As the Ashes Clear
A first look and some perspective from the LA fires, plus new PCT border conflict, spotlight on Watch Duty, love for the Doug fir, new fun stuff for paid subscribers, a super weird web app, and more!
As the dust settles, both figuratively and literally, people will be measuring the destruction and effects of the recent wildfires in Southern California for some time. With some recent light rain coming into the area, it seems like—at least for the moment—we will get a brief respite from burns. People in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood and the City of Altadena were finally able to return home to start taking stock of the damages.
Most of the stories from these returns are tough, but there are occasional glimpses of hope. Beyond the extensive mutual aid networks that have sprung up in the burned areas, there has even been a recent engagement after a man found a ring unscathed in the rubble of their Altadena home. Although it seems like there is an encouraging amount of activity going on, it will likely be a very long time before these areas return to anything resembling normalcy.
In terms of the outdoors, we can expect extensive closures for a long time—years, most likely. Hiking areas in the Santa Monicas tend to re-open faster than in the San Gabriels, but everything is very TBD right now. Just yesterday, the Forest Service announced the National Monument / Forest in the San Gabriels will partially re-open today, which is a good sign.
As someone who really discovered hiking in these mountain ranges, these fires hit on an emotional level. These are some of the places I first learned about cotton in hot weather, why I liked high-top boots over trail runners, and where I began to fall in love with the smell of sage scrub. If you’re an L.A. / Southern California hiker, I’m sure you have similar feelings.
The New York Times has a great, comprehensive piece (unlocked) detailing accounts from several reporters who were on the scene during the fires. It delves into that loss of personal connection, the debate on whether to observe or act, and some of the more uplifting stories that have helped provide hope and optimism in the face of destruction. In The Atlantic, Andrew Moseman goes into the conditions that helped fuel the fires and puts them into a bit of historical context, along with an eye to the unique wildness of L.A. that most outsiders easily overlook. And a little closer to home, Shawnté Salabert wrote a special dispatch for Rock Fight about having to defend L.A.’s outdoorsy cred at industry events like Outdoor Retailer (I can attest, we were there together!).
I’m sure we will keep getting slow rolling updates for quite some time in this area. If anyone has any assistance resources to share, please comment or message them to me and I’m happy to spread the word.
And as we move into the late winter / early spring blooming season, please share some regrowth photos if you see ‘em.
We could all use the encouragement.
Subscriber Section
I wanted to send a great big thank you to Substack user gattolette, who made the jump to a paid supporter of the Modern Hiker newsletter this month. Paid subscriptions help keep the lights on over here and are oh so tremendously appreciated.
If you are one of our almost 100 paid subscribers, you should have received a special email message from me last week (if not, check your inbox—and I may send again soon). I am now going to start taking questions and suggestions directly from paid subscribers and addressing them here in the newsletter.
These can be anything from trail recommendations, favorite hiking memories, or even what I’m thinking about a particular outdoor or public lands issue. Or they can be as simple as this question from Barbara Neuberg, who asked:
Thanks for the question, Barbara!
I also happen to live in Southeast Portland, and I can tell you, your family is really in for a treat. This part of town is
covered in great parks that are perfect for stroller-strolls. Laurelhurst Park was designed as part of a city-wide park plan designed by the Olmsteads and is on the National Register of Historic Places, and features a pond, tons of old-growth trees, and lovely lawns that really come alive in the warmer months. Plus, you could also walk down 28th Avenue in Kerns, which was recently named the coolest neighborhood in the United States by Time Out (!)
Nearby Lone Fir Cemetery is an actual cemetery buy it’s also a park during the day, and if your family is not weirded out by graves, there are some beautiful old headstones in there. This park is great in the fall, when the foliage turns. And of course, if inclines are on the menu, Mount Tabor Park is a must-do. There are sidewalks and playgrounds and terrific views from the top of Tabor. They also close the roads to vehicles on Wednesdays, so they can take their stroller out into the wide paved road and not worry about it.
Got a question for me? A story you’d like to see in the newsletter? If you’re a Paid Subscriber, fire away!
Your Parks
Your Places
No More Canadian Welcome for PCT Hikers
Other than a slight interruption during the Covid pandemic, northbound thru-hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail used to be able to apply for a permit ahead of time that would allow them to continue hiking past the international border into Manning Provincial Park in British Columbia, where they could reach a road in about eight miles. That policy ended this week, when the Canadian Border Services Agency abruptly ended the program and instead directed anyone wishing to enter Canada to a designated port of entry—the closest of which are some 60 miles off the trail.
Functionally, this means that hikers will now have to turn around at the border and backtrack about 30 miles to Harts Pass to exit, which sounds like a slog but I guess when you’ve already come over 2600 miles, is kind of a drop in the bucket.
Although it’s not explicitly named, this change does come at a time of increased border tensions with the new administration in the U.S. and a change in Canada’s prime minister. And for what it’s worth, thru-hikers on Reddit don’t seem to mind, much. Some are putting a positive spin on the change, noting it’s an opportunity to encourage fellow hikers as they’re in the home stretch.
Supremes Say No to Utah
Last October, I wrote about Utah’s—let’s call it big swing—attempt to say more than 18 million acres of federally-managed land were actually Utah’s land to manage, just ‘cause. Well, thankfully, it seems like the Supreme Court is still technically functioning, because earlier this month they denied hearing the case without any elaboration.
The denial was a brief, one sentence note—so there is not much to dig into here other than this particular attempt to seize federal lands was particularly, especially dumb. But that doesn’t mean this is going to be the last one. In the National Parks Traveler, several conservation groups note that they are glad this effort was rejected but they are still steeling themselves for follow-up cases.
What’s in a Name?
Maybe you heard about the brand-new Gulf of America? In a move that—in all honesty—I could not have predicted even if I removed ¾ of my brain to get on the same intellectual level as whoever came up with this, the Trump Administration directed the Department of the Interior to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. In other news, a dozen eggs was $7.50 at the “cheap” grocery store near me this week.
And that’s not all, folks! The tallest mountain in North America is getting a fresh, America-First facelift, too. The 20,310-foot tall mountain that has been known as Denali for centuries is now going back to its previous name of Mount McKinley.
In 1896, a gold prospector named the mountain in support of then-presidential nominee William McKinley, and the U.S. government recognized the name Mount McKinley from 1917 to 2015, when the federal government went along with the wishes of Alaskans and the indigenous Athabascan peoples who had been calling the peak Denali regardless of what the feds had on their maps.
Seems Alaskans are not too keen on the change, and few seem willing to refer to the peak as McKinley. The national park around the mountain will still be called Denali National Park, just in case you thought there was any sort of sense around this.
GMC doesn’t seem to be changing the name of their giant truck, either.
Tech Talk
Gadgets, Technology, and Hype
Watch Duty’s Spotlight Moment
I first wrote about the volunteer-run non-profit app Fire Watch back in June of last year, but amidst confusing messaging and jurisdictional Jenga during the L.A. wildfires, it is no surprise that this exemplary group stepped into the spotlight and—overwhelmingly—nailed its performance.
In addition to just the overall awesomeness of the app, the reaction from its CEO and co-founder John Clarke Mills in this Hollywood Reporter feature is exemplary. Mills seems like an old-school internet person—one who saw a problem and built a solution without the expectation of making profit for anyone. And in fact, when asked questions about whether or not he would sell Watch App to investors, he balks:
“I don’t want to sell this. To who? No one should own this. The fact that I have to do this with my team is not OK. Part of this is out of spite. I’m angry that I’m here having to do this, and the government hasn’t spent the money to do this themselves … So, no, it’s not for sale. No, I’m not open to change all of a sudden, and I just don’t give a shit.”
Leafing Out
Plants!
Here’s to the Doug Fir
Who doesn’t like a little laudatory spotlight on a specific tree? The fine folks at Travel Oregon have devoted some virtual space to the Douglas Fir—the official state tree. Maybe I’m biased because I tend to notice plants as a way to establish a nice connection with a place, but this piece shows off where you can see this towering conifer all over the state, from the newly-revamped PDX airport lobby (so beautiful) to trails and parks all across Oregon.
One More Thing
Oh yeah, before I go …
This is sort of becoming the place where I get some of my web culture thoughts / rants out of the way (hey, you know the original Modern Hiker tagline was “60% geek, 40% granola”!) and this week I read this deep-dive Atlantic article about the internet artist/game-designer/commentator Neil Argawal, specifically about his new game “Stimulation Clicker” being an exquisite stand-in for the way the internet turned from a fun diversion with tangible boundaries into a never-ending cesspool of delights that actually just leave us sapped and empty.
You can read the piece over at The Atlantic, or try this janky pay-wall workaround instead. This comes on the heels of another piece at the same outlet about doomscrolling—specifically, the incredibly strange sensation of opening up Instagram and seeing dog videos, poetry, vacation pictures, and devastating scenes from Los Angeles. The surreal, liminal aspect of this kind of browsing—made even more disorienting due to Instagram’s lack of chronological feed—creates its own weird kind of online ennui and, as the writer reminds us, it does not have to be this way. (Janky paywall dodge here).
Over the past week, I have begun the process of turning my attention away from Meta properties. I gave up Facebook a few years ago and it gave me time to start this newsletter! I’m looking at Instagram mainly to check messages once or twice a day now, and have tried to give Bluesky a shot.
On Bluesky, I can tweak my own feed to manage what I see … and I can even get to the end of a feed. So during a time of very upsetting news, I could open up an app and just see what poets and friends were doing and not get distracted or run down internet holes.
I can’t say for sure that’s the solution, but it sure felt a lot better. Plus, it feels great not giving billionaires money to help flood the internet with divisive, extreme trolls and AI slop, ya know?
If you’re into the Bluesky thing, you can follow Modern Hiker here and my personal account here, where you’ll probably see more poems and opinions and fast-dash random nonsense if that’s your speed.
Or, just get outside. That’s always good for what ails ya, right?
OK, wow this newsletter is super long! Thanks for sticking it out, thanks for reading, and until next time …
Happy Trails,
I was out of state when the fires hit. My home wasn’t in the danger zone but many of my friends’ were. Many had to evacuate and several lost everything. I learned about Watch Duty during that time, and now that I’ve learned more about it, I am glad I sent them some membership money.