Thursday, December 16, 2010

From our website:  https://sites.google.com/site/backpackthesierra/home

What is it with Fishermen?
posted Feb 4, 2010 4:20 PM by Paul Wagner   [ updated Feb 4, 2010 4:42 PM ]
"Fishermen are pigs." 
 
The lovely M was looking down into the water, where she saw an old jar of salmon eggs lying among the stones.  We were fifteen miles from the nearest trailhead in a stunning part of Yosemite.  It was a beautiful, isolated lake at 10,000 feet, with nice-sized trout and gin clear water.  Towering peaks loomed over it, rosy in the evening light.
 
I would have said it was pristine, except that pristine means unspoiled.  And this water was spoiled by an idiot fisherman. 
 
I had to agree with my wife.  To be fair, I have made the comment many times to her, so she wasn't trying to start an argument.  Fishermen are pigs.  They leave fish guts in the lake.  They leave lures on logs in lakes.  They leave strings of monofilament draped on trees and bushes along streams.  And they leave paper and plastic packaging on almost every stream in California.  
 
So what is it about fishermen? 
 
Maybe some of them are so focused on catching fish that they don't realize exactly what they are doing.  But at 10,000 feet, fifteen miles in?  You have to be a real jerk to litter up a lake at that point. You have to be pig. 
 
And yes, I am a fisherman.  I fish every chance I get.  And sometimes I lose a fly, or mess up some monofilament leader.  When I do, I make every effort to clear up the mess, so the next guy can actually experience the same beauty, the same "pristine" conditions. 
 
But I can't remember the last time I went fishing and didn't collect some kind of debris, detritus, or trash that had been left by a fisherman.  I have waded out into lakes to pull that lure off the log.  I have spent half an hour winding the monofilament out of the bushes along side the river.  I have used my fly to pull up fish guts from the bottom of the lake so that I could leave them on a rock nearby, to be eaten by a raccoon or other friendly scavenger. 
 
Every time I go fishing, I end up with a pocket full of trash left by my fishermen friends.  And every time I empty that pocket into our trash back at camp, I say the same thing:
 
"Fishermen are pigs." 
 
 
 
 

posted Jan 15, 2010 9:09 PM by Paul Wagner
Over the years we've accumulated a lot of camping equipment.  We've certainly gone through a few tents, and it seems that every few years we add a couple more sleeping bags or pads to the mix.  This year was no exception. Sometimes we loan these out, and we often use some of them for our company camp out.  But over the years, more and more of the folks have enjoyed camping so much that they bought their own stuff.  And didn't need ours.
 
So when we started to think about where we were going to put the new bags we got for the holidays, M laid down the law.  "We need to get rid of some of this stuff!"  she said, lopoking up at the shelves overflowing with excess equipment. 
 
I couldn't disagree.  And I was happy to take the bags to the local thrift store or the homeless shelter, in the hopes that they might get used, rather than just thrown out. WE took them downstairs and put them by the door, waiting for my next trip.
 
Then a few days ago, I was in a business meeting and one of the women there mentioned that she was the troop leader for her daughter's Girl Scout Troop.  They were just back from a trip to the woods, and had a great time.
 
hmm. 
 
I asked her if any of the girls could use a sleeping bag or pad, and was surprised how quickly she offered to pick them up!   It turns out that lots of girls in the area would love to do more camping, and it's always a struggle for the troop to include everyone because of the limited equipment. 
 
We were delighted.  We arranged to have the scout leader pick up four sleeping bags, six sleeping pads, and a two-man tent the next day, and couldn't stop smiling about it.  We loved the idea of these girls having fun in the woods with our stuff!
 
And when the scout leader arrived to pick up the bags, she brought more than just good will.  As she left, she handed us a nice little package of the latest craft projects the girls had worked on:  some terrific fire starters made with paraffin and twigs.  And on top was a sweet thank you note from the girls of scout troop 3XXX1.
 
How cool is that?  Very cool. 
 
 

Knives

posted Jan 9, 2010 6:48 AM by Paul Wagner   [ updated Jul 23, 2010 9:46 AM ]
I don't get the fascination with big knives for backpacking.  For more than twenty years all I have carried is a little 3-inch Buck knife that has two blades.  One is pointy and sharp, and does a good job cleaning fish.  That's the only time it is ever used.  The other blade is more rounded on the tip, and it gets used for everything else, which is usually limited to slicing salami and cheese, and occasionally cutting a piece of line for the tent.
 
So what's the deal with the JIm Bowie 11-inch machete blade?  Or the USMC special Ops drop forged all black bayonet?  I really do wonder what people use these knives to do.  They certainly aren't backpacking where we go.  Track down and hunt a mule deer?  Create a bivouac out of a cedar tree?  Those things would be illegal in a National Park--and unnecessary just about anywhere else.
 
Or are these knives for self-defense?  Are they expecting to meet rebellious native peoples?  Defend themselves from fellow campers?  Give you a chance in an encounter with a furious bear?  Good luck with that one.  The bear will outweigh you by 200 pounds, have nine more knives (claws) than you do, and can rip open the door of a Ford 150 pickup.  You take that knife...and run like hell when you see a bear.
 
Splitting wood?  We make small fires from time to time...but I learned a long time ago (back when the only cooking we did was on an open fire) that smaller wood burns better, hotter, and more controllably, than big logs.  And there is always more smaller wood on the ground than large logs that need splitting.  I mean really--if you need a knife to split your firewood, maybe you are making the wrong kind of fire.  Or camping in a group with twenty people, in which case your ex-wife's new boyfriend should carry the ax. 
 
I suspect that these deadly looking blades appeal to the survivalist dreamer...the one who watches Man Vs. Wild and believes those idiotic capers are necessary.  He'll spend two days trying to catch 200 calories worth of food.  And he'll use his knife to cut up the vegetation to make a rope from lianas.  It will take him most of the day.  He wouldn't need the damn rope if he just hiked down the other side of the hill. Which would take about 45 minutes.
 
But then he couldn't justify that really cool looking black steel knife that he has carried for seven years, and never used except to spread peanut butter.
 
It's all just a bit too "Tom Sawyer" for me--I don't need to pretend there are pirates in the forest to have a good time.  Some people do.
 

posted Jan 4, 2010 8:26 AM by Paul Wagner   [ updated Jan 4, 2010 8:36 AM ]
So last weekend we spent two days snowshoeing through the mountains.  On the first day we drove up and then climbed Andesite Peak off the Donner Pass highway.  It was a really lovely hike, and the weather could not have been more perfect.  Snow conditions weren't bad either, with a pretty good crust over nice soft snow.  When we went off trail, we sank in about 6-8 inches (well, P did.  M had the good sense to stay in P's footprints, and found the going easier.)  And the views from the top of the mountain were really wonderful.
 
And the next day we went down to the road into Bowman Lake and hiked around the Bear Valley Nature Trail and beyond.  Wonderful hiking, and on this day (and at this lower elevation) even the virgin snow was crisp, so walking was really quite easy. 
 
So it's pretty clear that we've become fans of snowshoeing.  But we still have real reservations about snow camping.  Hiking there and back is great. But we have some concerns about what we would do once we got to camp.  Yeah, I know---we'd make a camp.  And we'd cook dinner.  But in the winter, it's dark 14 hours a day.  So somewhere around 5:30 p.m. it's dark.  It's cold.  And fires are obviously a bit of a snag, since all the wood is wet from the snow.  So...you  sit in your tent for 14 hours?  You  sit out in the cold night for four hours, and then get in your tent?
 
We're thinking that right about 5:30 is a great time to arrive back at the car, where you can drive to a nice hotel and take a warm shower, then go out to dinner.  And then sleep in a room in a bed.
 
But we also realize that we hear that a lot from people we try to entice into backpacking in general.  They're fine with the hikes, just not so fine with the overnight accommodations.   We always dismiss those concerns.  
 
I am sure snow campers would do the same to ours!  

posted Dec 24, 2009 8:33 AM by Paul Wagner
This isn't going to be a definitive list--if anyone is qualified to do that.  (hmmm.  Maybe that SHOULD get a page on our website:  books about the Sierra that we love.  We'll get to work on it) 

But it is about a book we read in the last week that was terrific:  Tony Hillerman's mystery novel Skeleton Man.  First of all, it's really, really good writing.  Somehow that makes such a difference.  And then there is his deep love of both the culture of the southwest, and the landscape as well.  It's hard to fight the urge to get in your car and start driving once you finish one of his books. 

But what really made this one stand out is that much of the action takes place in the Grand Canyon---and yeah, they backpack in.  And it is wonderful writing.  

This site is supposed to be about the Sierra, but some time in the next couple of years we're going to have to go to the Grand Canyon again, and this time really do some hiking.  Colin Fletcher's "The Man Who Walked Through Time" is the all time great book about this region...but Skeleton Man deserves a spot on the shelf, too.  

What fun! 

posted Dec 23, 2009 7:14 AM by Paul Wagner
As Christmas approaches, it's perfect time to give a few goodies that will help out on the trail.  A nice new lightweight sleeping bag?  Ultralight pack?  

One of the challenges of giving gifts to serious backpackers is that we know exactly what we want, and we also have a very good idea of what we DON'T want.  No heavy stuff.  No cotton.  Nothing that we don't already own, because if we wanted/needed it, we would have bought it.  

But a better quality and lighter weight version of something we already have?  That's a good idea.  

Of course, it's a little late for us to make suggestions now--we're pretty sure our gifts have already been purchased.  But for those of you who are shopping for a friend...

It's never too late for good equipment! 
 

posted Dec 20, 2009 8:39 AM by Paul Wagner   [ updated Jan 4, 2010 8:36 AM ]
With one of our daughters living on the East Coast, we're heading back there this holiday season.  It's just for a few days, and thanks to the big storm, it will be even fewer days.  sigh.  But we are looking foward to seeing an urban winter.  No, we didn't pack our hiking gear, but we did pack some warm clothes and some comfortable shoes, and maybe we'll stride off confidently into Central Park for a hike.  A walk.  I don't think you can hike in a city, can you?
 
On the other hand, walking in Manhattan is an e-ticket ride---always more to see than you can imagine or expect.  Which should be true of every hike. 
 
And when we get back to California, we're planning to do so nice hikes in the Sierra, on snowshoes.  And when we do, we'll post some notes, and some photos.

posted Dec 20, 2009 8:32 AM by Paul Wagner
Every summer we have a grand tradition--we invite our whole company ( about 15 employees ) to go camping together up in the Sierra.  It's a great chance for us all to relax and have fun with each other, and includes children, spouses, significant others, parents, friends, exchange students and all of rabbits friends and relations.
 
And it's a team building exercise.  We break into teams, and each team is responsible for one night's dinner and clean up.  That way everybody gets to have a couple of days of real vacation, and the food (and wine) is usually just spectacular.  During the day we do hikes, go swimming...one year it was so hot that a group of the younger people all went into town to watch a movie--the theater being airconditioned!  
 
The challenge, of course, is finding a site that makes everyone happy.  We've tried the coast, and found it dripping with fog and morning dew.  We tried national parks, state parks, national forest sites, and private parks.  And we are always ready to try something new.  The most popular destinations have been Lassen Volcanic, Yosemite, and Lakes Basin in the Gold Lakes area.
 
So this year we've arranged for Calaveras Big Trees.  Great hiking up by Ebbetts Pass, and some nice walks for the smaller kids in the park itself.  Plus there is a river.  And if it really gets hot, there must be a movie theater in Angels Camp!  

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