Outdoor Type

PROLOGUE:
All of the sketches below were created in the Carlson Iceberg Wilderness on a four day backpacking adventure.

They are divided by what seem to be the three largest activities involved in backpacking such as we do.

Camping (setting up camp, sitting around camp, sleeping, watching the fire and pooing).
Eating (constantly snacking on dehydrated goods,jerky, and GORP).
Wandering in the woods (getting lost).


PART I
CAMPING

We set up camp on a mountain's belly button of pebble, gravel, and grass. It was just high enough to dissuade many of the mosquitoes and low enough that climbing down to the lake was not terribly tedious (said lake was still alive with Mozzies).



Above was drawn at the butt crack of dawn.
I was perched on a shelf of rock just above the camp that contained patterns and shapes resembling a human chess board.

All parts of my body were covered (except nose and mouth) to avoid the bugs that were still out in force. Many kept bouncing of my sunglasses.



View of the 'chess board' from camp. It is the only watercolor I did on site. My first in years. Water color is hard.



Steve built most of the fires.
At one point he became obsessed with putting most of a fallen tree into the flame. This was around the time he offered us: the power to bring water to a boil by staring at it for two minutes, if only we would have 'white meat' tattooed on our chest.




Steve and Ian hanging the bear bag on the first night.

Steve: Do you think there is a little Charlie Brown in all of us?
Ian: No.

PART II
WANDERING



First (and only) water source encountered on the trek to the site. Everyone stopped to fill water bottles and dunk their heads.




Our first day hike.
We were only a little lost when Terri and Guy begin checking the map.

Afterwards we were way more lost. I fear I am mostly to blame.



In those wanderings we found this reservoir. It looked very Edward Gorey, with placid grey water and creepy half submerged trees everywhere.
We swam around pushing the steely dead logs that bobbed on its surface. Also, it contained oddly placed warm spots, but that may have been Steve peeing.




Below our camp was Sword Lake (we think).

Steve promised us that we 'would never amount to anything' if we did not go in.
We swam in it much, Guy the most. He will be absurdly successful in all his endeavors.


A long afternoon was spent opposite this bank (above) eating tiny cheeses and reading.
I never bothered putting sunblock on my feet, because this is the only time they were not swathed in hiking books. Whoops (see last drawing).





PART III
Eating



Notice the foil wrapped potatoes in the upper right. They would live in the fire all night and then be cooked in the morning.





Noelle cutting up chunks of salami while talking in a slow deep voice.




Adam was the coffee keeper, key master and gate keeper. Here he is brewing a cup.



Noelle enjoying said coffee, thinking "I loved him, but I was not 'in' love with him."



As the sun rises over our camp we would grow increasingly short on shade.
On the last day we huddled near the lip of the chess board like Gollums running from light.



THE DAY AFTER or REVENGE OF THE SUN

Here are my way sexy feet.



This was done in my bathroom with colored pencil. That'll learn me.


Materials: All images were drawn using 05 pigma pens on a bendable (able to stuff in your pocket) now-ragged sketchbook. The blue washes were done on site with a Sumi water-capsule brush loaded with Dr. Martin's cerulean blue dye and water.
Other color was added later using photoshop and a Wacom tablet (while referring to notes and guides I made at the time).


Since last session:

* Last Drink: PBR. I bet Ice-9 she could not talk about her new beau for two hours. She lost only by thirty seconds. Hence the cheap-o, beer-o.

* Read: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling: hhhhh
Better than book five! This is the first half of the last Potter story. It starts off fast and intense and does not break until half of the cast is covered in blood, bruises, or toast.
For all you Harry nay-sayers go to a book store on the final Potter-eve and watch the crowds of people cheer when the cart of new fiction is rolled from the storeroom.
That is right, cheering for fiction.

* Watched: I was in the woods (that is not a movie, I really was).

* Listened to: The Monochrome Set, I do not know which record. hhhh
It was playing in Noelle's car on the way up. I need have Ian make me a copy it was good.


RATING SCALE h Utter shite hh Don't bother hhh Average hhhh nicely done hhhhh farking brilliant

Sunburned and Sore

Last night I returned from a four-day backpacking excursion.
Right now I am in a fair amount of pain, but it was "hell of" enjoyable.
I sketched a fair amount and will post them once I scan and clean a bit.

(sorry to all those whose e-mail's I've not responded to in two weeks, I was in Anaheim before backpacking).

To tide you over until then:
Here is the first panel of Claviger Chapter Two




It is based/inspired by this Eilshemius panting.




If you never have, check out some of his work. He is mostly famous for these odd, flying, nudes.

Since last session:
Drinks: I think I am going to pull this after this post. I never really know, and unless it leads to a fun story I don't see the point, yeah?

Read: Where I am calling from Raymond Carver: hhhhh
Brilliance. I am not a fan of short stories as a general rule, but this may be as good as it gets. If you haven't read Carver, do so. At the very least next time you are in a book store pick this collection up and read Distance it will make your knees shiver.

Watched: Kamikaze Girls: hhh
Two cute, wacky, Japanese girls gallivanting in and around Tokyo. One is a sort of Mafia-esque biker, the other a gothic lolita.
Wacky slapstick fun, but the pacing begins to fail towards the movie's end.

Listened to: The Notwists, Neon Golden: hhhh
First heard this in Ice-9's car and begged for more. The internet describes them as melancholy electro pop. I am not sure if that is right, but I guess it is close enough. At times they sound like a ka-smooshed John Cameron Mitchell, Yo Le Tengo, and what? Royksopp maybe? I dunno. It is quite pleasant though.

RATING SCALE h Utter shite hh Don't bother hhh Average hhhh nicely done hhhhh farking brilliant