Is it possible? Yes it is. Last Friday was my first day in attempting my freeing of the armpits. I'm going to be honest and say I didn't do much research starting out, so I came by some knowledge just in experience and then wondering why it worked persuaded me to find the answer.
So when I began a week ago I read a blog where a woman was just documenting her experience to a point where it seemed her sweat moderated itself and all was well. I hadn't heard this was possible. It sounded like when I entered the "No 'Poo" method of hair washing, where we can get the sebaceous glands to take a chill pill in overproduction as we stop making them overproduce with stripping, but these are different glands. If this can be done, then logically I approached it the same way -- just as hair needs sebum as a protector, so this excretion is also needed. I didn't stop my sebum production completely when I went to the "No 'Poo" method; I just taught my scalp to not overproduce because I stopped giving it a reason to continuously replenish -- I stopped stripping it with detergent shampoos. It was just a thought, but I wondered if overproduction of sweat was due to stripping moisture from the armpits, which in turn is linked to the body odor; to add, that over-kill of the skin's bacteria (odor contributor) made an imbalance of it as well.
First, you need to understand a few things about deodorant and why you should stay away from it. Well, before that we need to establish that there is a difference between deodorant and antiperspirant. Most sticks you label "deodorant" are a combination of both a deodorizing agent and an antiperspirant, though a true deodorant itself does not contain antiperspirant. Most organic or natural deodorants are in this field. They do not stop sweat production but handle the bacteria on the surface of the skin which causes the odor. My issue with this is that they are quite costly.
Going back to body odor -- the apocrine glands are those that are associated with hair follicles, and are the ones you find under your armpits. The fluid is odorless until it is met with bacteria on the skin's surface. Logically, this should be good bacteria, unless you mess with it, which you often do in deodorants. My theory above was perhaps the bacterial imbalance that would make very pungent odors are due to messing too much with the bacteria with chemicals in deodorants and antiperspirants. Most natural deodorants will deal with the bacteria in the form of essential oils like lavender, tea tree, etc. These oils are good antibacterial agents.
Your conventional deodorant-antiperspirant stick uses a form of aluminum to contract the pores to the point of keeping you dry. It clogs them, in a nutshell. I have an issue with this because you need to sweat. There is a reason why God made those glands, and failure to expel toxins and pheromones, and failure to release sodium back into the blood stream after bodily stress each has their own set of consequences that can be quite damaging to other systems of the body, not to mention outpours of claims that aluminum is toxic internally.
Back to the problem I have with buying natural deodorants: I already have plenty of items in my house that handle bacteria. I actually used to make my own deodorant with lemon essential oil, coconut oil, and baking soda. I was annoyed at how often I had to apply it. I personally wanted a bit more freedom for my armpits, and not have a sandy, oily, substance sitting under them. So I decided to just use an essential oil and see how long I could go. My test was with ylang ylang, simply because I love the smell.
The week was especially interesting. First, I washed my armpits each day with baking soda. Since I was trying to handle the sweat-production imbalance in the same way I handled my sebum-production imbalance, I'd use the same product. I'm not sure if that did much for the sweat production, but in the very least it did help out as I realized that the fluid of the apocrine gland will mix with sebum before it makes it to the surface. So since sebum was involved, balancing it out with baking soda seemed to be a bonus to my deodorant-free trial.
On with the day to day... Day 1 was my day to clean my house for the week, filled with bathtub scrubbing, elbow grease in the oven, etc. I only had to apply it once, first thing in the morning and I felt so free by the end of the day. Weird, I know. Day 2 was interesting since it was Saturday and I am a part of a flag worship team in our congregation. I thought it mightily brave of me to do all the dancing and whipping of arms up and down without anything under those pits except for a single drop of ylang ylang applied to each. Let me tell you, worked like a charm. Day 3 was especially interesting because it was our hiking day. We hiked up to a ridge at over 5800 ft elevation. I applied a drop of ylang ylang under each arm before we even left the house and brought the bottle with me. I was shocked to note that I did not have to reuse that bottle, and boy was I sweating! Just in case my own nose was acclimating to my pits faster than my pits were acclimating to my new routine, I asked my family's input. No body odor apparent. The rest of the week was quite mild, though one day I tried bergamot instead and noticed that it did not work as well for me, another I tried lemon, and then another I tried lavender. Both of those worked well. I am sure they each dealt with the bacteria at hand. Yesterday when I showed up to dance practice, a couple of people noted how I actually smelled good. No deodorant and I smell good -- how about that!
Anyway, later I linked the ylang ylang success to the fact that it is a muscle relaxer of a sort. It prevents muscle contraction, and though slight contraction is used to expel sweat from armpits, the excessive contraction is the science behind antiperspirants. Therefore, I wondered if the freedom versus the constraint made my body happy and that even the more often that fluid reaches the surface, the less bacteria has a chance to build up to mix with it and make a pungent smell. Going against an antiperspirant's contraction, it was the difference between being continuously moist, versus being dry but dumping sweat profusely when nervous. My balance theory proving itself? Note, my armpits were not dry, but neither were they sweaty. Couple this with ylang ylang just smelling good, and hey, it worked! I later read that ylang ylang is an anti-seborrhic, which tells me it further would balance out the over production of sebum. I wonder if the oily substance (sebum mixes with the fluid that becomes sweat before it expels) has anything to do with odor lasting, and that even if I had odor from the apocrine glands expelling, it wouldn't stick around anyway without a fat like sebum. Hmmm...
I'd enjoy hearing your experiences and successes!
Showing posts with label Wellness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wellness. Show all posts
Friday, June 5, 2015
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Rampart Ridge Backdoor (with Lakes Laura and Lillian)
It had been 2 months since we attempted this exact route. It was like a completely different hike. The meadows were blossomed with flowers, the then bare bushes were overgrown to give us a real bushwacking experience. It was every bit of beauty I expected it to be back when I first saw the landscape in March. The trail was much easier to recognize, even in the bountiful, fresh growth. The road to the parking lot still has one area of washout.
The parking lot was a full one on Sunday, though the trail was quite quiet. Upon starting we ran into some campers coming down who said that Lillian was almost completely thawed, as opposed to the week prior when there still remained a great deal frozen. I was relieved. We initially said we wouldn't go up there again until August, because we wanted to go up to the ridges, which would be very difficult to do with frozen lake areas below it. So we eagerly climbed up to Lake Lillian; and when I say "eagerly" I mean that we made it up there in 45 minutes. I did mention, though, how I forgot how steep it really was. Up to Lake Lillian, it is about P3's ridge equivalent on steepness, minus the loose terrain. There is a point where the trail will split -- left takes you to Lake Laura, and right continues the climb to Lake Lillian. From the Lake Lillian fork, there exists another fork further ahead -- to the right I believe is the trail to Mt. Catherine, straight ahead is to Lillian. Moving past this we reached the entrance plateau to Lillian. From before the entrance you can look to the left side and see Lake Laura below.
So I hear there are two ways to make up to Rampart Ridge behind Lake Lillian. We did see a faint trail to the left of the lake, which looks like it will tackle Dungeon Peak first, then Rampart Ridge Highpoint. We took the trail to the right, which climbs up a rock face slightly and then walks along the right side of the lake until you hit the backside of it for a loose rock/dirt climb.
Once you get up that loose rock/dirt area on the backside of Lake Lillian, the ridge climb is not that back. The backside is forgiving if there is a fall. There are many bushes that keep the scrambling exposure to a less nervous level, but ample bushwacking. Once you get past the first prominence, there is a trail that spurs left along the ridge, with the one on the right continuing to Rampart Lakes (from what it appears to be on maps). We went left and up the ridge.
From that backside, though, you catch glimpse of rolling hills and what looks like a very fun ridgeline that extends even further than you imagined. I could see why people camp here. I could hike here the rest of the year and maybe, just maybe, touch ground on the full ridgeline and the
gullies. It reminded me of Europe. I could almost hear, "The hills are alive with the sound of music."
We made excellent timing, and after sitting down for lunch, we took some snapshots and went back down, making it a 4.5 hour hike with a roundtrip distance (parking lot to Rampart Ridge Highpoint) of less than 5 miles. It was enjoyed by the whole family. Make sure you check out the waterfalls below Lake Laura and between Lake Lillian and Lake Laura. We filled up our water bottles from their streams.
The parking lot was a full one on Sunday, though the trail was quite quiet. Upon starting we ran into some campers coming down who said that Lillian was almost completely thawed, as opposed to the week prior when there still remained a great deal frozen. I was relieved. We initially said we wouldn't go up there again until August, because we wanted to go up to the ridges, which would be very difficult to do with frozen lake areas below it. So we eagerly climbed up to Lake Lillian; and when I say "eagerly" I mean that we made it up there in 45 minutes. I did mention, though, how I forgot how steep it really was. Up to Lake Lillian, it is about P3's ridge equivalent on steepness, minus the loose terrain. There is a point where the trail will split -- left takes you to Lake Laura, and right continues the climb to Lake Lillian. From the Lake Lillian fork, there exists another fork further ahead -- to the right I believe is the trail to Mt. Catherine, straight ahead is to Lillian. Moving past this we reached the entrance plateau to Lillian. From before the entrance you can look to the left side and see Lake Laura below.
Lake Laura below
So I hear there are two ways to make up to Rampart Ridge behind Lake Lillian. We did see a faint trail to the left of the lake, which looks like it will tackle Dungeon Peak first, then Rampart Ridge Highpoint. We took the trail to the right, which climbs up a rock face slightly and then walks along the right side of the lake until you hit the backside of it for a loose rock/dirt climb.
Getting around Lake Lillian
Once you get up that loose rock/dirt area on the backside of Lake Lillian, the ridge climb is not that back. The backside is forgiving if there is a fall. There are many bushes that keep the scrambling exposure to a less nervous level, but ample bushwacking. Once you get past the first prominence, there is a trail that spurs left along the ridge, with the one on the right continuing to Rampart Lakes (from what it appears to be on maps). We went left and up the ridge.
Left and up
Left and up
Second point, Lake Lillian below. What a lookout.
Last good push before a scramble.
Mt. Rainier in the distance.
The view of Lake Lillian below.
The beautiful ridge we just got through climbing.
From that backside, though, you catch glimpse of rolling hills and what looks like a very fun ridgeline that extends even further than you imagined. I could see why people camp here. I could hike here the rest of the year and maybe, just maybe, touch ground on the full ridgeline and the
gullies. It reminded me of Europe. I could almost hear, "The hills are alive with the sound of music."
We made excellent timing, and after sitting down for lunch, we took some snapshots and went back down, making it a 4.5 hour hike with a roundtrip distance (parking lot to Rampart Ridge Highpoint) of less than 5 miles. It was enjoyed by the whole family. Make sure you check out the waterfalls below Lake Laura and between Lake Lillian and Lake Laura. We filled up our water bottles from their streams.
Saturday, May 23, 2015
Homemade Scoby & Kombucha
I am fairly new to kombucha, only a few months but was immediately hooked. It took me a while to purchase my first one because I just could not bring myself to spend over $3 on a beverage, and it really just did not look appealing. Marlene's had them on sale -- $1 less than normal price -- and so then started the kombucha bottle collection in my cupboards!
Well if it didn't look appealing at first bottled sight, then certainly it doesn't when making it! My husband could not believe I fell in love with kombucha. He spent some years as a server in Florida -- the "South" part of Florida in the Panhandle, where sweet tea is ordered before the water comes out. He wondered why I didn't just make it myself if I loved it so much. I then looked up scobies and saw how unappealing the process looked and how much a kit would cost me. He said they would make scobies all the time, not intentionally, but just by being so busy and never washing out the urns. So I began my experiment.
From what I read online, I am finding article after article no longer recommended the homemade scoby method that I used. However, even if you bought a scoby, in reusing it past your first batch you are still practically doing the homemade scoby method by using some of the old tea to feed the scoby, because each batch will make new scoby -- like you are initially atttempting to do with the homemade scoby method. It's the same process in the second go-round if you bought your scoby. It just sounds fishy to me to say it is not a recommended method, and seems more like a way to keep making money off of people on something that often unintentionally gets made in the South. Yeah, you know what road I took!
I started with these ingredients:
1 bottle of store bought original black bottle kombucha
Homemade sweetened black tea
I wanted a good start so I used the black bottle kombucha. If you are using GT's, this is the kind that says it contains alchohol because it has a slightly longer fermentation process than the clear bottle stuff. I have seen in those non-recommended articles that the clear bottle is often used, though the darker bottles have much more of that cloudy blob on the bottom and I wanted a good starter for a scoby.
I started by steeping tea and molasses in a mason jar and a jam jar, halfway full, and then let cool completely. I decided on molasses because I wanted the extra minerals in my kombucha. Note -- I have read that in choosing sugar types for kombucha, since molasses has extra minerals, it is harder on the scoby; however, my scoby formed just fine in 5 days' time. It didn't seem to have a bad effect on my batch! I will stick to natural, raw sugars like raw honey and raw agave, because of contained minerals and ohter properties. I just love that I can add healthiness (if I can even say a sugar source could be healthy with offending some) to something already healthy.
After the tea fully cooled, I split the store bought kombucha into the 2 jars. I let it fully cool as to not kill the cultures in the kombucha I added. Then I simply set the lids on top, not tightened, and let it sit in my pantry.
Well if it didn't look appealing at first bottled sight, then certainly it doesn't when making it! My husband could not believe I fell in love with kombucha. He spent some years as a server in Florida -- the "South" part of Florida in the Panhandle, where sweet tea is ordered before the water comes out. He wondered why I didn't just make it myself if I loved it so much. I then looked up scobies and saw how unappealing the process looked and how much a kit would cost me. He said they would make scobies all the time, not intentionally, but just by being so busy and never washing out the urns. So I began my experiment.
From what I read online, I am finding article after article no longer recommended the homemade scoby method that I used. However, even if you bought a scoby, in reusing it past your first batch you are still practically doing the homemade scoby method by using some of the old tea to feed the scoby, because each batch will make new scoby -- like you are initially atttempting to do with the homemade scoby method. It's the same process in the second go-round if you bought your scoby. It just sounds fishy to me to say it is not a recommended method, and seems more like a way to keep making money off of people on something that often unintentionally gets made in the South. Yeah, you know what road I took!
I started with these ingredients:
1 bottle of store bought original black bottle kombucha
Homemade sweetened black tea
I wanted a good start so I used the black bottle kombucha. If you are using GT's, this is the kind that says it contains alchohol because it has a slightly longer fermentation process than the clear bottle stuff. I have seen in those non-recommended articles that the clear bottle is often used, though the darker bottles have much more of that cloudy blob on the bottom and I wanted a good starter for a scoby.
I started by steeping tea and molasses in a mason jar and a jam jar, halfway full, and then let cool completely. I decided on molasses because I wanted the extra minerals in my kombucha. Note -- I have read that in choosing sugar types for kombucha, since molasses has extra minerals, it is harder on the scoby; however, my scoby formed just fine in 5 days' time. It didn't seem to have a bad effect on my batch! I will stick to natural, raw sugars like raw honey and raw agave, because of contained minerals and ohter properties. I just love that I can add healthiness (if I can even say a sugar source could be healthy with offending some) to something already healthy.
After the tea fully cooled, I split the store bought kombucha into the 2 jars. I let it fully cool as to not kill the cultures in the kombucha I added. Then I simply set the lids on top, not tightened, and let it sit in my pantry.
 |
| Right before I put the lids on. |
 |
| Day 5 gave me a healthy scoby, though I waited until day 8 to do the second fermentation on this batch and do a second initial batch. |
The initial fermentation can go from 7-30 days. I thought mine would have to be on the high end since I was using molasses. Yet, this wasn't the case for me, and the smell of tartness was to my precise liking on day eight. It might have been because of the good starter black bottle kombucha that I used, rather than the clear bottle. Our secret.
On day 8 I took the contents from this batch, removing the scoby and reserving some from of the bottom for another new batch, and bottled it into 2 kombucha bottles. I decided on a gingerade flavor, squeezing fresh lemon into each bottle and 2 drops of ginger essential oil. I gave it a quick try, and the ginger was very strong. Next time I do this flavor, I will use just one essential oil drop per bottle. Then I tightened the lids and put back into my pantry for another 2 days. This is to enhance the flavor and to allow carbonation to build from fermentation to gain a fizzy kombucha. With the scoby and reserve, I started another batch of kombucha, repeating my initial batch with a scoby this time.
 |
| Second fermentation process. The scoby did grow from day five to eight. |
 |
| Second batch, reusing scoby. |
It was a very easy process. It's like ghee -- I can't believe I've been buying this stuff! This second batch I will add chia seeds to make my favorite type of kombucha. What are some of your flavors you have experienced making? You know, I never was into sweet tea. I actually even took a bit of pride in knowing it didn't get a hold of me. Ha, but with kombucha... I guess in a way, sweet tea got a hold of me too.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Simple Vegan Kimchi
Before yogurt companies were bringing awareness of probiotics as advertised in their products, I was tearing up some kimchi as a young girl...and embarrassed by it. It used to be one of those things you'd have to excuse yourself: "Excuse me, I ate kimchi; I smell a little garlicky." In grade school there would be other little kids that would say to the Asians and Islanders, "That stuff stinks," or "Eww, you eat rotten cabbage?" You know, all the while the best things to eat were pizza and fries. Ha! What a turn of the century. Now rotten tea and rotten cabbage have properly taken (reclaimed) their place in the food industry, and the McDonald's of the 90's has taken theirs.
I actually took a break from eating kimchi after I turned vegan in 2006. I'd eat it sparingly from the health food store, as a vegan option. Then I added fish back into my diet and ate it from the Asian stores made fresh with fish sauce. I later questioned if they knew all the ingredients in their fish sauce (because many already-jarred ones are NOT kosher, using shrimp on top of the fermented anchovies), and so I determined it was time to stop playing 20 questions (and language barrier at times) with the Asian stores, and make my own.
It is extremely easy to make. Though I do question if 2-3 days is sufficient to ferment, as I've seen in most other recipes. Perhaps it is to the 1st stage, but there are 3 stages of full fermentation. The final is essential for preservation, but also very acidic (which is what preserves -- think of citric acid in jarring...). Some may not prefer a vinegary kimchi. Me? I love vinegar. So I made a double batch with the intentions of keeping half (hopefully) until the 3rd fermentation stage (3 weeks).
Another issue I am finding is in how to store while it ferments. Some say keep the jar tightly sealed. Some I see do not even have all the cabbage under brine. Some drain the brine the cabbage soaked in while it was prepping and never add any back in (mainly those that do not have cabbage sitting under brine). I guess that is where this 2 day fermentation comes in. Maybe all that gas buildup is fermenting that cabbage quickly and you must eat it quickly then, or it will otherwise truly rot? I don't know. All I know is that my recipe I'm sharing with you is taking my experience with sauerkraut into consideration, which I did successfully ferment to the 3rd stage without any signs of mold.
Ingredients:
Napa cabbage (at least)
Daikon (optional)
Green onions
Base (per one cabbage):
Himalayan or sea salt
Ginger essential oil (7 drops)
Turmeric essential oil (5 drops)
Korean red pepper flakes (3 T)
Paprika (2 T)
Sugar source (I use raw agave, but you can use regular sugar -- 2 T)
Brine soak:
water
Himalayan or sea salt (note -- I've read that table salt's added iodine will actually prohibit fermentation)
Step 1
Cut the cabbage in half, lengthwise. Cut the halves in half, lengthwise. Chop these sections widthwise in a few sections.
Step 2
Soak cut cabbage in brine soak all day or all night, making sure that there is enough liquid to submerge cabbage. It will try to float, therefore you will have to stir it halfway through. Every vegetable has a compound in the cellular walls that needs to be broken down to allow for fermentation. With sauerkraut you literally break it down as you smash the cabbage using salt to draw the moisture out for a self-made brine. Yet in kimchi, the cabbage is different and you can't exactly beat it down. Since you aren't, you have to let it soak for a bit to break it down.
Step 3
Mix your base ingredients into a separate container. The measurements I gave are very general. Feel free to adjust according to your taste.
Step 4
Drain cabbage from brine, reserving the brine in case you need it. Massage base ingredients into cabbage with your hands. I used my bare hands, though I know some will use gloves due to the peppers. You should accumulate some brine in your massage. If you are not, then add more salt and keep massaging.
Step 5
Jar the kimchi with the liquid attained through massage. If it doesn't cover the kimchi then add the brine reserve (from your soak). To ensure kimchi does not mold (which would be hard to do in just a 2- day ferment, but do this if you want a longer ferment), drizzle a layer of olive oil on the top of of your ferment and lay a single large piece of cabbage on the top. The oil makes a barrier for the oxygen and the piece of cabbage keeps the ferment from floating above the brine. Seal FINGER TIGHT. The gas must release. In order to not mess with it much as save yourself from burping the kimchi, keep the lid barely finger tight, this will allow enough pressure within the jar to keep oxygen out but not enough of a seal to prevent off gas. This is the method I adopted from my sauerkraut.
I actually took a break from eating kimchi after I turned vegan in 2006. I'd eat it sparingly from the health food store, as a vegan option. Then I added fish back into my diet and ate it from the Asian stores made fresh with fish sauce. I later questioned if they knew all the ingredients in their fish sauce (because many already-jarred ones are NOT kosher, using shrimp on top of the fermented anchovies), and so I determined it was time to stop playing 20 questions (and language barrier at times) with the Asian stores, and make my own.
It is extremely easy to make. Though I do question if 2-3 days is sufficient to ferment, as I've seen in most other recipes. Perhaps it is to the 1st stage, but there are 3 stages of full fermentation. The final is essential for preservation, but also very acidic (which is what preserves -- think of citric acid in jarring...). Some may not prefer a vinegary kimchi. Me? I love vinegar. So I made a double batch with the intentions of keeping half (hopefully) until the 3rd fermentation stage (3 weeks).
Another issue I am finding is in how to store while it ferments. Some say keep the jar tightly sealed. Some I see do not even have all the cabbage under brine. Some drain the brine the cabbage soaked in while it was prepping and never add any back in (mainly those that do not have cabbage sitting under brine). I guess that is where this 2 day fermentation comes in. Maybe all that gas buildup is fermenting that cabbage quickly and you must eat it quickly then, or it will otherwise truly rot? I don't know. All I know is that my recipe I'm sharing with you is taking my experience with sauerkraut into consideration, which I did successfully ferment to the 3rd stage without any signs of mold.
Ingredients:
Napa cabbage (at least)
Daikon (optional)
Green onions
Base (per one cabbage):
Himalayan or sea salt
Ginger essential oil (7 drops)
Turmeric essential oil (5 drops)
Korean red pepper flakes (3 T)
Paprika (2 T)
Sugar source (I use raw agave, but you can use regular sugar -- 2 T)
Brine soak:
water
Himalayan or sea salt (note -- I've read that table salt's added iodine will actually prohibit fermentation)
Step 1
Cut the cabbage in half, lengthwise. Cut the halves in half, lengthwise. Chop these sections widthwise in a few sections.
Step 2
Soak cut cabbage in brine soak all day or all night, making sure that there is enough liquid to submerge cabbage. It will try to float, therefore you will have to stir it halfway through. Every vegetable has a compound in the cellular walls that needs to be broken down to allow for fermentation. With sauerkraut you literally break it down as you smash the cabbage using salt to draw the moisture out for a self-made brine. Yet in kimchi, the cabbage is different and you can't exactly beat it down. Since you aren't, you have to let it soak for a bit to break it down.
Step 3
Mix your base ingredients into a separate container. The measurements I gave are very general. Feel free to adjust according to your taste.
Step 4
Drain cabbage from brine, reserving the brine in case you need it. Massage base ingredients into cabbage with your hands. I used my bare hands, though I know some will use gloves due to the peppers. You should accumulate some brine in your massage. If you are not, then add more salt and keep massaging.
Step 5
Jar the kimchi with the liquid attained through massage. If it doesn't cover the kimchi then add the brine reserve (from your soak). To ensure kimchi does not mold (which would be hard to do in just a 2- day ferment, but do this if you want a longer ferment), drizzle a layer of olive oil on the top of of your ferment and lay a single large piece of cabbage on the top. The oil makes a barrier for the oxygen and the piece of cabbage keeps the ferment from floating above the brine. Seal FINGER TIGHT. The gas must release. In order to not mess with it much as save yourself from burping the kimchi, keep the lid barely finger tight, this will allow enough pressure within the jar to keep oxygen out but not enough of a seal to prevent off gas. This is the method I adopted from my sauerkraut.
Time? If I were judging based upon what I know of sauerkraut, I'd say give it a week, or at least 5 days. Then again, I see many recipes that say 2-3 days. I mean, if you are going to have kimchi, have kimchi and take it nice and fermented! That is my suggestion. Again, half of my jars are going for 3 weeks or more.
I made these 5 jars from 2 heads of Napa cabbage. I figured with the ingredients I used, these 5 jars costs me $5 total -- that's $1 a jar. I just came from the Asian store where these sizes sold around $5 (the smaller one) to $8 (my larger one listed) a jar. Yep, totally worth it.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Putrid Pete's Peak (P3)
This one had been teasing us since the first week we started hiking this season. Pictures of its grade (you gain over 3,000 ft in a little over 2 miiles) and the absolute need for scrambling to summit caused us to hold off on it for a bit. It is a teaser, that's for sure. It is only a 4.8 mile RT hike, so it definitely calls you, though it is important to be aware that it isn't a walk in the park, no even just a strenuous hike, but one that calls for some care and a certain level of comfort in certain environments in order to keep it a safe and successful summit.
We made it to the trail head at 9:30ish, though didn't start until ten. To get there, you will take exit 45 from I-90 E, take a left and follow the road, staying left when it forks into another forest road, until you reach the parking lot. The road has some serious pot holes. The trail is a branch off of the Ira Spring Trail, so it will need a Northwest Forest Pass to enter [the Ira Spring Trail]. You cannot bypass this as there is a sign at the beginning of the gravel road saying, signifying that point and beyond needs a pass (some 2 miles from the trailhead). If you do not have a pass, nor purchased an epass, there is a pay station where you place your payment (no cards).
Entering the Ira Spring Trail, you will continue until it makes its first swithback. Here, there is a clear boot path straight ahead. You will take this to the summit. The trail has a couple of forks that lead to other areas, so always take the right/up trail. At the 11th switchback, there is a fork where both trails lead up, so that is why it is helpful to know take the trail that goes up and right. The boot path starts becoming a bit more faint as you continue. As you exit the elevating forest hike, the elevation only gets more dramatic. You will eventually leave the forest behind and make it to the ridge you must mostly scramble on to summit.
It was a very dry day and the terrain was questionable. I wondered if moisture, or even snow, would have made me a little less nervous. The scrambling area often calls for all fours as you are dealing with loose dirt and very steep grades. That ridge to summit, alone, took us an hour and 45 minutes. Alas, we made it, and I was so nervous by that point that I stayed tucked into the side of the rock face and stayed put, trying to shake it off before the descent down. What made me nervous was not the partial rock climbing/scrambling, but climbing loose dirt. The rock was excellent and you could crab crawl it down with just your feet it offered so much to be gripped; but dirt...you cannot climb loose dirt! Or can you?! Apparently you can. Everyone else was without fear, but this is the first one that my mothering instincts found me...nervous. To be truthful, I was so nervous I thought I would be sick, a feeling I have never had in climbing. Hiking with children is different. I did not get sick, and often chose to put my focus on Brant's feet as he held my hand during sketchy parts.
It took us 4 hours to summit. Yes, 4 hours to go 2.4 miles. That should give you an idea of the type of hike this is. I read a report from a while back of a man who took his father and his 6 year old son. It took them 5 hours to summit. Hence, if it is to be a family hike, it is a lengthy one. The north view offers Spider Lake below, the east is Mt. Defiance, the west is West Defiance, and the south is McClellan Butte on the other side of the highway. We spent 30 minutes at the summit and then began the descent. It took us 2 hours and 45 minutes to safely arrive back down to the parking lot. Phew, a good serving accomplished. I'm a bit apprehensive when I have all my treasures with me, and P3 is just not for everyone. I read that before, and I will repeat what others have said -- P3 is not for everyone. We made it safely, but lack of caution, time, and strategy could put you in a precarious situation. Brant and I both agree that this was about a 9/10 for us (10 being the most dangerous and/or difficult hike we'd do AS A FAMILY -- our rating solo is entirely different), really bordering on that ten.
Each time we go on a hike, we take opportunity to learn something more permanent. We always look for the spiritual application as we walk and go higher as a family. Some things that I reflected on during this hike: 1) There is a portion within the tree line that the grade is the same as that of the exposed area, yet you don't get nervous within the trees. The exposed ascent didn't change so much as the surroundings did. This showed me how much we allow our surroundings to influence our confidence, and on the flip side how sometimes having a shorter sight is the better way to go. Once I saw the full picture (top to bottom), I got nervous; whereas in the same grade, howbeit in the trees where I could only see just a portion, I wasn't nervous. Spiritually, sometimes I think if we see the full picture we'd cower like a little puppy with its tale in between its legs. It is often times for our best that we can only see just a portion. 2) When the ground below me was shifting (the loose dirt), Brant literally held my hand while leading me. I kept my eyes on his feet only and it calmed me. I stepped where he stepped. I must remember that when the ground is shifting sand, that Yeshua holds my hand and to keep my eyes on His feet and walk His footsteps. Take it one step at a time, but making sure that one step is a step He takes. 3) The rock is my friend. That is what someone told me on one of my first mountain hikes. In rock climbing, your instinct is to push your butt out, but the correct thing to do is draw yourself close to the rock. If you fall, you fall back on to the mountain/rock. Your center of gravity is to always be rock-bound. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. When I got to the top, the first thing I did was hike myself in the cleft of the rock. I felt safe there. It reminded of the hymnal, and sang it: "Rock of ages, cleft for me. Let me hide myself in thee."
We didn't realize this until after we were already back on I-90, but there is a registry under a flat rock slab on the summit. It has a picture of Pete Schoenig, the summit's namesake. He was from Seattle and is known for the K2 belay that saved some climbers back in the 50's. I have pictures of us on the summit, but that registry calls. A good reason to go back. I'm sure I'll see P3 again, just maybe not with the children...at this age.
We made it to the trail head at 9:30ish, though didn't start until ten. To get there, you will take exit 45 from I-90 E, take a left and follow the road, staying left when it forks into another forest road, until you reach the parking lot. The road has some serious pot holes. The trail is a branch off of the Ira Spring Trail, so it will need a Northwest Forest Pass to enter [the Ira Spring Trail]. You cannot bypass this as there is a sign at the beginning of the gravel road saying, signifying that point and beyond needs a pass (some 2 miles from the trailhead). If you do not have a pass, nor purchased an epass, there is a pay station where you place your payment (no cards).
Entering the Ira Spring Trail, you will continue until it makes its first swithback. Here, there is a clear boot path straight ahead. You will take this to the summit. The trail has a couple of forks that lead to other areas, so always take the right/up trail. At the 11th switchback, there is a fork where both trails lead up, so that is why it is helpful to know take the trail that goes up and right. The boot path starts becoming a bit more faint as you continue. As you exit the elevating forest hike, the elevation only gets more dramatic. You will eventually leave the forest behind and make it to the ridge you must mostly scramble on to summit.
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| Beginning the ridge ascent |
It was a very dry day and the terrain was questionable. I wondered if moisture, or even snow, would have made me a little less nervous. The scrambling area often calls for all fours as you are dealing with loose dirt and very steep grades. That ridge to summit, alone, took us an hour and 45 minutes. Alas, we made it, and I was so nervous by that point that I stayed tucked into the side of the rock face and stayed put, trying to shake it off before the descent down. What made me nervous was not the partial rock climbing/scrambling, but climbing loose dirt. The rock was excellent and you could crab crawl it down with just your feet it offered so much to be gripped; but dirt...you cannot climb loose dirt! Or can you?! Apparently you can. Everyone else was without fear, but this is the first one that my mothering instincts found me...nervous. To be truthful, I was so nervous I thought I would be sick, a feeling I have never had in climbing. Hiking with children is different. I did not get sick, and often chose to put my focus on Brant's feet as he held my hand during sketchy parts.
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| Some of the ridge's climb until the loose dirt climb |
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| A look at some of the grade on a good section of the loose dirt parts. You can see the trees below are just that -- directly below. It's steep! |
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| The last push is a true scramble. |
It took us 4 hours to summit. Yes, 4 hours to go 2.4 miles. That should give you an idea of the type of hike this is. I read a report from a while back of a man who took his father and his 6 year old son. It took them 5 hours to summit. Hence, if it is to be a family hike, it is a lengthy one. The north view offers Spider Lake below, the east is Mt. Defiance, the west is West Defiance, and the south is McClellan Butte on the other side of the highway. We spent 30 minutes at the summit and then began the descent. It took us 2 hours and 45 minutes to safely arrive back down to the parking lot. Phew, a good serving accomplished. I'm a bit apprehensive when I have all my treasures with me, and P3 is just not for everyone. I read that before, and I will repeat what others have said -- P3 is not for everyone. We made it safely, but lack of caution, time, and strategy could put you in a precarious situation. Brant and I both agree that this was about a 9/10 for us (10 being the most dangerous and/or difficult hike we'd do AS A FAMILY -- our rating solo is entirely different), really bordering on that ten.
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| Good rock |
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| Just about the summit, view west |
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| Summit views east to Mt. Defiance |
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| Summit view northeast |
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| Lake below and behind |
Each time we go on a hike, we take opportunity to learn something more permanent. We always look for the spiritual application as we walk and go higher as a family. Some things that I reflected on during this hike: 1) There is a portion within the tree line that the grade is the same as that of the exposed area, yet you don't get nervous within the trees. The exposed ascent didn't change so much as the surroundings did. This showed me how much we allow our surroundings to influence our confidence, and on the flip side how sometimes having a shorter sight is the better way to go. Once I saw the full picture (top to bottom), I got nervous; whereas in the same grade, howbeit in the trees where I could only see just a portion, I wasn't nervous. Spiritually, sometimes I think if we see the full picture we'd cower like a little puppy with its tale in between its legs. It is often times for our best that we can only see just a portion. 2) When the ground below me was shifting (the loose dirt), Brant literally held my hand while leading me. I kept my eyes on his feet only and it calmed me. I stepped where he stepped. I must remember that when the ground is shifting sand, that Yeshua holds my hand and to keep my eyes on His feet and walk His footsteps. Take it one step at a time, but making sure that one step is a step He takes. 3) The rock is my friend. That is what someone told me on one of my first mountain hikes. In rock climbing, your instinct is to push your butt out, but the correct thing to do is draw yourself close to the rock. If you fall, you fall back on to the mountain/rock. Your center of gravity is to always be rock-bound. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. When I got to the top, the first thing I did was hike myself in the cleft of the rock. I felt safe there. It reminded of the hymnal, and sang it: "Rock of ages, cleft for me. Let me hide myself in thee."
We didn't realize this until after we were already back on I-90, but there is a registry under a flat rock slab on the summit. It has a picture of Pete Schoenig, the summit's namesake. He was from Seattle and is known for the K2 belay that saved some climbers back in the 50's. I have pictures of us on the summit, but that registry calls. A good reason to go back. I'm sure I'll see P3 again, just maybe not with the children...at this age.
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Machine Free Cloth Diapering (Hand Wash Method)
Why in the world would anybody be interested in washing diapers by hand? Well, there are some of us that temporarily use laundering facilities. Honestly, when you can buy a case of diapers at Walmart for $20 and compare that to the amount you spend to wash a load of cloth diapers at a mat, it really does have you wonder if you are cloth diapering for cost-efficiency or if the health nutty earth moms' exploitation of cloth diapering turned it into a trend for you.
I am a health nutty hippy mom myself, but I am also more so of the camp that refuses to let go of the budget-friendliness of cloth diapering. I just can't spend $30 a diaper that I would actually use, and in the same sense I just can't spend $30 a week on cleaning diapers! Even when we did own a washing machine before cloth diapering, I would limit its usage, and so adding diapers into the load adds amounts of time I'd have to use it and my head would be counting the costs. Simply, I had to learn to successfully hand wash my diapers.
Since I've been doing it in this way for nearing a month and we have had zero stink, zero stains, and zero infections, I figured what we are doing is very doable and so here is the way our house makes the most of cloth diapering, keeping it eco-friendly and budget-friendly. This method is essentially equipment-free cleansing, it does not require a plunger or other device, just your hand. Truly, a hand washing and agitation method.
Prepping
Since dry time without a dryer took a tad longer than...a dryer, I had to invest in a few more prefolds for my PUL covers, so I wouldn't run out of diapers while awaiting ones to dry. This meant I had to put a well known non-machine prep method to the test: boiling. I purchased both bamboo and unbleached cotton prefolds. The instructions for prep mentioned natural oils in the material that need to be broken down. Logically, I just thought what it was essentially saying is that you need a degreaser -- a sulfate. Now, we don't own any chemical sulfates in our house, but our dishsoap does use a plant-based one. So, I boiled the diapers in dishsoap water for 30 minutes, let them cool down, rinse really well (to get as much soap out as I could), then I did a second boil in straight water to release the remainder of the dishsoap out of them. Ta-da. Prepped diapers. I know they prepped correctly because those bamboo ones have lasted a minimum of 4 hours between changing.
Washing
Okay so before I even wash, I immediately rinse the diaper I just took off of baby. Since correct cleansing without a machine is greatly dependent upon the soak, I had to rinse the diapers of urine to ensure they aren't soaking in urine, tainting the cleanse. All I really do is run faucet water into the prefold to its max absorbency and squeeze out, flip to the other side and do the same thing. I repeat this twice and throw into the baby's bathtub for a soak. I use baby's bathtub because it is a water-saver.
As for the detergent -- as of this moment we had been using Trader Joe's pH balanced plant-based regular laundry detergent. I only need 1-2 T for her baby tub. My goal this week is to develop my own laundry soap that I can use instead; howbeit, it cannot be predominately baking/washing soda like most others, because bamboo breaks down in high pH. I'm sure that soap invention will make its way into a post sometime -- stay tuned. In the soapy tub, I knead each diaper for a couple of minutes like I would bread dough -- I consider it practice for my once-a-week challah making. I then let it soak all day until after dinner. I wring the diapers out and repeat the faucet rinse I mentioned above to get the detergent out (run water over one side to its fill, squeeze, repeat on other side, repeat each side again).
Final Rinse
From my days of being below the poverty line, as well as my days in Spain and Costa Rica -- times when I did not have a dryer -- I learned that hang drying creates stiff clothes. So for this purpose, a fabric softener comes in handy. Of course you would not use one on your cloth diapers, but an excellent alternative is vinegar. Likewise, vinegar will also further sanitize. My second soak (which lasts until I go to bed) is in vinegar/water in the tub as my final rinse soak. I knead the diapers once again to get the vinegar in there and the remainder soap out of there. Before I go to bed I will wring out and do the faucet rinse mentioned above. I do not put my covers in a vinegar rinse, as I read that vinegar will break down the PUL.
Drying
This is simple. I keep them on a rack overnight and then throw them on my car's dash in the morning and they are dry in a matter of a couple of hours. The sun is whitening and sanitizing. In the overcast days (which we do see in Washington), I keep them on the rack and will use the fan or throw them in front of the heater and they are dry in a little over an hour.
It really does not take up that much time to knead a diaper and wring it, etc. Don't be intimidated by all the instructions of needing x amount of washes for a good prep or machine washing. It wasn't too long ago that cloth diapers were the only option and not too long before that hand washing was the only option as well. We didn't always have machines and, hey, it worked out. I am determined that it can still work out.
Monday, May 4, 2015
Mt. Ellinor
All of last week we had intended on taking a week off of hiking. All of last week up until Friday. Even then, after we changed our mind we decided we really will take a break...from the Snoqualmie/Cascade area anyway. So deciding to try the Olympics' side, the initial decision was that we would do Mt. Rose, especially since it was one of the permit-free trails. I read on Washington Trail Association a man's recent trip report wherein he said he took his 6 year old, his 1 year old in a backpack and his wife. Seemed like an encourager for this family. However, when we looked at terrain pictures, it seemed like its neighbor, Ellinor, was more of our style.
Mt. Ellinor nears 6,000 ft in elevation, but don't let that scare you -- there are 2 trailheads to summit. The lower trailhead is fee-free, and is 6.2 miles RT. The upper trailhead requires a Northwest Forest Pass and is 3.2 miles RT. However, before the last bend into the upper trailhead parking there is a sign that says "U.S. Fee Area" -- I am making an intelligent assumption, then, that any parking before that point (some dozens of meters) wouldn't require the pass. Since we were pressed on time, having needed to also go grocery shopping, and since forest hiking (lower to uppper trail path, gaining elevation) is just not my thing, and also since I heard there is plenty of actual rock mountaineering/scrambling to be done on Ellinor, we decided on the upper trail and to use any free time to do some of the traversing along to Mt. Washington.
I remember a mountain I knew I would have to rock climb in Germany, and having thought that taking a cable car to the highest point before I could do the rock climbing would make me less of a mountaineerer, I opted to do some of the elevation hiking to get there. I hadn't known that the rock climbing would take as much time as it did for strategy and safety (hiking 3 miles is not the same as walking 3 miles; furthermore, rock climbing 3 miles is not the same as hiking 3 miles), and for that reason I ran out of daylight and could not summit. I learned a lesson to reevaluate what I enjoy more, and what I consider to be an accomplishment: I am not too proud to bypass the forestry ascent to swap for more rock climbing and ridgelining time.
The plus side from looking at the numbers and others' reports is that taking the lower ridge gives you a nice warm up with its easier ascent unto the upper trail. The upper trail tackles the elevation very quickly. The first half of the upper trail starts with a straightfoward and upward approach, then switchbacking until some exposure where the terrain gets rocky, but generally safe. This starts the later half (in time anyway). At times the rocks work like stairs -- stairs of rocks that are as vertical as they can be before rock climbing. The rocky mountaineering often requires long legs. Some parts to summit even require a help of pulling yourself up with your hands along the rock. Before you reach what probably is considered the leftmost (from the trail) prominence, you will walk the avalanche chute. After that you will be alongside the ridge until you are scrambling for your piece of the summit.
It took us 2 hours to summit, we spent an hour up there, and then 1.5 hours to descend. We were going to try some of the ridgeline traverse to Mt. Washington, but there did remain large patches of ice, so it did not seem like a smart idea. It offers 360 views -- to your east is the Hood Canal, the Puget Sound, and Mount Rainier in the distance; to your west is a neverending view of the Olympics; to your south is Lake Cushman; and to your north are mountains like Mt. Constance and The Brothers. Just gorgeous.
On the way up we were asked many times about the children and maybe some let us know of their concern a bit. Bam interjected with a quick, "That was easy," on the descent. Amira followed off to a group of trainees (I believe for Rainier) saying how she used to do Bavarian Alps. Now I wouldn't agree with Bam and say it is easy. It is difficult, as other official sites rate it, but it is short. Definitely an interesting family hike and it is so short that you could take your time.
Mt. Ellinor nears 6,000 ft in elevation, but don't let that scare you -- there are 2 trailheads to summit. The lower trailhead is fee-free, and is 6.2 miles RT. The upper trailhead requires a Northwest Forest Pass and is 3.2 miles RT. However, before the last bend into the upper trailhead parking there is a sign that says "U.S. Fee Area" -- I am making an intelligent assumption, then, that any parking before that point (some dozens of meters) wouldn't require the pass. Since we were pressed on time, having needed to also go grocery shopping, and since forest hiking (lower to uppper trail path, gaining elevation) is just not my thing, and also since I heard there is plenty of actual rock mountaineering/scrambling to be done on Ellinor, we decided on the upper trail and to use any free time to do some of the traversing along to Mt. Washington.
I remember a mountain I knew I would have to rock climb in Germany, and having thought that taking a cable car to the highest point before I could do the rock climbing would make me less of a mountaineerer, I opted to do some of the elevation hiking to get there. I hadn't known that the rock climbing would take as much time as it did for strategy and safety (hiking 3 miles is not the same as walking 3 miles; furthermore, rock climbing 3 miles is not the same as hiking 3 miles), and for that reason I ran out of daylight and could not summit. I learned a lesson to reevaluate what I enjoy more, and what I consider to be an accomplishment: I am not too proud to bypass the forestry ascent to swap for more rock climbing and ridgelining time.
The plus side from looking at the numbers and others' reports is that taking the lower ridge gives you a nice warm up with its easier ascent unto the upper trail. The upper trail tackles the elevation very quickly. The first half of the upper trail starts with a straightfoward and upward approach, then switchbacking until some exposure where the terrain gets rocky, but generally safe. This starts the later half (in time anyway). At times the rocks work like stairs -- stairs of rocks that are as vertical as they can be before rock climbing. The rocky mountaineering often requires long legs. Some parts to summit even require a help of pulling yourself up with your hands along the rock. Before you reach what probably is considered the leftmost (from the trail) prominence, you will walk the avalanche chute. After that you will be alongside the ridge until you are scrambling for your piece of the summit.
It took us 2 hours to summit, we spent an hour up there, and then 1.5 hours to descend. We were going to try some of the ridgeline traverse to Mt. Washington, but there did remain large patches of ice, so it did not seem like a smart idea. It offers 360 views -- to your east is the Hood Canal, the Puget Sound, and Mount Rainier in the distance; to your west is a neverending view of the Olympics; to your south is Lake Cushman; and to your north are mountains like Mt. Constance and The Brothers. Just gorgeous.
Exiting the forestry ascent into big views
The terrain after the forestry ascent
Summit, with views to the north
After the avalanche chute
Mountain goats -- can you see them?
Summit, views to the west
View of the southermost prominence and Lake Cushman
View to the east -- Mt. Rainier, Puget Sound, and Hood Canal
On the way up we were asked many times about the children and maybe some let us know of their concern a bit. Bam interjected with a quick, "That was easy," on the descent. Amira followed off to a group of trainees (I believe for Rainier) saying how she used to do Bavarian Alps. Now I wouldn't agree with Bam and say it is easy. It is difficult, as other official sites rate it, but it is short. Definitely an interesting family hike and it is so short that you could take your time.
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Using My Surplus for FREE Wipes
Prior to last week I had not even thought I would want to do cloth wipes. I saw we were running low on wipes and figured why not give them a try.
This is the thing... I am all about spending a bit to save in the long run. Yet, cloth diapering is one of those things that can easily turn on you. What happened to the days when cloth diapering was the cheapest way to go? Determined to keep it that way, I hand wash my diapers, don't do AIOs (all-in-ones), but use prefolds (which are much cheaper), and cycle through 4 wipeable covers (the old Smart Bottoms).
Keeping up with keeping it cheap and simple, cloth wipes only made sense to me if I did not have to buy some special wipe solution nor had to buy the terry or flannel for wipes. I considered what I already own -- flannel receiving blankets (just cut them up), and terry wash cloths. For some reason I have seen moms always have more receiving blankets and wash cloths than they need, and these happen to be the best materials you could use for wipes. Flannel works great for urine cleanup, and the terry does well for the poopy ones. Of course, these are not ones I already had in use for baby, but were surpluses collecting dust.
Next was the solution. I have a stock of essential oils, and often use them on baby. For my everyday solution I decided to go with Mountain Rose's sweet orange oil and tea tree, 7 drops a piece, in a 50 mL glass bottle filled with my Berkey's water. That size is good enough for us; I have a bit less than half a bottle left after a week. Note, I use glass because the essential oils are strong and it appears as if some of them causes almost a stripping reaction to plastic. I speak through experience, having dropped a bit of oregano oil on my keyboard once and the polish came off of that area. I also have friends that will likewise refrain from putting essential oil dilutions in plastic containers.
You could be diverse with this though. For instance, lavender is a great diaper rash oil, so you may want to use that instead. Tea tree is good for yeast rashes (I use as preventative for my baby) and orange oil's limonene is a known cleanser, hence why I chose these.
I dabble some of the solution on baby's bottom and wipe up. Since the solution is sanitizing, if the diaper was just wet one, I have found myself to rinse and reuse a couple of times, if not dab a bit of soap and then rinse and reuse. You could use a spray glass bottle for your solution, which would probably be easier. I just didn't have one, and you know I'm all about using what I already have. In this, cloth wiping has literally cost me...nothing!
This is the thing... I am all about spending a bit to save in the long run. Yet, cloth diapering is one of those things that can easily turn on you. What happened to the days when cloth diapering was the cheapest way to go? Determined to keep it that way, I hand wash my diapers, don't do AIOs (all-in-ones), but use prefolds (which are much cheaper), and cycle through 4 wipeable covers (the old Smart Bottoms).
Keeping up with keeping it cheap and simple, cloth wipes only made sense to me if I did not have to buy some special wipe solution nor had to buy the terry or flannel for wipes. I considered what I already own -- flannel receiving blankets (just cut them up), and terry wash cloths. For some reason I have seen moms always have more receiving blankets and wash cloths than they need, and these happen to be the best materials you could use for wipes. Flannel works great for urine cleanup, and the terry does well for the poopy ones. Of course, these are not ones I already had in use for baby, but were surpluses collecting dust.
Next was the solution. I have a stock of essential oils, and often use them on baby. For my everyday solution I decided to go with Mountain Rose's sweet orange oil and tea tree, 7 drops a piece, in a 50 mL glass bottle filled with my Berkey's water. That size is good enough for us; I have a bit less than half a bottle left after a week. Note, I use glass because the essential oils are strong and it appears as if some of them causes almost a stripping reaction to plastic. I speak through experience, having dropped a bit of oregano oil on my keyboard once and the polish came off of that area. I also have friends that will likewise refrain from putting essential oil dilutions in plastic containers.
You could be diverse with this though. For instance, lavender is a great diaper rash oil, so you may want to use that instead. Tea tree is good for yeast rashes (I use as preventative for my baby) and orange oil's limonene is a known cleanser, hence why I chose these.
I dabble some of the solution on baby's bottom and wipe up. Since the solution is sanitizing, if the diaper was just wet one, I have found myself to rinse and reuse a couple of times, if not dab a bit of soap and then rinse and reuse. You could use a spray glass bottle for your solution, which would probably be easier. I just didn't have one, and you know I'm all about using what I already have. In this, cloth wiping has literally cost me...nothing!
Monday, April 27, 2015
Hall Point, Change Peak, Mt. Washington Loop
Well, I am going to be honest and say we had not intended on doing the loop, nor fully intended on doing Mt. Washington. It honestly did not interest us to hike that summit. We did, however, intended on going to Change Peak after Hall Point. We decided on Hall Point because we were having friends come hike with us, and Hall Point is only 3 miles roundtrip. So we figured we would lead them up there, and if they were tired they could return back with success of one point, while we would move forward with success of something new into Change Peak, letting it be their decision if they could continue on or not.
Hall Point was a breeze, and of course beautiful. It never really was that steep to us. It has plenty of switchbacks; and, yes, though it is a constant elevation gain, it also is only 1.5 miles to get there one way, being one of lesser miles you will find to reach a ridge out in that area.
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| Hall Point, looking over to Zig Zag |
Retracing back to the Hall Point junction there is a sign saying Mt. Washington is 5 miles ahead. This makes the hike there 6.5 miles. Again, it was not our intention to get there, but knew Change Peak was along this route. We continued on it along the creek until we could pass the creek and be on the Change Peak mountain. This is when we encountered snow. We continued the trail through parts of the forestry terrain as it came alongside the more stream and a sign saying "Pond Trail," until we hit another sign that said "Shortcut" and an arrow to the left. We hit that up until we saw a clearance above us with a run off. Hiking up this run off, we came to where it met the old log road with a sign pointing to the "Pond Trail" from where we came from. This was a Pond Trail shortcut, rather than taking the trail all the way to the back of the mountain where it meets the logging road.
The logging road's elevation gain was very mild and whipped around the mountain to the other side where there was a junction to go right and down, or left and up. Obviously, since we're after the summit we went left and up. I am unsure where right and down led. We were thinking quite possibly the Great Wall, and maybe this is the way Great Wall Trail hikers make it up to Change Peak. Might be for another exploration day. The road swerved around back to the original side of the mountain where we met up with the hikers and their dogs whose footsteps we had been following in the snow. We told them about this loop we heard of and asked if they were familiar with it. They said they were, and also have come up to Mt. Washington through the other end, which is the back end of our loop, and that it was significantly easier to exit that way. What none of us realized up until we made it to Mt. Washington was that you actually had to summit Mt. Washington to find that trail and make the loop. We were under the assumption that after Change Peak's saddle (slightly past Change Peak) the trail had a junction you could either go one direction to get down or the other direction to summit Mt. Washington.
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| Change Peak, looking over to Mt. Washington on the left, North Bend to the Puget Sound ahead |
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| Change Peak lookout, directly before the saddle. Mt. Washington to the left, Mts Si and Teneriffe on the right. |
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| Mt. Washington, view out to Mt. Rainier hiding behind the clouds. You can see some of the base mixed into the clouds. |
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| Mt. Washington lookout to Chester Morse Lake below and base of Mt. Rainier in the horizon above Brant's head (rest in clouds). |
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| Chester Morse Lake from Mt. Washington old log road that leads to nowhere. |
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| Mt. Washington summit where the antenna thingy is located, Mt Si over the cooridor. |
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| Mt. Washington Trail, backside of our loop |
It is very amusing to me that Brant and I have been wanting to do the new mailbox route (less steep/longer distance) and McClellan Butte, but have shied from it because of the distance being too long for the children, yet when I calculate the official postings of Hall Point Trailhead to Hall Point being 1.5 miles, then from that point it is 5 miles more to Mt. Washington, and from the Mt. Washington Trailhead it is 4.25 miles to summit (the backside of our loop), plus the distance it took to walk to our car.... yeah that put us to about 11 miles. I guess neither Mailbox's new route nor McClellan is too long for our kids. Bam was the happiest this hike, and I mean this full hike, only complaining at one point when his feet got cold (not wet) from deep areas of snow. Elevation is tackled at a mild to moderate rate, but your kiddos will need longevity to make this a family hike. Nine hours total.
Hiking is an adventure, and we learn that we must remember who is bigger and therefore who is boss: the mountain, and we are its guests. From our separate years as hikers and our time hiking as a family, these key pointers have always helped us out in the event that it goes longer, or you get lost and have zero signal without a GPS device: look for a road/old road and hike it; get a general direction of what is around you by knowing the mapped area and use your phone compass accordingly; when the old road does not lead to where you need to be (like that one that led to the unlawful water reserve), trust other hikers' pointers (snow was extremely helpful due to seeing footprints) -- for instance, had to trust other footprints we saw, using logic that they never came back so that must be the way to go; follow a stream, if available. If the worst that will happen is that you must retrace your own footsteps the way you came out, then there's no reason to panic. For this "in case of" plan, don't climb up anything that is more than 70% of your sketchiness limit, because it is amplified on the descend.
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Natural Moisturizing Hand-Sanitizer
Who is the naive person that thought that hand-sanitizer was simply alcohol and aloe vera just by looking at it? (This woman, right here). Remember the days when you were singing the praises of the hand-sanitizer makers? Wahoo -- not only can we cleanse our hands anywhere without water, but we can also opt out of chemical-filled detergent hand soaps in the public bathrooms and choose sanitizer instead. Um, yeah, that was hopeful thinking.
The full ingredients from my conventional hand sanitizer reads as follows: Ethyl alcohol (active), water, glyceryl caprylate/caprate, glyerin, isopropyl myristate, tocopheryl acetate, acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, fragrance, benzophenone-4. Whoa! Then you have to moisturize your hands after the stripping of moisture from that sanitizer. This means after the numerous chemicals you just put upon your hands (which are one of the easiest ways to get things in through the skin, by the way), you have to add the chemicals from the lotion/moisturizer. Talk about overload.
Well, here is a very simple recipe that gets your hands clean, water-free, and moisturizes them with as little as two ingredients. I use 3 ingredients in mine, but it is not needed.
The 2 main things you will need:
Coconut oil
Sanitizing essential oil(s) -- i.e. sweet orange, lemon, grapefruit, oregano, lavender, or a synergy blend such as Thieves, etc.
I opt for the cheaper citrus oils, because I am also always thinking of cost-efficiency. In mine, I used sweet orange, which is extremely high in limonene, an ingredient often used in household cleaners. Did I also mention cheap? My organic sweet orange from Mountain Rose, with a lot/batch number on it, costs but dollars. I also used oregano essential oil, which alone is anti-everything harmful. Caution -- oregano oil is a hot oil, so be careful in handling. Per couple of tablespoons, I only used 3 drops of oregano vs. the 7 drops of sweet orange essential oil. I did also did test (taste) the hotness with this dilution -- nothing to note, as it is highly diluted in the coconut oil. The coconut oil also helps remove dirt and grime (even car grease), via oil-cleansing method. Stir it up really well in a small glass jar (like a baby food jar), and take it everywhere.
The full ingredients from my conventional hand sanitizer reads as follows: Ethyl alcohol (active), water, glyceryl caprylate/caprate, glyerin, isopropyl myristate, tocopheryl acetate, acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, fragrance, benzophenone-4. Whoa! Then you have to moisturize your hands after the stripping of moisture from that sanitizer. This means after the numerous chemicals you just put upon your hands (which are one of the easiest ways to get things in through the skin, by the way), you have to add the chemicals from the lotion/moisturizer. Talk about overload.
Well, here is a very simple recipe that gets your hands clean, water-free, and moisturizes them with as little as two ingredients. I use 3 ingredients in mine, but it is not needed.
The 2 main things you will need:
Coconut oil
Sanitizing essential oil(s) -- i.e. sweet orange, lemon, grapefruit, oregano, lavender, or a synergy blend such as Thieves, etc.
I opt for the cheaper citrus oils, because I am also always thinking of cost-efficiency. In mine, I used sweet orange, which is extremely high in limonene, an ingredient often used in household cleaners. Did I also mention cheap? My organic sweet orange from Mountain Rose, with a lot/batch number on it, costs but dollars. I also used oregano essential oil, which alone is anti-everything harmful. Caution -- oregano oil is a hot oil, so be careful in handling. Per couple of tablespoons, I only used 3 drops of oregano vs. the 7 drops of sweet orange essential oil. I did also did test (taste) the hotness with this dilution -- nothing to note, as it is highly diluted in the coconut oil. The coconut oil also helps remove dirt and grime (even car grease), via oil-cleansing method. Stir it up really well in a small glass jar (like a baby food jar), and take it everywhere.
Monday, April 13, 2015
Mt. Si, Via the Old Trail
This trail was a last minute decision. We initally wanted to do Stegosaurus Butte and then Little Si on the way back into town, but when we went to the first hike, the road was closed at the Mailbox Trailhead. Tempted to do Mailbox, we decided no way without trekking poles at least for the kids. So we had a choice: Do only Little Si, or make the most of the day and do Mt. Si. We chose Mt. Si, and obtaining the summit via the Old Trail, because the newer one yielded an 8-mile hike. From the brothers' -- Hiking with my Brother -- (using their coordinates) they placed the Old Trail at 5.5 miles. Seemed like a no brainer; we'll take the Old Trail. To top this off, we understood that hiking Mt. Si on a Sunday would be very crowded, so then the much, much less used old trail seemed even more enticing.
To get there, it is exit 31 off of I-90, driving past the outlet mall and turning right on North Bend Way. A couple of miles down you will turn left on Mt. Si Road and park at the Little Si parking lot. It might be the 2nd or 3rd lot down this road. You will need a Discovery Pass. We try to utilize free whenever we can, but this street has no parking signs all along the street. You cannot get past paying for parking, unless you are willing to walk half a mile (when the tow signs fade) past the official parking, which is what we did.
You'd start at the entrance toward the Little Si trailhead. For the shorter trip (5.5 miles), you'll hike past the first entrance into the Boulder Gardens Loop, and to the 2nd entrance of it -- where you will also see the official trailhead for Little Si. At this junction, you will turn right to enter Boulder Gardens Loop from its back end. You'll go perhaps half a mile into this before you reach the official trailhead for the Old Trail. Once you reach the mossy boulder valley, you'll quickly see the junction where the option is turning right to continue the loop or go left into the Old Trail. From here on out, when you see a junction, the rule of thumb is go left.
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| Off the parking lot, shortly into the trail |
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| The mossy boulder valley right before the Old Trail junction |
It gets extremely steep from here on out. A good perspective would be to determine what the hike has been so far up until this point to see if you want to attempt it, or go back around while you have energy to do the newer trail instead. That first mile or so that led us to that point is a cake-walk, a very easy (and beautiful!) nature walk, compared to the rest of it. If it was difficult, it might not be the trail for your family. In comparison, the reports from other hikers at the top was that the newer trail's elevation was very steady and not difficult at all. You obtain a 3500 elevation gain -- you just have to decide if you want to do it in 2.75 miles or 4 miles.
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| The grade on the Old Trail |
It is so steep that if it were any steeper or any wetter, it would require poles. The reports were right -- there weren't any crowds here. We saw maybe a total of 5 hikers roundtrip on this trail -- all of which, not ill-experienced, saying they were beat. Amira, Brant, and I are neither ill-experienced; Amira was hiking the Alps at 9 years old. However, Bam was my concern. We didn't complete it without having to push him and encourage him with chocolate chips, and Amira (going ahead of us) made little flower trails for him, which excited him to keep his mind on finding the flowers rather than thinking of the labor.
As you come to the new trail junction, remember to go left. At the second junction you will merge with it and be just a bend away from the first part of exposure. Here, the kids took a break, Bam fed the birds (that eat right out of your hand!), and I even offered them to stay here while we made it up to the haystack. I've read most will be sufficed to come this far. Bam got a burst of energy and decided to do some of the scrambling up to the haystack. However, he did not do the haystack. We left the kids just past the first rocky terrain where they got a breather and Brant, baby, and I went to the haystack.
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| I was late on the snap. You can see the bird flying away from his goods right out of Bam's hand. |
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| I see many settled here, but you can obtain more of the ridge and even absolute summit by continuing. |
Since the conditions were slick from snow earlier in the week, the baby and I stayed at the base of the haystack and Brant climbed it to the absolute summit. He forgot his phone, so no picture exists for his trip up there outside of the memory for him. A couple on the way down told us it was 15-20 minutes on a rock climb one way. The wall is pretty darn near verticle, but has excellent foot holds. Brant did it roundtrip in 15 minutes -- motivation was that it was cold. Boy, was it cold.
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| Haystack. You can see Brant's red shirt. |
On the way down, my knees were not happy. At one point of time it almost gave out when I stepped down. Anything is attainable with time and equipment, but to give perspective... it took us 5 hours 45 minutes roundtrip, much longer than the brothers' time of 3:45. This is why I write stuff like this, for the families to get a true perspective on hiking as a family unit. By far, the most difficult. Not the most dangerous, but the most difficult we've done as a family. Later, I read some use this trail as a trainer (for others like Mailbox and parts of Rainier). At this point, perhaps Mailbox is reachable for my kids. Perhaps.
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