Why Do We Do This Again?
Plus, a new Marine Sanctuary, Goodbye to a Boot Legend, Crater Lake's Unhidden Secrets, the Importance of First Aid Kits, and more
howdy
Look, I won’t lie to you. Writing can be a bit of a lonely occupation. As some of my fellow outdoor author friends can attest, writing a guidebook is a mostly solo-project. Sure, you get to meet, interview, and chat with a lot of super interesting experts and enthusiasts along the way, but the majority of the time you’re hiking or mapping or writing, you’re on your own.
Online outlets used to provide a bit more community, but in this post-algorithm web world, that, too has become lonely. A shockingly small percentage of my followers on Instagram see anything I post because I refuse to engage in the TikTok knock-off clownery and inflammatory rhetoric you really need to be seen there … and although I know a lot of you read this newsletter, only a handful have pledged to support the project and can comment (hint, hint).
This isn’t just bellyaching, I promise. I think anyone who’s involved in any kind of creative project periodically looks at the amount of effort they’re putting into a thing and wonders, “why the heck am I doing this again?” It’s just part of what we call the creative process (my creative process also includes long bouts of me staring aimlessly out the window, rummaging through cabinets for snacks, reorganizing my office for no reason, and lots of other things to put off the task of actually sitting down and writing something).
But—every once in a while—you actually do have some sort of an encounter or message that keeps you going. It can be
a comment on a blog post or just a kind email from a reader you’ve never met. Those small gestures can make a big difference—and even moreso in person.
I was invited to the Autry Museum of the American West recently for its annual block party. The Autry is one of my favorite museums in L.A., and it was a good excuse for me to pop down for a quick trip to see some old friends and pick up a new native plant tattoo from my artist in Los Feliz.
While I was selling and signing books, a young kid named Diego—maybe 8 or 9 years old—approached the table and excitedly started asking me questions. Did I know about this trail? Have I ever seen this animal?
I love it when kids get this excited about stuff, so I was happy to answer and share a few stories. Then his dad verbally nudged him to show me what he’d brought.
Diego opened up an intricately folded pamphlet—his own hiking guidebook to his favorite trails in Griffith Park. This had maps and turn-by-turn trail directions and even a few little turns of phrase he had picked up from Discovering Griffith Park. Honestly, it was pretty dang amazing.
So of course I got into a great conversation with him about his own writing practice … and I let him know I was probably around his age when I first started writing, too. And I also told him about getting to meet an outdoor writer who inspired me while I was working on my first book, and that I looked forward to reading him someday, too.
And to answer my own question again—that is why I do this. Thanks, Diego.
Your Parks
Your Places
New Marine Sanctuary Named!
Recently, the Biden administration named a brand-new marine sanctuary off the coast of California, and it’s the first marine preserve in the state to be co-managed with indigenous peoples.
The 4,543-square mile Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary was proclaimed earlier this week, and will protect a huge swath of California’s central coast from west of Santa Barbara to just past Pismo Beach. Although there were some concerns about the proclamation—like the exclusion of areas around the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant as well as the last of outreach to other tribes in the area, advocates generally see this as a huge step forward for the coastline.
The new sanctuary will be managed by NOAA in cooperation with the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, which is the only federally recognized Chumash tribe.
Off the Beaten Path at Crater Lake
I’m so happy that National Parks Traveler seems to have landed on its feet after the recent budget scares. Not just because I like the site and I think the topics it covers are important, but also because a lot of the writing is just really good and fun to read … like this feature piece about exploring some of the lesser-known regions around Crater Lake National Park. You’ll also learn about some experimental forests and how one of the most important and remarkable trees in the area is just right there hiding in plain sight.
Historic Highway Closures
With the summer winding down and the drizzle of fall swooping into the region, a section of the Historic Columbia River Highway, which links several popular waterfall hikes in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, will be closed through Memorial Day, 2025. The closures will allow construction crews to perform required maintenance on the historic road near Multnomah Falls. Hikers will still be able to access the area at a few different trailheads via private automobile and public transit.
Next fall and winter, the east section of this viaduct will close for repairs through Memorial Day, 2026.
Tech Talk
Gadgets, Technology, and Hype
Vasque Hangs Up the Boots
This week, Minnesota-based Red Wing Shoes announced that it was winding down production of its Vasque boot and shoe line. Vasque has been around since 1964 and was popular among hikers and often extremely well-reviewed by gear-testers, too. Vasque’s Re:Connect Here Mid is the top-rated hiking boot on Backpackerfor 2024, and I have been a vocal fan (and evangelist) for their Breeze model for years.
Parent company Red Wing has said they are aiming to retain workers from the Vasque brand, and that orders will be fulfilled through January 2025. Which means I might have to pick up a few backup pairs of Breeze boots for the future …
Best First Aid Kits
If you’re going to get out onto the trail, one of the ten essentials is having some kind of first aid. When you’re first getting started, it can be a little intimidating to put together all the different kinds of things you’ll need, so I usually tell people to pick up a ready-made kit and then adjust as you figure out the things you’ll need and the things you won’t.
Our friends at Gear Junkie have put together a roundup post of their favorite pre-packed First Aid Kits, which they update periodically throughout the year. Their top-marked item is the one I usually go for (and then end up adding more duct tape and gauze for blisters in the hot months).
One More Thing
Oh yeah, before I go …
Do y’all like museums? Oh man, I sure do. I really like living in Portland but the museum game here is weak, especially compared to my former home of Los Angeles—which, according to some sources either has the most museums per capita of any city in the world or is just behind Moscow.
If you happen to be in or around L.A. and are in the mood for visiting some truly offbeat museums, you need to check out my friend (and fellow Ham-and-Egger) Todd Lerew’s new book “Also on View: Unique and Unexpected Museums of Greater Los Angeles.” There is a terrific review / overview in the Los Angeles Times, and they’ve also launched an incredibly comprehensive companion website that aims to track ALL of the over 750 museums in greater Los Angeles.
Todd’s a great guide for this sort of thing—I have the earlier miniature version of this project and still love thumbing through it when I’m daydreaming about my next trip south.
Until next time,
Happy Trails.
Well, once again, I enjoyed reading your newsletter. I’m originally from L.A. and grew up hiking many of the trails you describe. It brings back happy memories for me. However, I now live in the Central Sierra foothills and am creating new memories. Keep writing, I’ll keep reading!