hmmm... probably pretty damn cool.
About the best weekend ever.
Lounging, loving on friends, coffee, cinnamon rolls, coffee.
Then my first day volunteering at KHOL [our community radio station].
Wow.
I. Am. So. Excited.
I got to put together a two hour show. I got to make a two hour long mix CD… that will be on the radio! Srrrrrsly, how cool is that?! And AND I can make it into a link that I can’t post [sadly] but I CAN send to lovelies! You can hear my whole show! Me talking and everything! I am too excited about this… no, it’s worth it.
I really didn’t want to leave the station. I was there for two hours and it felt like 15 minutes. Cannot wait to go back.
Then dinner with amazings.
delucious.
Katrina made her tikka masala… my favorite meal ever.
obviously i didn't like it at all.
Then laughing, bluegrass, cute bearded men, dancing with friends!, mystery neil encounter [remind me to tell these stories later], dancing, house party, throwing stars, laughing, laughing, love.
And then today. Total lounging.
Loving it.
K$.
jules... amazing.
Watching The Office. Eating leftover tikka masala.
Wonderful ending to this glorious weekend.
Just wanted to share. Hope your life is filled with love, joy, dancing and lounging.
Too many good times to recount right now. [yes and yes!]
But here is this…
just made my friend and me laugh real hard... for a good five minutes.
…is this song.
It comes in especially handy when it’s time for sit-down, kitchen dance parties after you’ve been at your desk all night, working at a computer, exhausted.
Real handy.
mirra mirra.
[oh, p.s. i designed the current jhunderground.com banner.]
Look what I found in the paper today…
"hay ma, me's famous!"
It reads…
“Underground opts for more stylized banner*
Four years since its inception, JH Underground still can’t seem to figure out what its look is.
Last week the free Web log changed its banner, again.
Perhaps the move to a more stylized “masthead” is to confuse people interested in the Tetons. Online diaries typically feature photos of the administrator, or “blogger”, to alert readers to the nature of the content, namely the administrator’s achievements and grievances.
The erratic blog also has switched to all uppercase letters from all lowercase, an attempt to add heft (or look less “consciously” like reneworleans.com,).
While the last two banners were dull choices from the beginning, at least they had gained measure of local originality. Surely the creative minds on the staff could have come up with something a little less obvious than the Cathedral Group, also featured in online mastheads for the Jackson Hole News&Guide and JH Weekly. The antler arches?
This latest change looks more like “JH Underwhelming.”
*This is a “treated” text, a parody of a JH Underground post criticizing JH Weekly for lopping of “Planet” from its name as part of a redesign ["Planet opts for more generic name, " June 3, 2009]. Bolded sections indicate changes from the original post, hich unfortunately did not provide the framework for commentary on the artwork itself, which we actually dig.”
Here’s the aforementioned article…
I was forewarned about the JH Weekly article… Jim emailed me and said they were gonna run an article that might look like it’s belittling my work. I got kinda nervous… but I told Jim…
- Don’t worry about me. I’m as tough as I am tall.
Went to the coffee shop this morning, picked it up, read it. Not upset… at all. Pshhhh… I love it! We need more of this stuff around. I’m a nice girl, I don’t usually grapple… but I don’t mind watching a good one.
And I think it’s actually flattering for JH Underground. People are paying attention to you enough to mock you in their own publication. That’s something.
[i will say that i'm glad they expressed that they "dig" it... i'm tough, but i'm not gonna lie... i don't mind being liked either.]
I’ve come into a habit. When I drive my clients to the office in the morning, I sometimes take them for a quick drive down to the Elk Refuge… for the light… the breathing… the wildlife… but it depends… it depends on the music on the radio. They know. They ask…
- Do you like this song?
- Oh, I love this song.
- So, we’re going to see the big sheep?
- Yeah, let’s go for a drive down the Elk Refuge.
And this morning, I didn’t think it was going to happen. I just wasn’t feeling it… until this song came on…
“please don’t forget how much I meant to you
when you are redefined by someone new”
[excuse the quality... download it to be your own.]
Gosh, I love Mason Jennings. My favorite? Maybe. A connection. A click. I’ve been talking to a friend [a more... a sister] from Texas… I miss her. We are so SO different… but we have things… we have love… we’ve always shared Mason Jennings. This song made me miss/love/appreciate/laugh at/smile at her.
katy being awesome at one of her printmaking shows in portland... me stalking/loving her... hard.
Right when I moved back from Australia to Jackson, this song came on our community radio station, KHOL…
I was with clients, driving… but, my goodness, it was familiar… it was right. I pulled out my journal and wrote down…
“you’ve waited for forever and a day… just to die”
Kept looking back at it… meaning to look up the song and love it.
Heard it again today…
Laughed at myself. Gosh, it is so beautiful… and I should’ve known. One of the most beautiful beautifuls I know tried to introduce me to this song months and months ago…
dancing times: me, jimmy, amelia.
The day after this Australian fun, dancing, running-around night, Amelia sent me a link to this song [from this autralian band]… I’m sure I listened to it then… but I guess I didn’t need it then… didn’t even need it months ago… but today, oh today, it clicked.
[and, ugh, i miss amelia.]
Then this one. Not a new one either. [none of them are... i'm not hip, y'all.] But today, ugh, I loved it.
Made me feel close to Emma. A strong woman. A young, creative, effing awesome woman… who inspires. And AND she’s pregnant! She stands up for herself, loves her work, knows her strength, finds her happiness and hits the streets runnin’ with it… every damn day. Wanna be her? Maybe.
All those things [those songs] clicked. And they might not for you. You might throw them aside, not need them as much as you need your busyness. And that is okay.
We can still be friends.
But we will never be loves.
But I love you… you all.
Goodnight.
Just did a banner for jhunderground.com…
JH Underground is owned and operated by the nicest guy in Jackson, Jim Stanford.
When I last minutely decided I was going to move back to Jackson from Australia and had no car, no job, hardly any money and no friends with poachable living spaces, Jim Stanford came through… and I hardly knew the guy. He let me crash, relax, regroup, reinvent… at his place. Check out his site [like you haven't already]… it’s where to find the things going on in Jackson Hole… underground.
Ah, yes… Jim was there for me at my messiest time. But I feel like I’ve got things more together now. For one, I have a job now… and it is awesome. [for those who don't know, i work with adults with mental disabilities... it's like working with very big, pretty young children.]
[kinda like this:
]
Yesterday, I got to ski at the Village with our most apt client, Lenny.
[side note: lenny is a character... so hilarious. he has a pilot figurine glued to the top of his helmet and always yells, "onward, mademoiselle!" while skiing with me.]
Now, as good of a skier as Lenny is, he is our most easily distracted client. So, to get him to stop looking around on the ski hill and continue to go down with a purpose, I have to [get ready for this] tell him…
- C’mon Lenny! We’re huntin’ for yetis!
- Oh, yes! We must find a yeti!
It’s amazing.
So yesterday, we did a lot of laps on the easier runs and I soon discovered that [voila!] I can ski backwards! So, that’s what I worked on yesterday, whilst Lenny followed me and we hunted for yetis.
All the sudden, we’re skiing and Lenny gets very upset and is yelling at me…
- Rachel! We have a problem! Stop skiing!
And I’m thinking, “God almighty, Lenny crapped his pants.”
I stop, Lenny skis up to me and makes me lean in real close…
- Lenny, what’s wrong? Are you okay?
- Rachel! We are NEVER going to find ANY yetis if you keep skiing backwards! You have to keep your eye out for them!
- Haha… Oh man, you are right. Sorry. I will start taking our hunts more seriously.
I love my job.
And this… this is for you… you should love it…
This is my new favorite song…
According to a friend…
This a movie that reminds some Texans of me…
According to a friend…
Oh… no.
Momma called me today. Wanted to know more about the Yosemite climbing restrictions and the visitation ridiculousness. Wanted to write a letter to YNP and said, “I mean… I’m passionate about it because I love Yosemite… because I trust how much you love Yosemite.”
Made me think. That’s what love is. Or, no. That is a result of real love… trusting… blindly. Knowing someone so well [loving someone so deeply, truly] that you just trust them… trust their passions… their beliefs. I don’t know if I’ve ever loved someone that purely… but I imagine it… I believe in it… I hope for it… I love the idea of it.
I have so much love for a certain place. Many places, actually, but maybe the most love for Yosemite.
Our access to climbing and camping in Yosemite is in danger, though. Check it out.
The Access Fund encourages us to write a letter to the park.
I wrote a letter, thinking that it would just be a couple simple sentences. But man, oh man… I love that place…
one of my first days ever in yosemite.
my first climb ever in yosemite valley.
boystown olympics with loves in yosemite valley.
anna and me climbing in yosemite valley.
To: Kristine Bunnell
From: Rachel Stevens
Dear Kristine,
Past summers I have worked anywhere from a Taco Stand Server to an Interpretive Naturalist to live in Yosemite Valley. To revel in the amazing granite walls, the Merced, the wildlife and the people; I would do about anything.
Climbing is such an important part of who I am now. I first learned how to climb at Cookie Cliff in Yosemite. The prospect of shutting it down breaks my heart.
Planning trips back to visit Yosemite, I expect to camp primitively, enjoying the Valley like it should be enjoyed… Bright stars, fresh air, dirty hair…
The changes you want to make not only limit the magic of Yosemite Valley for myself and so many alike, but they are also the last resort behind steps that haven’t even been taken.
If you want to preserve and show respect for the Valley, the river, then start with fundamental problems. The traffic in Yosemite is out of control. Think about the fuel emissions clogging up Yosemite Valley (only one mile wide by seven miles long!). A free transport into the valley with the current shuttle system running would solve so many problems.
And think: If people are limited to what they bring in, it is inevitable that they will leave behind less… as well as feed the wildlife less of their own fruit roll-ups and beef jerky… because now they have a limited amount instead of the Costco boxes waiting in their cars for bears to bust into.
Yes, life will be inconvenient for many Valley dwellers… especially climbers trying to drive to coveted climbs before their 2pm Taco Stand shift starts… but in the end, people will deal, the Valley will thrive.
Yosemite is where I learned to climb, learned to love, learned to live. Please do not restrict the ability for any of these opportunities to thrive.
And now a word from a organization I sponsor…
Thank you for the opportunity to provide scoping comments to the Merced Wild and Scenic River Plan (MRP). Please consider the following points when developing a user capacity program for the Merced River planning area. Yosemite is perhaps the most important climbing area in the world and Park planners should use this plan to protect and enhance climbing opportunities.
Climbing Should Be Identified as One of the Merced River’s Outstanding Remarkable Values
The Wild and Scenic River Act provides for the preservation of “outstandingly remarkable scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, cultural, or other similar values.” Climbing in the Merced River planning area fits the “recreational” category for an outstanding remarkable value and should be protected and enhanced as such. To be included as an ORV, a value must meet two criteria. It must be (1) river-related, and (2) a unique, rare, or exemplary feature that is significant at a comparative regional or national scale. Much of the climbing in Yosemite Valley and Merced River Gorge segments of the planning area lies within a quarter mile of the river and is undeniably linked to the river and its processes. Climbing in Yosemite has also inspired several guidebooks, thousands of unique routes, and countless stories and legends. It is well established that climbing in Yosemite Valley’s Merced River planning area is a unique, rare, and exemplary recreational activity that attracts visitors regionally, nationally and internationally. Accordingly, YNP should reference climbing as an Outstandingly Remarkable Value for the Merced River Plan.
Yosemite’s User Capacity Framework Should Consider Climbing’s Unique Characteristics
Yosemite National Park should consider the unique characteristics of climbing, and develop management policies in the MRP that enhance the climbing experience while protecting current use levels and environmental conditions. To protect and enhance Yosemite climbing, the MRP should address:
• Transportation into the Park.
• Increased camping opportunities, with more primitive sites.
• Parking spaces at traditional climbing access trailhead locations.
• Intra-Park transportation with bus stops placed at major climbing access trailheads.
• Maintained climbing access trails, staging areas and descent trails.
• Ability to stay in the Valley for extended periods. The climbing in Yosemite is among the most difficult in the World and takes weeks to master even for expert climbers.
• Amenities such as groceries and showers and the climbing equipment shop.
• Interpretive and educational facilities for and about climbing, including a climbing museum.
• NPS support facilities and services, including Search and Rescue and the Climbing Ranger program.
Critical to maintaining the outstandingly remarkable values of the climbing experience in Yosemite Valley and Merced River Gorge are the following qualities:
• A healthy and protected natural environment.
• Reduced development in Yosemite Valley.
• Primitive camping opportunities.
• Effective transportation to and from climbing access trails.
• Maintained climbing access trails.
• A quiet soundscape consistent with the Valley’s wilderness designation, NPS regulations and the California Vehicle Code.
Unlike other recreational activities, climbing is a widely dispersed activity taking place in a vertical landscape with thousands of possible routes and destinations. Other uses, by comparison, are limited to far fewer established trails, picnic sites, and boating locations. Accordingly, Yosemite planners should take into account the unique characteristics of climbing and not unnecessarily affect Yosemite’s climbing access in the MRP.
The Merced River Plan Must Allow for Access to Areas Outside of the Planning Area Boundary
The Merced River Plan and any user capacity model adopted by the NPS must allow climbers to access areas outside the Merced River Plan boundary. Many approach trails used to access climbing walls (such as El Capitan and Half Dome) pass through the MRP planning area. Yosemite’s user capacity model should not unreasonably restrict access to outstandingly remarkable recreational values within the planning corridor. Importantly, YNP should also not place unreasonable restrictions on legitimate activities located just outside of the Merced River Plan boundaries but which require access through the planning area. No other activity has the same dynamic as climbing whereby passage through the planning area at many dispersed locations is necessary, and it is critically important that YNP recognize this circumstance and manage for reasonable use limits at least consistent with existing low-impact climbing use levels.
In short, I support recognizing climbing as an “outstandingly remarkable value” for the Merced River planning area, and believe that Yosemite’s user capacity framework should accommodate climbing’s unique characteristics in Yosemite Valley and the Lower Merced Gorge. Thank you for considering the importance of Yosemite to climbers worldwide and for your hard work on this extensive planning process.
Sincerely and Passionately,
Rachel Stevens
a view of the valley... and myself.
beautiful loves makin' smores in the valley.
my niece, emerson, who i hope grows up to climb in the valley.
I encourage you [especially my yosemite lovers] to get involved. Huge props to the Access Fund for keeping us aware and fighting for our passions.
I am very proud of our president. Inspired by the lack of BS. More on that later? Probably not. But maybe.
Enjoy your day…
Let this help…
holleration