Kel vs. Chester
A few days ago, I put an odd note on my calendar:
Saturday, August 15: Go to Chester Creek and sit.
I went to Chester Creek, but I did not sit, because it was too buggy. So I walked through the creek.
It's been a long standing desire of mine to do this, but I haven't actually brought myself to do it yet. I even have these shoes that I got last year solely for their "go anywhere" capabilities**, but I had yet to actually test them out. So I did today, and I gotta tell you: Walking up a creek is fun and challenging.
My start was at the 4th street entrance, by Burrito Union, which was easy enough. I started going up and up, and even came across a sleeping homeless man on the side of the creek. Then I was trying to find a place to sit--really--and wound up getting tired of mosquitoes, so I took the trail for about 30 seconds before going, "Ah, fine," and jumped into the creek.
Oh, the other thing is that I had my Chrome bag with me, because I was planning on going to the grocery store after sitting around at the creek. So I ran into the creek and started trekking up. I should explain now that I wasn't up to my neck, I was up to my knees at the deepest, but I made an effort to stay dry by rock-hopping and Muay-Thai-ing my way around the bigger stones, and just wading when it was impossible to do so.
There were four big waterfalls I had to get around, and I discovered something: It's easier just to climb up a waterfall than to try to find a conveniently dry spot near the waterfall. It will tend to be at more of an incline, whereas the area surrounding it has not been carved out by erosion yet, so the cliff itself will be obtuse rather than acute.
So the first waterfall was a breeze. It was short (only about six or seven feet) and I could just boulder around it. The second one was bigger, and I tried to find a way around it, but it was impossible without going back onto the trail. I ended up climbing up, with my left side on the dry part of the cliff and my right side in the fucking waterfall, and managed to get up and over it. The third one was also easy; only about five feet. I pulled myself up.
After one of these, I heard a dog running towards me. It was a black poodle; a big black poodle that immediately made me think of Travels with Charlie by John Steinbeck and the titular Charlie the blue poodle. The dog barked at me and stared, confused and probably a little frustrated at not knowing why I was in the creek and he was not. The owner came near and shouted for him to get away, and said, "He's probably wondering why you're in the creek," to which I replied, "As is a good question, and one that a person might ask of a dog that's in a creek." She said, "He's friendly. His name is Charlie." Then a group of people came up and said, "Charlie! Stop barking! You're giving John Steinbeck a bad name."
Anyway. The fourth waterfall is actually many waterfalls that form an overall structure of many dozens of feet (maybe 50 feet; I don't want to suggest I climbed hundreds of feet towards the heavens), and leads to the Chester Bowl, near St. Scholastica. I realized that we must be having a drought when I was ascending it, because I was able to climb the dryest part of it that would normally be totally submerged with flowing water at any other time of year. It made me feel a little sad, but also a little gross, because it was really gooey and had lots of bugs on it. I decided to take the part that was on its heavy-flow day instead, when possible.
Then I got to the top and met with Charlie again, momentarily. I got to the Chester Bowl and nodded to myself and said, "Huh," and promptly turned around to return home to wash up, dry my shirt (which is still soaked in sweat as I type this), and ultimately get ready to actually go to the grocery store.
Unfortunately, it appears that there are bees sneaking into the kitchen and frankly that scares me a little. A little more than the earwigs that I've been finding in the house lately. So now I'm afraid to use the kitchen, moreso than usual.
So, getting back, I think I'm going to do this more often; maybe every weekend or so. Next time, I'll try going downstream from 4th street which, unfortunately, and illegally, means I'll be going through bigger, scarier drains than I have yet to enter. Like the one that goes under Highway 35. I have this irrational fear that there will be Bearskunks or Raccoonhawks or ZERG in that tunnel, but that's mostly because even in broad daylight, those tunnels are pitch black. Oh well; I guess I'll find out if I end up deciding to go.
**Okay, not really "go anywhere," since they don't have cleats for trails, but they're comfy, I'm capable of walking on trails (with minimul difficulty) in them, the soles are made to grip when they're wet, and they're made to drain water (like jungle boots). Also, they're terrible in the winter.
Saturday, August 15: Go to Chester Creek and sit.
I went to Chester Creek, but I did not sit, because it was too buggy. So I walked through the creek.
It's been a long standing desire of mine to do this, but I haven't actually brought myself to do it yet. I even have these shoes that I got last year solely for their "go anywhere" capabilities**, but I had yet to actually test them out. So I did today, and I gotta tell you: Walking up a creek is fun and challenging.
My start was at the 4th street entrance, by Burrito Union, which was easy enough. I started going up and up, and even came across a sleeping homeless man on the side of the creek. Then I was trying to find a place to sit--really--and wound up getting tired of mosquitoes, so I took the trail for about 30 seconds before going, "Ah, fine," and jumped into the creek.
Oh, the other thing is that I had my Chrome bag with me, because I was planning on going to the grocery store after sitting around at the creek. So I ran into the creek and started trekking up. I should explain now that I wasn't up to my neck, I was up to my knees at the deepest, but I made an effort to stay dry by rock-hopping and Muay-Thai-ing my way around the bigger stones, and just wading when it was impossible to do so.
There were four big waterfalls I had to get around, and I discovered something: It's easier just to climb up a waterfall than to try to find a conveniently dry spot near the waterfall. It will tend to be at more of an incline, whereas the area surrounding it has not been carved out by erosion yet, so the cliff itself will be obtuse rather than acute.
So the first waterfall was a breeze. It was short (only about six or seven feet) and I could just boulder around it. The second one was bigger, and I tried to find a way around it, but it was impossible without going back onto the trail. I ended up climbing up, with my left side on the dry part of the cliff and my right side in the fucking waterfall, and managed to get up and over it. The third one was also easy; only about five feet. I pulled myself up.
After one of these, I heard a dog running towards me. It was a black poodle; a big black poodle that immediately made me think of Travels with Charlie by John Steinbeck and the titular Charlie the blue poodle. The dog barked at me and stared, confused and probably a little frustrated at not knowing why I was in the creek and he was not. The owner came near and shouted for him to get away, and said, "He's probably wondering why you're in the creek," to which I replied, "As is a good question, and one that a person might ask of a dog that's in a creek." She said, "He's friendly. His name is Charlie." Then a group of people came up and said, "Charlie! Stop barking! You're giving John Steinbeck a bad name."
Anyway. The fourth waterfall is actually many waterfalls that form an overall structure of many dozens of feet (maybe 50 feet; I don't want to suggest I climbed hundreds of feet towards the heavens), and leads to the Chester Bowl, near St. Scholastica. I realized that we must be having a drought when I was ascending it, because I was able to climb the dryest part of it that would normally be totally submerged with flowing water at any other time of year. It made me feel a little sad, but also a little gross, because it was really gooey and had lots of bugs on it. I decided to take the part that was on its heavy-flow day instead, when possible.
Then I got to the top and met with Charlie again, momentarily. I got to the Chester Bowl and nodded to myself and said, "Huh," and promptly turned around to return home to wash up, dry my shirt (which is still soaked in sweat as I type this), and ultimately get ready to actually go to the grocery store.
Unfortunately, it appears that there are bees sneaking into the kitchen and frankly that scares me a little. A little more than the earwigs that I've been finding in the house lately. So now I'm afraid to use the kitchen, moreso than usual.
So, getting back, I think I'm going to do this more often; maybe every weekend or so. Next time, I'll try going downstream from 4th street which, unfortunately, and illegally, means I'll be going through bigger, scarier drains than I have yet to enter. Like the one that goes under Highway 35. I have this irrational fear that there will be Bearskunks or Raccoonhawks or ZERG in that tunnel, but that's mostly because even in broad daylight, those tunnels are pitch black. Oh well; I guess I'll find out if I end up deciding to go.
**Okay, not really "go anywhere," since they don't have cleats for trails, but they're comfy, I'm capable of walking on trails (with minimul difficulty) in them, the soles are made to grip when they're wet, and they're made to drain water (like jungle boots). Also, they're terrible in the winter.