I find that Landscape photography is my favorite because of the diverse locations my explorations take me. Some of the most interesting work I do is tracking down Indian ruins and investigating their history.
This blog will be for photos and documentary from the trips. I will save my website for the 'pretty' pictures. Enjoy! www.jaboneagar.com
I have been taking Cody out climbing with me for quite a few years now and Brett is always sad that he can't go on the more extreme climbing trips with me. Now that he is almost 5 and getting more stable, I figured it was time to get him out and climbing. In the San Tan regional park there are a few small peaks that are about a 500 foot climb in elevation from the 1500 foot trail-head. I chose a peak that was 2091 feet tall and we set off.
Instead of following the main trail, I had discovered a vain of rock that looked like it had allot of quartz in it so we followed it up hill. Brett needed to take a break at each of the mines we found. There are four total that we discovered on this vain.
After the mines it got quite a bit steeper and I took time to teach him to use the bigger rocks as footing instead of the loose scree. He did quite well.
Finally after dodging cacti and working our way to the top, Brett made his first summit!
It was nice to have him with me and I asked him if he liked climbing. He said "Well, I like little mountains better not like this..." I asked if he would go again and he said "well if we find a not so steep mountain".
While I was installing a Home Theater in Chandler AZ the home owners Realtor commented on the quality of the work I was doing and asked for my card. We got in contact and he offered me a trade. I would connect his theater in a custom log home out side of Payson AZ for a weekend staying the the cabin. We pulled in Sunday morning and left Monday afternoon but it was quite relaxing end enjoyable. I just wish our lives were not so busy so we could have more thoroughly enjoyed our selves. We toured the trout hatchery, explored on some county roads, and I hiked up to some waterfalls early Monday morning while Tara and the boys slept in. I think we found a new spot to go back to when we have time to camp near the cabin we stayed in.
I took a sanity break from my camera and now that the weather is cooler (85 deg at 6 am) I decided to get out and take some wildlife shots this morning.
We had some lightning the other night. I simply cannot take a lightning picture. I have hundreds of all black pictures and the lightning happens right after the shutter fires. It never fails. I told Tara I need a second camera... one takes a picture and right as it finished, I take one with the next camera. that ought to show the lightning gods who is da boss.
I have wanted to explore a ghost town named ReymertAZ since I first heard about it and found out it was only ~1.5 hour drive from our house. I was further intrigued when I discovered several geocaches (a hidden “treasure” found using latitude and longitude entered in a gps from http://www.geocaching.com/) on the way and one in the ghost town. Family friends of ours; Trevor, Lori, and Kelsi (their little one) are big on exploring and we decided to make a trip to this ghost town on a Monday as Tara and I both have the day off and Trevor gets off work at around 10am.
Tara filled three bottles of water and tossed in some snacks.So we were all packed for what we thought was a pampered dirt road and a quick trip as we needed to be back before Cody got home at 3pm. I brought some radios so we could talk from truck to truck. I had my GPS and a topo map with trail\road level detail with a fairly clear idea of what to expect as I had been reading about this area allot. I had gone exploring near our house last year and I knew of a dirt road that would shave off some miles and time if we drove along some railroad tracks that eventually cross a highway we wanted to get to. There are no other direct routs and it was a simple dirt road. As we made good time up that road, we came upon a “Road Closed” sign. Well Trevor knew or a different road that was the next quickest from where we were. So we followed him. Once on the highway again, we were approaching the trail head from the other direction than I had seen before. Luckily, I had programmed the trail head as a waypoint in my GPS and it was a quick find.It was instantly clear that the trail head was closed just like the previous road. Again, Trevor knew of a different approach into this area. I had looked at this next trail as a possibility as it looked to be the shortest path into the wilderness but it started quite a ways from our house.
Our tires hit the dirt road and we made good time up the trail. We paused for a quick geocache along the trail and that is where the adventure really started. This area was filled with a network of trails leading off into the desert and I was using the gps with its basic map to show our location in this maze and referring to the topo map. I took us about three miles up the wrong leg of a trail before I had the presence of mind to note the grid lines of where we were supposed to be on the topo map with the cords in the gps. Ok, no problem, we turned around and headed back the way we came. I decided to use a different tactic; I used the geocache in the ghost town as a “go to” point turning the gps into a directional guide but as the crow flies not as the road goes. This way I could be sure the turn off was correct due to heading direction. Finally we felt sure we had found the trail turn off and headed up it. The trail quickly got snug with cacti and bushes rubbing the side of the trucks. The GPS showed about 1.5 miles to the ghost town and the trail got more and more tight. Large rocks were becoming the trail and boulders were on both sides causing us to slow to a crawl.I got stuck as I was placing the passenger front tire on a rock that was in the trail. I put the truck in 4x4 and tried again. Well Tara and Trevor ended up spotting me and yelled stop! I had ripped of the front chin spoiler on the truck. Ok, well it was just a corner, no biggie! I got mad and Trevor and I rolled the very heavy rock off the trail. We kept going. I got stuck again and this time it just took a different approach angle to make it through. I could tell that the trail was more than our “Highway truck” was capable of but I know I could make it with my knowledge of off road driving. Hmmm, I also thought that Trevor had as much experience as I because he had done fantastic up to this point.
Well Trevor called on the radio and said he was going to stop and investigate a crumbled structure that he had seen on the right.
We stopped in the middle of the road and scrabbled up the hill side. Trevor and I left the girls and kids back at the first ruins and scrambled up to the next crumbled structure.
Then off to the next.
We were out of ear shot of the girls and I was snapping pictures as I went. After a while I felt that we should head back to the girls and get moving as we had been gone for a while. Tara had been honking the horn for us and I could tell we were gone too long. We continued up the trail a bit more and realized that we had actually passed the geocache and the ghost town as that was what Trevor and I had explored. That was a bum deal but we needed to head back to be there for Cody. I was in the lead and came up to a rock ledge that I knew this truck could not go up easily and I stopped. I decided to walk it first and choose my line. Standing at the top, I knew it would be bad. I walked a bit further up the trail to see what was next and it just got worse. I made the choice to go back the way we came. I reported the news to the rest and since Trevor was behind us, he attempted to turn around first. This begins the rest of the adventure. He got stuck nose to tail across the ravine we were driving in. He was stuck good. The bad thig is that he was completely blocking the road out. Ok, no biggie, been stuck before and have gotten out of worse situations. We placed rocks for traction and Trevor rocked back and forth further digging in. Now I always bring a recovery chain when exploring but not this time. Remember this was supposed to be a graded dirt road? Also, I always have a tow rope under the rear seat… not this time. No shovel, no way to pull him out. Ok, I got out the emergency jack and in the desert mid day heat, successfully lifted three sides of the truck and placed large rocks under the tires to get the truck frame off the ground. On the third and worst wheel the jack slipped on the rock I had under it and bent/ruined the jack. During this, Trevor had climbed a hill out of sight of us to attempt (unsuccessfully) to call his Dad. I, after fighting with a goofy anti theft system, got his truck running and attempted to get out using the three good traction tires I had set up. Nope, just dug in again. Ok, now it has been over an hour and we ruined the jack. I had attempted to fix the jack with a rock as a hammer and got it to work slightly. His jack was missing the handle and our Dodge handle did not mate up with the Chevy version. I am dying from the heat and the water is almost gone. I have three babies, one pregnant woman and one feeding. I know the remaining water needs to go to them. I continued with out. Next I had the idea (With a thought from Tara!) to pull Trevor’s spare tire and use it as a buffer between their rear wheel and my rear bumper. I was going to ram the back of their truck off the road. You see, we were almost out of water, it was very hot, and Cody was now at home by him self. (He has his own key and we told him we might be a few mins late)
I attempted to ram Trevor’s truck as softly as I could as I did not want to damage either truck. We managed to place a dent in his bed while mangling the chrome on the side of his truck , and pop the spare tire. You should have seen me leap out of my truck when I heard the tire hissing! I ran all the way over there before my heart beat once! I was afraid I had popped the tire on the truck. Do you remember I ruined the jack? Could have been really bad!
I was standing there looking at the situation and feeling helpless. I can usually get us out of anything and now my family (and friends) and in danger. Then it hit me, I yanked Brett’s seat out of the truck and cut the nylon webbing out of it. It is rated at 1,000 lbs and it could be used as a tow rope! It was just long enough to allow a knot at both ands and a few inches between the trucks. This just had to work! After breaking the strap a few times, it was too short to use again. We managed to move the truck a few inches. Ok, I suggested we cut a seat belt out of Trevor’s truck as it is thicker webbing. I saw that he did not feel overjoyed with that so we kicked around ideas for a while. It was now 5pm and Cody had been home alone for 2 hours. My fear clicked up the next notch. I cut out the seat belt from his truck and we positioned to try again. This time we tried the back of the truck as it is lighter than the front so this just had to work! Nope! It broke in the middle so there was no trying again. We were out of options. Trevor and I ran up the hill and I was able to call out! I called Cody and he was fine. I called Grandma Perl and she headed over to get Cody. Trevor called his Dad and did the best he could to describe where we were. His Dad had never been to Reymert so Trevor decided to run back to the highway to meet him then show him where we were. So, the impossible task was: Trevor had to hike over 5 miles in the desert, and by the time he would get to the highway, it would be dark. His Dad would have to find him along a highway that stretches almost all the way across Arizona. He only took a half full bottle of Gatorade with him. While he was gone, the light was fading quickly in the valley, so I packed up everything that was scattered around and due to the bugs; we all climbed into the dodge. As I was sitting there, I realized that I was very dehydrated. We had about 6 ounces of water left and I was stuck on the fact that the girls should have it. I sipped on Brett’s water just to wet my mouth and tried to doze off in the wilderness night resting my head on the window. The temp drops sharply at night and it had become quite cold. I also was becoming aware of the cactus needles I had in my leg along with all of the cuts and scratches I had from battling the hill side to make the phone calls and spending hours digging with my hands. I was in a state of mind that I am still reflecting on. There are just a few times in my life where I have felt like things were out of my control. I was exhausted, worried about Trevor in the desert and our lack of water.
At about 8pm, headlights pierced the night behind us and I fell out of the truck to run to the folks headed up the road. It was Trevor and his parents! What is so incredible is that not only had Trevor made it to the highway, but after his parents had driven back and forth on the highway in a particular section that they thought Trevor had described, they found him in the dark! He was dehydrated and sore! Water bottles were passed around and the energy level went back up on everyone. With in minutes, using the recovery chain, I had pulled the truck back onto the road. We got all three trucks turned around and headed out. I don’t remember ever feeling so elated to leave the dirt road behind me as I pulled on to the highway. Usually it is the other way around!
We picked Cody up from Grandma Perl’s house and made it home by 11:30pm.
I broke some rules when it comes to exploring. We were not prepared past the level required for our trip plan. I should have stopped when the trip plan no longer applied to our current situation. Here are a few reminders for the next trip. This applies any time you travel out of your home city or metropolitan area. It is easy to become complacent when traveling even just a short distance from home and we do not always observe these simple rules.
1. Tell someone where you are going. (email a map and time-line if exploring)
2. Bring enough supplies for at least two times the amount of time expected.
3. Know where you are going and set a strict understanding that if a deviation from trip plan happens, there should be a conversation about the changes.
4. Bring tools for repairing vehicles
5. When traveling off road, bring necessary recovery tools in case you get stuck.
I am proud of how Tara handled the situation. She is level headed in an emergency. Even Brett and Ashton were good boys. We were all scared that we were going to be stuck there long enough that we would not make it through due to lack of water. It was a real fear. There have been hundreds of people die in this very wilderness from various causes.
Today, I have repaired the truck and even waxed over the small scratches. I have pulled 6 needles from my skin and there are a few that broke off leaving their poison tips in my skin. Just think, we could have put ReynertAZ back on the map as a populated town.
A few of the better ones from this morning. I spent almost 2 hours taking about 20 pictures. For the most part 7 am was the perfect time to catch the wildlife energetic before it got warm.
This one bellow has water drops in the air as it shook it's wings.
Another moon picture. Starting to wish for a big telescope with a star tracking system. Hmmm, that will have to be a mid life crisis purchase as it could cost as much as a used corvette!
Ok, I think I screwed up here. Our house was a bit dirty and Brett was running around making it worse. We had just watched Multiplicity last week and I had this idea to try cloning my son but not with the results from the movie. (I don't need drooling 4 year old boys running around) I just wanted to have some help cleaning up.
I went into the garage where I keep my bins of electrical goodies (Junk) and discovered that I my robot parts from school. I connected a Vector Phase Coupler to the Poly Ball Bearing connecting arm. Using a high voltage, liquid particle stream, I realized that I could replicate free hydrogenous ions causing a shift in pH. Well long story short, I wanted to test it on the neighbor hood cat but it was no where to be seen. I got it to replicate a cricket that was in the yard so it was time to try it on Brett. Well it discharged once then for some reason, my laptop controller glitched (Win XP sucks) and it latched in a looping mode. Well I pulled the USB connector and it shut off. I looked up to see a disaster.
Here is a picture of 10 Brett's loose in our yard. I have no clue how to fix this. They are all exactly... him! I don't know who is the original because they all think they were the first. It is now lunch time and three of the Brett's want Mac and cheese and the rest want pizza. Now I have to explain this to Tara. Wish me luck .
2-8-09 Browns Peak 7,657 feet tall High point in Maricopa County Trail ~5.2 miles round trip with almost 1,800 feet climbed.
In keeping with my promise to post trip reports on some of my climbs, here is the latest.
Four Peaks is a mountain in Maricopa county Arizona. It is the high point of the county at 7,657 feet tall. The highest of the four peaks is called Browns Peak and the rest are not named.
I am slightly bummed because I realized that I have never taken a picture of the west slope showing the distinct peaks. Here is a picture from another climb on a mountain about 20 miles south of Four peaks. Having read trip reports to get an idea what to expect, I learned that the long dirt road leading up to the saddle parking lot is long and bumpy. Well the reputation is solid, this road was an absolute blast in our Dodge ram. I brought two guys from work, Cody, and a family friend on this trip and on this dirt road, realized that only Cody knew that I am quite experienced at off road driving and after a few power slides and keeping on the gas when a sensible driver would be breaking, I had a cab full of wide eyed guys! It was a test of patience to drive slow and smooth but we made it to the Browns Peak trail head in the north saddle.
Taking off from the parking lot on Browns Peak trail, we wound through an area that had been burned in the early 1990's and has not recovered much in the passing years. A few remaining pine trees showing scares are all that stand tall. Manzanita bushes are the most common plant for most of the hike on the shoulder of the mountain. Manzanita is an unusual plant as it has a dark orange and smooth trunk and branches. Fresh berries and branch tips can be soaked in water and drunk, making a refreshing cider. When the bark curls off, it can be used as a tea for nausea and upset stomach. The younger leaves are sometimes plucked and chewed by hikers to deter thirst. The most intriguing thing about this plant is when dry, the wood burns very hot and with little smoke. This is something I experienced when living in California and camping allot. Rounding the mountain, the trail heads south and takes us to the beginning of the class 3 scrambling up a scree filled couloir. This couloir or trough as it is also called, is fairly treacherous due to the loose rock and scree. We kicked many rocks loose, sending them tumbling down bellow. We were one of three other groups on the mountain during this time and fortunately we were widely spaced or there might have been some bruises from falling rocks! Once at the base of this couloir, you will be climbing the next almost 1,000 feet to the summit in this. There were several areas where snow/ ice was wall to wall making a high angle obstacle. Incredibly, the rock cliffs rise straight up on either side of the trail. Cody is seen here playing spider man on the frozen solid snow. After a few smaller ledges slowed us down, we made the 15x15 foot summit! We stayed on the summit for almost 25 minutes taking in the spectacular 360 degree views. Just before he headed down, I took a shot of the other three peaks. Looking west, the foothills of Four peaks was surprisingly green for being in the desert of The Valley of the Sun. Once out of the couloir and back onto the foothills, we paused for a group photo. A handy rock made a willing tripod. We again passed the standing dead trees on the north slope. Almost back to the truck, we passed a large rock that after admiring for a minute we decided it looked like Snoopy's head! Once back in the truck, we decided to take a different rout back home and pass Rooseveltreservoir then take Apache Trail back into the valley. This section of dirt road would be easily traveled in a car and was much shorter. Later on the Apache Trail, we paused at Canyon lake to take in the sunset colors and look back at the mountain we spent the day climbing. Browns Peak was a challenge I really enjoyed. The view was spectacular and as I repeatedly said while on the mountain... I will be back one day
I have a passion to spend time in the great outdoors and feel the anxiety and stress flow out of me. One way to "recharge" my batteries is to climb mountains. There are several steps I go through that leave me energized for a long tome. First, the mental preparation of such a difficult task. Second, while on the ascent, I have to reach deep inside for the strength to finish the climb when exhaustion overwhelms. Third, the indescribable feeling of reaching the summit. Fourth, is a combination of finally reaching the car and heading home to sleep!
I called my friend Ben, after setting up plans with two other acquaintances to climb Longs Peak in Estes Park Colorado , to invite him along. So the plan was set to make the climb on Saturday the 27 th . Ben and I worked for the same employer and after an 8 hour Friday at work, we packed the car and met up with my two other friends that had slept most of the day in preporation, the four of us left Colorado Springs at 10:30pm. We arrived in Estes Park CO at 12:45am and lined up on the trail head at 1am. We signed the registry and kicked of at a quick pace often out walking the light of our headlamps.
The trail wound through the trees and passed streams that we could only hear. Slowly the trail became gradually steeper and we finally broke tree line. The temperature had dropped noticeably and the trail was getting steeper. None of us had ever seen this mountain in the light so we had no idea what was past the headlamps. We worked our way through some steep switchbacks and noticed small specs of light from three other teams climbing on what I thought was the night sky. They were so far up from where we were I was having a hard time getting a grasp on the size of this mountain.
We were still making a blazing fast pace and eventually passed all the groups we had seen climbing. It was startling to catch movement off the trail and to whip my headlamp into the face of an exhausted climber resting on his pack! The wind had picked up while the temperature fell even more as we found the trail winding through football sized rocks that had been stacked trail side to mark the way. Soon the ground became so rocky that the trail consisted of piles of rocks. Several times we lost the trail and just headed in the direction we guessed. The Boulder field grew from the football sized rocks to the size of a golf carts. We could hear water running under us in the deeply stacked rocks. At this point we had been awake for 21 hours and fatigue was setting in so we decided to take shelter from the ice cold wind behind the large rocks. I had dressed in a pair of nylon running pants and a fleece so I was quite chilled. I knew I needed a power nap and the rocks were too cold to lay on so I crouched and leaned my shoulder on a rock. I was only able to rest and after 30mins of shivering uncontrollably, we pressed on. Ben had failed to pack any food so I shared some granola bars. By this point we were at almost 13,000 ft and the thin air along with the steep climb slowed us to a careful walk.
(This picture was taken on the way down)
We made it to the Keyhole and spent a few minutes in the rock hut resting. We passed through the Keyhole and on to the narrows.
The trail was marked by red bulls eyes and our headlamps showed a sheer drop-off to our right.
By the time we made it to the bottom of the trough, the morning sunlight had just started peaking over the mountains to the east. We put our headlamps away and started up the trough. This feature is a rock face at about 600 feet tall and at a 45 degree angle. Progress slowed to several steps up then stopping to suck air for 30 seconds then repeat. Getting out of the Trough was a challenge. It involves scrambling up to a ten-foot-high ledge. There are three routes -- left, right, and straight up the granite slab starring you in the face. We chose the direct route, up the granite slab. By the time I reached the top of the trough and stared at the narrow ledge ahead, I knew I was going to make it to the top.
The trail only looked harder but I knew I had just accomplished such difficulty that nothing was going to stop me. This set of ledges is higher and steeper than the narrows behind us but with an even more fantastic view. After briefly slowing our heart rates we pressed on. I was not aware there was a false summit on this climb so when I pushed past the point where I should have rested and clambered to what I thought was the summit, wich was the bottom of the home stretch, I had to build up more energy to push the few hundred feet past 14,000 feet. The home stretch looked impassable as it is much steeper than the trough and at a 60 degree angle.Normally I could not have climbed a wall that steep with out equipment, but thankfully there are numerous rock formations that formed natural hand holds to make it surprisingly easier than I first pictured. Our own fatigue and thin air were more significant obstacles than the wall itself. The final 400 feet up the home stretch seamed as long as the entire trip so far as we could only progress a few feet before resting. When my eyes became level with the summit, I felt the second wind kick in and I launched onto the football field sized summit.
I looked at my cell phone to note the time—7:20am. It took 6 hours and 20 minutes to reach the 14,255 foot summit. It seamed like 20 hours because of my fatigue. Then I realized that I had been awake for 25.5 hours and I needed to rest. The sun was now visible and I made several 360's to try and take it all in. I could see Colorado 's Rocky Mountains in every direction and I was higher than any of them. We took the obligatory smiling (wincing) summit photos and headed down.
The trek down the Home stretch, ledge, and trough were even more difficult for me probably because I had made the summit and there was no longer a huge prize around the next bend and I was beyond exhaustion. I was snapped out of my thoughts by Ben commenting on the large number of climbers making their way toward us. I think we passed about 40 other people making their way to the summit. I felt proud as I passed the struggling climbers because I had already accomplished their obstacles. We made it past the Keyhole and took a break in the boulder field realizing what we had accomplished in the dark. My two acquaintances made a mad beeline off the mountain due to an appointment leaving Ben and I.
We both were out of food and water with 4.5 miles of switchbacks to navigate. We made it back to the car at 11am. I am leaving out most of the events during the hours Ben and I had to overcome our extreme fatigue and the pain in our knees. There were several times where I gave up and sat down almost passing out. Ben pushed me on and I had to do the same for him as we moved on past a level of pain and fatigue worse than I have ever experienced before or since. On the 2.5 hour drive home to Colorado Springs I had to ask Ben to drive as I slept. I awoke to the sound of my car tires going over the ridges on the shoulder and realized he had fallen asleep at the wheel. He pulled over and I took the wheel. We made it back safely and I slept great.
You may not fully understand the level of desire we had to accomplish something great. Making the summit for 30 minutes was enough to recharge me for a long time… well until the next mountain :)
