Ode to Trail Walker Rachel

As you can see from the post below I have been blowing the dust off some of my Anasazi things and taking some time to reminice about my days of walking the trail. Even though I am 98% sure I am done walking the trail at Anasazi I still really enjoy reading through my journals and going through my collection of Anasazi items, which include things along the lines of sticks, rocks, bones, ripped and/or shredded clothing, and notes to name a few.

One of my prominant Anasazi items that I see almost on a daily basis is my Rememberance Pouch because it is hanging from my review mirror in my truck. For those of you who don't know what a Rememberance Pouch is, it is a small leather pouch that you carry around your neck, which holds items that have significant meaning to you. It is also has fringe hanging from the bottom of the pouch in which you can string beads on that also have meanings to them that are given to you for various reasons and/or accomplishments.

After working at Anasazi for 3 years I never received a number of beads for my Rememberance Pouch for accomplishing certain things. And knowing the slim possibility of me returning to Anasazi I finally took it upon myself to give myself the beads and put them on my Rememberance Pouch. It took me several hours to string many tiny little beads on several strands of leather, but I got them all on and my Rememberance Pouch is now complete!

I also took the opportunity to go through the items inside my Rememberance Pouch before hanging it back up in my truck. My Rememberance Pouch contains mostly notes that Young Walkers or Trail Walkers have written to me with a few other items of significant importance. I came upon a particular note that a Trail Walker had written to me that I wanted to share because it give pretty good insight to how others view me on the trail.

One summer week on the trail I was walking with a group of girls and 2 other female Trail Walkers. For no reason in particular we decided to draw names and secretly throughout the week do things for the person who's name we had drawn. We also had the option of making and giving something to them as well. Another Trail Walker drew my name and at the end of the week I recieved this note from her.

Ode to Trail Walker Rachel

Rachel Gillmore's a mighty fine girl.

Her blond hair ain't got no curl.

She's awful quiet - just like a mouse,

But when she talks she brings down the house.

Her sense of humor's wicked mean -

Scared some so bad they nearly lost their spleen.

But ya know deep down she's nice & sweet

(What ain't so sweet is the smell of her feet).

If her pack ain't perfect, she gets in itch

She's whatcha might call a perfectionist.

The double half hitch is her favorite knot,

For her tying skills she is highly sought.

A belching beauty & the queen of apple pockets.

And boy, oh boy! What fine eye sockets!

That's why we love her, yes we do!

Right down to the tips of her red chaco shoes!

This Trail Walker did a pretty good job capturing or highlighting my personality on the trail. Although I do need to make a disclaimer about one line in this poem. I have no idea where she got the whole smelly feet idea! I think she was probably scrambling for words that rhymed with "sweet"! But other than that, she hit it pretty square on the nail.

The Making of Busting a Coal

The desire to get my fire set out and bust a coal has been calling my name for several weeks now! I have been itching to put my skills to the test again to see if I still have it in me to make fire by rubbing two sticks together.

As I have been thinking about trying my hand at busting a coal again I decided that I wanted to teach whoever wanted to learn how to do it as well. Many people who know that I possess this skill have all told me that when/if another great depression hits they are coming to me because they know that I can keep them alive through my survival skills and knowledge. But my thought is, “why not learn how to do it too so you can yourself become self-reliant?” (Plus it’s a fun skill/talent to brag about too because not many people know how to do it – but it’s not like we like to brag or anything like that). Anyway, so this blog posting is dedicated to all those who are interested in learning how to bust a coal.

This blog posting includes written instructions as well as video demonstrations from beginning to end on getting your fire set ready to busting a coal. So, get your pen and paper out to take notes and pay close attention to all the details as each step is important and crucial to know in order to make fire. Good luck! If you have any questions or need clarification please leave a comment.

Becoming Familiar with the Fire set:

This is how everything fits together in the fire set. Here are each element of the fire set and their function:

- Fireboard: This is the board that is under my foot. It is a piece of wood from a Saguaro cactus.

- Spindle: The round piece of wood sticking up from the fireboard. By rotating the spindle in a hole in the fireboard you create ‘punk’ (very fine black shavings of wood which becomes you coal once it is hot enough).

- Socket: The object that I am holding in my hand to secure the spindle to the fireboard. This socket is a cow knee bone. It has a natural divot in the middle allowing the spindle to rotation. You can also make sockets out of wood or soft rock by simply digging out a large and deep enough divot in the center that will hold your spindle in place with as less friction as possible.

- Bow: A simple curved piece of wood with a string tied to either end, which will be wrapped around the spindle in order to rotate the spindle back and forth to create the punk which will then turn into a coal.

- Coal Catcher: A coal catcher is simply a long thin piece of material that is placed underneath the hole of the fireboard to catch all of the punk that falls down while you are rotating the spindle. In this case I am just using an old, dull knife. You can use a small notebook, piece of paper, thin piece of wood, etc. the options are endless.

Preparing your Fire set:

With a knife you want to cut a circle into the top of fireboard. This circle needs to be large enough for your spindle to fit into. You don’t want to cut the circle too close to the edge of the board or too far into the board.

With the tip of your knife carefully dig out a thin layer of wood within the circle you just created. Don’t dig out a massive hole, just deep enough to know that your spindle won’t pop out of it.

This is the spindle. You want the stick to be as straight as possible. And the longer the better, ranging from about 8-12 inches is a good length.

Carve the top of your spindle (the part that will be inserted and held in by the socket) like a sharpened pencil tip. The longer the tip and the more pointier it is the less friction it will create in the socket. You want as little friction as possible in the socket. All your friction needs to be between the spindle and the fireboard.

The bottom of your spindle also needs to be carved like a pencil, but not so pointy. A little bit more round than pointy.

The spindle in the carved out circle on your fireboard.

Before going to the next step I need to teach the 90 degree rule. In the following video you will be able to somewhat visually see this rule. The 90 degree rule is when both of your legs are at a 90 degree angle as you are kneeling in the stance to bust a coal. The leg that is holding the fireboard down is at a 90 degree angle at the knee. This allows you to keep your wrist locked against your shin and the spindle straight up and down. The knee you are kneeling on is also at a 90 degree angle. This allows for maximum balance and pushes your weight of your upper body over the other knee as you rest your body and weight on your leg holding the fireboard. It also allows your body to open up the space needed to move your bow back and forth. Your stance is important! Pay attention to how your body is positioned each time you bust a coal. Don’t lean back and sit on your back leg.

Click the following link to watch a video on how to burn a hole into your fireboard:

Video: Burning A Hole


A burned hole in the fireboard.

Click on the following link to watch a video on how to cut a chimney into your fireboard:

Video: Cutting A Chimney


Top angled view of chimney. Create an hour-glass type cut making sure that the middle of the cut is straight up and down like a waterfall; it needs to be as deep/come straight down from the center of the circle.

Top view of chimney. Cut a triangle into the wood making sure the point of the triangle reaches the center of the circle. Also make sure not to cut the sides of the triangle too wide or your spindle will come out when you try to bust a coal.

Side view of chimney.

Bottom view of chimney. Make the bottom triangle a little wider than the top so there is more room for air to flow in and the punk to build up without clogging the chimney.

Click on the following link to watch a video on how to make a tinder bundle:

Video: Tinder Bundle

Make sure to fill the middle with very fine tinder. This is what the coal will burn first and the quickest and also the rest of the tinder bundle to catch on fire. Make sure you make the tinder bundle BEFORE you bust a coal.

A finished tinder bundle. Looks like a birds nest!

Now you’re ready to start busting a coal! Woohoo!

Click on the following link to watch a video on how to bust a coal!

Video: Busting a Coal!

Tips to Remember about Busting a Coal:

- Remember the 90 degree rule!
- Keep the spindle straight up and down
- Keep your wrist locked against your shin
- Don’t put too much downward pressure on the spindle it can’t rotate, but don’t be so light on it that it pops out of the hole each time you try to bust. Find the happy medium.
- Hold at the bottom of your bow! Not the middle or a quarter of the way up the bottom!
- Use the whole length of the bow as you are busting from top to bottom. This doesn’t make you as tired, you get more rotations to the spindle, causing more punk to be created and it to become hotter faster creating a coal quicker.
- Make sure your bow string isn’t too loose or too tight. If it becomes loose while you are trying to bust simply grab the string where your hand is and hold it as you hold onto the bow. If it's still too loose slide your hand, while holding the string and little bit further up the bow.
- Remember less friction at the top and more friction at the bottom of your spindle!
- Keep your bow parallel with the ground
- Everything has to be just right in order for it to all work together smoothly like an oiled machine.
- Re-tune the parts of your fire set after every few tries (i.e.: sharpen the top of your spindle, adjust anything on the chimney (if the punk is gathering on top it needs to be wider), tighten the rope on the bow, etc.).
- The first few times you use a new hole in your fireboard will take a little bit longer to get a coal because there is a lot taller space that the punk needs to build up.
- Your punk should be black. If it's brown you need more downward pressure.
- Never get rid of the punk you have built up!! After each try gather it all together and slide it close to the chimney.
- Don't rush getting your coal into the tinder bundle. Let it burn a little bit. This allows the coal to get larger increasing your chance of getting a flame.
- Remember to squeeze the tinder bundle gently around the coal after putting it in so it has something to burn. - Blow gently! The more smoke you get the harder you can blow.
- Always have your small, medium, and larger fireword ready before you blow your coal into a flame. You will need to continue to blow on the tinder bundle as you put sticks on top until the flame has caught the sticks on fire.

The biggest advice I can give you is to not give up! It took me more than 5 hours to get my first coal, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get it faster. Your arm will get tired because it is not used to this kind of work and movement. But it gets stronger with each try. Try a few times, rest, and then try some more. It takes a few times to get the feel of how everything works together and get into the rhythm. Don't lose faith or confidence in yourself and always have a heart at peace with it. That is key. Now go bust a coal! Good luck! You can do it!

In My Element

The Lord, through his amazing grace, opened this day with a beautiful morning sun and mostly clear skies! After several days of grey, rainy, and cold days & after a night of intense emotional anguish last night it was a tender mercy, blessing, and a welcomed sight to wake up to the morning sun and mostly blue skies! Jessica and I planned at the beginning of this week a trip up to her cabin in Swan Valley, Idaho. She has been wanting to take me there for several months now and we finally put it on the calendar.

We were going to bring Jessica's four-wheelers up there and going four-wheeling, but the four-wheelers ended up being unavailable for us to use. Plan B: Mountain bikes! (My preferred plan). We loaded up the bikes in my truck this morning and took off. As we drove closer to Swan Valley I began to recognize the mountains and terrain. I realized that that is where I went in September to go canoeing with my friend Curtis. It is a very pretty area - very green, lush, and the scenery is beautiful!

We got to the dirt road that led up to Jessica's cabin and due to the rain over the past few days the road was muddy, not to mention the deep ruts that were already there. In my mind I thought, "Sweet! 4 wheel drive baby!" With my truck in 4 wheel drive we hauled up the mountain with only a few fish tails on the way, but secretly wishing for a bit more slide-age. When we got to Jessica's cabin she gave me the grand tour of her family's 1 bedroom cabin that her dad built in the 90's. It is a very cute cabin that is set on a mountain over looking the Snake River below.

Next we geared up, unloaded our bikes from the truck, and began our adventure! Had I known what the trail we were riding up was going to be like I would have worn different clothes. Thinking this was going to be an easy stroll in the park ride I wore every day clothes instead of clothes more suited for the conditions. The trail we rode up was the very same trail we drove in on, but in an even muddier state than we had experienced. I wanted to make it to the next flat part of the road in one attempt but because the trail was so muddy my tire just spun in place resulting in mud flying everywhere. Needless to say, I got off my bike and walked the rest of the way with Jessica while sliding on the mud that was beginning to get caked on the bottom of my chacos and bike tires. I was in heaven! I thought, "No chacos, no mud, no bike...no fun!"

We finally made it to the flat part and Jessica hopped on her bike and continued up the mountain while I stopped to take a few pictures and shed the fleece jacket I was wearing. I then jumped on my bike and started hauling up the mountain to catch up with Jessica. As I passed her, huffing and puffing, I asked her how much more up there was to go. She wasn't sure, but shortly thereafter I came around a bend and saw the road switchback two more times before it reached the top - a good 200-250 yards ahead, which didn't seem bad until I realized the increase in it's slope!

The rest of the way to the top was a stop and go process with none stop huffing, puffing, and gasping for air. When I couldn't push myself any further I'd stop, take a breather, snap a few pictures, and then do it all over again. It was awesome! We finally made it to the top. We all know what happens when you get to the top...it's downhill baby! I cranked my gears up and began peddaling hard to gain speed. The majority of the ride down the hill, which was about 100 yards, was made of up washboard-like terrain. It became very obvious to me after going down this hill that I needed to work my arms out! Too much "Relief Society arm" jiggling around!

The further and further I rode up the mountain the more and more I felt like I was in my element. The clouds in the sky were glorious, the surrounding aspen trees were amazing, the slight breeze was refreshing, the mountains were rejuvenating to the soul, the Snake River below brought peace, the wide open green fields brought a sense of freedom, the wildflowers brought back tender memories, and the quiet and stillness of nature brought solace to my heart. I was completely in my element. I was home.

The field at the top of the mountain was dotted with many cow pies. A smile grew on my face and I laughed out loud as my mind raced back to all of the experiences I have had with cow pies - one of my favorites being Angie's and my adventures at Jerky Butte in Arizona when we squatted over cow pies..... (Those pictures can be found on the right column of this page). Jessica and I sat at the top of the mountain in the middle of this beautiful grass field and talked while we enjoyed the peaceful surroundings. I loved looking around and seeing the mountains and trees as well as laying down and looking up into the sky at the clouds. I felt a connection to each of the elements of nature that I was surrounded by.

The wind picked up a bit making it a little chilly and some dark clouds started to roll in, so we decided to head down the mountain back to the cabin. I thought it would be fun to record a video of me riding down the mountain. Jessica and I jimmy -tied my camera to the strap of my camelpack that went across my chest and hoped it wouldn't fall off during the bumpy decent down the mountain. I pushed record and hopped on my bike for a fun adventure down the side of a muddy mountain. Thank goodness for my camera and my clothes I didn't have any crashes or endos (flying over the top of my handlebars), although it would have been fun to have a good wrestling match with the mud. Those are good for the skin and soul every once in a while.

It took only a matter of about 7 minutes to decend the mountain that took us a good 45 minutes to ride up, but the decent was a ton more fun than the ride up. The ride up is for the exercise and opportunity to take in all of the beauty, which I love. But the decent is for the adrenaline rush, which I love too.

We loaded everything up in the truck and began our journey home. This adventure took it out of Jessica - she zonked out rather quickly for the entire ride home. Me, on the other hand, continued to enjoy, take in all of the beauty I drove by, and allowed gratitude fill my heart for the blessings of the morning.

[Note: Pictures will be posted soon of this adventure. I'm having problems loading them.]

The Magical World of Sleep!

I am not one to usually take naps for several different reasons: One, I usually can never fall asleep. Two, if I do fall asleep it takes forever (usually leaving me with very little time to sleep). Three, I don't sleep very deeply which doesn't allow my body to obtain any rest, but sometimes making me more tired than when I started. And four, I'd rather force myself to stay awake and do things and then go to bed early getting as many hours of sleep before midnight as possible (because your body counts them as two hours of rest).

But after having just woken up from a real nap that lasted several hours I have realized again what a wonderful world of sleep is! It is especially therapeutic when you have cramps, your muscles are sore and tender, the weather is too cold, windy, and rainy to do what you want outside, and when your heart is heavy in sorrow. Now, sleeping is not the solution to all of these things, but when you are asleep your mind is taken to a different world where it allows you to escape from the physical pain and heaviness of the heart. When you awake you again pick up those feelings from where you left off, but they seem a bit lighter and you have a little more strength and energy to begin carrying the load again.

This world that I just came back from was especially good because it was a world where I was able to see and be with some of the people who I love and miss greatly in my life. I think there are several reasons why we dream. One the reasons I think we have dreams is to know of the tender mercies of the Lord in our lives - to know that He knows who we are, what we're going through, and what we need. He is always apart of the details in our lives, we just need to look and recognize them.

I am so grateful for a Father in Heaven who really knows who His daughter Rachel Gillmore is.

"Eat My Dust!" says Mother Earth

At 6:00P this evening I met with a friend of mine, Karen for about an hour across town from me. I debated before leaving weather to ride my bike or not. My legs are pretty sore from running from the last two days and thought maybe I should give them a rest. Then the thought came to me, "Because I can, and so I will!" With that I grabbed my sunglasses, put on my light fleece jacket, rolled up my pant leg, and hopped on my bike for a nice leisurely ride across town. It was still warm outside and so I pulled up the sleeves on my jacket and let the slight breeze that was blowing help keep me cool.

My visit went well and before I knew it I was pulling my sunglasses down over my eyes to begin the ride home. My quick judgement of the weather condition was 'perfect.' A slight breeze making it a perfect riding temperature. But once I got out and away from the building I had just left my assessment was way off. The wind was blowing harder than I thought, but nothing I hadn't experienced before on my bike. But that was only the beginning. I had no idea what was coming!

The wind picked up harder with each pedal rotation. Once I passed all of the commercial buildings and hit the back road there wasn't anything to break the wind for me anymore. I got to the first four-way intersection and stopped to determine which route I wanted to take. As I looked to the right of me down N 2nd E I couldn't believe what I saw or what I didn't see! All I could see was a solid wall of dirt coming towards me. I couldn't see anything beyond it. I quickly started peddaling to cross the intersection and get in front of the houses that lined the street so t could break the wind. I made it about three-quarters of the way down the street when the wind and dirt wall hit me. It was so strong that I had to stop riding so not to be blown over. As I planted my feet on the ground the back tire of my bike lifted off the ground. I gripped the handbars tighter and lowered my body to have a solid stance in order to not be blown over myself. I turned my head away from the wind so not to get pelted with any flying debris or rocks. I needed to find some kind of protection fast.

Destin and Nate's house was just around the corner and so I threw my bike over my shoulder and began making my way towards their house, but quickly discovered that I had to use a lot of my weight and strength to walk forward, against the wind. By the time I made it to their house the wind had died down. It didn't look like they were home and even though I had a key I decided to keep going as it looked like it was pretty calm down the street I was to ride on next.

I hopped on my bike once again and made it about 100 yrd. before another wall of dirt hit me. I again had to stop in order to not be stopped by force from the wind. I got a nice tast of dirt in my mouth this time since I was facing the dirt wall when it hit me. Instead of just standing on the side of the road taking everything that was being dished out to me I decided to find refuge behind the nearest building. When I swung my leg over my bike so I could again lift up and carry my bike, the wind picked it up for me. Luckily I was holding onto it or it would have been taken down the street with the wind. I quickly made my way behind the building. Only being about half-way across town by this point I decided to call Jessica to see if she was home to come rescue me. It rang and rang. No answer. I was on my own.

The wind died down again and wanting to take advantage of another 100 yrd progress I jumped on my bike and peddaled hard. I made it about 150 yrds that time before the next wall of dirt hit me. Luckily I was again behind some house which took some of the wind, but not much. I stood on the side of the road and waited for this one to pass, getting some more dirt in my mouth. (It went well with the gum I was chewing; added a crunch to it!). Once it died down I was again riding. Even though the wind was still blowing hard as I was riding straight into it and dust, dirt, and rocks were being blown in my face I managed to make it home without having to stop again. The Lord did bless me with some rain to help give me a bath from all the dirt caked on my face.

When I got home, took my sunglasses off, and looked in the mirror I had raccoon eyes. There was an outline of dirt that traced where my sunglasses had been.

These pictures don't do it justice, but I tried to capture the dirt plastered to my face. If I ran my finger across my face it left a streak mark of dirt behind it. And if you look close enough you can see the dirt caked into my pores. Sick.

There was dirt on my face, in my mouth, in my hair, in my ears, up my nose and covering my clothes. It was everywhere! Inevitably I got into the shower to get all the dirt off. Now I'm dirt free and squeaky clean!

Another lesson learned from Mother Earth. I got quite the taste of her power tonight......

Blue Eyes & The Moon

After posting pictures of my hair yesterday I realized that I didn't get any front shots of myself. So I grabbed my camera with the intension of just capturing a some-what decent portrait shot that gives a good perspective on how I look in the front with my hair styled like it was. After taking a few shots and reviewing them I noticed how blue my eyes were. That's when things started getting a little out of hand. A few shots turned into a few twenty shots.

Since the weather has been so absolutely wonderful here I have wanted to spend as much time out in it as possible. So after church yesterday Jessica and I ate dinner and spent the evening on the front lawn. Before heading into the house for the night I saw the moon shining bright in the sky. And for anybody who knows me well knows how much I love the moon! I couldn't let the night go by without getting pictures of its beauty.

I changed into my pajamas and took all the bobby-pins and clips out of my hair (so I could sleep without anything jabbing into my scull). I grabbed my camera and climbed out of Jessica's window onto the roof where I could sit, look at and take pictures of the moon. While taking pictures of the moon the thought came into my head that I should get a picture of myself with my hair down with the way it was styled. With the moon involved a couple pictures again turned into a few ten....and then some.....

The front view with my hair styled

Blue through and through! Wow, those babies are blue! (I think one of my eyes in bigger than the other).

Close Up!

The first picture I took with my hair down before climbing out onto the roof to look at the moon.

This is where things starting getting out of hand..

The moon really was in the sky...I promise.

See...There it is!

Me with the moon behind me. I like how the sky is darker in this picture than in the one before.

As I was on the roof trying to take some good shots of the moon behind me the neighbors opened their window that was rigt next to me and were wondering where all the flashing light was coming from. Needless to say, I climbed back inside shortly after that.

This is right before turning off my light to go to sleep. I am laying in my bed on my way comfortable pillow ready to drift off to sleep.

I hope that you do not get the impression that I am vain after taking so many pictures of myself. But maybe I am...? I would like to think that I am not. I was just having some fun and caught a couple good snapshots and simply wanted to share. Is that bad?