Books read:
- Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets by David
Simon
- Lifespan by David Sinclair
- Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko
Trails walked:
- Emerald Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park
(February 2nd)
- Nighthawk/Brittlebrush loop at Hall Ranch Open
Space (February 16th)
- Lion Gulch to Irvin Homestead near Pinewood Springs
(February 23rd)
Song(s) of the month - Astral
Plane and Workin’ Woman Blues by Valerie June
Scientist
Spotlight - Thomas
David Petite
February
Summary: Baby it’s cold outside! A Polar Vortex immersed most of the country
into a deep freeze this month. In our
new city, we reached a low of minus 12 degrees.
That is Minnesota cold! Back in
our old home of Phoenix, my brother-in-law said it was getting to be sock
weather there. Ha Ha. I’ll get him back this summer. I feel bad for the folks in Texas as this is
not the kind of weather they are prepared for obviously. Props to all the people who gave their time
and money to help those folks out. And an interesting discovery: Wearing a face mask when it's cold outside is really comfortable and warm!
Our country reached a half million dead from Covid this
month. That’s more dead Americans in one
year than in all of World War II. That’s
20% of the world total of 2.5 million dead.
How does a country with 4% of the world’s population end up with 20% of the
world’s covid deaths? There are many
reasons: Our individualistic society which emphasizes individual freedoms over collective
wellbeing, a lack of leadership at all levels of government, our unjustified
distrust of science, and our somewhat justified distrust of the media. I’m not sure any of these issues are solvable
in this country, but they need to be because there will be more challenges ahead.
The good news is that vaccines are being injected into arms every day. The infection
rate which spiked after the holidays seems to be receding. Nobody really knows when life will get back
to normal, but I have tickets for a Brandi Carlile concert at Red Rocks in September,
so here’s hoping for then.
We landed a vehicle on Mars again. Watching the reaction of the scientists and engineers as the Perseverance
safely landed was very satisfying. I mean,
scientists and engineers normally hold their emotions in check, but all their
years of planning and calculations led to one moment in time…and it was
successful. Hopefully we’ll be able to
learn something valuable from the exploration that will help us all down here
on Earth because we need help.
In this shortened and Polar Vortexed month, I managed to get
in three beautiful hikes in the snow, including one epic winter hike in Rocky Mountain
National Park. I read non-fiction work
by the creator of The Wire and one by a biologist who says he knows how to extend our
lives and make them healthier. I also read
a fictional account of a Native American's experience after World War II. Enjoy!
Song(s) of
the month – Astral Plane and Workin’ Woman Blues by Valerie June: The
Spotify bio for Valerie June describes it best: “Blending folk, soul, blues, and
Appalachian traditional elements into a refreshing timeless sound that sits
outside any particular musical era, Valerie June is a critically-acclaimed
singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who began her career in Memphis, Tennessee.” I picked these two songs to highlight the vastly
different aspects of her music. Astral
Plane is this very deep song about finding the light inside of yourself and has
this sort of ethereal sound to it and her vibrating voice just makes it different
from anything I’ve heard before. And
then Workin’ Woman Blues starts out with an intricate acoustic guitar, then come
the drums, then the horns….and I defy you to hold back your toes from tapping
and your head from swaying as June reels off her anger and fatigue from working
so hard every day and never getting ahead…a classic blues song.
In an NPR interview, June said that most of her songs first
appear as voices in her head. Sometimes
those voices have the voice of a child, other times the voice of an older woman. Then she hears more voices until it becomes a
choir, and a song is born. The songs
come to her while she’s doing other things like cooking, gardening, or washing
the dishes. It justifies what I’ve
always believed about great musical artists (and great artists in general);
they are blessed with special gifts that most of us just don’t have.
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets by David Simon: Simon was 28 years old when he spent a year hanging out with Baltimore’s homicide division in 1988 in order to document the lives of these detectives and the brutality they see every day in Baltimore. He had spent 4 years as the police beat writer for the Baltimore Sun, so he wasn’t a stranger to these guys, but it still took them a while to warm up to having a journalist hanging out with them daily. Homicide won the 1992 Edgar Award for best true crime book and was generally well reviewed. Simon went on to create what is, in my opinion, the greatest television series of all time, The Wire, which was also set in Baltimore. The Wire dealt with drugs and violent crime, police heroism and corruption, politicians good and bad, the media covering all of this, the education system dealing with it all, and the various business communities involved. It’s terrific. Homicide reminded me a lot of The Wire and I’m positive he based some of the characters in the show on true life people from the book. I suppose in these times of Black Lives Matter and videos of police shootings, some of the dialogue Simon recorded from the detectives would be seen as politically incorrect. But I found the detectives described in the book to be hard working, conscientious, and intelligent. They probably worked too much and drank too much and made inappropriate jokes, but I’m not sure how else they could have dealt with the misery they had to experience every day. Young girls and even babies raped and killed, brutal tortures, lying and hostile witnesses, daily autopsies, and on and on. What a tough job, yet most of them loved what they did.
The novel followed several cases during the year, some of which were solved and some unsolved. He took you inside the police station, the interrogation rooms, the medical examiners' autopsy tables, the court system, and into the gritty projects of Baltimore’s poor and drug-ridden neighborhoods. Most of the residents, criminals, and victims were black but there were some poor white sections of town where there lived descendants of Appalachian people who had migrated to northern cities looking for work after World War II. The homicide detectives seemed to be a pretty equal mix of black and white, but there were certainly racial overtones throughout the book.
It’s a great read even if it is a bit long, but I’m not sure how he could have told the full story without those 600 pages.
Some of my favorite lines:
A good cop goes to the crime scene, gathers the available evidence, talks to the right people and with any luck discovers the murderer's most glaring mistakes.
The victim is killed once but a crime scene can be murdered a thousand times.
That night, as the fifth day of the investigation ends, every one of them leaves the office at 3:00AM knowing they will be back in five hours and knowing, too, that the sixteen- and twenty-hour shifts they have been working since Thursday are not going to end soon.
Edgerton is usually good with the grieving mothers. An attractive, well-dressed man with carefully coifed salt-and-pepper hair and a rich, sonorous voice, he is a walking, talking reminder of the son they never managed to raise.
...the 96-degree natural habitat of the Argument That Will Be Won. A drunk switches off the Orioles game in a Pigtown bar; a west side kid dances with an east-sider's girl at the rec center; a fourteen-year-old bumps an older kid getting on the number 2 bus--every one of them becomes a life in the balance.
The state of Maryland will not allow her to cast a vote or buy a beer, but the state's attorney will nonetheless ask her to identify a murder suspect in open court.
Baltimore City Jail....It is a long walk up a set of metal stairs and down a hall cluttered with human failure.
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| Snow packed trail near the trailhead |
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| Nymph Lake covered in snow and ice |
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| Sun and shadows and snow |
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| Trail leading to an amazing view... |
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| Other hikers walking across frozen Dream Lake |
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| The last climb before Emerald Lake |
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| Emerald Lake backstop |
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| Emerald Lake |
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| Emerald Lake |
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| Junction for Lake Haiyaha nearly buried in snow |
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| Incredible views of Glacier Gorge from the Lake Haiyaha trail |
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| More views from the edge of the trail |
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| Lake Haiyaha trail looking very avalanchey.... |
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| ...very avalanchey... |
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| ...but the views... |
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| More expansive views towards the northeast |
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| Looking northeast |
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| I love the different colors in this shot |
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| The aptly named Chaos Creek below Lake Haiyaha |
Lifespan: Why We Age – and Why We Don’t Have To by David A. Sinclair with Matthew D. LaPlante: Some call David Sinclair a modern day Ponce de Leon, searching for the elusive fountain of youth. In this very interesting book, Sinclair, who is a molecular biologist at Harvard, claims that there is no biological limit to aging and he believes that within the next few years, there will be treatments for aging that could expand the average human life to 120 or even 150 years or more. And not only would the length of life be extended, but we will be healthier much longer. The book is separated into 3 sections:
- What We Know (the past)
- What We're Learning (the present)
- Where We're Going (the future)
The first section goes into the science of DNA (the digital information in our bodies) and the epigenome (the analog information that gives instructions for what the DNA does). The epigenome is where the activities involving aging take place (turning cells on or off due to outside influences, such as smoking for example). The next section talks about all the latest findings on aging which sound really incredible. One finding, for example, is that when caloric intake is reduced dramatically, the epigenome turns off reproductive cells in order to enhance other cells and sort of put the body into a survival mode. A similar thing takes place when the body is placed under extreme cold conditions. Studies on rats and mice seem to show that there could be other ways to turn on these survival cells which have been shown to increase lifespan and overall health. The last section deals with the future and there are many issues which he attempts to address, such as, do we really WANT to live to 150 years old? What about social security? What about jobs for younger people? He also addresses the issue of existing medical care for the elderly which mainly consists of ways to treat diseases and keep people alive for a few years more with a rapidly declining quality of life. Do we really want that?
It’s a fascinating journey into science and philosophy. Towards the end of the book the author discusses the things he is doing, personally to extend his lifespan (and healthspan). It seems his family is all in, including his 80-year-old father who does seem to have the vitality of someone much younger. Here are the things the author does, along with my comments:
- I take 1 gram (1,000 mg) of NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide, a derivative of niacin) every morning, along with 1 gram of resveratrol (chemical found in red wine) and 1 gram of metformin (chemical used to treat diabetes). MY COMMENT: Seems expensive or prohibitive for the everyday person – how do I get my hands on metformin if I don’t have diabetes?
- I take a daily dose of vitamin D, vitamin K2, and 83mg of aspirin. MY COMMENT: seems reasonable.
- I strive to keep my sugar, bread, and pasta intake as low as possible. I gave up desserts at age 40, though I do steal tastes. MY COMMENT: Do I really want to live to 150 and never eat dessert?
- Every few months, a phlebotomist comes to my home to draw my blood, which I have analyzed for dozens of biomarkers. When my levels of various markers are not optimal, I moderate them with food or exercise. MY COMMENT: May be possible for some folks but certainly not most.
- I try to take a lot of steps each day and walk upstairs, and I go to the gym most weekends with my son, Ben; we lift weights, jog a bit, and hang out in the sauna before dunking in an ice-cold pool. MY COMMENT: Mostly reasonable advice. The heat and cold thing makes sense to me actually…maybe it’s good we moved to Colorado!
- I eat a lot of plants and try to avoid eating other mammals, even though they do taste good. If I work out, I will eat meat. MY COMMENT: Reasonable, although many lower income folks don’t have access to fresh fruits and vegetables.
- I don’t smoke. I try to avoid microwaved plastic, excessive UV exposure, X-rays, and CT scans. MY COMMENT: probably all good advice
- I try to stay on the cool side during the day and when I sleep at night. MY COMMENT: Again, seems reasonable after reading about the impact of cold on your survival genes…. but not possible for folks living in warm climates along the equator.
- I aim to keep my body weight or BMI in the optimal range for healthspan, which for me is 23 to 25. MY COMMENT: Any doctor would agree with that.
It seems that Sinclair’s conclusions are somewhat controversial in the medical and science communities. Many people agree with his findings, but many others believe he is making unfounded conclusions based on the findings. In any case, the book is an educational read. I won’t pretend that I understood all of the biology presented, but I understood most of it and the one thing he kept stating which I totally agree with is that the end-of-life process today is brutal, and we need a better solution. His solution is to make everyone healthier so that end of life will never again consist of debilitating diseases like Alzheimer’s and Cancer. Amen to that.
After lunch I headed north on the western portion of the
Nelson Loop trail (a 2.2-mile loop that connects the Nighthawk and Brittlebrush
trails). On the Nelson trail you get a
glimpse of the old Nelson ranch house and silo, built in the early 1920s by the
Nelson family who had purchased the land from Richard Clark who homesteaded
this area in the late 1800s. I hope to
explore the ranch on a later trip. After completing half of the Nelson loop (a
half-Nelson?), I headed down the hill on the Brittlebrush trail. Nice scenery on this trail also, including a
glimpse into the North St. Vrain canyon with highway 36 leading from Lyons to
Estes Park. There is a huge prairie dog town along the
trail where you can see the critters popping their heads in and out of their
burrows and sounding the alarm if you get too close (or if the coyotes start
howling). There is a huge meadow near
the intersection with the Antelope trail where I imagine elk congregating
during the fall.
Overall, a nice day in the foothills of the Rockies with nice
views, animal sights and sounds, and a good workout.
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Nice views of the foothills near the trailhead
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| Indian Lookout mountain |
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Large meadows on the Brittlebrush trail
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The buck stopped here
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Nelson homestead and silo
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Only one other set of prints on the trail today
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I only did the half-Nelson loop....
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Meeker and Long's peak in the clouds
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On a clear day this would be a tremendous view
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| Still beautiful though |
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Ideal bench positioning at the end of the Nighthawk trail
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No idea what this rock fence was for
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Views towards the eastern plains
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| You can see the switchback trail from up here |
Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko – Ceremony won the 1980 American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation. The novel is also taught in many university and high school courses on American Indian Studies and Literature. In 1994, the author received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers Circle of the Americas. I had read a previous memoir she wrote called The Turquoise Ledge which I really enjoyed. I have been hoping to read more of her work since then and I’m glad I did; and I plan to read more.It’s a beautifully written book, interspersing the prose of the main story with poetry of a mythic Native American tale which loosely parallels the narrative. It’s mainly set in New Mexico, around the Laguna Pueblo west of Albuquerque. Tayo is a “half-breed” (part native part Mexican) from Laguna who has returned from World War II with “battle fatigue” which is today know as Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD). He spends a few years in the VA mental hospital before returning to the pueblo. The story shifts in time between his experience in the war (suffering through the Bataan Death March), his life before the war, and his struggle to regain control as all his war veteran native friends descend into alcoholism and violence.
Tayo’s aunt has raised him since a child due to her sister’s (Tayo’s mom) scandalous life of promiscuity and alcoholism. Auntie suggests perhaps a cleansing ceremony from a native healer could help him overcome his PTSD. As Tayo goes through this process, we learn more about his past and about the plight of the American Indian. Published in 1977, it’s a fascinating, heart breaking, and uplifting tale which I’m sure contains many truths about the Native American experience during the 1940s and even today. The story addresses themes of storytelling, healing, race, war, animal intelligence, and of course the overall Native American experience and exploitation. Some heavy stuff, but the story is so interesting and dramatic, that you experience all these themes in an entertaining and interesting way. I highly recommend it.
Some of my favorite lines:
Tayo thought about animals then, horses and mules, and the way they drifted with the wind. Josiah said that only humans had to endure anything, because only humans resisted what they saw outside themselves. Animals did not resist. But they persisted, because they became part of the wind.
Indians or Mexicans or Whites--most people are afraid of change. They think that if their children have the same color of skin, the same color of eyes, that nothing is changing.
So they tried to sink the loss in booze, and silence their grief with war stories about their courage, defending the land they had already lost.
He had only seen and heard the world as it always was: no boundaries, only transitions through all distances and time.
...and the young people would leave, go to towns like Albuquerque and Gallup where bitterness would overwhelm them, and they would lose their hope and finally themselves in drinking.
This is where we come from, see. This sand, this stone, these trees, the vines, all the wildflowers. This earth keeps us going.
Of course, as most of us know, US history is complicated. And the Homestead Act certainly had a negative
impact on Native Americans. Prior to the
1862 act, the Indian Appropriations Act of 1851 officially created reservations
as the new homeland for Native Americans.
But “the natives were restless” and there were several conflicts off of “official”
reservation land. This issue was
addressed with the 1871 Dawes Act which stated that: “hereafter no Indian
nation or tribe within the territory of the United States shall be acknowledged
or recognized as an independent nation, tribe, or power with whom the United
States may contract by treaty.” Then in 1887 the Dawes Severalty Act (also
called the General Allotment Act) tried to allot reservation land to individual
Native Americans rather than the tribe. Dawes
meant well (his goal was to “assimilate” Native Americans into US society); however,
he didn’t understand the cultural differences.
For Native Americans, land was never owned by individuals, only by the
tribe. So, it ended up being disastrous and
many Native Americans lost their land allotments due to lack of funds or
through unscrupulous land developers.
OK enough of the history lesson. Homestead Meadows is a collection of eight of
these homesteads which were established between 1889 and 1923. It’s about a 2.75-mile, 1,200 foot climb up
Lion Gulch before you reach the first meadow.
Then another quarter mile or so before reaching the first site. There are around 15 total miles of trails
interconnecting all the sites so obviously I didn’t have time to see them all
(eventually….). I visited the Walker,
Griffith, and Irvin sites. It’s interesting to
examine the ruins and wonder what life might have been like for these hardy
souls back then trying to scratch out a living in these remote mountains. The Irvin Homestead is the most intact,
probably because it’s the most remote.
It was another 1.5 miles north and a few hundred more feet in elevation
but was well worth the effort. The views
of the Mummy Range in Rocky Mountain National Park are great from the
trail. I was the only person up here all
day and I was certainly the only person to visit the Irvin Homestead since the
last snowfall. Snowshoes would have been
really nice for this bit. I was sinking
shin and knee deep in snow for much of that 1.5 (total 3) miles. My legs were pretty sore at the end of the
day, but I was still smiling after another beautiful day of exploring the great
outdoors.
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| How I felt about this hike |
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| One of three bridges. There are several other non bridged crossings |
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| Frozen gulch |
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| Frozen waterfall |
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| Lots of snow |
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| Old corral in the main meadow |
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| The Mummy range from the trail to Irvin Homestead |
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| Mummy range |
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| Not sure what animal made this track but it had claws.... |
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| Remains of an old sawmill |
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| Tough to take that walk to the bathroom when it's this cold... |
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| Why do people like to shoot at inanimate objects? |
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| This stove hasn't been shot at yet |
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| The Irvin homestead still in decent condition |
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| Snowshoes would have been a plus up here |
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| My footprints were the only ones up here |
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| This ice fall was the only place I really needed to use microspikes on my boots |
Until next month, happy reading and rambling!
