Josh and Sherba were out fishing with another friend who works at Signal Mountain Lodge, so I told them to take their time, I was going to lie out.  I sat by the lake at Spalding Bay for about an hour or so, reading, catching a tan and just relaxing.  The boys came to get me, Sherba went home and Josh and I headed out to meet up with Pete and Abby, friends of Josh's, for our hike.  With "Team PBR" all accounted for, we crossed the lake to the base of the mountain to begin our hike.  (if you would like to follow along, click here in a new window and look for Mt. Moran- across from Colter Bay Village, head North a touch and locate Wilderness Falls... from there direct line towards Colter Bay was out route)

Here's a picture of our hike from about mid-way up.  The white stuff (snow) dead center of the picture is about where our camp site was.

Upon first glance, the worst part of the hike was going to be the change in elevation.  Jackson Lake sits at about 6500 feet, Columbine Cascade, where we camped is at 8,000 feet and Wilderness Falls is at 9,400.  Upon arriving at our "dock" we were swarmed with mosquitoes, so we high tailed it up the mountain and record speed.  Once we got out of the mosquito territory, we entered bushwhacking territory.  Eventually, though, we found some semi-flat ground and set up camp.  

We made dinner, drank a couple of PBRs and went to sleep.  The next morning, we woke up bright and early, packed up base camp and went for a day hike up to see Wilderness Falls. 

There was some climbing involved... 

Abby and I kept up with the boys for as long as we could, but we got to the top of Columbine Cascade and noticed that there was some class 4 scrambling that I was comfortable with going up, but knew I would not be so comfortable with on the down climb, so we decided to wait for them about a mile before Wilderness Falls.  I was bummed that I could not see it in person, but I sent Josh with my camera.   The entire time he was gone I was not sure if I was more nervous that he would fall, or drop my camera ;).

The boys came back, cameras in tow and we headed back down to base camp.  Downhill scrambling is super fun! You just get down low and crab crawl the whole way down.  My arms are SORE!! 

We did have a great view for the down-scramble though...

Once at base camp, we loaded up full packs and headed out, thinking this time we would go high and try and miss some of the brush and forest that we hit on the way in.  We found a game trail and cruised for the first mile or so and then hit some seriously THICK growth.  I was not sure if I was stepping on ground or bushes, all the while holding onto poor saplings and bushes trying to keep from tumbling down the side of the mountain.  I will spare you the details of my minor mid-(non)trail breakdown and skip to the end... we made it! Down through the thick, through the thin, through the burn area, through the SWARMS of mosquitoes and to the BOAT!!!

We coined the term "Reverse Normandy," stormed the boat and took off at full throttle (about 8 miles an hour) headed for Leek's Marina- we desperately deserved pizza and beer after that one! 

by the way, although I HIGHLY recommend Chacos for hiking on trails in the summer time, I do not recommend hiking in Chacos when you are off trail...

Well there you have it, my Epic adventure up Waterfalls Canyon.  And as a side note, today Josh and I ran into an old friend of his, who claimed that he attempted the same hike and turned back.  SO, I am feeling VERY accomplished and proud of my physical and mental ability to climb mountains!  

PEACE!!

Tricia