Let the Permit Races Begin!
Two BIG permits open up today, plus the return of the Yosemite Firefall, L.A.'s best trees, birds across America, and what's up with Nevada?
I’m dropping the newsletter a little earlier than usual today because there are some exceptional outdoor permits going LIVE this morning and I wanted to make sure y’all learned about it with enough time to jump into the online fray.
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Modern Hiking
Good stuff from the Modern Hiker site
Firefall Season
We’re now in February, which means we have officially entered Firefall Season!
Now, if you’re thinking to yourself “well I know about mudslide season and wildfire season and monsoon season and Santa Ana Wind season but not Firefall Season,” don’t worry—it’s not another natural disaster you have to have lingering around in the back of your mind, but rather a lovely lighting phenomena that happens (with the right conditions) every year in Yosemite National Park.
Given enough snowpack, a warm enough temperature for water to flow in Horsetail Falls, and clear sky conditions to allow sunshine in, there are a number of days in mid to late February where the rays of the setting sun make the waterfall look like it’s on fire. And yes, it’s very cool.
As you might expect, there is a bit of planning and foresight associated with this, so we’ve got a very helpful primer on Modern Hiker ready to go for ya. Good luck!
Also, I am woefully behind on my trail guides from Mount Rainier National Park. Blame a freelance project I hopped onto right after I got home from the campsite for that one (gotta pay those bills!), but I did manage to finish up a solid family-friendly trek around the Silver Falls Loop this week.
If you’re new to the park, this is an incredible introduction to everything except for the park’s namesake volcanic peak: we’ve got dense forests, a rushing river, hot springs, a campground with a visitor center, and yeah, a beautiful waterfall, too. Put this on your summer and fall hike list. Never too early to start planning you know.
Your Parks
Your Places
Permit-palooza
If you’ve been reading me for a while, you’re probably up to date on the ever-increasing number of outdoor destinations that require permits or advance reservations. I know having to log on to a website six months before you want to go somewhere is not exactly an ideal way to start your outdoor experience, but it’s also probably the least worst tool we have for controlling crowds on trails and in campgrounds.
Two very popular routes are either now available for permits and reservations today: Mount Whitney in California’s Sierra Nevada and the Havasupai campground just off the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
Both of these routes have a lot of hurdles for people looking to enjoy them, but they are both in very sensitive areas so the impact needs to be limited. As someone who has also been very lucky enough to go to both (Havasupai twice!), I can assure you it is possible to snag yourself a spot as long as you’re flexible. If you don’t get the dates you want, be sure to keep an eye open for permit exchanges with other backpackers or consider springing for a guided or group hike, which may let you dodge some of those permit requirements altogether.
When I did Whitney, we were able to get in on a mid-week entry date, which was much less popular than a weekend time slot. Both times at Havasupai, I went in with an organized group.
I know that’s a lot of hoops to jump through, but it’s 100% worth it. And if you don’t get in, don’t sweat it—these places will be here next year, too.
Bonus: If you check the trail guides for both of these routes on Modern Hiker (linked above), you may also be able to snag a permit from our friends at Outdoor Status!
Havasupai info via Sunset magazine.
Mount Whitney permit lottery info via San Francisco Chronicle.
Tech Talk
Gadgets, Technology, and Hype
Do you eBird?
I have long loved using tools like iNaturalist to both document my own outdoor observations and learn more about what I’m looking at from people who are more well-informed than I. When it comes to birding, I will admit that I am still very much (sorry) a fledgling, but odds are if you do bird, you most likely also eBird—the online crowdsourced database of bird observations managed by the Cornell Lab.
There’s an in-depth piece from the Washington Post (UNLOCKED!) that dives into the service and notes the overall downward trend of birds all across the country—we have roughly 3 billion fewer breeding adult birds in this country now than we did 50 years ago. The story has a tool that lets you put in your own hometown to see what the change in avian population has been over the past decade—mostly decreases due to human activity and climate change, but also some increases in adaptable species like Peregrine falcons and blue jays. You can also see a nationwide map searching by bird species, where you might see Red-tailed hawks are going gangbusters in the San Joaquin Valley despite dropping 6% nationwide.
The story is interesting in a lot of ways, but especially when it notes that American waterfowl, overall, have had long-term population growth—mostly due to the efforts of waterfowl and wetland protection driven primarily by conservationist hunters.
Looking for other, short-term ways to help personally? Plant native plants, use fewer pesticides, and keep your cats indoors.
Leafing Out
Plants!
A Tree Grows in Los Angeles
It’s not very often you think of L.A. as a city of trees—as anyone who’s ever waited for a Metro bus can tell you, the region’s shade canopy is woefully inconsistent. But maybe that’s why Ryan Bradley’s efforts to find the greatest trees of Los Angeles is such an engaging and surprising read. He dives into historical records, visits the sites of long-gone witness trees, meets up with preservationists and tree-lovers, and tracks down a number of exquisite specimens all across the L.A. basin.
Enjoy this unlocked article and hey, if you have a personal favorite, let me know in the comments. I’m not sure I’d call this my all-time favorite in L.A., but I definitely always scan the ridgeline of Cahuenga Peak in Griffith Park to make sure the Wisdom Tree is still there when I’m flying in.
One More Thing
Oh yeah, before I go …
Hey, how do you say the name of the Silver State? Although I’ve lived on the West Coast for over 20 years now, I still somehow always find myself pronouncing it as “ne-VAH-duh,” while most people who live in the state will insist it’s supposed to be said “neh-VAD-duh.” Have you wondered why this is? In its typically wonderful fashion, the fine folks at Atlas Obscura looked into this in a piece with the great title “Why Do Nevadans Pronounce Their State’s Name So Strangely?” You’ll get history, linguistics, politics, demographics, and a good dose of just plain ol’ fashioned local weird, too.
In general, I will try to adjust my pronunciation to whatever way the locals say things—English is a living language but also a very silly, omnivorous one. Customs change and so do the words. But if I ever catch you saying “Sierra Nevadas” instead of “Sierra Nevada,” you’re going to at least get a solid sidelong glance from me.
Until next time,
Happy Trails,
