My injured pointer finger taped to my index finger – stained by all the blueberry picking I did to atone for my woeful cheese procurement. Love this close up of the intricate ground cover that was everywhere.
“Today was an even more perfect day. A day to relax. I picked an extra large pail of blueberries and took a cup of [espresso] with me. We had blueberry pancakes with honey and cranberry sauce, eggs with bacon and [cocoa]… Tony and Mark went bouldering and sightseeing up the canyon while [Sharon, Craig, Dave Brett] & I stayed to ‘hot tub.'” I did a complete wash and, boy, do I feel good… Now I am sitting in the warm sun in shorts and t shirt – no shoes, sipping Constant Comment w/honey and milk and listening to the roar of the creek. The warmth has brought out the mosquitoes and butterflies and I am reminded of the start of this glorious trip.”
At this point I suspect I might have run out of film for my camera. There are no more shots on film. I was carrying a Pentax LX SLR camera with a 50mm f1.4 lens.
“Tony and Mark [returned. They] ran up to the pass at the head of the canyon at the head of this valley. 10 miles. They found a diving rock and swam. They hopped in the hot tub after the chili and beans they shared with us.”
Fortunately all the injuries some of us suffered were minor. I strained a finger, Dave had an ankle that was bothering him, Steve contracted a cold, and Christian hurt his knee. We carried a rifle – not sure where it came from – in case of a grizzly charging. We all agreed it would be a tragedy to have to use it. The philosophical agreement added to the harmony of the group. All of us took turns lugging it around. We squeezed off a few rounds for target practice.
What we called Hot Springs Creek is called Aiyagomahala Creek by some.
