Year in Review

Whelp, it's the end of the year. Time for charcuterie boards and Martinelli's Cider and party hats and champagne glasses. And while we sit and wait in anticipation for the strange new year of 2023, I'd like to spend some time reflecting on a few interesting things that defined 2022 in my eyes. 

It started off quiet and smooth. Memories of grey January weather and long drives up to San Louis Obispo and Bakersfield come to mind. Little Feat and John Prine provided much of the soundtrack during this time. I recall taking the scenic route on a drive back from SLO. Up the 101 to Santa Margarita and then on to the 58. Turned on West Pozo road and took it all the way to the Carrizo Plain. Super quiet back there during that time of year. Nothing but the sound of the tires crunching on bumpy dirt roads and the wind blowin' through the open windows. 

Soda Lake in January

In February came that sweet transition of winter to spring. The sun was a little higher in the sky, and the natural surroundings were beginning to glow with a special pre-spring brilliance. School started up again and I was back the grind. Fortunately, I had a three hour break between two of my classes. During this break I would often venture into the Santa Monica Mountains, because, why not? I climbed Mugu Peak more times than I can remember, drove up Yerba Buena rd, sat on that crazy sand dune along Highway 1 and ran around the trails of the Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa. I'd get pretty sweaty on these micro adventures so I tried hiding the smell by rubbing my skin with sage and California bay leaf. I didn't have any deodorant so what else was I supposed to do you know? Alas, it did not work. I'd always walk into class smelling like sage and B.O. 

Mugu Peak trail in February 

The semester kept on chuggin' along and before I knew it it was spring break. Went to Billings. Visited Daniel. Drove around in the mountains, walked on frozen lakes, and ate a lot of good food. Drove on down to Zion. It was packed. People moved around like ants. Parking was egregious. It was hard to get away and find somewhere quiet. Even the "secret" spots that I knew of were crowded with a few people. Guess the secret's out. But my oh man oh my—what an excellent trip. First time I'd ever gone on a trip such as that. It offered a brief respite from the craziness and business of living in the 21st century. A break from the news, from social media, from school and work. Definitely one of the highlights of the year, and a trip I'll never forget.

Zion in March

The year sped up from there. Spring was in full swing but it seemed short lived because it got stupidly hot stupidly fast. The mountains offered some relief from this heat, and it was during this time of year where my family and I ventured on our awesome journey from Mt Pinos all the way to Piedra Blanca. Goated trip that one. Walked through some of the most beautiful country I've ever seen. And it was during this trip where I read Viet Thanh Nguyen's "The Sympathizer" for my American Literature class. Definitely my favorite read of the year. Absolutely fantastic novel; one of the best I've ever read.  Spring kind of went by in a blur for me. Other than that epic backpacking trip, I didn't really do much. Lotta school, lotta papers, lotta assignments. In late April though, my mother and I fulfilled our dreams of eating High Street deli sandwiches at Hi Mountain lookout on the top of Hi Mountain—so that was cool. 

Hi Mountain Lookout

Summer was long and strange. And hot...very hot. This time of year brings memories of swimmin' in the Sespe, backpacking trips in the Sierra, and micro explorations of the Ojai front country. Weyes Blood, Alice In Chains, and Cali Life Style provided the soundtrack for this time of the year. The days were long and the nights were warm. Memories of crisp, dry air and the smell of gasoline and faint citrus. Working for the music festival, eating subs from the Ojai Pizza company. Long nights at Libby Park with nothing but my thoughts for entertainment. Got to know that park real well this year. 

It was a dry, desiccated dehydrating kind of summer. Not a good time for eczema, I can tell you that. Summer of 2022 marked a definite change of pace. Late winter and spring exhumed a general feeling of easiness and simplicity. Summer kicked that pace up to Mach 2. The incredible summer skies were something to behold, with cirrus clouds and brilliant, powerful sunsets. Everything was big and grand and overwhelming and in your face. The year was accelerating at a breakneck pace, and it was already halfway over. But there was something about this year's summer that inspired me to start reading for fun again. Managed to read 14 books between June and August, all of which that were things that I actually wanted to read. It was nice to read just for the fun of it. Reminded me of my early youth. A very nostalgic summer indeed.

The Sespe in June

A balmy July evening

Fall brought a new semester of school and a new semester of school is always interesting. I took a ceramics class; first time I'd worked with clay in almost two years. I was a little rusty at first, but eventually the muscle memory kicked in and I was back to throwin' on the wheel. Managed to throw a "perfect" donut so that was nice. 

In terms of adventures, I didn't do all that much. My Uncle and I finally managed to spend the night at this one spot that we've dubbed "Blair Witch Camp." It's a pain in the neck to get to this spot. Involves a lot of uphill and downhill and angry chaparral. But it's worth it. A small forest of Jeffery Pines provide shelter from the elements. An ancient lean-to, half crushed by a fallen pine, serves as the only evidence of humans ever having been to this spot. The silence that surrounds this spot is a little unsettling. Seems like it's haunted or something. That night in the camp was one of the quietest nights I've ever experienced. Just the two of us there in our hammocks, swingin' in the nighttime breeze, with a massive spread of stars above our heads. And the best part? We didn't get killed by no witch!

After this brief overnighter came the infamous trip to Santa Rosa Island. I ain't gonna talk about that trip though—already wrote too much about it. And after that came a small excursion to the Sierras were Liam and I climbed Mt Gould. Probably gonna write a post about that trip—it was a classic shirt and tie adventure. 

"Blair Witch Camp"

Mt Gould Trip

And that's about it. It was an interesting year to say the least, with a lot of stuff happening between January 1st and today. But after all of the things that happened throughout, all of the things I witnessed and experienced and observed, I always find myself coming back to four specific moments. It's these four things that I will always remember from this year, and will hopefully remember for the rest of my life. 

Cara Blanca

Climbing Cara Blanca was absolutely insane. That's a bucket list thing for sure. Nobody climbs that mountain. And Liam and I learned why pretty quickly. Successfully reaching the summit was like a dream. It didn't feel real. Looking back at it now, I still can't believe we actually climbed it. Nevertheless, it was climbing Cara Blanca that inspired me to start this blog in the first place. A truly epic adventure indeed. 

It was also in February where I experienced a genuine miracle. Way back in 2021 I lost my pocketknife while climbing Cedar Peak. Almost a year later, just for the hell of it, Liam and I decided to climb back up there again to try to find said knife. Long story short, he found it. I mean, what!? How!? It could have been anywhere on the mountain. We even took a different approach on the summit ridge. And for some reason, just walking along, there it was—BAM. It was just laying there in a bed of pine needles, bleached by the sun but otherwise good as new. Thank you, Liam. Thanks for findin' that blasted knife. 

The Find of the Century

In late October of this year I finally managed to see the silly pyramid of CSULB. I don't know why it exists but it does. It was smaller than I imagined. But the pyramid is not important. Visiting Adam and meetin' his roommate was one of the highlights of the year. Something about driving down the 405 freeway, at night, bumper to bumper traffic, all the way down to Long Beach was incredibly interesting. It put me out of my element. It was like traveling to a new reality. That evening there was much conversing, laughing, and catching up. Ate one of the best home cooked meals of my life at his place. Stir fry. Chicken, vegetables, baby corn and rice. Partied that night. Went to a bar that I will likely never see again. The bouncer was some old fellow that sounded like he was midwestern or something. Funny dude. His name was De Winters, and he kept saying that in a few months he'd be "De Springs" and then "De Summers." Met a comedian who was not funny. Met a guy who really liked to dance. The next day we were all a little tired. Spent it in a daze. Got a late breakfast with Adam's roommate. He bought these really nice kitchen knives. Great food. And then Adam gave me the tour of CSULB. It was empty. Weird. The whole place was like a liminal space. It seemed familiar yet so foreign. A little eerie, but beautiful nonetheless. 

And then, finally, there was the trip down to San Diego. This was the highlight of the year. My favorite moment. Don't know why exactly—it was just so peaceful. It was early March. Early spring meant brilliant blue skies and green grass. Driving down Highway 1, the ocean looked so blue. And the mountains, instead of their familiar brown color, were full of greens and reds and oranges and purples. It looked so alien to me. Never would I imagine Southern California looking as spectacular as this. There were clouds in the sky, and later on that day it even rained a little bit. We were visiting a friend of Benny's; she plays rugby. Home team. We watched her game. It was cold and wet, but there was much jubilation standing on the sidelines cheering on the team. Despite the rowdy nature of the game, I found the whole scene to be quite amicable. It was tranquil, serene. There's just something about standing on a field watching a rugby game at night in a light mist that's so interesting, you know? Home team won the game. It was an important win. But the celebration was a mild one. No insane party. No insane noise. Just a small get together at the house. And in the morning I sat outside in the sun and watched the clouds. They were low in the sky, big and fluffy and moving like turtles. That's how I'll remember this year. That warm, content feeling of sittin' in the chair, in the sun, watching the clouds in San Diego. Doesn't get much better than that! 

Anywho, here's to a happy new year. In Omnia Paratus!