Dan's Outside

2003.07.08

***Going Wireless in the Wilderness.
An eco-tourism company is constructing a wireless network in the frozen wilds of Canada so visitors can upload photos and Web surfers can watch polar bears. By Charles Mandel. [Wired News]
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July 8, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2003.07.08

MapHaciendaBullRun

Map of English Camp Trail to Bull Run
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July 6, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on MapHaciendaBullRun

2003.07.06

***I visited the Artic Circle
one year ago today.

***First hike in a week
yesterday at Almaden Quicksilver. I met some hikers from the Orinda Hiking Club and we talked a bit about the various trails and other features at the park.

***I’m writing descriptions
of some of my favorite Trails at Almaden Quicksilver County Park. I’ve done two so far.
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July 6, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2003.07.06

2003.06.29

***Need to build some fitness
(and lose some weight) before my British Columbia and Sierra Nevada trips! Today I did the 11-mile loop at Almaden Quicksilver.

Once again I carried my camera and once again I did not take any pictures. There are, I think, two things going on here.

I like to photograph my outdoor adventures and carrying a camera often makes me see much that I would otherwise miss. However, the camera can also be a burden – and I’m not talking about the weight of the equipment. Taking a long, quick hike is not compatible with real photography.

Additionally, I find it much more difficult to find interesting images during the coastal California summer. The fall, winter, and spring seem much more photogenic to me. It isn’t that I don’t like this season – on the contrary I love going out for a hike in the cool early morning of a soon-to-be hot day.
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June 29, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2003.06.29

2003.06.22

&t***One year ago today;/a>
I arrived in Juneau for the start of a three-week, 1100-mile bike ride through Alaska.

***In lieu of the Tuolumne trip
I went for a bike ride today. Since I’ve found that an occasional mountain bike ride is a good way to keep me from getting too distracted by the occasional mountain biking yahoos where I hike, I rode a short distance up one of my usual trails – though I ran out of time to do a significant off-road ride.
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June 22, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2003.06.22

2003.06.21

***Yet another hike
around the middle loop at Almaden Quicksilver today. (Randol to Prospect #3 and back via Mines Trail.) The mountain bikers were out in force today. I’m OK with this – heck, I’ve ridden my mountain bike at this park. However, a couple of yahoos went flying past me just above the parking lot at the end of my hike. Fortunately, a couple of park rangers were waiting for them in the parking lot and were more than willing to explain to them the need to control their speed on this shared trail.

***I’m missing a trip to Tuolumne
and a climb of Mount Dana this weekend. A couple of my friends are going up tomorrow and Monday – but I have out-of-town visitors on Sunday and school on Monday.
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June 21, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2003.06.21

2003.06.20

***Final exams next week
and then my summer vacation begins. Because I teach on the quarter-system (that’s why I’m still in school at the end of June) I don’t start classes again until late September. Yeah!
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June 20, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2003.06.20

2003.06.19

***Last year at this time
I was getting ready to head to Alaska for a 1100-mile bike ride from Skagway to Anchorage via The Yukon Territory and Fairbanks, Alaska.

Our first lunch stop in Canada, looking back towards the mountain range we had just crossed.

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June 19, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2003.06.19

HalfDomeHydrantJune2003

Fire Hydrant at Glacier Point, Yosemite National Park.
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June 17, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on HalfDomeHydrantJune2003

2003.06.17

***Half Dome View from Glacier Point
– from the What were they thinking!?” Department. Please tell me that the person responsible for locating and painting this fire hydrant no longer works for the National Park Service!

Photo by the ever-ironic Patricia Mitchell.

***Seen at Patty’s web site

A few minutes ago every tree was excited, bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship. But though to the outer ear these trees are now silent, their songs never cease.

-John Muir

Sounds like this quotation might be from Muir’s famous description of climbing into the crown of a tree during a Sierra windstorm – I’ll have to ask her if this is correct.
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June 17, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2003.06.17