Nov.  19  2006  Hike # 55 Work Day at the Top By Joe Steele

 

      I had promised Ron Underwood in March that I would go back up to the Lodge with him in November and help take the solar system down and store the batteries for the winter.

     Ron said that the weekend before Thanksgiving would be best for him and since I would be taking off the week of Thanksgiving to visit my daughter in Tampa, Fla., it worked well for me.

     I went up on Friday the 18^th, spent the night at my camper in Townsend, and met Ron at Harde’s on Saturday morning for a quick breakfast.

     After a quick ham and egg biscuit we were at the Alum Bluff trailhead by seven forty, local time. We did inventory on our gear and was on the trail by seven fifty.

     The skies were clear and the temperature a crisp 32 degrees and looked as though it would stay that way all day, almost too much to hope for.

     We moved steadily up to Inspiration Pointe where we stopped momentarily to make a few clothing adjustments, then on to Gracie’s Pulpit for a short rest and a snack.

     We cleared the Saddle and met our first downhill hikers from the Lodge at the top of the Lower Steps.

     We met Ron Valentine just below the Upper Steps heading down from his weekly Saturday morning hike. He stopped to talk longer than I have ever seen him stop.

     After a short stop at the Upper Steps for a P.B.& J. we continued on. A few minutes later Tim Line, the Lodge manager, caught up and walked with us for a short distance. With his superior speed and good condition he left us far behind in no time.

     We hit ice at the cliffs and for the next mile to the lodge. It was no big problem but we had to be slow and deliberate with our footing without crampons.

     When we reached the Lodge the staff was preparing lunch so Ron and I just ‘hung out’ and chatted with Henry Neil and some of the new staff members. It gave us a chance to rest and to map out our work schedule for the day while we ate.

     We started at the water tank, first pulling the pump, then the solar panels. We decided to completely dismantle the entire assembly so Ron could strengthen the framework before we put it back up next spring.

     The record 106-mph winds that hit the mountains in October didn’t do any damage but they slightly twisted the framework and put it to the supreme test.

     The tool house system seemed to be trashed so we left it ‘as is’ with the idea of bringing it up to better standards in March of  ’07.

     Our next task was to take down the pole and solar panel for the incinerator house and store them. Then we had to change the converter from battery to generator use.

     Our next project was the kitchen. While Ron carried the batteries from the incinerator house up to the kitchen I set up the ladder so he could change the angle on the kitchen solar panels from summer to winter mode.

     While Ron finished outside I checked the fluid levels of the batteries he had brought up from the incinerator house.

     Ron picked out the best four batteries and started topping off the fluids in them while I checked the current flow from the solar panels. It was perfect.

     As Ron reconnected the batteries I reminded him that we had about thirty-five minutes to finish up if we were going back down the mountain tonight. We knew that we would need at least thirty minutes of daylight to clear the first mile of ice before it got dark.

     We finished at ten after five and began preparing to head down. While we packed up Allison urged us to stay for the night or at least stay for dinner. She had grilled bratwurst sausages and they really looked good.

     Staying for dinner wouldn’t have been bad but the sleeping arrangements were somewhat questionable so we had made the decision earlier in the day to go back down.

     Ron grabbed a handful of bratwurst and we headed out the door at five twenty-five. Allison asked if I wanted a bratwurst but I told her thanks but I had better stick to the P.B.& J. sandwich in my backpack. It had taken me until around three thirty to digest the ‘pigs in a blanket’ we’d had at lunch.

     I made a ‘pit stop’ while Ron said ‘bye’ to Henry then we headed off into the sunset with Ron smacking on those bratwurst sausages.

     We were able to clear the ice at the cliffs and were below the Lower Steps before it got so dark that we had to ‘light up’.

     The night was cold and crisp, perfect for a night hike, so we didn’t stop again until we got to Inspiration Pointe.

     We turned off our lights and shared a granola bar while taking in the beautiful landscape of the mountains in the quiet darkness. Words cannot describe the peace and tranquility of those few minutes.

     With only two miles to go neither of us seemed to eager to end what had been a very busy day.

     For the next mile we hiked in what seemed to be silent thought but at the one-mile footlog Ron stopped suddenly and announced that he felt hot and flushed.

     I looked at the thermometer on my backpack and it was 26 degrees. I told him that 26 degrees wasn’t all that warm and ask if it might be those bratwurst sausages coming back to haunt him. He said ‘It’s very possible’.

    We took a drink of water and let things settle a bit then continued on to the parking lot. We had made it down in a very comfortable two hours fifteen minutes. 

     While our trucks warmed up enough to melt the ice on our windshields we stood around and talked then left.

     I told Ron that I would be looking forward to going back up with him in the spring. God willing we’ll make it.

 

P.S.  I called Ron three days later from Tampa, Fla. to see if he was o.k. and he said he was. He said that he just needed to lose a little weight, drink a little less beer, and do a little more hiking. 

 

 

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