Time for a Break - The Pacific Crest Trail

Time for a Break

A year-and-a-half. It seems much longer. That's how long I will have been in Pasadena by January. It seems so long, actually, because so much has happened. About a month ago I had a strange sensation: a moment of peace: a moment of peace in which I felt that I had done what I was supposed to do, and been where I was supposed to be, in coming to Pasadena and engaging in God's work here.

And now it's time for a break--a sabbatical, if you will, after which God will lead me into the next thing that he would have me do. Or more correctly put, God will lead me into the next lesson that he would have me learn, for every time I try to do something for God, I find instead that God is doing something for (and to) me. 

So let's review what God has wrought and continues to make happen over this year-and-a-half.

Pasadena Ministry Update

12 Step Classes: The Common Solution Recovery class for the Way Out of addiction

Church Army USA taught me this in Branson, Missouri, and I taught this in Mississippi among the scattered destruction of Hurricane Katrina. By applying the 12 step principles to my own life I  was able to grow beyond addictive behaviors triggered by resentments, fears, and unhealthy desires. In Pasadena I re-wrote the class to center it around We Have Recovered, the new book by Stephen Baughan (available from Amazon), who wrote the original class. I taught it mostly to those who were attending Fr. Charles' Bible studies and the meetings of his new churchplant. But now the supply of new students has ceased.

Working with individual addicts through the 12 Steps to recovery

The Common Solution Recovery class was useful as one of the tools to sponsor several addicts and encourage them to work through the 12 Steps. Last month, my last sponsee moved out of the convalescent home to live with his sister in Pennsylvania, and continues to work the steps and go to meetings.

A regular 12 Step meeting in a convalescent home

I was invited to start up a weekly meeting for a small group of guests in a skilled nursing facility who were interested in maintaining their recovery from addiction, and prepared the materials so that we could offer the same kind of meetings available for those who were not confined to an institution. We held a few meetings, but just as we were getting started, most of those in need completed their treatment, and the weekly meetings turned into one-on-one counseling sessions between me and my single sponsee.

Managing a Sober Living Home

Through the grace of God, I have had a place for almost a year where I can help an old friend manage a 10-bed facility for recovered addicts, where the focus was on providing a supportive environment for living according to the 12 Step principles. Since I did not have to pay rent for my own bed, I was able to afford dental care for my neglected teeth, and found a good dentist who will wrap up all his work in my mouth by early December. The population in the home has stabilized, but my interest in hiking takes me away from the home more often and for longer periods than my friend would prefer. And it is out in the forests where I find those moments of peace that strengthen me and help me grow closer to God.

Feeding the hungry and the homeless

Together with several homeless folk that I met in Pasadena, and alongside Fr. Charles Myers, we began weekly family meals in Washington Park on Thursdays, which was the only day of the week when an evening meal was not available for the homeless in Pasadena. The event grew and prospered. A few months back, a bigger, more formal free feeding was started nearby on Thursdays. The makeup of our meal group changed, and we began having behavioral problems. Since there was no longer a critical need on Thursdays, we relictantly shut the meals down..

The birth of a ministry to Eucharistic Communities 

From day one, I have been able to provide assistance to an evolving ministry of the Anglican Church of North America, that is, Saint Michael's in the City, headed up by the young down-home Southern old-time preacher Fr. Charles T. Myers. Armed with a grant for a year's lease on a church meeting space, Fr. Charles offered Eucharist every Sunday and I assisted as Deacon, also at first as Treasurer for the new church and later also as producer of the weekly bulletin from which we read our  liturgy. We had baptisms, confirmations, and an ordination. Some of our homeless folk were walking 2 miles each way to attend church on Sunday.

With the end of the lease Fr. Charles moved the Sunday Service into Villa Parke, but attendance never caught on there and sometimes it was just two or three of us. But then a new opportunity arose: There was no longer any evening meal for the homeless on Saturdays, and Fr. Charles partnered with a wonderful lady who was already heading up a meal  fellowship on Mondays. For the last two weeks we have been back in Washington Park on Saturday, offering a complete Eucharist followed by an evening meal. With the integration of these two ministries--a "Kingdom Feast"--Saint Michael's in the City has finally found a winning formula combining the Word of God with fellowship around the dinner table.

A Long Sabbatical

Saint Michael's in the City and its young preacher have done a lot of growing up in the past year-and-a-half, and I have been proud to be a part of that. Moving from here forward, Fr. Charles is looking forward to training at least two new deacons for the church. I have tendered my resignation as Treasurer, and Fr. Charles' support group is finding him not only a new treasurer, but a for-real bookkeeper. May God bless their ministry. I am sure that He has more lined up  for me to do, but that has not yet been revealed to me.

I spoke above of a moment of peace; that I had finished my work here. One of the things that influenced me to this point was the death of my former brother-in-law. I had a chance to sit with him in the hospital and share his and his family's experience as he faced and experienced the ending of his life before going to be with the Lord. Then I was able to join with his family and mine as we laid his body to rest.


Another thing, possibly brought to mind by the first one, is my upcoming birthday in May. If the Lord fails to gather me up first, I will be seven decades old. Now, there is a tradition for clerics that they go into retirement at age 70, but I had not entertained such an idea. Let us say that I am going on a year's Sabbatical, and then seeking what the Lord may have in mind beyond that.

A final impetus is my health, which is excellent. I have often entertained the idea of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, and was reminded of that when I met the above young lady, who is a section hiker on the PCT. It is unlikely that I am going to get any healthier, and if I am actually going to do it, now would be the time. Should the Lord tarry, I will have time later to getting around to writing my book(s). In fact, perhaps that will be my ministry later--who can tell.

The Pacific Crest Trail

Mexico to  Canada

At the moment, I'm in the throes of preparing for a major cross-country hike: tackling a trail, which begins at the Mexican border near the humble town of Campo, California, and ends seven miles into Canada at Manning Provincial Park in British Columbia. So far, I have purchased some nice equipment (e.g. a 17-degree-rated goosedown sleeping bag), I have identified 33 waypoints on the trail where I can resupply my food and fuel (with up to 118 miles between resupply points), and I have been doing test hiking/camping trips into the Angeles forest where I am working out how to carry enough vegetarian food to take me 118 miles at a lick. I expect the trek to take at least 8 months, and to finish before the first autumn snows of 2013.

Before leaving, I have one unfinished piece of business: the Gabrielino Trail, 22 miles of trek from Arcadia up into the Angeles Forest and back down into Pasadena. Since the final section back down is closed, a detour around that will add at least 8 more miles to the trek. I will take it slow and easy, for this will be the shakedown cruise to see if I can carry enough food for a 100+ mile trek. If I do that in January, I will be ready to take the train and then the bus to Campo for the big one.

I will still be posting updates, but they will be on my personal web log, http://resurrectioncommunitypersonal.blogspot.com/
and mostly on my facebook account for Rolin Bruno.

Look for me there!

And may God bless you all for your interest and support for my ministry and my travails.

Amen.

Summer Update!

Hello again, friends!

MINISTRY UPDATE: Only two months since my last update, and here I am, back already. The Latest? I'm settling in as manager of the sober living home, coming up on a full house (10 beds filled) as of today.

I'm also looking for guidance from the Lord and prayers from my friends as I consider a possible new ministry this July: I have been asked to facilitate a weekly 12-step meeting at a Pasadena convalescent facility, where I hope to be able to pass on some of what I learned at Church Army Branson. The next couple of weeks will determine whether the time for this action has come to pass. I am praying for a partner among the clients of the facility and another from the staff.


Ridge leading to Iron Mountain

SHEEP MOUNTAIN WILDERNESS:  This is the area just west of Mount Baldy, a haven for bighorn sheep. Richard and I got a late start for this training hike, and on the way up to Iron Mountain found out from the trail veterans that this hike was considered much tougher than the one we're training for: Mount Whitney. Undeterred, we forged on, even when the trail vanished and we had nothing to follow but the footprints of our predecessors up and down the ridges leading to the Iron Mountain summit.

But the late start came back to bite us.  Richard summited and we started back down the mountain, but we were unable to reach the improved portion of the trail before darkness fell. We found ourselves looking down a 10 foot cliff near the top of the 150 foot high ridge pictured here and saying, "This doesn't look familiar. Could we be off trail?" (We weren't.) We ended up breaking out our survival blankets and spending the night on the mountain.

But we did spot some Bighorn Sheep tracks and scat the next morning. And we got a chance to field test our survival blankets.


Swimming Hole near Switzer Falls

SWITZER FALLS: These rather unspectacular falls are on the upper portion of the Gabrielino trail, but can't be reached from the trailhead below due to trail closures. It is accessible from the well-appointed Switzer Picnic Area on the Angeles Crest Highway (State Hwy 2) along the upper Arroyo Seco Creek.  I found myself more interested in two attractive swimming holes in the creek, after a pleasant, shaded, three mile hike. I hiked in as far as the Bear Canyon trailhead, which would have led me eventually to the Mount Lowe Campground, one of my favorite spots. But I turned around at that point for my uphill trek back to the Highway.
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Fr. Richard Menees atop San Gorgonio

MOUNT SAN GORGONIO: Also known as "Greyback", this 11,500 foot peak is one of the two great sentinels that guard the approach to Palm Springs and the desert Coachella Valley from the coastal and inland cities around Los Angeles. This was to be the last training hike for Richard and me, as we sought to condition ourselves to high altitude hiking. I had chosen the Fish Creek Trail, a 17 mile round trip starting at elevation 8,080, which passes through the 1950's wreckage of an Air Force DC-3. Richard and I found the scenery spectacular, although the view from the top was marred by lower valley haziness.

Dripping wet after cave crawling

FATHER'S DAY: I was blessed to spend the weekend with my former step-daughter Ashley and "Alex", who has been cared for by his big sister Ashley. We camped creekside at Wheeler Gorge Campground in Ventura County, and we barbecued meat and corn, and Ashley fried bacon in the morning. It was Alex's first camping experience, so he and his two friends got to learn how to pitch individual tents. On the next morning we drove up-canyon to Rose Valley and hiked in to the 300 foot Rose Valley Falls. Alex and his friends got a chance to crawl through a hidden cave just behind the bottom of the waterfall.

Brown Mountain Debris Dam

BROWN MOUNTAIN DEBRIS DAM: Hot! Where to limber up for Whitney when it's hot? The shady Arroyo Seco, beginning from JPL (NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratories) and the entry point of the Gabrielino Trail. This 80-foot dam and its attendant waterfall lies three miles up-canyon, at the end of the hikable trail. Behind the dam lies not a lake but rock and dirt and sand, sand, sand. Nevertheless, one can sit on the ledge at the bottom of the dam and enjoy the refreshing mist of water droplets wafted by gentle breezes. At least 20° cooler!

Abp Duncan with Bp Bowers

JUBILEE/ACNA CONVOCATION: On the eve of my trip north to the Whitney area, I had the opportunity to participate in this aerie of eagles, circling one another as they seek to become one flock rather than two. (Fr. Charles let me carry the Gospel Book.) Bishop Gregory Bowers, seen here with his assisting bishops to his right, leads a fellowship of some dozen congregations in the West (Jubilee) and also pastors Lemuel Missionary Baptist Church in south Los Angeles. Archbishop Robert Duncan, seen here with his canon and Fr. Charles to his left, leads the Anglican Communion of North America (ACNA) and also his home diocese of Pittsburgh. Under the auspices of the Greenhouse Movement, they foresee the enfolding of both their ministries within the Anglican Communion. On Saturday June 30, Bishop Bowers played keyboard (amazing) and Archbishop Duncan delivered the sermon (also amazing), after which these two bishops concelebrated Holy Eucharist according to the Anglican rite.



Owens Lake seen from Horshoe Meadow Road

HORSESHOE MEADOWS: Just a few miles south of the Whitney Portal, this little-noticed camping area lies at 10,000 feet elevation, at the end of an excellent paved road. As the road launches its way up the precipitous eastern face of the Sierra Nevada, it offers the above stunning view of Owens Lake. In its glory days, before the City of Los Angeles bought up virtually all the water rights, this lake was plied by sternwheeler steam boats that would call on the ports along the lake edge and upriver at the county seat of Independence.
   At Horseshoe, the two car-side campgrounds are oriented towards backcountry hikers, offering 18+ tentsites each for a first-come-first-served one-night stay limit. I unloaded all my food into the bear boxes and payed for Sunday's stay ($6) at Cottonwood Camp, waiting for my hiking companions to arrive the next day to register for Monday night.

Me at Cottonwood Creek

COTTONWOOD CREEK: Richard and Ross arrived Monday morning, and Ross & I limbered up with a hike to the Cottonwood Creek crossing, about one and a half miles up trail.  At the crossing we spied some half-dozen native California Golden Trout, known to thrive only at ten thousand feet and above. Exploring the camp area a bit, I ran across the outfitters' base camp, where over fifty horses were ready to be saddled up for your next expedition into the High Sierra back country. We cooked a great meal over the barbie, and bedded down early with our alarms set for 2am.



Mirror Lake

 MIRROR LAKE: Our intrepid party of three hit the Whitney Trail at 3:51 Tuesday morning, headlamps shining. Mirror Lake at about 11,000 is the first lake in the Whitney Zone. Hiking in the Zone requires a permit in the summer months acquired through an online lottery, or on a first-come-first-served basis in case of availability due to cancellations.

I took this photo on an exploratory trip in early May, and was unable to proceed much higher due to snow and ice on the trail. No such snow was in evidence in July, except for some isolated icy patches on the shady side of the trail higher up.

Wotan's Throne

WOTAN'S THRONE: Wotan's Throne loomed over  the main Mount Whitney Trail, dominating our view as we climbed higher into the wilderness.

Although this peak is a thousand feet lower than the trailcrest ridge behind it, it obscures the view of the top country for much of the early portion of the hike.

Back side of Wotan's Throne

INYO MOUNTAINS: From much higher up the trail, the Owens Valley is visible over the top of the Wotan's Throne, with the Inyo Mountains in the distance rising to 10,000 feet. The blue patch at the extreme left is Upper Boy Scout Lake, while the green patch near the lower right marks the meadows in the vicinity of Trail Camp.

Constitution Lake

CONSTITUTION LAKE: Back on the trail: as we approached Trail Camp, we spotted Constitution Lake below us to our left.

In the previous photo, this lake is off camera to the right.

Anyone for a swim?

Marmot looking for a handout

TRAIL CAMP DENIZENS: Roughly halfway through the trip, this is the spot to refilll our water bottles and our hydration systems.

But don't get farther than about six feet from your pack, or the marmots will be inside rummaging around in a jif!

Pika among the rocks

ROCK CRITTERS: The higher the elevation, the smaller the chipmunks were that I saw.

They and the pikas are much shyer than the Marmots, but they will still try to share your food if they can.

Constitution Lake from 13,000 ft

THE 99 SWITCHBACKS: This is the most dreaded part of the trail, climbing about 1,600 feet in 2.3 miles, from Trail Camp to Trail Crest. By this time our three-man team was scattered over the mountain, and we each were having our issues with altitude sickness. I had stopped at Trail Camp for some personal maintenance (potential heel blister, etc) and had contemplated a nap, but forged on: 30 paces. Rest. 30 paces. Rest. There must be at least some  oxygen in this thin air!

Trail Crest 13,650 ft elevation

TRAIL CREST: From here to summit was another two miles and another 850 feet elevation gain. The packs of my two companions were here, where they had ditched them for their assaults on the summit. But I was satisfied with the view from here and had met my primary goal, that is, to have become somewhat physically fit. Some 15 months ago I was confined to a wheelchair, a walker and crutches after hip replacement surgery, and had been walking in pain with the aid of a cane for some two years before that. Praise God who made all this wilderness country, and Praise God who made my  recovery porrible!


Hitchcock Lakes in the upper Sequoia Wilderness

 SEUOIA HIGH COUNTRY: Sequoia National Park is known for its giant redwoods and drive-through trees. Who knew that it had country like this? To see this sight you need either an adequate level of fitness or a whole lot of helicopter fuel.



 DISCOVERY PINNACLE: This peak is just south of Trail Crest. The spire jutting out from the peak is square and at least 50 feet long. Amazing!

NOW WHAT? I'm going to do a little leisurely car camping, then when the weather cools down, look for a mountain bike and try some of the back country roads in the Angeles National Forest. And, it looks like, I actually will be facilitating an AA meeting in a convalescent center. Praise God, who knows his plans for me.

Spring Update!

Hello friends!

Sober Living Home

MINISTRY UPDATE: Here I am again with a tardy ministry update along with the latest doing's in my life. And the Latest? I've Moved! I had been praying about whether God wanted me to be doing working for Him in a Sober Living home, when an old friend of mine asked me for advice on—of all things—obtaining a new manager for the Sober Living Home that he owned.

Room for my Stuff

    Thank you, Lord! I'm now near South Pasadena in a room just large enough to fit my Library. There are 10 beds here for men who are coming from treatment centers or elsewhere and want to build new lives without a dependency on alcohol or drugs. I'm still helping each week with a new ACNA church being planted by Fr. Charles Myers, along with a weekly Bible study and family picnic in the park for all our homeless friends and anyone else that may come by. I have also begun helping in a Pasadena convalescent home to strengthen those who don't want to return to their  former lives in drug addiction, and I'm still teaching the Common Solution Recovery 12-step class every other month or so.




My Work Camp for working on the Ken Burton Trail

 HIKING AND CAMPING: My last email ministry update was July of 2011 (bad, bad, Rolin!), although for those with the link to my web log, I did post a hiking/camping update in February:
http://resurrectiongulfcoast.blogspot.com/2012/02/gabrielino-trail-17-bridges-tour.html

Since the Gabrielino Trail was closed, I had to find another way to get to the Oak Wilde Trail Camp deep in the upper Arroyo Seco, which according to the literature on the front counter of the Ranger Station boasted seven campsites with tables and stoves, supported by pit toilets and hitching rails for the horses.

7 Foot Brush

The only other way into the campsite was the Ken Burton Trail starting at the end of the Brown Mountain Fire "Road" (which hasn't been passable by vehicles for many years). But no one had been down that way for at least 3 years, and the trail had disappeared under heavy brush as much as 9 feet tall.

     If I put my face to the ground, I could see what was left of the trail, not much more than a rabbit burrow from one end of the brush patch to the other. So, back down the mountain to bring back a machete and other tools. I worked on the trail once a week from late September through early December The photo at left shows one result of that work, after hacking my way through scrubby greenish-brown brush pepered with red-leafed poison oak (ouch). Took me some time and a doctor's visit to recover from that little episode. 

7 Foot Lupine Blossoms

     And when I returned that way again last week, what to my wondering eyes should appear but lush greenery and delicate Lupine blossoms caressing my face from both sides as I pushed through the same trail segment. Big improvement over the poison Oak!

     At the end of the trail in the bottom of the upper Arroyo Seco should have been the seven-site Oak Wilde Trail Camp.

Instead I found devastation:

Oak Wilde Campsite

a boulder-strewn plain swept clean by the floods after the huge  Station Fire. One campsite remained, half buried in mud. Behind the table in this photo can be seen a stovepipe sticking up  out of the mud where the camp stove lies buried.
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Sword in the Stone

DISNEY TRIP: Alex, the young man I cared for in Pennsylvania for almost three years, is now living in California with his relatives out here. Here he is with his friend at Disneyland, where I had the opportunity to take him on his first visit there, at the age of 13.  He is doing well in school and is glad to be back in California after many years absence.

Backbone Trail with Snow

TRAINING FOR MOUNT WHITNEY CLIMB: I have a July 3 reservation to hike the 22-mile round trip to Mount Whitney, at 14,500 feet the tallest mountain in the 48 States. It is a 6,000 foot climb, so I am training twice weekly to get in shape. For exercise at high altitude, I attempted to scale 10,000-foot Mount San Antonio (Old Baldy) last month, where I was turned back by the depth of the snow at the end of the Devil's Backbone Trail at about 9,000 feet.

Backbone without Snow

     I had much better luck on the second attempt last Saturday. I experienced a bit of dizzyness, probably due to the altitude, so  I hiked it again last Wednesday and was improved. I need to  spend more time at altitude.


Mount Baldy Up Close

Old Baldy itself is hidden from view from the ski resort at Baldy Notch and from most of rest of the 3+ mile trail up to the summit from there. But on rounding the slope of Little Baldy we were presented with the impressive view above.


Topside of Baldy

 I was accompanied Saturday by my friend and mentor Fr. Richard Menees (left) and by Tony Pietrolungo of Saint James Newport Beach, who I hope will join us on our July 3 assault on Mount Whitney.

Friends, I will endeavor to do better in my quarterly reports, and will send you an update when I find out whether our assault on the Mount Whitey Trail will successfully take us topside there.

In Christ,
Rolin

Gabrielino Trail: 17 Bridges Tour

Like a protective arch over Pasadena, the 28-mile Gabrielino trail
begins in the Arroyo Seco just west of the city, climbs 2000+ feet to turn east along the Angeles Crest and climb 1,000+ feet more before plunging south towards the city of Arcadia.

Here at the trailhead in Pasadena, its entrance sign ignores the Gould Mesa campground just two miles ahead and holds out the promise of Oakwilde campground, halfway to the Switzer picnic area on the Angeles Crest Highway.

Literature at the ranger's station describes Oakwilde as having 7 campsites with stoves, plus pit toilets and hitching rails for the horses: so let's take a stroll up the arroyo and see what it looks like, bearing in mind the devastations of the Station Fire and the subsequent floods. ....

Passing the Jet Propulsion Labs (JPL) on the opposite side of the arroyo, we cross what I call the Baroque Bridge, built in an era when bridges were supposed to be not only functional but also expressions of architectural art. But the very next bridge sports wooden planks and danger warnings.
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About a mile in we pass by the Lower Brown Mountain road which launches eastward into the foothills, while the El Prieto trail and creek snakes their way along the bottom of a steep canyon. Both of them end at the "Upper" road, also known as the Brown Mountain Fire Road.
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Back in the rock n' roll days the Eagles Live album included the song "Seven Bridges Road." By my count, the lower arrroyo has seventeen bridges and/or places where bridges used to be.
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For many of these creek crossings, you will need good balance or acceptance of getting your socks wet.
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While some of these bridges may be missing due to the recent floods, most of them don't appear to have been in existence for many years.
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Gould Mesa campground is a pleasant space with 3 campsites, fire rings, toilets, and trash containers. It is maintained via a service road that climbs up out of the arroyo to the west.
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This bridge was taken out when fire burned away its wooden planks.
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This new and wonderful horse bridge is a pleasant surprise.

Still more river to cross.

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At Paul Little picnic area (below left) the Gabrielino Trail leaves the canyon floor and climbs out on the right, but it's marked as closed, saying "Respect it!"
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Following the canyon floor brings us to the Brown Mountain Debris Dam. With all that water falling maybe 60 feet, one would expect a good-sized lake on the other side.
Surprise: it's filled up with dirt and rock.

Climbing the canyon wall (respecting the closed trail, of course) we can get a picture of the situation. Downstream is the rocky creek flowing among trees (above) while looking upstream (below) we see a sandy creek and low brush. But where is Oakwilde Campground? We're stymied: stopped short maybe a mile short of our goal.
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Time to get out the map. From the south, marked in red, is the portion of the Gabrieleino trail we've just followed to where we were stopped at the Paul Little picnic area.

From the north, starting at the Switzer picnic area, is the Gabrielino trail going south to Oakwilde, which is circled. One small problem: the ranger tells me that the portion of the trail south of the junction with Bear Canyon is also closed.

From west of Oakwilde there used to be a trail or service road leading up to the highway, but it is also closed, taken out by a landslide many years ago.

What's left? From the east, of course! There's a 3 mile trail marked on the map as the "Ken Burton Trail" which ends at Oakwilde. That trail starts at the end of the 5½ mile Brown Mountain Fire Road, which in turn starts at one of my favorite campgrounds, Millard Canyon.

So if these 8½ miles are passable and we hike them, we should be able to put our eyes on this mysterious "Oakwilde Campground," which from 1911 through 1938 existed as the Old Camp Oak Wilde tourist resort. And that, in fact, is what we will do next, and we'll see it in the next post. Stay Tuned!