Camping Swanking - June 28 - July 3

[Morrigoon]

Take my word for this... YES, they could be. From some of the guys I used to hang out with, those are Relaxed Fit.


I was gonna say... they don't seem *that* tight.

Remember in the 80's when women had to lay down on the bed and suck in their stomach to get their jeans done up?

[alphabassettgrrl]

Remember in the 80's when women had to lay down on the bed and suck in their stomach to get their jeans done up?

Guilty.

[cirquelover]

Been there, done that and thankful I no longer have to pour myself into my clothes.

[lashbear]

I pour myself in, and the "muffin top" hanging out the sides proves it. :p

[katiesue]

You're all costing me a fortune. New chairs with little tables, solar tiki torches and the coleman road trip grill so far. Plus I need a bigger tent.

[alphabassettgrrl]

You always need a bigger tent. I'm one person, and I take a 10'x10'.

[Capt Jack]

Plus I need a bigger tent.

yes. you do. :D

[Not Afraid]

I have your small tent, KS. It's in my living room.

[Morrigoon]

Yeah, mine is, what, 11x14'? And I bought that planning to go on trips with my brother and his family where it'll be just me in there.

[Disneyphile]

You're all costing me a fortune. New chairs with little tables, solar tiki torches and the coleman road trip grill so far. Plus I need a bigger tent.Welcome to the wonderful world of glamping! :D

(Glamorous camping.)

[innerSpaceman]

Hmmmm, but swank glamp sounds like a disease you get from hanging out in bogs.

[Disneyphile]

Hmmmm, but swank glamp sounds like a disease you get from hanging out in bogs.Swamping? Yeah, don't think that works as well.

Hmmm...

And SwanKamping sounds like a bad outdoor ballet.

Now I'm all confuzzled.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I do like the term "Camp Swank". :snap: It's a keeper.

[Capt Jack]

I do like the term "Camp Swank". :snap: It's a keeper.

it fit this trip beyond my ability to comprehend. Im just afraid that any camping I do from here on will fall short

[innerSpaceman]

It will still be camping. That's still fun.

And no, there were no pink flamingoes, but the camping was tres swank in ways that "ordinary" (albeit still fun) camping can never hope to be.


Ah, Tiki Camp and Lounge Camp and everything in between!

[alphabassettgrrl]

No pink flamingoes? Bummer. I need to pick me up some of those if I can find them, probably have to check ebay. I think they stopped manufacturing them so they will begin to be scarce.

[katiesue]

I got one at Sears Essentials that lights up at night just recently.

[Disneyphile]

Our flamingo flock is in our storage unit, all the way in the back near the wedding stuff. I missed them this trip. :(

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I guess I'm of the minority here that think plastic birds meant for lawn decor are hideous. :p

[katiesue]

I guess I'm of the minority here that think plastic birds meant for lawn decor are hideous. :p


That's why I love them.

[mousepod]

kitsch |ki ch | noun art, objects, or design considered to be in poor taste because of excessive garishness or sentimentality, but sometimes appreciated in an ironic or knowing way : the lava lamp is an example of sixties kitsch | [as adj. ] kitsch decor.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

That's why I love them.

kitsch |ki ch | noun art, objects, or design considered to be in poor taste because of excessive garishness or sentimentality, but sometimes appreciated in an ironic or knowing way : the lava lamp is an example of sixties kitsch | [as adj. ] kitsch decor.I guess I don't like things for kitsch sake. I like lava lamps because I think they are cool, not because I think they suck.

[Capt Jack]

agreed. :( I miss my lava lamp.

[katiesue]

Ahh but I think pink flamingoes are cool, lava lamps not so much.

[innerSpaceman]

I think flamingoes are totally cool. :cool:


I don't know if anyone really meant to bring them to Swank Camp ... but I think they were merely an anticipatory metaphor for the swank that would be less visual and more of a feeling that would emminate from the hillside that was home to everything and everyone between Tiki Camp and Lounge Camp.

None of it could really be seen (Ok, maybe inside my Tent of Posh), but certainly could be felt.


Swank is where the heart is. :cheers:

[blueerica]

Awww, Swank is where the heart is. That needs to be cross-stitched and put in someone's foyer.

[NirvanaMan]

I guess I'm of the minority here that think plastic birds meant for lawn decor are hideous. :p

One more for the minority here.

[innerSpaceman]

Perhaps lawn Gnomes would be better for the woods?

[blueerica]

I'm less for kitsch than most. But I kind of enjoy lawn gnomes. But I wouldn't keep one on my lawn without my tongue firmly planted in my cheek. I wonder if they make them with corny(ier) looks on their faces.

[NirvanaMan]

Holy hell, can those jeans BE any tighter? If it ever turns out I'm sterile I think we've just pinpointed the cause.

No wonder no one could ever figure out between GD and CP which was the boy and which the girl. CP used to dress like a boy and GD like a girl.

:)

[Morrigoon]

No wonder no one could ever figure out between GD and CP which was the boy and which the girl. CP used to dress like a boy and GD like a girl.

:)

Ahhh, the 80's :)

[blueerica]

Ahh, the 90s. ;)

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Ahh, the 90s. ;)If it weren't for grunge, I would have never had a trendy moment in all my years of school.

[alphabassettgrrl]

I have a lawn gnome in front of my house. I think he's cute. :)

No flamingoes yet.

[MouseWife]

I also have a gnome in my front yard. He is in my garden. The kids asked me why Grandpa was in the yard...Shhh...don't repeat that....

I just had a cool image of a Christmas card, use those lit up flamingos and put the family in summer gear...great California shot, eh? ;)

[Capt Jack]

If it weren't for grunge, I would have never had a trendy moment in all my years of school.

http://bohicagaming.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/ditto.gif

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

Ok. I uploaded photo's and I hope this works.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=l35jkw6.5empma9y&x=0&y=-gfvbjk (http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=l35jkw6.5empma9y&x=0&y=-gfvbjk)

[MouseWife]

Thank you to those who have shared your pictures so far...they show a great time was had by all.

I love the spider web gate! Where was that? And the touching rock? What's the story there? Was it cold at times? {I notice some were wearing flannel shirts}

[Capt Jack]

that was the entrance to crystal caves. yeah, the gate was very cool. as far as cold, their take was about 50*F. it was a welcomed relief

the touching rock was for everyone to get it out of their system and to see what constant hand contact did to the rock in the cave, hence their request to avoid contact of any kind

[MouseWife]

Yes, I think the cooler weather was great. Great to hike in, too.

LOL Well, I think that the touching stone is a great idea!!

The gate, so darn cool. :snap:

[Capt Jack]

nah, the 50* was just in the cave. outside was probably mid-80's or so

[CoasterMatt]

Plastic Flamingos of today just don't burn/melt as good as the old ones did...

[MouseWife]

Sounds like someone has been burning things....

Oh, well, that makes it sound like it was hot outside of the cave...

Were ya'll able to enjoy a river/stream?

[innerSpaceman]

Yes, on Sunday we enjoyed wading in the Kings River .... I, for one, was glad it was not the raging torrent our guides were apparently accustomed to.



(We also stuck our feet in Dorst Creek at our campground, but the water was terrifyingly freezing!)

[Not Afraid]

Yes, but freezing was good for the sprained ankle.

[Gemini Cricket]

Well, I'm glad none of you were Cougar-s d'oeuvres.
:D

[MouseWife]

Um...sprained ankle? Is there a blog somewhere to read about all of the fun and adventures?

Yes, GC, always in the back of my mind...and I found out it was also on my sons mind as the place we went to in Monterey {Pacific Grove, hey, you lived there before!!!} said there were mountain lions {or cougars?} and he said he wished we'd stayed at the Portola Plaza Inn...no fear of being attacked by animals!!

[innerSpaceman]

Um...sprained ankle? Is there a blog somewhere to read about all of the fun and adventures?

Heheh, you could read my el jay.









... in about a month.





(though I hope to have the tale of our final day, ahem, my birthday, posted by tonight. There will be wee bit about NA's sprained ankle, but not enough to satisfy all injury curiosity.)

[Disneyphile]

Well, I'm glad none of you were Cougar-s d'oeuvres.
:DNo, but my lower leg was just that for a rather carnivorous large fly on that Saturday morning. I ended up at Urgent Care a couple nights ago, because that little bite became about 1-inch in blackened diameter, with about 2-3 inches of swelling all around that, in addition to the red hot jabbing pain whenever I'd walk on it. (I'll spare you a photo of the details.)

I'm on a really heavy antibiotic right now, and am supposed to be elevating my foot as much as possible. :rolleyes:

[innerSpaceman]

DoubleYou Tee Eff???!?







(Um, now I have to wonder .... did anyone determine whether Chery did, in fact, contract Lyme Disease from his tick bite???)

[Not Afraid]

Disneyphile got the worst of the injuries. Her bite was nasty! I'm just a klutz,

I turned my ankle not once, not twice, but THREE times on a 4 mile hike. :rolleyes: I'm wearing a lovely brace now. I walk for a living. Pretty dumb.

[innerSpaceman]

If it will make anyone feel any better, the toenail on my left Big Toe is about to come off. *

It's like something out of David Cronenberg's The Fly.











* Full Disclosure: the toenail loss is mostly due to GrandCanyoneering, but Sequioa hikes no doubt hastened its departure from my body.

[Not Afraid]

Maybe I'll upload my photos tonight.

[MouseWife]

Ew!! The fly bite sounds so, um, awful.

I don't know what your 'el jay' is, iSm. But, my toenail is messed up from running but it never fell all of the way off. Freaked me the heck out when I took a look at it....

Ouch, Lisa. I twisted my ankle a couple of times on our hikes but so far so good. One time I did suffer from a twist almost two weeks later. Never understood that. I hope that you are able to stay off of it enough to then get out and do your walking.

Oh, and thank you Disneyphile for not posting a picture. :eek:

[Not Afraid]

I probably need to get new hiking boots with ankle support. I was wearing train runners that are great, but have no ankle support.

[MouseWife]

I wore boots with support but probably hadn't tied them properly...

The Hubster actually chose to wear new hiking shoes without the ankle support. I tsk tsked him but he said the traction on them was so good he wasn't worried. He did fine.

{Surprisingly my son didn't twist his ankle, he does every time and then sits out the rest of the hikes. This time, though, he got a big blister. This did keep him off of a lot but we did a lot of bikeriding...}

I would love to see your photos. :)

[innerSpaceman]

Yeah, there's a way to tie your boots to prevent your toes from cramming on the downhill ... but in the rush to get out of the cabin at 5 am with a thousand other preparations, I neglected to do that.


One toenail turned black and the other turned purple. The black one eventually separated from the toebed and got all clean and shiny ... before it turned grey and dead and is now on the verge of falling off altogether.

The purple one is still purple ... and I may have to actually drill a small hole through it to drain the blood.




I think some of us should get together for a post-adventuring show-and-tell of grossness!

Quick, before we heal all up.

[wendybeth]

Probably not the best thread to be reading when one has the flu.

[Not Afraid]

When I was about 15, my horse stepped on my big toe while I was out on Cota de Caza camping (it was rural land back then). She turned while on my toe and ripped the toenail off. It was gross.

[MouseWife]

Yuck. Nope, that didn't happen to my toe. Oh, sorry to yuck your toe.

Well, WB, just be glad that there aren't pictures....:eek:

Oh my, Lisa, I could feel that!!!

[Capt Jack]

I think I got a mosquito bite :p

[MouseWife]

I think I got a mosquito bite :p


LOL Really? That's it? :p

I thought we'd be eaten alive because the house we stayed at was completely opened day and night!!! The bathroom had no door and it was full of mosquitos. Somehow I did not get bit once.

By a bug anyways. :D

[blueerica]

How do these black toenails that fall off even happen? Ill fitting shoes? Too much weight to bear? I've been on a few long hikes in my time, but this is the fourth person I've heard of this summer to have nasty big toenails after hiking.

[Morrigoon]

I, on the other hand, didn't get bitten until after I got home... apparently my dog got a flea, and that flea begot more fleas. Thankfully, my shiny new can of unscented Raid seems to have done the trick.

(and in the process my mom confessed to me that the reason our pets stayed flea-free all those years was because she sprayed down the furniture with flea spray every night before bed)

The more you know...

[innerSpaceman]

I would never be able to pee in a bathroom full of mosquitos!!

[Not Afraid]

How about a stand of trees full of mosquitoes?

[€uroMeinke]

I got three bug bites, but nothing as bad as Disneyphiles

[MouseWife]

I would never be able to pee in a bathroom full of mosquitos!!


Did you not catch there wasn't a door???? That freaked me out. I spent a lot of time swatting at the mosquitos but worried more about the blanket I placed over the doorway falling down....

It was private, though. Freaky to me but private.

[Not Afraid]

MW, you are addressing men who pee in trees.

[innerSpaceman]

And later sit among the trees they've peed in.









So back to the mosquitos ....

[MouseWife]

MW, you are addressing men who pee in trees.


LOL Oh yea.....

I, on the other hand love those 'occupied/vacant' signs on the bathrooms {preferably at the Grand California as opposed to port-a-potties}

[blueerica]

OK, the last time I was at a stall with an occupied/vacant sign on it, I opened a door that said 'vacant.' A woman started screaming, then proceeded to yell at me, then while she was washing her hands continued to talk about how rude it is to open the door while someone's using the restroom.

Lock your door, dingbat!

[Disneyphile]

I got three bug bites, but nothing as bad as DisneyphilesEnvy my rotting flesh! ;)

I've already lost one layer of skin. I'm just waiting for the thick black tissue to fall off. It'll be interesting. The doctor said that would be the "normal" healing process.

That was one hell of a fly. :eek:

[Morrigoon]

I remember when you got that bite... it hurt you pretty much immediately. What in the heck bit you????

[Disneyphile]

I remember when you got that bite... it hurt you pretty much immediately. What in the heck bit you????All I remember is that it was large and black with transparent wings - looked like a giant housefly. It also wouldn't let go - I had to physically knock it off my leg.

Even the memory makes my skin crawl still.

[innerSpaceman]

Since getting back, I've re-noticed that ants are supposed to be itsy-bitsy tiny. As I recall, the ants up there were huge. The flies were huge. The trees were huge.

It was like freaking Land of the Giants. Crazy.






Anyway, NA: when your toenail was unceremoniously ripped away ..... did it have to kinda grow back from the base, or did the "stuff" undernearth sorta harden into toenail eventually???


Inquiring minds want to know.







Then inquiring minds want to puke.

[Stan4dSteph]

Toenails grow from the base, so it will be a while before it's all there again.

[blueerica]

But, the burning question is: Why, oh why, do toenails fall off on long hikes this summer? I'm too lazy to look it up elsewhere, though I think I will later.

[Capt Jack]

All I remember is that it was large and black with transparent wings - looked like a giant housefly. It also wouldn't let go - I had to physically knock it off my leg.

Even the memory makes my skin crawl still.

probably a horse fly (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse-fly)

I have a scar on my shin from one.


(after reading further, you might want to skip the "Bite" heading)

[innerSpaceman]

But, the burning question is: Why, oh why, do toenails fall off on long hikes this summer? I'm too lazy to look it up elsewhere, though I think I will later.

click (http://walking.about.com/od/blisterfoot/a/blacktoenail.htm).

[Ponine]

Disneyphile got the worst of the injuries. Her bite was nasty! I'm just a klutz,

I turned my ankle not once, not twice, but THREE times on a 4 mile hike. :rolleyes: I'm wearing a lovely brace now. I walk for a living. Pretty dumb.

DP, sorry you got hurt.. but NA... THIS is why I didnt go.
The most basic reasons.

I did in fact get a fractured toe on the 4th... but hiking and my ankles?
No.
I was told at physical therapy, walking and hiking good. On FLAT EVEN surfaces.
I need boots if I ever even want to TRY to go with y'all.
hell, I wear my ankle brace to sleep sometimes.

And yeah, the toenail thing.... its coming, very soon, but I dont want to know ahead of time ISM. It's icky enough now.

[Kevy Baby]

Susan, who is usually quite susceptible to bug bites, did not experience a single one in the Sequoia's. But was eaten alive by mosquitoes on the Fourth at a friend's house in Chino.

[innerSpaceman]

In a rare move, I’m going to cross post an entry from my el jay, because it’s a trip report about one day of the LoT Camping Trip.

The Last Day.

My Birthday.


It was one of the bestest birthdays ever.


July 2, 2007

Though I love being one of the few to consistently wake up soon after dawn when camping in the woods, our Swank Camp was especially good in early morn because deer would be grazing in the small meadow behind our tents, and sometimes wandering through camp itself.

There were four of them this fine morning. Only one the "plain" kind without antlers, and two with quite the rack on them. I’d never seen mule deer with antlers before this trip, and it was a pleasure to pass the sunrise hours watching them from very close range. They were not scared of people ... but dogs are a different story. So when Palfry came running out of the tent to chase the deer away, it was a perfect consolation to see the graceful creature bounding away in leg-locked bounce-step.

After lingering around camp to give any other early risers the chance to join me if they so desired, I headed out alone at 8 am on my solo hike to Little Baldy - a granite dome with a commanding view of the territory.


:) It’s so nice to hike alone in the woods, even though it’s not really recommended for safety. Admittedly, the dark and brooding forest at the trailhead was a little foreboding, and I kept my attention sharp lest there be bears (or worse) lurking in the trees. The trail climbed steadily, but blessedly without switchbacks ... and I was soon far enough toward the treetops to enjoy a view of the forested mountainsides, green-blanketed with conifers.

As I continued upward, the trees thinned out a bit, and the views became more open and inviting. At the top of the ridge, I was greeted by an explosion of wildflowers ... and this area with sparse trees, large boulders and pretty pretty posies was a delightful forest of fairytale delights - a pleasure to wander through.

Then the view finally opened to the east, and I gasped at what suddenly lay before me - - the snow-clad, craggy peaks of the High Sierra glistening in the rising sunlight.

It was literally breathtaking.

:snap:

And entirely unexpected. I didn’t anticipate a view towards the mountains till I reached the summit of Little Baldy. I had been a bit disappointed that the human areas of Sequoia Park were clustered on the outer edge of the Sierras, with most views facing downhill to the alarmingly smog-shrouded central valley around Fresno. I was not getting the feeling I was in the Sierra Mountains that I’d hoped for and expected. Apparently, the Giant Sequoias grow only on the outer slopes.

My startling view towards the heart of the fabled mountain range was teh awesome, and I finally felt as if I were in the wild mountains I’d traveled so far to see.

After a little more climbing, the bare summit of Little Baldy afforded an even more marvelous view of the jagged, granite peaks. As the sun steadily rose, different sections of snow patch would glisten in the daylight, and the wide stretch of daunting mountains was an ever-changing panorama of mighty nature as I watched in awe and splendor.
The view also took in the forested slopes on all sides, and I could see parts of our campground, and even the granite shelf where we paused on our hike to the Muir Grove. Alas, the Giant Sequoias of that grove were hidden behind a ridge. And though the hike to that secluded hideaway of the giant trees in their natural setting was the best excursion of the camping trip, this solo journey to Little Baldy was quite amazing in its own right. It was so serene and wonderful to be on top of the Dome all by my lonesome. Forest and Valley and Mountains below and above, surrounding and enveloping. There’s a certain feeling from exploring the wilderness alone ... a style of communing with nature that even a single companion will dispel.

I stayed at the summit for as long as I desired, enjoying the solitude and the splendid view. Not three minutes into my eventual descent, I encountered two other hikers heading for the top. Perhaps my senses or some other force whispered when to leave, because their presence on the summit would have changed the atmosphere and hastened my departure anyway.

I couldn’t possibly have heard them approaching, because I’d started listening to my iPod on the summit to enhance the experience of magnificence. And I listened to it all the way downhill, less wary of the road already traveled - with music erasing any subtle boredom with a road already traveled. And with sights already seen, my mind began to wander. I was enjoying myself immensely, and I couldn’t help but praise whatever forces delayed my trip until I could trip alone.



:mad: The previous day, I had been constantly stymied in my attempts to get to Little Baldy. Wanting to get as much adventuring in as possible, I’d planned a different hike for my birthday - - one which, as it turns out, would hardly have been a time of solitude (in the ultra-touristy Giant Forest). Yesterday morning, I set off on a trail directly across from Swank Camp. As I was leaving camp, Kara asked if she could come along - with her dog, Palfry. I warned there might be some climbing at trail’s end and that dogs were not supposed to be on trails anyway, but was fine with the company. The sign at the campside trail read "Little Baldy 1.5" - which seemed a perfect stroll of there and back by the camp’s usual late breakfast time of 10:30.

I’d never spent any time with Kara before. She was not part of the LoT group that had planned the camping trip. But she and her girlfriend, Traci, were invited by Not Afraid and turned up at Swank Camp under very unusual circumstances that will figure heavily in my eventual report of the entire adventure. This small part is already overlong ... so suffice it to say for now that I’d only spent a few brief moments with Kara and Traci at a New Year’s Eve party, and was to learn much more about them at Swank Camp. For purposes of this tale, it’s worth noting that Kara was the consummate outdoorsman, the very boyish sort of lesbian at ease with manly stuff. I mention this because when the trail petered out and we could not find it again, I want it to be clear that it wasn’t simply because of my cityboy’s poor wilderness skilz. The trail really did disappear.

Later in the morning while still waiting and waiting ... and waiting some more for camp to come alive, Kara and I, now with NirvanaMan in tow, decided to drive to the real trailhead a little ways down the road, and take the abbreviated hike up to Little Baldy before breakfast. But when we arrived at the roadside trailhead, we discovered that the hike from there to the summit and back was nearly four miles long, and would take a minimum of two hours to complete. Turns out the "1.5" from camp was the distance to the Little Baldy trailhead, and not to Little Baldy itself. While we were weighing whether we could attempt the long hike in the short span available to us, my camelback water thingy sprung a leak - and water began to pour all over my back and fill my backpack. Case closed on that. We headed back to camp, foiled in two attempts to make the trek to the granite dome.



:cool: Now looking back on it from the tail end of the hike eventually realized the next day, I had to admit how much more enjoyable the journey was with no company, and how much more significant it was to me to commune so serenely with nature on my birthday. For one reason or another, I’ve rarely spent any of my birthdays away from home. Finding myself in a mountainside forest was a very pleasant change of pace.
I also had to wonder whether the forces that stymied two previous attempts on the previous day were truly forces working for my benefit, or merely coincidences that I interpreted as magic. It’s certainly true that the human mind is adept at picking out patterns, perhaps "recognizing" them where no such patterns really exist. It’s also true that I happen to believe strongly in magic - - the magic of manifestation brought on by human energy (perhaps in concert with a stronger spiritual energy).

What really was the difference, after all? Both the recognition of coincidences into patterns or manifestations of events through magical energy are experiences solely in my own self. There’s no external anything about them. They are felt solely by me, and they might as well be magic as not.

And just as I decided that magic was as good an explanation to me as coincidence ... better, in fact ... a piece came on my iPod that started off with bird calls. This as real birds were busy with their real calls in the trees all around me. And as music slowly mixed with the birdsong in my earbuds, mixing further with the birdsong in the world all around me, the delightful sonic effect also affected me as an affirmation of sorts. A happy nod of the head from the universe.

Then I saw the road a little ways down below, and my beautiful morning revelry in the woods was at an end.

(but if you want a tiny sample of the cool little musical moment, click here (http://www.amazon.com/Mystere-Cirque-du-Soleil/dp/B000003FQY/ref=pd_bbs_2/105-9297309-2990010?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1184000098&sr=8-2), then click on Listen to Samples just under the CD artwork image, scroll down to Track 9 "Kalimando," and double-click to play. Close your eyes, picture forest, and you are there.) ;)


(continued in next post)

[innerSpaceman]

:snap: When I arrived back at camp, I was warmly greeted by the remaining Swank Camp company of nine. An angelfood cake blazing with candles was quickly revealed, gloriously crowned with a natural arch of bacon - - a fitting tribute to both the National Park ethos and the festival of bacon we had saved for this last day of camp.

It seems everyone brought three things in common to camp. Firewood, Maker’s Mark ... and bacon. The LoT group has had a thing about bacon ever since a funny incident a few New Yearses ago. Since then, even the word "bacon" has become sort of synonymous with swanky, and there’s never been an overnight gathering without some of its crispy deliciousness to enjoy in the morning. We’d amassed nearly 4 pounds of bacon for this camping trip, and were going to cook it all up this morning for a veritable bacon feast. €uroMeinke was was already at work at the grill, and the early sizzling strips were already available.

:blush: So was cake, after a rousing chorus of "Happy Birthday to You" that was greeted with hearty applause from other campsites in the vicinity. Teehee, It was shaping up to be a perfect day.

The sun was intruding on Mid-camp and Upstairs, so we each grabbed an item and ferried everything down to the shady goodness of Lounge Camp. There the baconfest began in earnest, along with the concoction creation of "garbage" eggs that threw everything left in the camp kitchen into the mix. Onions and zucchini and bratwurst and mushrooms and lord knows what else. It was delicious! And when someone sagely pointed out that wine was indeed a form of juice, the remaining bottles of Cabernet served as the perfect breakfast drink.

:cheers: I ended up hanging around the bacon in classic bacon style, and eating my fill ... as did others. Not everyone was aware they had to come and take if they wanted to partake, but enough people eventually figured it out. We noted the law of physics that a pile of bacon has a finite height, after which it will only decrease, no matter how much more bacon is made.

:coffee: There was something unusually perfect about this loungy morning of our last day in camp and my first day of a 48th year. We were in no hurry, but didn’t intend to tarry forever. Unlike other times in camp, I was neither antsy to get going nor exhausted from the day’s adventures. I was simply in the moment, as - it seemed - was everyone else. The wine was flowing, the food was yum, the company was marvelous, and the sweet sweet smell of bacon filled the air.

Beyond the fantastic feeling clearly felt by all, there were also little touches that whispered to me of being in the groove. I enjoyed that certain items which I thought I’d carted up to the woods for nothing were suddenly in demand at the last possible moment. A mixing bowl here, a carton of milk there ... even the Spike System™ Wine Table came into play during our last meal together. (Oh, and the random compliment on my bod when I was day-transforming the hot Posh Tent with my shirt off didn’t hurt my mood any.) :p

Eventually, though, the sun encroached even on Lounge Camp ... and we had to abandon it - and either get going on our scheduled mellow adventure of the day (a trip to the tourist part of the Park, the Giant Forest) ... or ... take drastic measures to follow the shade (colonize a small clearing in the trees behind our tents known, ahem, as Pee Camp).

Feh - all too soon, I was sitting with NirvanaMan and €uroMeinke in the place where we’d been urinating pretty much throughout the trip. We were shameless shade whores.

Not Afraid, on the other hand, wanted to get going to the Giant Forest before Disneyphile and Kara returned from Stonycreek, where they’d driven a few miles north to get gas and make an important phone call. For once, though, I was in no hurry to leave camp .... until I realized, d’oh - a few moments too late ... that we’d best leave camp before Kara returned with whatever bad news she’d undoubtedly have from the outside world.

And here I must resist digressing on one of the most interesting tangents of our trip to Sequoia. But the story of this single day is already very long. And if I tell the weird tale of Kara and Traci, I might as well do the whole trip in flashback ... the Ghost & Mrs. Muir Grove, the Crystal Cave, the Wild Campfire Party, the Krazy Kings Canyon Tour ... with my birthday as merely a framing device.

But I won’t. My double whammy nature adventures to Grand Canyon and Sequoia were big deals to me in 2007, and I’m gonna write about them on el jay (um, with a bit less detail than I’m delving into for this last day story).

Suffice it to say ... the oddball tale of Traci and Kara ... how they got to Sequoia and how they got back out again ... is a mindbending story in its own right, and I wished we’d made our getaway before Kara and Disneyphile returned from Stonycreek. We were actually in the car and about to pull away when the two of them returned. Unexplained story short .... the two of them, plus Traci the girlfriend, plus Palfry the dog, were off on a mad dash down the mountain to Fresno .... with Disneyphile then having to return to camp to pick up passengers and stuff ... and then back down the mountain .... all the way to Los Angeles.

Disneyphile seemed to take it in stride, with good spirits. I was perturbed, but intent on shrugging it off. It was one thing after another after another with Traci and Kara. I’ll go into it all in a later entry ... but it’s omg with a capital Oh and Em and Gee.


(continued again in next post)

[innerSpaceman]

When we finally arrived at the Giant Forest, €uroMeinke and Not Afraid were surprised you could no longer park mere footsteps from the famed General Sherman tree, but rather quite a ways up the hill ... and had to hike down a rather lavishly designed staircase-slash-walkway to the forest of Giant Sequoias that are the raison d’etre of the Park. This wide, concrete pathway ... with its interpretive signage and mosaic tree footprints ... must have been constructed within the past few years .... which is a blink of an eye ago in National Park Service Time. The golden age of Park building was decades ago and, it seemed to me, nothing major had been added to a National Park since the 60's.

But though it was a great idea to move the parking lot away from the Giant Sequoias, the beautiful descending walkway merely added to the over-developed and overtly touristy nature of this area that somehow seemed to mock the gargantuan trees and detract from the grandeur of this unique patch of glorious nature.

The General Sherman tree itself, the largest living being on our planet, was displayed like a captive giant ... surrounded by fences and pavement and roadway. If the stately tree were not so far beyond any hint of human concern or endeavor, he would have seemed sadly Kong-like in his temporary captivity.

The entire area, a dense stand of mighty Sequoias, was cris-crossed with paved trails bordered by split-rail fences. Tourists wandered up and down the paths, cars sped by on the road built yards from the world’s largest tree. Yeah, I could understand the need to make the area suitable for masses of humans to safely interact with the famous trees (i.e., without damage to the trees, not the humans) ... but the whole area seemed vaguely sad. Like it was some sort of mankind folly to try and tame these ancient creatures, whose wisdom and grace are far beyond us. But though the Sequoias merely laughed, if they even deigned to notice the human construction that appeared at their feet during the last blink of their eyes ... the way they were constrained by payment paths and fenced off walkways diminished the forest in a vaguely melancholy way.

I was certainly glad my first encounter with the Sequoias was in their natural habitat, in the privacy and majesty of the Muir Grove that we hiked over hill and dale to. Still, I was eager to see the more famous area of Sequoias, the central attraction of the National Park I was visiting. But ... that plan hit a little snag.

It was the snag that snagged Not Afraid’s foot on that beautiful hike to Muir Grove. And the second foot snag. And the third. Oh, and the fourth missed footfall that all resulted in a twisted, nearly sprained ankle which repeated injury had caused to swell up like a flesh balloon. (Not Afraid has what, to the casual observer, might seem like permanently swollen ankles ... but a comparison of the merely thick right to the frighteningly bulging left told the sad tale of woe and ouch).

And so, at the bottom of the stair path, Not Afraid found she could go no further into the Giant Forest. Instead, she planned to take the free shuttle to ... the nearest store! I would not begrudge Not Afraid some shopping therapy under the circumstances. But I knew any excuse to ditch the tiny hike we were planning - the 2-mile PAVED and level Congress Trail through the Giant Forest - would be taken by just about every member of our tired little group (now down to 7 from a high of 15).

And sure enough, everybody opted out of the woods and into the stores. Everybody, that is, except the irrepressible NirvanaMan. And thank goodness for him ... because skipping the forest of Sequoias for the inside of a bookstore would have made for too mundane an ending to our wilderness adventuring ... not to mention my, ahem, birthday.

So after everyone else bussed off to the shops ... NirvanaMan and I wandered through the forest of the Giant Sequoias by ourselves. It was a very fine stroll through a very fine woods. In a short distance, the fences ended ... and after a while even the pavement did not terribly detract from the immensity and variety of the dozens upon dozens of towering Sequoias. So many different "personalities," so many outlandish fire scars, such incredible and overwhelming BIGNESS.

The Giant Forest really is a beautiful place. And the human elements were not entirely awful. In a place where the trees were named for U.S. presidents, it was cute to have a sign proclaim a tight grouping, "The Senate." In an area strangely cris-crossed with myriad paths and trails, little signposts beckoned for future adventures in this Park. Crescent Meadow, Alta Peak, Heather Lake. The feeling that you could head off in any direction to a variety of wonderful places from this single jumping-off point was pretty cool.

But yeah, I’d rather the magnificent forest of wise, old tree creatures have been left in a more natural state. I was glad I’d saved this more touristy environment to the end ... perhaps it was a bridge of sorts ... back to the civilized world.


:( Because that’s what happened next. The next few hours shifted tone tremendously, and were all about getting back to L.A. ... in a mad dash because we were in no hurry to end our last day on the mountain. Pfft, we stopped at the nuveau-rustic Waksachi Lodge, and at the bookstore of Lodgepole Visitor Center ... finally getting back to camp about an hour before sunset!

Striking camp was a blur. A hectic, crazy blur of deconstruction and packing. The complex luxury of the Posh Tent reduced to bundles crammed in the car. The final disappearance of the many camps, with their many names, that made up Swank Camp on the hillside. Sniffle, sniff ... but there was no time for sentiment, farewellagains, or sadness.
Not long before it would have been too dark to see, the last of us left Dorst Campground ... and drove down the mountain in the dying light - - embarking on the late, long drive to Los Angeles only to find the entire freeway shut down in the nowheresland between Fresno and Bakersfeld. Sheesh - - not the kind of thing you want to deal with when you’re way too late getting on the road after an extended period of sleep shortages and physical exertions.

The drive home was not pleasant. And I knew that my camp friends who were traveling home further than I would be having an even worse time of it. Some of whom were traveling hours out of their way for a carpooling quirk (and were otherwise headed, as it turns out, for a rather distressing homecoming), others who were limping home under adverse auto conditions. (Conditions not likely to be helped by the giant traffic snag and re-routing of the freeway closure.)

In those sleepy and exasperated hours of travel, I was surprisingly pleased that nothing could change that I’d had a remarkable birthday. The awesomeness of primordial nature mixed perfectly with the comradery of swanky times shared with friends.

It was odd to find myself in the Sierra Mountains on my birthday - with many friends in a bizarre and beautiful setting. And it was odd to be ending a fortnight of pretty intense adventuring in three national parks with an ever-changing cast of characters. Not even the most screwed up journey home could change what a wonderful time and wonderful birthday I’d had. Even in the lamest moments of that tired, grueling drive to L.A. ... there was an underlying and abiding happiness that could not be shook.


:cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

I hope the mega-dose of nature and friendship I’ve been treated to these last few weeks will provide some underlying and abiding peace and love in my life that likewise cannot be shook.

Thanks for the very happy birthday.


:iSm:

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Can't mojo you, iSm. Gorgeous. :snap:

[katiesue]

Wonderful story :snap:

Wish I wouldn't have had to leave Sunday.

[Morrigoon]

Goddamn, that was beautiful! :snap:

[Capt Jack]

muy fantastico. :snap:

once you have it all posted on the eL Jay, please link us there. Im dying to know how the tale of Traci, Kara and Palfry worked out after my departure.

bravisimo

[JWBear]

Wonderful!

I was at Giant Forest last September, so I am familiar with the changes there. I can remember staying in a (now gone) campground that was just yards from Gen Sherman when I was a kid.

[Disneyphile]

iSm, thanks for sharing your POV. You tell a wonderful story!

My leg's scabbing finally. It's just beyond gross.

[Not Afraid]

Ahhhhhh, camping. It was such a great time! I'm sorry my ankle pooped out. I have been loving the fact that I have the stamina to actually do these hikes. I don't like being a wimp, but considering I still hurt, it's probably a good idea I didn't push I any further. Zumwalt was probably a stretch.

Now, ISM, can you please recapture the rest of the trip? ;)

[Capt Jack]

Now, ISM, can you please recapture the rest of the trip? ;)

kinda what I was hoping for, yeah. since this was my first real vacation in 4 or 5 years, it definitely set something off inside me that has had me craving more.

now, getting out and away is all I seem to think about.
I blame my bosses. they "forced" me to take time off...now, they have indeed created a monster.

[Kevy Baby]

Let's not recap ALL of the weekend

[Not Afraid]

Kara and Traci made it to Selma on Monday night before abandoning their journey home. They got a room at a Best Western (after slipping the clerk $20 to accept a very dirty Palfry) and left the car at a dealer. They rented a car on Tuesday and drove home. The car has started a month long stint in the Selma rehab. It was a very long and not very enjoyable trip for them.

[Not Afraid]

Let's not recap ALL of the weekend

Kevy has a black......er.......what was that?

[Capt Jack]

you mean the part where I wandered into the ladies toilet? yeah, lets not.:blush:

[Morrigoon]

But they'll have one hell of a story to tell for years to come about the time they had their car towed UP a mountain and then towed DOWN the mountain!

[innerSpaceman]

Heheh, the Traci and Kara story make the rest of the tale worth telling! I certainly will recap the rest of the trip, in less detail. I guess I felt my POV on my birthday was appropriate for that day. And it was also a day that many campers missed.

But I'll be doing a report on the rest of the adventure ... and no one will be spared their deeds they done. ;)

[Kevy Baby]

... and no one will be spared their deeds they done. ;)ruh roh

[MouseWife]

Thank you so much for sharing your story!

Lisa, I think it is best you didn't push your ankle, too. I told the Hubster that I was on vacation and I wasn't there to push myself too hard.

Capt Jack~no shiet. The Hubster, this morning, his first day back at work, calls me and tells me that we can book a getaway to Big Bear Lake {or someplace else, I forget}. I am thinking I really want to go book the train into the Grand Canyon....we haven't even finished unpacking our stuff from this last trip, haven't printed up pictures from the March trip, I could go on. So, join the club. :D

And, finally, how could I be remiss in being so eager to hear the tales of the trip that I haven't wished iSm a

Very Happy belated Birthday!!!

[Not Afraid]

I really want to hear impressions of Kings Canyon. It is one of my very favorite places in the world and I loved being able to share it with others.

[katiesue]

I loved Kings Canyon. So amazingly beautiful. I think I took about 100 or so photos (none of which do it justice). It was just amazing.

[Capt Jack]

that was truly amazing. I'd been there once before decades before, but mostly just fishing and hiking around the lake. 99% of that I'd never seen before. it was literally stunning/awe inspiring.

the only regret was I really wish we could have had time to hit that biga$$ cave we passed on the way in/out, but beyond that, to say it was worth the trip would be a criminal understatement

you did definitely seem to know your way around

[Not Afraid]

you did definitely seem to know your way around

Yes, I do. Everything is a mere 3/4 of a mile from everything else. ;)

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

I just can't belive it's been a week since we exited. I wanna go back.

[innerSpaceman]

you did definitely seem to know your way around
If you happen to be looking for the auto trail. Otherwise, be prepared to be off by 5.5 miles in any given direction. :p



My biggest impression of Kings Canyon was how much €uro and Not Afraid loved it and were at home there. Their joy was infectious, and the place was gorgeous.


I can't wait to go back.


Of course, the little book they gave me as a birthday present has a slew of desireable hikes in Sequoia, and only a couple in Kings Canyon. I think I need a barely-Spring-yet stay at the Waksachi Lodge with a visit to the Canyon before I get around to that certainly Springtime camping in the Canyon itself.

It must be fairly warm for me to camp out (and I must be fairly crazy), but I want to see me some Sierra in the wilds of just-past-winter.

[Not Afraid]

I published my pictures!!! About time! (http://web.mac.com/lisacone/iWeb/Site/Camp%20Swank.html)

Here are a few drooley moments.
http://web.mac.com/lisacone/iWeb/Site/Camp%20Swank_files/IMG_3025.jpg
http://web.mac.com/lisacone/iWeb/Site/Camp%20Swank_files/IMG_3034.jpg
http://web.mac.com/lisacone/iWeb/Site/Camp%20Swank_files/IMG_3068.jpg
http://web.mac.com/lisacone/iWeb/Site/Camp%20Swank_files/IMG_3098.jpg
http://web.mac.com/lisacone/iWeb/Site/Camp%20Swank_files/IMG_3083.jpg

[Disneyphile]

We also loved KC, and I'd love to go back. I visited there with my parents 5 years ago, and we stayed at Cedar Grove. The river was gushing that year. I could have stared at the falls forever.

And, NA, I love the picture of the garbage scramble! Damn, that was one good breakfast. :snap:

[innerSpaceman]

The garbage scramble looks like some sort of digital graphic in that photo!


I can't believe something that 2-D tasted so damn good!

[Chernabog]

:cool: Now looking back on it from the tail end of the hike eventually realized the next day, I had to admit how much more enjoyable the journey was with no company, and how much more significant it was to me to commune so serenely with nature on my birthday.

LMAO love this little gem because after you talk about Miss Hottie Hot Kara and His Royal Meatness Eric, you say how much more enjoyable the hike was without them. ;)

(I assume that's not how you meant it, it just read that way, lol)

Anyway, thanks Steve-O for posting this, I was wondering what y'all were up to when I had my long-ass day in court that Monday ;)

NA I am so glad everyone stared up at the Grove of Giant Sequoias while lying down (hehe I didnt even know you took a pic). It was so amazing. We gotta do that in the Haunted Mansion sometime too ;)

[Morrigoon]

I think the forest floor was cleaner, Cherny ;)

[innerSpaceman]

No, I didn't mean it that way. Hahahaha. (His Royal Meatness??? WTF?)



Oh, so I belatedly turn my office wall calendar to July ... and it's a picture of Kings Canyon all this month!



(Also, it's freaky to see all those cats ^ blinking in unision in that post, Joe.)

[Kevy Baby]

To amuse :iSm::

;););););););););););););););););););););)

[Disneyphile]

Is that a long one-eyed black shaft? :eek:

I think it winked at me. :eek:

[lashbear]

When I was about 15, my horse stepped on my big toe while I was out on Cota de Caza camping (it was rural land back then). She turned while on my toe and ripped the toenail off. It was gross.

OK, I have to chime in now.

I had a Bowling Ball (mine - a Red Pearlised 13 Pounder) roll out of it's bag on the third shelf up (about 6' off the ground) and fall precisely on my big toe.

They heard me all the way to Alberqueuequeueqeue.

I still have the toenail in my little box of memories as a reminder.

...and my Bowling Ball is now stored on the ground shelf. :blush:

[Capt Jack]

gravity is a merciless biotch :eek:

[Mousey Girl]

How do these black toenails that fall off even happen? Ill fitting shoes? Too much weight to bear? I've been on a few long hikes in my time, but this is the fourth person I've heard of this summer to have nasty big toenails after hiking.

I did it during a DLR trip. I was wearing tennies, and just my big toes rubbing on the inside, top of the shoe was enough to bruise both toes. It was incredibly painful and I would have been better off if I had drained the blood out from underneath the nails.

[Stan4dSteph]

I haven't lost a toenail, but I've gotten some bruised ones from soccer and running. The key for hiking is to tighten up the laces before going downhill to prevent your foot from sliding forward in the shoe. You should loosen them some once you start uphill or hit the flat though.

[innerSpaceman]

Yeah, but there's a certain way to tie them, not simply tie them tight, that helps the foot refrain from sliding forward.

In any event, foot hitting shoefront on 7 miles of pure downhill will not be stopped by any method of shoetie, I'd wager.

[DreadPirateRoberts]

Yeah, but there's a certain way to tie them, not simply tie them tight, that helps the foot refrain from sliding forward.

In any event, foot hitting shoefront on 7 miles of pure downhill will not be stopped by any method of shoetie, I'd wager.

you mean like this (http://www.hitthetrail.com/boot_lacing.php)?

[Capt Jack]

yeah, thats 'sort of' how my boots are tied. the ones I wore on the trip are a long time friend and well broken in. fairly tight at the ankle but extra toe space in the front. that and I clipped the nails to the nub just for the walking aspects, although I did a lot less walking than the majority of Swankers.

yeah, ankle support all the way on trips like those.

[innerSpaceman]

Heheh, that's the exact page I took with me to the Grand Canyon, and then forgot to consult at 4:30 in the morning.


My toe still hates me for it.

[Disneyphile]

Hmm. That could be why my ankles always painfully swell up in my boots too - I usually tie them tightly on the bottom, and looser up top. So, in a sense, my feet can't swell, so my ankles will. I'll have to reverse that next time and see if it works.

[MouseWife]

I think mine were average but loose up at the top. I did cut my toenails back, for this trip, but, my damage was from home working out.

I did not cut my sons toenails {see, how lame does that sound, he didn't cut his own toenails but then he doesn't....} and who knows how his shoes were tied and he ran down the trail. We've told him not to as it puts a lot of pressure on your toes as well as it can thrash your legs....kids!!!

[Alex]

Black toenails falling off were the coolest thing in the world when I was a kid, so if I'd been told that could cause I'd have done it on purpose.

Of course, blood under my toenails (mostly from soccer; both because the fashion was to wear shoes 1.5 sizes too small and from getting stepped on) is the reason I started painting my toenails in college.

[Chernabog]

Of course, blood under my toenails (mostly from soccer; both because the fashion was to wear shoes 1.5 sizes too small and from getting stepped on) is the reason I started painting my toenails in college.

Pink with little yellow butterflies? Awwwwww that makes for some cool toes in those strappy sandals. :rolleyes:

[Ghoulish Delight]

I just jammed my finger onto a piece of metal that slid neatly under the fingernail. Now there's a lovely painful black spot. I blame you all.

[innerSpaceman]

Let's put all our discarded digit nails into an envelope and send it to Santa!

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

On my 13th birthday I was helping my dad take down a set-up at a county fair. I took some of the pieces over to the big truck to put onto the flat-bed. I jumped onto the tailgate which lifted up and before I knew it my foot was caught between the truck bed and the gate squashing my foot.

I took off my bloody shoe to reviel the broken nail. I then was rushed to the emergency room where teh doctors cut off the toe nail.

That really sucked.

[Chernabog]

I've had an ingrown toe nail where I cut it wrong and it grew into the skin and it got all white and blood and pus were coming out so they had to inject something to numb it and they cut off half of my big toenail and some infected skin and have me topical ointment and antibiotics and to this day I always cut my toenails in a straight line. :D

[Not Afraid]

Maybe I should create a gross toenail story thread. ;)

[Capt Jack]

please do. at least I can refrain from reading that one.


blech!

[Chernabog]

blech!

LMAO sorry kids, I thought that was what this thread had finally devolved into.... Camping Thread in it's amoeba-like state.

[blueerica]

This is the new "Sooo..." thread.

I do have a gross toenail story that I know a few people have heard. It hearkens back to my earliest memories of inconsiderate people at Disneyland. I was a tiny little thing when I was 7, and at the park with my aunt and soon-to-be uncle. A guy that makes even the biggest of men I've met from LoT look wiry backed up and stepped on my big toe, splitting it in half vertically.

I let loose with a scream and after that, I couldn't say anything. Hurt. So. Bad. I just cried and blood was oozing everywhere. The guy didn't even turn around to see what had happened. As my now-uncle was foisting me over his shoulder to bring me to First Aid, I remember looking at my aunt who'd gotten the attention the guy that was in front of us. He just shrugged.

If I remember correctly, it was my first "What the hell...?" moment. Needless to say, the toenail was lost.

[innerSpaceman]

ok, raise your hand if you haven't lost a finger or toe nail?? Sheesh.



I'm just worried that it will take forever to grow back, and it's frelling summertime when I'm at my most barefoot.


Fine.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

ok, raise your hand if you haven't lost a finger or toe nail??Me!!! Which is why these stories really make me squeamish. I need to stop reading this thread. EEeeeeeeEEE, that would fvcking HuuuUUUUrrrt.

[innerSpaceman]

It's not the pain ... it's the grossness.





The nail already fell off my pinky toe ... and my foot looks like a freaky alien appendage. Without my big toenail, I'm going to have to go into hiding!

[katiesue]

ok, raise your hand if you haven't lost a finger or toe nail?? Sheesh.

I've never lost one either. I feel kind of left out now.

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

It's not the pain ... it's the grossness.





The nail already fell off my pinky toe ... and my foot looks like a freaky alien appendage. Without my big toenail, I'm going to have to go into hiding!

Why do you think I didn't want to go barefoot in the river? :eek:

[Prudence]

I've never lost a nail, but I did get an infection in my thumb once and if you pressed on the nail lots of puss would ooze out.

[Chernabog]

lots of puss

OMG dirty! :blush:

[Capt Jack]

lost a thumbnail here. it didnt do the 'degrade and come off thing' though.

RRRRRRrip! it was done. but yeah, it looked pretty funky for quite awhile. still never grew back quite right.

[Prudence]

OMG dirty! :blush:

I'm trying to give NA a run for her money in the suggestive typo department. Perhaps I should apply for pubic funding?

[Capt Jack]

Perhaps I should apply for pubic funding?

quoted for posterity

[BarTopDancer]

I lost my pinky toe nail on vacation. I was 7 or 8 and I smashed it on a rock in a lake. My wonderful mother saw nothing wrong with making me wear sneakers the entire trip either because she didn't want to pay for a pair of flip flops. she also didn't see anything wrong with only giving me a hand towel to dry off with because she didn't want to buy a beach towel and my dad talked her out of stealing one from the hotel :rolleyes: Yes. I still remember it. That was a horrible vacation.

Smashed my fingers in doors more times than I can count. Damaged the nail bed on my thumb but never lost a finger nail.

[alphabassettgrrl]

Once the nail comes off it doesn't look quite as freaky. It only looks bad when it's black. Enjoy your barefootness. It'll be fine.

[Mousey Girl]

You could always wear socks with Birks. :)

[Prudence]

quoted for posterity

Aw, man, taking it out of context makes it much less witty. And there was precious little wit in there to begin with.

Although, if I *did* have pubic funding, it would make getting a brazillian that much more likely.

[lashbear]

Although, if I *did* have pubic funding, it would make getting a brazillian that much more likely.

You mean, like a Brazillian dollars ? What would you need that much money for ?

[BDBopper]

How awesome and swanky. it looks like an awesome and swanky time was had by all! I am so glad everyone had a good time. I loved the stories and the photos. Made me feel like I was almost there. I thought about you all that weekend. My spirit was definitely there. Did you feel its presence?

[innerSpaceman]

Was that what that was?

[BDBopper]

Yes, IT was.

[Morrigoon]

If your spirit was there Saturday night.... you naughty naughty boy!