GARGOZO MANUSCRIPT

The Scout Troop began tossing around the idea of hiking the John Muir Trail.  My dad and I were among the 8 adults and 6 kids that signed up for the trip.  The John Muir Trail begins in Yosemite Valley, heads southeast through the High Sierra backcountry, and ends 211 miles later at the top of Mount Whitney .  The trail never dips below 8,000 feet in elevation and the last 30 miles are all above 10,000.  A couple of adults in the troop volunteered to drop us off at Yosemite and pick us up 3 weeks later when we came down off Whitney.  To reduce the weight we would have to carry, we arranged a rendezvous about halfway, where a pack station would deliver food to us for the second half of the trip.  In 2014 approximately 1,500 people attempted to complete the trail.  In the 3 weeks we spent on the trail in 1959, we met only 3 other groups trying to do the same.  Prior to reaching Rae Lakes , we went 6 days straight without seeing another sou...

During the later part of the 1950s, my dad and I were part of a Boy Scout Troop in Eagle Rock that did lots of backpacking and very little scouting.  Once a year we did participate in an official Boy Scout activity called Camporee.  This event was held at BSA Camp Bill Lane located at Tujunga River flood plane and drew scouts from all over Los Angeles County.  Over a weekend, scout troops competed against each other in various events including some pioneering skills such as pitching a tent and starting a fire.  Since the Camporee was the only time we ever tried our hand at this sort of thing we were in way over our heads.  The whole affair was kicked off with an opening ceremony that assembled all of the participating scouts in formation along with their scoutmasters.  This was where the difference between us and them first became obvious.  The other troops were in full uniform with all the trappings on display.  Many of ...

I was laid off by my employer in August of 2014.  I went to the State of California  Employment Development Department (EDD) website to apply for unemployment insurance.  I filled out and submitted the form as instructed and waited to hear back.  I received a letter acknowledging that my application had been received and that I would be contacted by phone on a specific date between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.  The call was referred to as the "determination interview" which would decide if I was eligible for benefits.  The date and time came and went with no call. The following day I called the EDD at 800-300-5616.  I called after 12:00 noon, and listened to a recorded message stating that "If you want to speak with a representative", you must call back between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon.  The following day I called between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon, and heard a recorded message stating that d...