Hold On To Your Butts

It's gonna be a rough ride. Plus, fake bears, baseball in the parks, how REI's return policy got ruined, and more

howdy

So … hey everyone. How are we holding up? What’s new?

Look, I know we’re all tired of reading those sorts of shell-shocked reactions from the recent election, so I won’t dwell on too many things here.

I did need to take a little break from news after the election, and I think it’s really healthy for all of us to do this. I am not exactly looking forward to being informed again, because I have a strong feeling that being informed really is just going to mean being demoralized and being exhausted and being enraged, and you and I both know that’s just not healthy. I unsubscribed from my news podcasts and stopped reading headlines over breakfast in the mornings, and I don’t think I’m going to go back to either of those things.

But I also know that making people who care exhausted and demoralized is just part of the plan to roll back progress without any resistance, and I just can’t in good conscience give up completely. So, with some

adjustments to the scope of other news I’m exposing myself to, I am going to continue to produce this newsletter in the same way that I’ve been doing it for the past two years.

If you are facing the same kind of demoralization and exhaustion (and I’ll bet you probably are in some way), here’s what little advice I can offer you: focus on things you can actually affect. Do you need to have a daily primer on the ins-and-outs of political backroom dealing in Washington? Probably not. But you can be informed and show up for the public lands near you—whether it’s an underfunded neighborhood playground, a city park that needs some trail work, or a crowded National Forest trailhead that could use help with trash pickup. There is going to be a firehose of absurdity pointed directly at our faces for a few years, so not only do we all need to do what we need to maintain our sanity, but focusing on local places and causes where we can have a meaningful, tangible impact is going to help us combat those feelings of powerlessness and exhaustion.

It’s gonna be a long couple of years. We need to help each other get through them.

Modern Hiking

Good stuff from the Modern Hiker site

The backlog of trails continues to build (sorry about that!) but I did get two new trail guides published to the site from Big Sur – the short and sweet Mill Creek Trail, which is still a little rough but offers up some spectacular scenery in its miniscule distance; and the significantly tougher trek from Salmon Creek to Estrella Camp, which treks into the wilderness and brings you to a beautiful (if sometimes crowded) series of waterfalls.

Oh also!

If you’d like to pick up some signed copies of my hiking books before the holidays, you should do that now! I’m low on stock and I’m only going to re-order if folks seem interested, so get those orders in now (or just shoot me a message if something is out of stock and I’ll see if I can get some more to you ASAP).

The Big Story

Something to talk about

Are We Wet Yet?

Photo by Greg Rosenke on Unsplash

This week, the West Coast is getting hit by a solid bomb cyclone—a “once in a decade” storm which almost assuredly means we will see four more of them in the next two years. As I write this, the atmospheric river and storm system are forming strong winds and high surf that will continue to create hazardous conditions into the weekend.

Most of the precipitation seems to be aimed at Northern California and Southern Oregon, with high-danger “Level 4 Flood Risk” expected in the region through today. This level of flood risk is extremely rare but responsible for the vast majority of flood damage annually. With some areas predicted to receive over 8 inches of rain in a day, here’s hoping everyone stays safe out there.

The northern Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountains may receive over 4 feet of snow, depending on the location, which could seriously affect travel in the region. Lighter precipitation will continue into next week, which bodes well for the area’s ski resorts. Already, Oregon’s Mount Bachelor and Timberline ski resorts have opened runs, which is very rare before Thanksgiving.

That said, most of the continental U.S. is still in a state of drought, including New York City, which just issued its first drought warning in 22 years.

Your Parks

Your Places

Baseball Returns to Manzanar

Imprisoned people watch baseball at Manzanar during WWII // Ansel Adams via Library of Congress

Most people pass by Manzanar National Historic Site on their way to the Eastern Sierra or Yosemite or Death Valley, and that’s a shame. The monument to World War II’s Japanese Internment Camps is a powerful and moving site, a sad chapter of history with a stunning landscape surrounding it. Manzanar was one of the sites where the U.S. Government forcibly relocated more than 110,000 immigrants and American citizens of Japanese descent during the war—often with very little notice and often resulting in families losing their property and livelihood in the process.

With little to do for recreation, many inhabitants of Manzanar took to forming their own baseball league. And now, baseball has returned.

The story in the New York Times (unlocked) is exceptional. A Los Angeles-based performance artist named Dan Kwong wanted to restore the baseball field at Manzanar, where his mother was imprisoned, as a way pay tribute to the prisoner’s resilience as well as draw attention to a chapter of American history that is still not very well known. Kwong suggested the idea to the National Park Service, which at first resisted because they wanted to preserve the artifacts in the baseball field, but then worked with Kwong to restore the field to its exact state during World War II—using photographs by Ansel Adams and the imprisoned Japanese photographer Toyo Miyatake.

Together, they organized two exhibition games on the field with many descendants of people who were imprisoned at the camp. Hollywood prop houses donated period-specific costumes and equipment for the event.

The exhibition games had a very limited audience, but Kwong hopes to make the games an annual event at Manzanar.

The story is beautiful and worth a read. And if you’re on the 395 anytime soon, make time to stop at Manzanar. You will not regret it.

Tech Talk

Gadgets, Technology, and Hype

Did You Ruin It For Everyone?

REI used to have one of the best return policies in the outdoor industry—you could return a used piece of gear almost without limits. I think for the most part, this was just something to help folks feel secure in an outdoor purchase—especially on a new item or high-priced essential for a new (or maybe aspirational) hobby. But as REI got a little less co-op and a little more corporate, they pulled back on this policy, refusing returns that were too damaged or given back after a long time.

Well, it seems even that was not enough to stop a small but dedicated group of returners, who have now officially landed on a brand new “do not accept returns” list from the outdoor retailer. A small group (less than 0.02% of REI membership) had an astounding 79% return rate at the store, which means they were basically treating it like a free rental shop.

And this is why we can’t have nice things anymore.

One More Thing

Oh yeah, before I go …

This is one of the best stories I have heard in such a long time. There are many stories about bears breaking into cars to get at food and other scented items. Any visitor to Yosemite National Park has surely had this drilled into their heads—and seen photographic evidence of what can happen if you don’t empty out your car. So when four Los Angeles residents filed insurance claims for alleged bear damage done to their Rolls-Royce and Mercedes cards with just a few scratches on the interior, the insurance companies were suspicious. Even more suspicious was the supposed video evidence of the bear attacks, which a biologist from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said was “clearly a human in a bear suit.”

The four people who filed these claims have been arrested and accused of defrauding three insurance companies over $140,000.

Look, we all need a laugh right now. So thank you to these idiots for providing it.

this is the bear suit they actually used, bless their hearts

 And here are some tips for dealing with actual bears, which hopefully you will never need to use.

OK, that’s it for now! Until next time, Happy Trails.