Dan's Outside

Interesting Conditions in the Bay Area This Weekend

We have a very unusual weather forecast this weekend in the San Francisco Bay Area in that the word “snow” appears! The prediction is that we’ll have snow showers – and some accumulation of snow – above the 2000′ level tonight and possibly even lower by Saturday.

Since I have a four-day weekend, I’m hoping to get out at the right moment and hike to a spot where I can photograph the unusual juxtaposition of new grass and new snow on the surrounding hills. I think Mission Peak may be a good option on Saturday.
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February 16, 2006 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Interesting Conditions in the Bay Area This Weekend

More Anti-Environment Shenanigans

From Sierra Club Compass:

Kibosh on the Kaibob.

Way out there in the Grand Canyon Game Preserve, a land inhabited by the Mexican spotted owl, the northern goshawk, and the Kaibob squirrel, the U.S. Forest Service planned to burn and log 17,000 acres of forest. The Bush administration’s “Healthy Forest” plan defends such projects as necessary to protect communities from catastrophic fire. Only in this case, the nearest community is 48 miles away, and the East Rim Timber Sale on the Kaibob National Forest targeted old-growth, fire-resistant trees.

The Forest Service yanked the sale on Tuesday, saying that its surveys on spotted owls and goshawks in the region had gotten too dusty and would have to be updated. Cathie Schmidlin of the Kaibob National Forest says the agency doesn’t know what it’s going to do next.

Perhaps it will address the concerns raised in a lawsuit brought by The Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity, who contend that the project would have logged thousands of old-growth trees while offering little fire-reduction benefit. The government triumphed in the first round when a federal judge ruled in its favor, but the case has been appealed by the environmental groups.

Schmidlin said the decision to withdraw the logging plan had nothing to do with the lawsuit. [Sierra Club Compass]

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February 15, 2006 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on More Anti-Environment Shenanigans

Strange Bay Area Weather

As the sun went down on this early-February evening it felt just like summer in downtown San Jose. The temperature had been in the upper 70s today, and everyone was outside this evening in shirtsleeves. Odd…
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February 8, 2006 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Strange Bay Area Weather

What's Unclear About This Sign?

I encountered another band of outlaw mountain bikers on a single-track trail at Almaden Quicksilver Park yesterday. This time they were headed down an extremely muddy Prospect #3 Trail.

The sign in the photo appears right at the top of this trail – and you can see the trail at the left side of the photo. The only way to make it more obvious would be to make the sign neon and put it in the middle of the trail.

As I started up the trail I was thinking about what good shape it was in, given that we have had some decent rain this winter. The only real damage I saw was a shortcut section through grass near the bottom (also started by cyclists a couple years ago) and signs that one horse had ascended the trail.

Then came four cyclists. I told them the trail was closed to bikes and at first it seemed like two of the four might rethink their illegal and damaging use of this trail, but eventually they gave in to their more belligerent friend and went on down the trail. Unfortunately I forgot my map with the park phone number so I couldn’t turn them in. Their 8 knobby tires skidding around the turns and through the muddy sections of the trail did damage that will last months, if not longer – just so they could have a fun little five minute descent.

If you see some mountain bikers at a Quicksilver trailhead in an orange pickup truck and a white van with a bike rack, you might keep an eye on them.
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February 5, 2006 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on What's Unclear About This Sign?

Prospect3NoBikesSign

No Bikes sign. Prospect #3 Trail, Almaden Quicksilver. February 4, 2006.
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February 5, 2006 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Prospect3NoBikesSign

OutsideWordCloud.jpg

Word Cloud
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February 1, 2006 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on OutsideWordCloud.jpg

A Minor Gripe

Yesterday, late in the day, I drove down to one of my favorite spots to take pictures of early grass and oak trees, Calero County Park. It had drizzled a bit during the day, but it was clearing, and I was hoping to shoot some oak trees on a nearby ridge in late afternoon light coming through clouds.

I arrived at the park and was pleased to see that the parking lot was not at all crowded. I loaded up my photo gear: a Lowepro 200 AW Slingshot carrying camera and lenses, my tripod in its bag slung over the other shoulder, and my fanny pack carrying a few other bits of gear. Fully laden I walked over to the trail entrance to find a “Trail Closed” sign.

At Almaden Quicksilver Park (also a Santa Clara County Park) this sign is usually accompanied by another one stating Closed to Horses and Closed to Bikes but, by all appearances, the trails are still open to hikers. But at Calero the trail was not only marked by the “closed” sign, but the gate was closed and secured.

I understand the need to reduce trail impact from horses and bikes, both of which can chew up a trail pretty badly in wet conditions, but Calero seems to close the trails to everyone every time it sprinkles.

Hiking an uncrowded, quiet trail in light rain is a real pleasure. I move more slowly, enjoying the soft light and the different sounds, and there are very few other hikers on the trail. Beyond that, after years of backpacking, the idea that a trail would close due to rain just seems bizarre. When it rains, backpackers put on raingear and keep going. It would seem as logical to close roads when it rains.

Rant over.
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January 22, 2006 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on A Minor Gripe

Happiest Man on Mission Peak?

The Happiest Man on Mission Peak. January 22, 2006. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.

This fellow made my day! As I was slogging up the 2000’+ climb up Mission Peak I passed (barely) him and his son. A moment later his son came up the trail and said, “My Dad wants to know how old you are. He’s 73.” (I’m a few decades shy of 73 still, and I still feel that Mission Peak is a tough climb! :-)

We talked a bit and it sounded like they (well, the son – he did all the talking) were concerned about the winds, which were extremely strong today. They asked if I would be going to the top, and I said I’d make that decision after I got to the ridge and felt the wind.

The wind was positively screaming across the ridge, but I went on up anyway. Part way up I stopped to put on extra clothes and take a few pictures and then I continued. And who was there when I arrived? Yes, they had made it to the summit.

After I walked over to the south summit of Mission Peak (which I believe is a few feet higher) and sat down to take in the view I noticed “Dad” standing on the summit and beginning to sing, loudly, while standing in the impressive gale. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone react to the surroundings with such uninhibited joy!

I think this will be one of my favorite pictures. I especially enjoy the fact that, among all of the rest of us hikers with our snazzy, colorful high-price synthetic material equipment this man was at the summit, 73 years old, singing into the screaming gale at the top of his lungs, wearing suit and white shirt… and seemingly having more fun than anyone!
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January 22, 2006 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Happiest Man on Mission Peak?

Green

Although there were hints a month ago, California’s winter festival of green has now begun in earnest. For the next three months the coastal and valley hills will be carpeted in an impossible shade of green, rising until it reaches high Sierra meadows in July. As I hiked yesterday it almost seemed that I could watch the color change.
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January 16, 2006 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Green

Pick Me! Pick Me!

Apparently my Photoblog has been nominated for inclusion in a “best of” competition for photo blogs at the Photography Blogs Network. I wouldn’t mind at all if you want to vote for me… :-)

Visit http://www.heartlandoutdoorsman.com/phototech and vote for Dan Mitchell’s Photoblog.

Thanks!
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January 7, 2006 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Pick Me! Pick Me!