Category Archives: The Environment

Palm Springs Leaves Citizens ‘Holding the Bag’

April 9, 2015The Environment, What's Up With That?plastic bagsNick Gatel

sicle and sythe — The People’s Republic of California

What’s Up With That?

An ordinance went into effect on Jan 1, 2015 in Palm Springs that makes it illegal for stores to provide “single use” plastic bags to customers. Instead they must sell customers a plastic or paper bag at a minimum cost of 10 cents, or the customer must supply their own bag, which can be purchased at much higher price point. I can purchase large paper grocery bags with handles in bulk for a little over 3 cents each. A large grocery chain can get an even cheaper price. So where is all the extra money going?

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Please Help Save the Cactus to Clouds Trail (and other trails)

January 5, 2015Backpacking, Hiking, The EnvironmentBLM Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians Land Swap Palm SpringsNick Gatel

Backpacker Magazine says the Cactus to Clouds Trail is the 5^th most difficult day hike in America.

Renowned long distance hiker Andrew Skurka lists Cactus to Clouds as one of his top ten favorite hikes.

Here are a couple of my trip reports that included the Cactus to Clouds Trail:

San Jacinto Loop 2009

San Jacinto Loop 2010

The public may soon lose access to this trail in a land deal between the BLM and the Agua Caliente Band of Indians.

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Patagonia, shame on you

December 14, 2013Backpacking Gear, The EnvironmentBackpacking Gear, PatagoniaNick Gatel

Let me state up front: I like Patagonia products. I have lots of Patagonia items and have been doing business with them since the early 1980’s, when they were Chouinard Equipment. The gear is good, and Patagonia gets top dollar for it.

This may surprise you, but I am not going to talk about gear; I am going to talk about advertising.

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Environmentalism or Conservationism

January 6, 2013The EnvironmentMountain BikeNick Gatel

The Mountain Bike Debate

There is a somewhat lengthy thread over at Backpackinglight.com debating whether mountain bikes should be allowed on back country trails. This is a complicated issue. For the few folks who have hiked with me, they know my preferred routes are cross-country, ancient Native American Trails, and unmaintained trails. These areas get very little traffic, and there is almost nil human impact from hiking. I avoid trails that see a lot of use.

Instead of posting this rather long essay on BPL, I decided to gather my thoughts here. In my opinion, folks should review their philosophy about public lands to make sure it aligns with their opinion on mountain bikes. That is; are you an environmentalist, a conservationist, or something else?

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Green Greed

January 1, 2013The Environment, What's Up With That?Global Warming, Green, Solar, Wind powerNick Gatel

“At this point they came in sight of thirty forty windmills that there are on plain, and as soon as Don Quixote saw them he said to his squire, “Fortune is arranging matters for us better than we could have shaped our desires ourselves, for look there, friend Sancho Panza, where thirty or more monstrous giants present themselves, all of whom I mean to engage in battle and slay, and with whose spoils we shall begin to make our fortunes; for this is righteous warfare, and it is God’s good service to sweep so evil a breed from off the face of the earth.”

The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha, by Miguel de Cervantes

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