Dan's Outside

2003.08.16

***Study Finds Atmospheric Decline in Pesticide Harmful to Ozone.
Scientists say the drop in atmospheric levels of methyl bromid, 13 percent since 1998, is attributable to mandatory curbs on the chemical. By Andrew C. Revkin. [New York Times: Science]
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August 16, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2003.08.16

2003.08.14

***Behind this summer’s wild, tragic weather.
Experts are still unclear about why records have been broken in a number of regions. [Christian Science Monitor | Top Stories]
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August 14, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2003.08.14

2003.08.13

***Why Utah’s governor is Bush’s pick to head EPA.
The Bush team might hope Mike Leavitt provides them a measure of cover on the environment. [Christian Science Monitor | Top Stories]

A strong ally of ranching, mining, and energy interests, and a leader among Western governors in shaping wildfire policy, resolving water disputes, and in seeking revisions to the Endangered Species Act, Mr. Leavitt in recent years has championed a concept of managing public resources he calls “Enlibra.”

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August 13, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2003.08.13

2003.08.11

***Hitting the Backcountry Online.
Wannabe hikers can vicariously experience the rigors of trekking the great outdoors by venturing onto one of the many online trail sites. Rather read about 50-pound packs, flies and washing up in an icy stream than put your body through it? Log on. [Wired News]

I’ll leave the cell-phone and PDA at the trailhead and continue to write my journal with pencil in a small notebood, thank you.
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August 11, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2003.08.11

DanPioneerBasinRidge

On the ridge at the upper end of Pioneer Basin. August 5, 2003.
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August 10, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on DanPioneerBasinRidge

2003.08.10

***North to Alaska: Fish, Bear and Little Else.
On the Susitna River north of Talkeetna, Alaska, the fishing is satisfying and the uninhabited wilderness is spectacular. By Adam Clymer. [New York Times: Sports]

***I posted a trip report
on my recent 6-day pack trip into Pioneer Basin in the Sierra Nevada.

On the ridge at the upper end of Pioneer Basin. August 5, 2003.
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August 10, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2003.08.10

2003.08.09

***Drake’s Secret Trip Up the West Coast.
Using old maps, a scholar says he may have solved a long-time mystery surrounding the 16-century voyages of Francis Drake. By Dinitia Smith. [New York Times: Arts]

Now an independent Canadian scholar, Samuel Bawlf, says he thinks he has solved the mystery. Mr. Bawlf, the author of “The Secret Voyage of Sir Francis Drake,” newly published by Walker & Company, says Drake had actually been on a secret mission for Elizabeth to find the Pacific entrance to the Northwest Passage, the coveted trade route that would link Europe to the treasures of the Orient. And in doing so, Mr. Bawlf says, he had sailed much farther north than anyone had ever dreamed, to Alaska, 200 years before the first recorded European explorers, including Capt. James Cook.

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August 9, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2003.08.09

CampDan

Most of the gear in my campsite at Fourth Recess Lake. August, 2003.
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August 8, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on CampDan

2003.08.08

***I have not finished
organizing my pictures from the Pioneer Basin pack trip yet – hopefully I’ll be able to post some later tonight. In the meantime, here is a picture of “Camp Dan” – the new light-weight version featuring a 2-pound sleeping bag, a 7-ounce Siltarp, and a bivy sack (not shown).

(To answer the obvious questions: No, I do not sleep on rocks, and I did not build the rock wall around the campsite.)

This is the first time I’ve been able to put a bunch new gear to the test, and I can report it all worked well under the cool, breezy, and mostly-sunny conditions that we saw this week.

• My Mountainsmith Auspex pack has a capacity of about 4000 cubic inches and weighs only three-and-a-half pounds. I wondered how it would handle the 6-night/7-day load for this trip, but it was fine. It is actually a very comfortable pack, something I worried about a bit given its minimal padding. I augmented its capacity with the Mountainsmith Boogeyman day pack, which weighs only 1 pound and attaches to the back of the Auspex.
• My Marmot Arroyo sleeping bag weighs only about 2 pounds and packs to about the size of a football. It is rated to 30 degrees but it worked in colder conditions if I wore extra clothes to bed.
• I relied on the combination of my Moonstone Bivy Sack and Integral Designs Siltarp (7 oz.) instead of a tent on this trip. Although we faced nothing more daunting than first-night sprinkles I am happy with this combination.

This gear probably lightened my pack by 5-6 pounds compared to my older gear: Mountainsmith Crestone II pack, Marmot Never Summer bag, and Walrus Zoid 1.0.
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August 8, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2003.08.08

2003.08.07

***Back from a great trip
into Pioneer Basin in the Sierra Nevada. Pictures and trip details upcoming.
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August 7, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2003.08.07