A desert peak we didn't make

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Snow Nymph
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A desert peak we didn't make

Post by Snow Nymph »

Sunday, 19 November 2006
A desert peak we didn't make

PHOTOS: http://snownymph.smugmug.com/gallery/21 ... /111793370


Tomcat_rc met me at the trailhead to do this desert peak. We made it to a bump at 8,300', 0.66 mi from the summit. We had a turnaround time to avoid hiking out over the waterfall ridge in the dark. I got 4 yellowjacket wasp stings which delayed us a little, and we hiked out in the dark.

I'm leaving the name of this DPS peak out because its off limits. oops! ;)


edited to correct "yellowjacket wasp" stings, not "bee" stings. I didn't know there was a difference til now
Last edited by Snow Nymph on Wed Nov 22, 2006 7:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free . . . . Jim Morrison


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Post by tomcat_rc »

I'm still bummed I forgot my camera - your pictures are great as always. I think with an earlier start time we could have made both peaks - dark comes quickly these days. Glad I had good support while coming down in the dark - some of those dropoffs were a little intimidating with just headlights. Note to self - quit wearing short when you know you are in for a lot of bushwhackin - my legs look like hell this week.
mountain hiking is addictive:
I can quit anytime I want - I just choose not to want
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Post by Snow Nymph »

My legs are all scratched up too. One thing I will never forget again are my zip off pants! I don't think the yellow jackets would have stung me if I had those on (too loose). They're still itching, but I found something thats helping.

So what do people carry for bee/wasp stings?
Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free . . . . Jim Morrison


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Post by BSquared »

tomcat_rc wrote: Note to self - quit wearing short when you know you are in for a lot of bushwhackin - my legs look like hell this week.
The first backpacking trip I ever took was to the Gorge of Despair. My buddies kept telling me to wear shorts, but I was afraid I'd get all scratched up, so I didn't do it. Finally, on the hike out, I agreed. That's when we got lost and ended up bushwhacking through about a hundred miles of pure manzanita! :unibrow:
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Post by ridgeline »

Shorts yeh! Im proud of you Tom and Snowy
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Post by quentinc »

Snow Nymph wrote: So what do people carry for bee/wasp stings?
There's something called "Sting-Eze." I picked some up after sticking my hiking pole into a wasp nest near Blayney Hot Springs, with disastrous results. But, of course, I've never had any need for it since I've been carrying it, so I can't really vouch for whether it works.
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Post by ERIC »

Preparation H is the cure-all for itching/swelling caused by backwoods critters in my book. :righton:
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Post by Snow Nymph »

Good idea, Eric! I use Prep H for mosquitos, why not wasp stings! That would have been funny . . . Tomcat applying Prep H to Snowy's a$$! :lol:

Ridgeline, I forgot both pairs of zip pants in the dryer this weekend, so all I had were the short shorts! The wasp wouldn't have reached skin if I had the loose zip pants/shorts on. It was nice hiking in shorts, except when the stickers and branches jumped out at us. Next time, high gators!

Quentinc, someone just told me about sting-eze. Also, mud is supposed to work.
Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free . . . . Jim Morrison


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Post by Trekker »

Snowy:

Ask Mom
A remedy for that bee sting: Freeze your buns off
By Mel Miskimen
Posted: Sept. 8, 2005

Dear Mom I unknowingly sat on a wasp. I have a huge, red, hot, itchy lump on my butt. What should I do?

Signed,

Mad in Madison

Mom says Ouch! I take it that you aren't allergic to wasp and/or bee stings, otherwise you wouldn't be able to write me because you would be either in a hospital or dead. Anyway, sit on something cold. A bag of frozen peas is good. Frozen corn is OK, too. Use something (orally or topically) with an antihistamine for the itch, and watch where you're sitting next time.

By the way, call 911 if you develop any of the following symptoms: rapid swelling around the eyes, lips, tongue or throat; difficulty breathing; wheezing or hoarseness; itching, cramping or severe numbness; dizziness; a reddish rash or hives; stomach cramps; and loss of consciousness. According to WebMD.com, these are signs that you are at risk of anaphylactic shock and you need emergency medical treatment ASAP.

Love, Mom
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Post by Trekker »

Here's a story Snowy can relate to!! :nod: Not sure about some of these treatments! :lol:


Wednesday, June 08, 2005
That Outfit Could Kill You

Freshly Mulched Sweet Pepper & Lettuce Leaf Basil Seedlings

How did those pioneer women do it? Apart from Calamity Jane (who I'm not even sure would be considered a pioneer), women in early 20th century rural America did not wear pants. They wore dresses. Take Little House On The Prairie for example. Did Ma ever do anything in a pair of overalls? Of course not. Those women cooked, cleaned, milked the cow, planted the garden, butchered the hog, mended the fence, helped build the barn, took care of the children, and fought off Indians--all while wearing a dress.

Life back then was not easy. Pioneer women were hard-working and tough, and they often died in childbirth. They were truly remarkable. But the bravest thing any of those women ever did was step into that dress each morning. And how do I know this? Because I am sitting here at three-thirty in the afternoon, groggy and completely discombobulated after a two-and-a-half-hour, totally unscheduled nap. My day has been shot to hell. Why? Because this morning I put on a dress.

My usual farm attire is some sort of shirt and a pair of denim overalls. When the weather is warm, I might put on shorty overalls, but there are a lot of things around a farm you really shouldn't do in shorts. In this heat and humidity, though, I find the mere thought of heavy overalls unbearable. And so I switch to dresses--sleeveless cotton jumpers with a tee-shirt underneath. They are comfortable, easy to work in, and are slightly cooler than pants. If there is any wind, you can lift the skirt a little and enjoy a refreshing breeze on your sweaty legs.

So there I was, in my comfortable dress, sweating profusely as I stood in the blazing sun mulching tomatoes and peppers with a cart full of sheep manure I'd mucked out of the barn. This is hot, tiring work, but it also very rewarding because you know you are taking care of so many things at once: the barn gets a little cleaner, the plants get fertilized, the garden soil is improved, and potential weeds are smothered. The day was going well, and I was feeling good. I would be finished soon, and then I could hide in the house for a while and start working on that post about curry dip.

When the cart was nearly empty, I felt a sudden, unmistakable, piercing stab--on my butt. Stung! Ouch! Without thinking, I twisted around and started batting my hand at the back of my dress, knowing a wasp had flown up it. This was a very, very bad idea--and I should have remembered that from the last time I did it. Stung again! OUCH! Then a non-stop Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! interspersed with a few choice words as the poison spread, the excruciating pain intensified, and I staggered into the house.

Fortunately I am not allergic to wasp stings. And I sort of remembered what to do:
Throw down hat, gloves, and sunglasses. Tear off dress so you can get a good look at your rapidly reddening rear end in the full-length mirror. Gulp down two antihistamines (also known as sleeping pills) and a handful of herbal anti-inflammatories to keep down the swelling and itching. Three sprays of King Bio Bug Away under the tongue. Break open two of those creepy looking Sting-Kill vials of bright green liquid and apply them to the stings to ease the pain. Wonder when or how or if you will ever be able to sit down again. Do a web search on "wasp sting" and "treatment." Find a lot of talk about agonizing death. Find a website called ehow ("Clear Instructions On How To Do Just About Everything") offering some bizarre home remedies and a few helpful ideas, like ice. Sprawl on the couch with a napkin-swaddled ice pack, gingerly switching it back and forth from one tender cheek to the other.

Lie there suffering, trying not to get pissed off and thinking about the ehow site. Wondering if maybe there really is a stinger still in there. And so just to be sure (even though it doesn't make sense since you were stung twice), stand with backside to the mirror and "scrape the skin with a dull butter knife" (thus effectively removing all the green pain medicine you just applied.) Contemplate other suggested remedies. Figure what the hell, and decide to administer one more treatment (again with backside to the mirror)--all the while not believing that you are actually rubbing a fresh clove of garlic on your butt.

Realize the only thing left to do is go back outside (sans dress), pick a lot of strawberries, and proceed to self-medicate by inhaling a large bowl of sliced strawberries and French vanilla ice cream in roughly six seconds. Collapse in a sugar- and sleeping pill-induced stupor on couch.

Wake up two and a half hours later, noting with satisfaction that pain is bearable and redness and swelling have gone down considerably. Assume it must have been the ice cream and strawberries. Contemplate a second dose. Stumble over to computer and begin to type.

Maybe I'll get to get to the curry dip tomorrow.

posted by farmgirl at 9:02 PM
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