I was leading the pack getting back to the cars, so I had a chance to shed the ponyscrub and do some finger combing. So nice to let my hair down and let it dry in the breeze!
Me working on the tread...or rather resting...we moved a lot o dirt that weekend.
Hair is up in a ponyscrub...all that happens is it gets damp from the sweat.
ps: I know I am horrible at remembering to respond and thank people for their attention in my threads. Rest assured that I appreciate the comments, and am not offended that I don't get as much attention as others.
Hi Trolleypup,
As usual your hair is awesome and you have such creative ways to tie it back when doing physical activities.Have to mention how envious I am seeing how warm it appears to be where you were as its freezing here on the east coast.Grrrrrr.Just wondering what you were doing that day as it seemed like a work project more than a pleasure trip somewhere.Anyway thanks for your post as your hair is always a crowd pleaser:)Cheers my friend.
Mârk
I'm not sure where the photo was taken but i'd mention that often
when i'm doing physical activity it will be at or below freezing
but after a few minutes of physical acitivity i get very warm.
So warm is a relative term.
I do a lot of volunteer trailwork in wilderness areas, so traditional tools, crosscut saws and axes to clear trees, various "idiot sticks" to work the tread, etc.
Hiking in with a heavy pack, doing hard work on the trails, eating to excess back in camp and hanging out with cool people...the reward is the results. Doing real stuff. Knowing that next hikers/backpackers will have an easier time of it...and knowing the work you have done will last for years to decades. Such a change from the day job, what I used to say was "Before I come to work, a million pissed off people waiting for the bus, while I am at work, a million pissed off people waiting for the bus, after I go home? Still a million pissed off people waiting for the bus."
In the valley bottoms (including camp), near freezing at night, 40s during the day. On the ridges, lows in the 40s, highs in the 60s. On the trail was a single small patch (10' x 30') of remnant snow from the Xmas storms...maintained by frost build up during the night from a moist very cold air drainage from a small shadowed valley. The snow patch was weird...high 60s on the sunny side of the ridge a 100 yards away, low 50s on the shady side of the ridge, then an icy breeze right at the gully crossing...maybe 50 feet across and shallow enough that the frost line was less than a foot deep. I'd guess 20+ degree difference from ground level to a hand held overhead!
It is indeed! With a 50+ lb pack, I was comfy on the hike in with a thin shirt and light pants...heading up to the work area in the morning, around freezing, I'd skip the jacket and warm up in a couple tenths of a mile, as long as I kept gloves on. Up on the warm ridges, it was all about trying to work in the shade and avoid the sun and warmth. For heavy treadwork, 40F is pretty nice, most other stuff is comfy in the 50s, and 60s is getting too warm. Above that, the pace and type of work changes to avoid overheating.
Wown your hair is very beautiful, love the length you are the envey of all men and women with hair such as yours. Take care.
Tom(Hairboy) Cincinnati
Thanks!
Envy of some, if not all, anyway.
It is nice to be able to put it away, safe from damage, and yet still be able to have it down to enjoy on short notice.
Amazing hair there, My friend!
The thing I Wonder about, is how on gods green earth do you manage to work in the sun with all that hair bunned up on The back Of your head? Looks waaarm!
Pretty much everything I am wearing is cotton...which beats the heck out of fancy wicking fibers when you are in dry conditions...cools you off and then doesn't get all nasty sticky later. The ponyscrub works like a bandanna...soaks up the sweat and evaporates it and cools things a bit, the sunhat keeps the sun's blaze off my heat...and yes, my hair in the bun part of the ponyscrub sops up sweat too...but dries out quickly when I let it down. Working in the cool (or not cool) dry mostly means lots of salt stains on the outside of clothes.
The ponyscrub bun actually works like a ponytail...all that hair is held away from the back of my head, so better ventilation than a real bun.
The heat progression is down, bunned, pony scrub, ponyscrub with sunhat. I won't say that the last in 90+ degrees is comfortable, but at the typical humidity of under 30%, it is workable (full coverage cotton clothing) so long as you take care of hydration, electrolytes, and resting.
Wow, your hair is glorious!! Great colour too..
+1 on the nice weather. In Ireland we got a storm right now.
Thanks! Black-brown fading to rusty-brown on the ends.
No storm...which may become a problem if it continues to not rain leading to another dry season.
Hi 'Trolley' - believe ewe me = you do not go un-noticed - u have a veritable cascade & u inspire me greatly - your length is my goal - a glory to behold ... Cheers Cem. :)
Thanks!
I guess part of being a grownup is becoming an inspiration!
Hi Trolleypup,
Wow, what a great treat to visit MLHH this morning and see your pics! You and your hair are looking fabulous! That's great work you're doing with the trails-I like visiting your website. Very interesting. I shall go forth and be inspired by your hair today! Thanks again for the update! Take care of yourself and your beautiful hair my friend!
Ted
Thanks! Glad to be able to brighten your morning.
I think I did about 800 feet of heavy treadwork, restoring tread that had slipped downhill as much a 4-5 feet, plus widening it from less than 6 inches to a generous 2.5 feet wide. Never mind the brush removal required to allow the treadwork.
Go out and Be Who You Are!
Hi Trolleypup,
Thanks for the reply and keep up the great work on the trails. I know many people enjoy the trails. I miss living in California as a kid. Take care my friend.
Ted
Thanks!
Now I need to try to arrange a less impromptu set of hair pictures.
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Your hair looks great, Robert. Also, thank you for your dedication to keep our local trails in usable condition. I am reasonably sure I have hiked on some of them you have worked on. Keeping your hair up is certainly necessary when working in brush to keep it from getting caught.
Scott
Not bad for limited fingercombing.
Thank you for recognizing how much work goes into maintaining trails.
Never mind the brush...just walking with it down is asking for tangles.
Wow Robert, your mane seems more amazing with every passing year. I dont have to envy the northern California weather here in Phoenix, so Ill envy the mane instead. Keep it growing!
After a years long stall, I am gaining length slowly. I'll see where benign neglect and S&D takes me!
Looking great Robert! You're definitely the alpha in the hair pack. Kudos to you for all of the wonderful work you do on the trails.
Onward and Downward!
- Oren
Thanks for the hard work in trail erosion control. Lots of work to do with the very heavy December rains. Without proper maintenance, I have seen trails turn into deep gullies with mud lining the bottom. Nice type of outside work to do with a long hair style.
I've already bought my dried food on sale for this year's backpacking season. Fun to backpack with long hair.
And the only way for me to maintain body weight control.
Don
Well, like they said, you're the top dog when it comes to hair length around here! How long did it take to get to the point it is now, anyway? I've been growing for almost four years and mine is about two inches above my belt-line.
BTW, I really do respect you for all the work you're doing in the mountain ranges. It looks like stuff that's really fulfilling when you see how much you accomplish.
I guess you can tell that I'm still here, for what it's worth. I am not offended and not looking to stand out. I do want to belong and have something in common with people I socialize with, whether online or in person. I think everybody does; they just have different ways of showing it.
At any rate, good job on both the trails and the hair. Cheers!
It has been a long journey. My last major haircut was almost 25 years ago...actually, not so long, I think I lost 3-4 inches to a friend neatening it up more than 15 years ago. I got to past classic somewhere before 2006 and then had a years long stall...sometime when I wasn't paying attention, I started gaining length again...right now I am a bit past 61" and gaining length very slowly. I should check my longest sheds again and see how many years long the longest hairs are but the last measurement was in the vicinity of 48" or 8 years of growth at my usual 1/2" per month.
In any case, the length of my hair is governed by my natural shedding cycle, less a little bit for any S&D that cut the longest strands.
Thanks!
I'm with you on both wanting to stand out as well as have a place where I can be comfortable and fit in.