Friday, May 21, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Prom
This year I went to two proms. I took my girlfriend to both of the proms. Both of them were very fun and I had a great time being with my friends and seeing all the different vehicles. There were some parts of both proms that I like more than the other.
The first weekend was the prom at my school. Before the grand march we went and took some pictures with friends and then with my class. Then the grand march started. We started with the drive up. I took one of my friends' really nice F-150. Then we walked through the school and at the very end we took out picture for the photographer. Everything flowed really nice. After the grand march, we went to the nearby town and ate at the ballroom there and then we had our dance until about midnight. The dance was probably my favorite part of my schools' prom. Everybody was dancing and having a great time, plus we had a good DJ. The after prom was pretty fun too.
Now just this weekend, I went with my girlfriend to her prom. It was a lot of fun there but the grand march wasn't set up the greatest. I took a really nice '69 Chevy Chevelle that a friends' dad let me borrow. The drive up was fun but after we were done with the drive up, we had to sit around until 5:30 for the actual grand march to start. This wasn't that big of a deal but I liked how at my prom everything just kept moving and we didn't have to stop and wait. We also took the pictures with the photographer before the drive up. After the grand march, we were bussed about a total of two blocks, which was kinda dumb that they wouldn't let us drive, to the community center for the dinner and dance. I was a bit disappointed in the dance because the DJ wasn't the greatest and there just wasn't many people dancing. But I loved the after prom. It was better than the one at my school. They had a Fear Factor game that was really fun to watch. Then after that, there was a hypnotist. This guy had everybody laughing really hard. It was probably the highlight of my night. Also, at the end everybody got a couple prizes whereas at my prom, you had to have your name drawn to win anything. After both proms I went home and slept the majority of the next day.
I had a lot of fun at both of these proms and I have many memories I will always remember.
The first weekend was the prom at my school. Before the grand march we went and took some pictures with friends and then with my class. Then the grand march started. We started with the drive up. I took one of my friends' really nice F-150. Then we walked through the school and at the very end we took out picture for the photographer. Everything flowed really nice. After the grand march, we went to the nearby town and ate at the ballroom there and then we had our dance until about midnight. The dance was probably my favorite part of my schools' prom. Everybody was dancing and having a great time, plus we had a good DJ. The after prom was pretty fun too.
Now just this weekend, I went with my girlfriend to her prom. It was a lot of fun there but the grand march wasn't set up the greatest. I took a really nice '69 Chevy Chevelle that a friends' dad let me borrow. The drive up was fun but after we were done with the drive up, we had to sit around until 5:30 for the actual grand march to start. This wasn't that big of a deal but I liked how at my prom everything just kept moving and we didn't have to stop and wait. We also took the pictures with the photographer before the drive up. After the grand march, we were bussed about a total of two blocks, which was kinda dumb that they wouldn't let us drive, to the community center for the dinner and dance. I was a bit disappointed in the dance because the DJ wasn't the greatest and there just wasn't many people dancing. But I loved the after prom. It was better than the one at my school. They had a Fear Factor game that was really fun to watch. Then after that, there was a hypnotist. This guy had everybody laughing really hard. It was probably the highlight of my night. Also, at the end everybody got a couple prizes whereas at my prom, you had to have your name drawn to win anything. After both proms I went home and slept the majority of the next day.
I had a lot of fun at both of these proms and I have many memories I will always remember.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Fishing
It's 5:30 in the afternoon. I'm just getting off of work. I walk out the doors of the business that I work at located in a small town located in southwestern Minnesota. The day is finally over and now I get to go enjoy the rest of my day. Quickly, I leave the shop and jump in my truck. I drive up to the local gas station and fill my truck up and grab a piece of pizza along with a couple other things. Then I get back into my truck and head out of town to pick up a buddy of mine. Earlier we had made plans to go fishing. I pull up to his house and we put his fishing pole, tackle box, and cooler in the box of the truck. Now we're off to my house to grab my pole, tackle box, bucket and anything else we might need. We check the bait that we had bought to use a few days ago, but sure enough, all of it was dead. O well, we have PowerBait! We get back into the truck and drive down the road headed for the lake that we have heard of some fish biting at. On the way we discuss a few things, including our bet for the night. The bet was decided to be for the first fish caught, first keeper, and biggest keeper. For each of these we would give the other a $1 scratch off lottery ticket. That gave us the chance to win $3 of lottery tickets which could possibly give us even more money. As we pull up to the lake we notice something we hadn't really thought about earlier when we made the plans. It was pretty windy out. Earlier in the day is was dead calm so we thought it would be a great day to go fishing. We didn't realize that the wind had picked up more than we thought it did. We see the waves but we go fishing anyways. We got there just in time because as soon as we get out another truck pulls up and the people get out to get some fishing in too. The spot we decided to fish on had water washing over it quite a bit whereas the other day we went fishing when it was calm, there was no wind so it was a pretty dry area. It was a good thing that I had worn my waterproof boots that I still had on from work. I walked out into the little crick and stood on a couple rocks where the water was just washing over my feet. My buddy stood up on a big rock on the edge because he didn't have waterproof boots on. We casted out multiples of times. I caught the first fish. A small crappie. That meant I got a dollar scratch off. Next, my buddy caught a few more small crappies and a small sunfish. Also, he had a carp that bit his hook. We almost had it landed but then it snapped his line. When he put the new lure on, he seemed to be having a lot of luck with it. He caught a lot of small crappies. Then he hooked another nice sized fish. This one was a bullhead. He almost had the fish in his hand when it snapped his line. That's two fishing lures that fish had made off with. We spent about another half hour there but didn't have much luck after he lost the second hook. At this point, despite my boots being waterproof, my feet were soaked. There was quite a few waves that washed over the tops of my boots. Right before we decided to leave, I caught another small crappie but we decided to call it quits being as not much was biting. My buddy caught the first and biggest keeper since we had only caught one worthy of keeping. Now I owe him a couple scratch offs. We had a great time just hanging out together and are looking forward to the next time we go back. Hopefully the next time won't be so windy.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Timber Lake Road
Tonight a few of my friends and I are going to a haunted road. This road is actually called Timber Lake Road. We have heard rumors and stories about hauntings that have gone on there and we want to see for ourselves if they are really true or if these people are just yanking our chain. I have heard stories about if from both of my brothers so I am really interested. There are 10 other people that are going to be going with us so obviously we are going to have to take two vehicles. A couple of the people have to leave early anyways so that'll work out just fine.
There are a few different stories that I have heard about the road so I am curious to see for myself. One of the stories is that supposedly when you are driving along the road your brakes won't work. In the midst of your brakes not working, a red Corvette comes out of the ditch and begins to chase you. To prevent it from catching you, you'll drive faster. But you don't have any brakes. Then right at the end of the road, the car will go into the ditch and crash into a tree and then suddenly your brakes will work again right as you come up to a stop sign.
Another story that I have heard about the place is about an old house that used to be up there. Just recently the house started on fire so it had to be torn down and rebuilt. There used to be a woman and her children that had lived there. One day the woman went into town and came back to find her children had been murdered. This made her very sad and angry and so she decided to hang herself. Now she haunts the place. I have heard that if you get out of your car and say you have the woman's children she would come out and chase you. I have no idea if that will work or not.
Also some other things I have heard about the place is that you will see red eyes in the trees and that some people once experienced banging on the truck and roof of their car. When they stopped in town later on they looked on the car and found some footprints and handprints. There have also been sightings of ghosts in the cemetery nearby.
I don't know if any of this stuff is true or if any of it will happen but I do think it will make for a fun night. It'll be a good night of just a bunch of us friends hanging out and having fun. We will all be going off to college pretty soon so we won't be able to do this type of thing much more. We are just making the best of the time we have.
There are a few different stories that I have heard about the road so I am curious to see for myself. One of the stories is that supposedly when you are driving along the road your brakes won't work. In the midst of your brakes not working, a red Corvette comes out of the ditch and begins to chase you. To prevent it from catching you, you'll drive faster. But you don't have any brakes. Then right at the end of the road, the car will go into the ditch and crash into a tree and then suddenly your brakes will work again right as you come up to a stop sign.
Another story that I have heard about the place is about an old house that used to be up there. Just recently the house started on fire so it had to be torn down and rebuilt. There used to be a woman and her children that had lived there. One day the woman went into town and came back to find her children had been murdered. This made her very sad and angry and so she decided to hang herself. Now she haunts the place. I have heard that if you get out of your car and say you have the woman's children she would come out and chase you. I have no idea if that will work or not.
Also some other things I have heard about the place is that you will see red eyes in the trees and that some people once experienced banging on the truck and roof of their car. When they stopped in town later on they looked on the car and found some footprints and handprints. There have also been sightings of ghosts in the cemetery nearby.
I don't know if any of this stuff is true or if any of it will happen but I do think it will make for a fun night. It'll be a good night of just a bunch of us friends hanging out and having fun. We will all be going off to college pretty soon so we won't be able to do this type of thing much more. We are just making the best of the time we have.
Friday, March 26, 2010
End of School
So the end of high school is coming up for me and I've got a lot of stuff to plan for and get done. I'm ready for summer and for school to be over. I'm ready for college...or at least I think I am. I'm ready to be out on my own and start my own life all on my own. My last year of high school has been going pretty good and I'm actually enjoying it. I've been trying to make it more fun than I have in the past. Next year however, I can't wait to be able to meet new people and hang out with different friends. I'll still hang out with some of the friends I have right now but I think the majority of the time I'll be spending with other people. I hope I get the chance in the next couple years to go to Alaska. The career I am going to college for supposedly has a chance to go on an internship to Alaska and work on the pipeline. I think it would be a cool experience, plus I just really want to go to Alaska.
Next year will be a fun and tough experience at the same time. I know I'll be working a lot but I'll also be hanging out with lots of different people. Paying for things will probably cause an issue for me like it does for many other people. That is another advantage for the internship. I would be getting paid some pretty good money while I am up there. Then when I get back to the college, I start up where I had left off at. I just feel like I am ready to move on in life, to bigger, better things. The past 4 years have been a lot of similar things, just a little more complex each time. I have learned lots of useful things and now I just feel like it is time to finally move on and use all of the knowledge that I have gained. I have worked hard to complete high school and now the end is finally in sight. I'm very excited. I'm trying to keep on track and finish off the year on a good note and not slack off (too much anyways). I know I'll miss my friends from high school but I will meet many other new friends and I just can't wait for the college experience. Life will obviously be different because I will be paying for all of my food, housing, and everything else I will need. Although I will be off on my own, my parents will only be 30 minutes away from me so it won't be too far of a drive to go back home, but I'm sure it'll be far enough to keep me from going back almost every day. My parents have been helping me prepare to go to college and I have also been working hard on getting things lined up that I will need wherever I am going to live. Overall though, I'm very excited and ready to start college and move up in life.
Next year will be a fun and tough experience at the same time. I know I'll be working a lot but I'll also be hanging out with lots of different people. Paying for things will probably cause an issue for me like it does for many other people. That is another advantage for the internship. I would be getting paid some pretty good money while I am up there. Then when I get back to the college, I start up where I had left off at. I just feel like I am ready to move on in life, to bigger, better things. The past 4 years have been a lot of similar things, just a little more complex each time. I have learned lots of useful things and now I just feel like it is time to finally move on and use all of the knowledge that I have gained. I have worked hard to complete high school and now the end is finally in sight. I'm very excited. I'm trying to keep on track and finish off the year on a good note and not slack off (too much anyways). I know I'll miss my friends from high school but I will meet many other new friends and I just can't wait for the college experience. Life will obviously be different because I will be paying for all of my food, housing, and everything else I will need. Although I will be off on my own, my parents will only be 30 minutes away from me so it won't be too far of a drive to go back home, but I'm sure it'll be far enough to keep me from going back almost every day. My parents have been helping me prepare to go to college and I have also been working hard on getting things lined up that I will need wherever I am going to live. Overall though, I'm very excited and ready to start college and move up in life.
Friday, March 19, 2010
4 wheeling
I love to go 4 wheeling. It's one thing you can do pretty much anytime you are bored. One of the funnest times to go 4 wheeling is whenever there is a lot of mud (as long as you have permission to go on the property otherwise it might end up not being quite as fun in the end). I like just feeling the wind blowing through my hair as I am driving down the road. Whenever I go riding, I usually go with a couple friends. If I get stuck I'm sure I'll neeed some help getting out. The best things to do are either find a huge mud puddle or find some fun jumps and hills to climb. My personal favorite is by far the giant mud puddle. I love getting going really fast and hitting the puddle at fast speeds and watching it push the waves out in front of me and then having the water come back and soak me. Another thing that is really fun to do with the mud puddle is to go on the edge of it and just start going in circles or figure 8's alot and whipping the mud at your friends. Just keep in mind that if you do this, watch out for wherever everybody else is as this could get kind of dangerous.
When there isn't a mud puddle available, the other thing my friends and I like to do is just drive around in groves or out on the roads. We like to find things to jump such as field approaches or dirt hills. Other than that we just like to go cruising around in the ditches or messing around in the grove.
One of the things that I get kind of disappointed about is that we can't ride in the ditches April through August because it is breedings season for the pheasants and other animals that may be living in the ditches. Although it disappoints me, I can completely understand why we can't and I respect that. So that is the time that we mainly just cruise around on the roads or find trails that we can ride on. Either that or we find some private property that people will let us ride on . Overall though, my favorite thing to do is the mudding in either mud puddles or in a field. I just love the feeling that it gives me and it helps me take out some stress. If I'm having a bad day I like to just go riding around. No matter what, I'll always love riding 4 wheelers and I will continue to for as long as I possibly can.
When there isn't a mud puddle available, the other thing my friends and I like to do is just drive around in groves or out on the roads. We like to find things to jump such as field approaches or dirt hills. Other than that we just like to go cruising around in the ditches or messing around in the grove.
One of the things that I get kind of disappointed about is that we can't ride in the ditches April through August because it is breedings season for the pheasants and other animals that may be living in the ditches. Although it disappoints me, I can completely understand why we can't and I respect that. So that is the time that we mainly just cruise around on the roads or find trails that we can ride on. Either that or we find some private property that people will let us ride on . Overall though, my favorite thing to do is the mudding in either mud puddles or in a field. I just love the feeling that it gives me and it helps me take out some stress. If I'm having a bad day I like to just go riding around. No matter what, I'll always love riding 4 wheelers and I will continue to for as long as I possibly can.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Duct Tape
If there is ever anything broken that you need to fix, there is only one thing good enough to do the job. That, my friends, is DUCT TAPE! There is nothing else out there that has ever held up good enough for me like Duct Tape did. I've tried everything from Mighty Putty to Gorilla Glue. Believe me, that Mighty Putty isn't near as mighty as Billy Mays said it was. Besides that, Duct Tape has been around for a very long time so it has developed a reputation on being very reliable in many different areas. It can hold just about anything together. Just ask Red Green from the Red Green show. He is very reliant of Duct Tape. The whole show is all about different things you can do with Duct Tape. He has done thousands of different things with it from creating a lawnmower that you ride a bike to use it to an easier way of parallel parking.
Not only does Red Green use Duct Tape, but like many other people I have used it for some of my own causes. Some of them that I remember involved hockey sticks. I used to play hockey alot when I was younger so I would break quite a few sticks. Now obviously when I would break one, I couldn't just go buy a new stick at the time. I was young and had no money. So what did I do? I taped it back together with Duct Tape. Now I have seen other people try this with other types of tape but none of them held up like my good ol' Duct Tape. We also used it for our skates to keep them tight around the ankles. I have also used it many times around the house to hold lots of random things together.
I'm sure there are lots of other things out there that people use Duct Tape for and I've heard lots of elder people talking about it because it has been around pretty much their whole lives. Like I said before, it can fix just about anything. So when in doubt, grab a roll of Duct Tape.
Not only does Red Green use Duct Tape, but like many other people I have used it for some of my own causes. Some of them that I remember involved hockey sticks. I used to play hockey alot when I was younger so I would break quite a few sticks. Now obviously when I would break one, I couldn't just go buy a new stick at the time. I was young and had no money. So what did I do? I taped it back together with Duct Tape. Now I have seen other people try this with other types of tape but none of them held up like my good ol' Duct Tape. We also used it for our skates to keep them tight around the ankles. I have also used it many times around the house to hold lots of random things together.
I'm sure there are lots of other things out there that people use Duct Tape for and I've heard lots of elder people talking about it because it has been around pretty much their whole lives. Like I said before, it can fix just about anything. So when in doubt, grab a roll of Duct Tape.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Spring
Although I love winter a lot, sometimes it gets to be too long for me. This winter would be a perfect example. I feel like it's been winter for 2 years. That's why I'm ready for spring.
Spring just makes me feel happier. It takes out the winter blues and thaws out my bones. I can start going outside with just a t-shirt or sweatshirt on instead of having to carry around that big winter coat everywhere I go. All the snow is melting, and I can finally see the grass again. The grass is turning green and beginning to grow again.
To me, the big downfall of spring is all the sloppy roads and driveways. I grew up in a house where the access to our garage was only by a gravel driveway. And of course, every spring we had to deal with the sloppy driveway. It seemed like it would take forever for it dry out. We would take our 4-wheeler, with a drag behind it, up and down the alley every day. I remember coming home from school and doing this for quite a while before I would go hang out with friends. But that's just about the only thing about spring that I don't like.
There are many other things that I like about spring that completely outweigh my dislike of spring. I can go for walks around town or wherever I wanna go and not be freezing cold. The trees are starting to blossom and everything is starting to gain color back. If you think about it, spring is kindof like a crayon and the earth is like a coloring book. When spring comes around, it takes all the white snow and just adds color to the page. Also another thing that I like about spring is just the clear, sunny days. I can look out the window and see blue sky and absolutely no snow fluttering down through the sky. Like I said earlier, I love winter and snow, but sometimes it just gets to be too long.
One more thing that I love, is kind of a mixture of winter and spring. This would be sitting out on the ice, on a bucket, in a t-shirt or sweatshirt, with a couple friends, and just catching panfish. Now that walleye season is over, I like to go catch the panfish. They are just fun to catch and I like to catch them whenever I have the chance. That is until all the rest of the ice melts away. Then the next step is summer.
I wouldn't say that I love spring, but I do like it some years. It's just a breath of fresh air and I can go outside and stay outside for longer periods of time. I can work on things outside rather than in the house or in the garage. This year I'm ready for spring. I think it is just about here but I am slightly disappointed because I have heard that we are supposed to get another foot of snow. When the snow is finally all gone, I can finally clean my truck and get all the salt and gravel off of it before it ruins something on it. I really really hope we don't ge that extra snow.
Spring just makes me feel happier. It takes out the winter blues and thaws out my bones. I can start going outside with just a t-shirt or sweatshirt on instead of having to carry around that big winter coat everywhere I go. All the snow is melting, and I can finally see the grass again. The grass is turning green and beginning to grow again.
To me, the big downfall of spring is all the sloppy roads and driveways. I grew up in a house where the access to our garage was only by a gravel driveway. And of course, every spring we had to deal with the sloppy driveway. It seemed like it would take forever for it dry out. We would take our 4-wheeler, with a drag behind it, up and down the alley every day. I remember coming home from school and doing this for quite a while before I would go hang out with friends. But that's just about the only thing about spring that I don't like.
There are many other things that I like about spring that completely outweigh my dislike of spring. I can go for walks around town or wherever I wanna go and not be freezing cold. The trees are starting to blossom and everything is starting to gain color back. If you think about it, spring is kindof like a crayon and the earth is like a coloring book. When spring comes around, it takes all the white snow and just adds color to the page. Also another thing that I like about spring is just the clear, sunny days. I can look out the window and see blue sky and absolutely no snow fluttering down through the sky. Like I said earlier, I love winter and snow, but sometimes it just gets to be too long.
One more thing that I love, is kind of a mixture of winter and spring. This would be sitting out on the ice, on a bucket, in a t-shirt or sweatshirt, with a couple friends, and just catching panfish. Now that walleye season is over, I like to go catch the panfish. They are just fun to catch and I like to catch them whenever I have the chance. That is until all the rest of the ice melts away. Then the next step is summer.
I wouldn't say that I love spring, but I do like it some years. It's just a breath of fresh air and I can go outside and stay outside for longer periods of time. I can work on things outside rather than in the house or in the garage. This year I'm ready for spring. I think it is just about here but I am slightly disappointed because I have heard that we are supposed to get another foot of snow. When the snow is finally all gone, I can finally clean my truck and get all the salt and gravel off of it before it ruins something on it. I really really hope we don't ge that extra snow.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Harvest
Harvest is another one of my most favorite times of year. I love just about everything about it. Ever since I was a little kid I have been out in the fields partaking in harvest time. I started so long ago that I can't actually tell you how old I was at the time. I started out just by going out and riding with my dad in the tractor. Usaully when I would ride with him, it was during sugar beet harvest. My dad drove the defoliator. Then as the years went by I would always continue riding in the tractor with my dad. Eventually I started riding with my brothers across the field in our old 3 door suburban. We called it "Old Blue." We would drive across the field just picking up beets we seen that the beet lifter had missed. My brothers and I had many great memories doing this. As we grew up we still continued going out to the field, but eventually my dad had found a different job and no longer was part of the harvest season.
Although my dad wasn't part of it anymore, I still was. During the summer I still worked on the farm. I was doing different work of course because it was a whole different season. Instead of picking up beets and riding in the tractor, I was either riding on the four wheeler pickng rock or I was walking up and down soybeans and beets pulling weeds. I have been doing this for about 4 or 5 years now. As I have grown older I have gained more responsibilities on the farm. I now am doing more field work during the harvest and after harvest. I have now gotten the chance to take my dad's seat behind the steering wheel of the defoliator. I also do a little bit of discing and other ground work.
Of course, all the equipment that is needed to do all this work just doesn't prepare itself. That's another thing that I am doing during the summer. We are fixing broken or worn parts on the equipment. We grease parts that need to be greased and replace parts that need replacing.
I love just about everything about the farm and I love working there. Yes, there are some things that I hate doing and just dread getting up for work to do it, but someone has to. When I see my work finished, I take pride in it. Then I just hope my supervisor/uncle also accepts it. They usually do. I'll be back for another year of farm work this summer. Hopefully it won't be my last, because I am preparing for college.
Although my dad wasn't part of it anymore, I still was. During the summer I still worked on the farm. I was doing different work of course because it was a whole different season. Instead of picking up beets and riding in the tractor, I was either riding on the four wheeler pickng rock or I was walking up and down soybeans and beets pulling weeds. I have been doing this for about 4 or 5 years now. As I have grown older I have gained more responsibilities on the farm. I now am doing more field work during the harvest and after harvest. I have now gotten the chance to take my dad's seat behind the steering wheel of the defoliator. I also do a little bit of discing and other ground work.
Of course, all the equipment that is needed to do all this work just doesn't prepare itself. That's another thing that I am doing during the summer. We are fixing broken or worn parts on the equipment. We grease parts that need to be greased and replace parts that need replacing.
I love just about everything about the farm and I love working there. Yes, there are some things that I hate doing and just dread getting up for work to do it, but someone has to. When I see my work finished, I take pride in it. Then I just hope my supervisor/uncle also accepts it. They usually do. I'll be back for another year of farm work this summer. Hopefully it won't be my last, because I am preparing for college.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Philmont
Several years ago, in the summer of 2007, a couple Boy Scout friends and I went down to New Mexico. The reason we went down there was Philmont Scout Ranch. Philmont is a scout camp located in the mountains of New Mexico. While scouts are there, they hike around in the mountains to different camps that the people have set up down there. There are plenty of awesome things to experience down there. It is a very well set up scout camp that I would love to go to again.
The first day you get there isn't very exciting. You spend the whole time at base camp. In this time at base camp, you do a few different things. First of all, you have meetings. In these meetings, you assign the leader of the trek from your group. Generally this person should be a good leader and and if they have any background of Philmont that pretty much puts them first on the list for the leader. In our group there was only one person who had been to Philmont before. So, yes, he was our leader.
After these meetings, the next thing you do is make sure everyone one is eligible to go still. Once more, everybody has their weight and height checked. There are certain slot limits for weight within height limits. This is just a safety precaution. When everybody clears those, then it is time to get the gear. The gear includes everything you'll need from tents to food to the utinsels you'll need to cook that food with. Then we also had our bags weighed and were told what things we should bring and what we shouldn't bring. Every single ounce is crucial.
The second day is also another slow day. You wait around base camp alot until it is time for your trek to head out. It seems like a very long wait and can be quite boring. When your trek finally gets out on the trail, there is a ranger along with you. They start you out with a very easy day. My first day was only 2 miles of hiking. Then we set up camp.
For the next week or maybe even a little more, we spend hiking around to different places. We had a 12 day trek. The first and last day were spent at base camp. The other 10 were up in the mountains. We got to see many interesting things. My favorite was probably the toughest hike of them all, but well worth it. It was hiking up Mount Baldy. Mount Baldy is about 12,441 ft. We started out in the campsite Miranda that morning. The hike totaled about 13 miles that day. With alot of steep climbing. When you got on top of that mountain, it was an awesome sight.
In the end, we totaled about 84 miles of hiking. The last day of the trek was spent in base camp. We turned all the equipment back in, washed our pots and pans, had a bonfire, and then headed back to the tent for the night. The next morning we had everything packed up and headed back to Minnesota.
If I had the chance to go back again, I would. It was a very wonderful experience and I would love to do it again. If anybody ever has the chance to go I would tell them they should. If you don't try to make fun out of it, it won't be. So go and enjoy it. It's an awesome time and it is beautiful country.
The first day you get there isn't very exciting. You spend the whole time at base camp. In this time at base camp, you do a few different things. First of all, you have meetings. In these meetings, you assign the leader of the trek from your group. Generally this person should be a good leader and and if they have any background of Philmont that pretty much puts them first on the list for the leader. In our group there was only one person who had been to Philmont before. So, yes, he was our leader.
After these meetings, the next thing you do is make sure everyone one is eligible to go still. Once more, everybody has their weight and height checked. There are certain slot limits for weight within height limits. This is just a safety precaution. When everybody clears those, then it is time to get the gear. The gear includes everything you'll need from tents to food to the utinsels you'll need to cook that food with. Then we also had our bags weighed and were told what things we should bring and what we shouldn't bring. Every single ounce is crucial.
The second day is also another slow day. You wait around base camp alot until it is time for your trek to head out. It seems like a very long wait and can be quite boring. When your trek finally gets out on the trail, there is a ranger along with you. They start you out with a very easy day. My first day was only 2 miles of hiking. Then we set up camp.
For the next week or maybe even a little more, we spend hiking around to different places. We had a 12 day trek. The first and last day were spent at base camp. The other 10 were up in the mountains. We got to see many interesting things. My favorite was probably the toughest hike of them all, but well worth it. It was hiking up Mount Baldy. Mount Baldy is about 12,441 ft. We started out in the campsite Miranda that morning. The hike totaled about 13 miles that day. With alot of steep climbing. When you got on top of that mountain, it was an awesome sight.
In the end, we totaled about 84 miles of hiking. The last day of the trek was spent in base camp. We turned all the equipment back in, washed our pots and pans, had a bonfire, and then headed back to the tent for the night. The next morning we had everything packed up and headed back to Minnesota.
If I had the chance to go back again, I would. It was a very wonderful experience and I would love to do it again. If anybody ever has the chance to go I would tell them they should. If you don't try to make fun out of it, it won't be. So go and enjoy it. It's an awesome time and it is beautiful country.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Ice Fishing
My favorite thing to do in the winter is to go ice fishing. I'll take every opportunity I get to go ice fishing. I'll usually call up a few buddies and see if they wanna go. It's just a lot more fun having somebody else along to keep me company. Usually I'll switch up the lakes that I go to, to try to catch some different fish or just any at all if I got skunked the last time. My favorite type of fishing is about even between walleye and panfish fishing. They both have their advantages and disadvantages in my eyes. Walleye generally bite a lot less, unless you are in a very good fishing spot. On the lakes that I fish on generally don't have many of these. But the advantage that I like most is the fact that they are fun to fight with. Panfish on the other hand aren't much of a fighting type of fish. However, they can be quite tricky to catch if you aren't used to catching them. They bite alot different than a walleye does. A big advantage of panfish compared to walleye's is that they bite a lot more. Panfish travel in bigger schools than bigger fish do, or there are just more of them. In the end though, I love fishing for both of them. They can both be really fun to catch. I love spending the night out on the lake relaxing and just waiting for a bite. After all this talking about fishing, I really feel like going fishing. So off I go.
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