MORE FUZZY RELATIONSHIPS
Hiking, Football and...BEER!

On New Year's Eve Eve, as part of a local club hike on the leg-challenging, steep streets of Pottsville, PA, we toured the Yuengling Brewery. Yo, not just any brewery, mind you, this is "America's Oldest Brewery" located in Pottsville proper and dating back to 1829. Settled by German immigrants, this anthracite mining region has a rich past: http://www.easternpa.com/pottsville/walk.html

As for football: between 1925 and 1928, it was home to the NFL's Pottsville Maroons (Boston Bulldogs, later), a top-notch team involved in a controversial season with the Chicago Cardinals. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pottsville_Maroons

Under 5th generation family owner, Dick Yuengling, the beer company expanded distribution of their PA beers to include the Mid-Atlantic and the South with Georgia holding out for the moment. Try all their great flavors if you can find them: http://www.yuengling.com/ If in Eastern PA, visit Pottsville, have a brewery tour beer sample, and hike near-45deg. grades of cracked and uneven brick sidewalks as training for Borah Peak and Katahdin via the Knife Edge.

ARE WE THERE YET?
Gauging Foot Distance, Sort Of...

Besides depending on a pedometer or GPS, calculating miles/yards/feet covered or yet to be covered, can be a talent, part of Sense 6, or an art form. Some claim they can feel it in their legs or by the amount of time used. Call these 'experience,' hey? A pedometer's measure varies with step length, a GPS, every which way and based on lat/long.

Here, we use the football/athletic field measuring stick.

Americans relate well to football and the field it's played on, so using it as a gauge of trail distance should be easy... sort of. A football field, goal to goal = 100yds. or 300ft. One mile = 5280ft or, divided by 300, yields 17.6 football fields, 1760yds. Of course, that's a grassy, flat linear length: there are no rocks, roots, mud, ups, downs, streams, and tedious switchbacks. See end-to-end, width, etc., here: http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2001/NinTam.shtml

Often, a football field is within an oval running track, length: 1/4 miles or 5280 divided by 4 = 1320ft or 440yds. Here, use your spatial skills to unroll the oval into a straight line for a linear .25 mile, another gauge within the same arena. But, again, no ups, downs, etc.

Football players can probably relate best of all and, well, this yardstick ain't perfect, but how far for a first down (max.)? For starters, visualize that distance and hike your hike as a series of first downs (or goal-to-goal touchdowns). Awe your camp group by describing the spring as 30yds away (3 first downs), e.g., and it is!

So if you're the "Are we there, yet?" impatient type, watch more football and learn the field. Hopefully, the above will prove helpful with your next trek stretch.

Note: If you think this football analogy/measure/math is a stretch, check this: http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showstory.cfm?ArticleID=5861

BEYOND THE LIMIT: Everest Series Repeats

The last 6 Tuesday evenings, we faithfully watched the Discovery Channel's Everest: Beyond the Limit - must-see, mind-blowing content for mountaineers, high pointers, and all armchair wanabees.

"The series' greatest achievement is how it illustrates the dangerous commercialization of Everest, capturing both the heroism and hubris of the climbers who go there." ---Allen Breed, Associated Press, 11/7/06

On Sunday, Dec 24th (possibly the 31st), the entire series will be repeated for those who missed it. Watch it or tape it or watch and tape it. Why? Because it's there! Check your local TV/cable schedule for exact times. Click the link below for expedition info, video clips, altitude facts, game, puzzles, and more.

http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/everestbeyond/everestbeyond.html

WORKIN' ON THE SOUTHWEST, Plus a chilly Mt. Sunflower

The Highpointer's Club skydivers, Lois and Randall Horne, gave up their usual 'turkey day' weekend to get 'er done in the Southwest. From NY state they flew to El Paso, rented a car, and camped 2 nights at Guadalupe NP to bag TX then moved on to Wheeler. (Summit pic - left). They climbed this one the long way, 14.2 mi. rt, for a tiring trek. Snow fell amounting to 2 in. on their return and partially covered the trail, cause for some concern.

OK was next. "Easy," said Lois, and "the flat-topped Black Mesa would have made for a fun hp skydive." On their descent, a couple they met heading up mentioned Kansas - not too far away - and the Hornes were off on an unplanned side-trip to Mt. Sunflower. But, as they drove across the Kansas plain to their destination, the weather turned nasty. They maneuvered dusty dirt roads leading to their #21. Freezing fog festooned this "cute" state high point and visibility was poor though they didn't miss much of a view, flat every direction even at 4039 ft. (Ice on KS hp fence - right).

Back home in Waterville, NY, with 4 new ones gained: TX/NM/OK/KS, could these fearless hp newcomers now be scheming a few highpoint sky dives twixt 21 and 50? Hmmm....
Even more mysterious: What are The Highpointer's Club rules on this approach? Can you descend to a hp and then descend again? Or, must you always ascend and then descend?

Note: For an answer we phoned Roger Rowlett, HP Club guru stationed in the Big Apple. He said there are no club hp access criteria. You can sky dive to a high point, helicopter to it, do a balloon, a jet plane, rocket, a flying carpet, whatever. Cool. Is HighPointing fun, or what?