Just a few days after returning home from our eastern Sierra vacation we headed out for another short trip. This time Joshua Tree National Park. I know, we go there a lot. Good news is that it is summer and the park is just about empty.
Reason I picked JT was because I missed the boulders.
In 1955, at the age of 67, Emma Gatewood walked the entire 2,000+ mile Appalachian Trail (AT). This is a quick review of the book, Grandma Gatewood’s Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman who Saved the Appalachian Trail, by Ben Montgomery.
What makes this book a good read isn’t necessarily Mr. Montgomery’s writing ability, but that Emma Gatewood was such an incredible person. Before her through-hike of the AT, not many people had heard of the trail that runs from Georgia north to Maine, and only a handful had hiked it in its entirety. Emma would become the first woman to complete it. No one before or after her did more to popularize the trail.
It appears that my wife has a “Bucket List” and a To Do List.
I have neither.
Her To Do List includes fixing a leak in the roof, which is required before the interior remodel can be completed. The remodel started in 2000; the roof leak appeared a few years later.
So this week I put the roof issue on my own To Do List, which was completely empty – actually I had to create a list. However it was too windy outside this week.
As you probably know, I often do short backpacking trips when I travel on business. Most of these trips don’t lend themselves for a lot of advance planning. I look at a map, determine the elevation differences from where my meeting is and where I might hike, look at the weather forecast, pack what seems to be the required gear, and then hop on a plane. Often I don’t know exactly where I will hike; that is something I sort out when I get to my destination.
And that is how it was this week.
Continue reading You got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em
If you are camping or backpacking in California and build a fire, use any kind of stove or lantern with a flame, you must obtain and have on your person a California Campfire Permit. There might be some areas that are exempt, but it is best just to always have one because it can be difficult to sort out the regulations and many Government employees don’t know the regulations either. Normally if you are camped in a developed campground, a permit is not needed. However, sometimes there are exceptions.
This has been required for as long as I can remember, even in the 1960’s.
Permits are issued at most offices of the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. But not always. You are dealing with government agencies. You can also get them online at these agencies, but not always.
Continue reading Don’t forget to get your 2014 California Campfire Permit