Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Wild Kingdom and Mushroom Rock

           Before I fill you in on my weekend down south, I just want to say congratulations to Mitch Seavey for winning the Iditarod last night. Seavey was the first to pull in to Nome, Alaska late last night with his team of sled dogs after completing the 987 mile race from Anchorage. This was Seavey’s second Iditarod win. The Iditarod is a very impressive race much like the Tour de France it is a test of endurance with the added bonus of harsh conditions and a team of dogs. So as I was walking to my car this morning through less than an inch of snow in 32°F weather complaining of it being cold, I tried to imagine what Seavey and the other competitors must feel like spending a week or more in much worse conditions racing. The race isn’t just for tough old men like Seavey who is only 53 but women and younger competitors. Travis Beals who is just 21 has been running sled dogs since he was four. Then there is Anna and Kristy Berington the 29 year old twins from Wisconsin and National Guard vets who ran this year as well. This was Anna’s first Iditarod and Kristy’s second. Rudy Demoski Sr. the 67 year old Alaskan native ran his first Iditarod back in 1974 competed this year also. It’s just awesome to see such a magnificent race being ran by such a variety of people all having to compete at the same level and endure the same conditions.
            Ok enough of the Alaskan adventure and back to my own adventures. We headed south early Friday morning and arrived at Kelly’s just shy of nine hours later. We ate out with some friends and family then headed to my god parents’ house for a visit before heading back to Kelly’s house for the night. The next day I woke up early, walked and fed Penny, grabbed my gear, and headed further up the mountain for a bit of climbing but when I got there I wasn’t feeling it. I was still tired from what little sleep I got and I wasn’t feeling 100% but I mustard through it and tooled around a few boulders for a little bit before deciding to be done. On my way back I spotted an “L” shaped rock in the middle of a field.  it looked like a fun and easy climb so I parked the car and headed down to it. Now the hike, although it was just a few hundred yards, was treacherous because the field was covered waist deep in thorns. When I finally made it Big L (my unofficial name) I was ripped up from the spiky field and I found that Big L was overgrown which made it not easily accessible without a machete or yard tools. I was discouraged, disappointed and any other “dis” words that has a similar meaning. That is until I saw Mushroom Rock (my unofficial name).  Behind Big L stands a patch of woods and about fifty yards in, far enough you can’t see from the road stood a rock shaped like a mushroom. This structure literally had a stem and cap just as if it was a massive giant fungus growing from the ground. It was if the sun was shining directly on it to make sure I didn’t miss it and it was all mine. Not a soul in sight or another climber to fight with for the best holds. I was immediately amped up and ready to climb.  It turned out to be a fun and easy climb and after an hour or so on Mushroom Rock, with my hands raw, I bid farewell and promised to visit it again someday. That night at the weenie roast I bragged to everyone about my find and showed off some pictures that I had taken.
            Now when people think of Alabama they don’t think of lions and tigers or even bears, oh my, and I admit neither do I. Aside from the elusive mountain lion that does inhabit northern Alabama and the growing black bear population that has recently been hitting the news, northern Alabama is mostly dominated by poisonous snakes, nasty spiders, and wild boar, a wild kingdom of its own kind. But I found that this weekend brought more exotic breeds. Like for instance when we went to the store to by some food for the weenie roast we found ourselves drawn in by a large tent and sign that said, “lions and tigers” so we stopped in and sure enough they had a lion, actually lion cub who couldn’t sit still, a tiger, kangaroo, llama, camel, monkeys, and a white tiger and black leopard that cost a dollar to see, which was worth it. Then on Sunday we visited Noccalula Falls Park that has its own llamas, goats, sheep, deer that I petted, and a large female lion who like to taunt little kids. They also had emus and a not-so-happy bobcat that sounded like a sick old woman. Earlier that day, before we went to Noccalula, I was awaken by the sound of Amber and Kelly yelling and carrying on outside. When I step out there to see what was going on they informed me of a goat that was following a pack of dogs and had chased them through the yard. A few minutes it came into sight. Sure enough this goat was running around with this group of dogs like it was a dog. It was very comical and we laughed probably for a good hour about it.
Monday morning we said our goodbyes and headed north. We travel eight and half hours in the rain and made it home safely. It was a great weekend.   

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