Eugene, Oregon, Register Guard profiles Tom Hale, founder and president of Backroads, Berkeley adventure-guiding outfit. Backroads began as a regional bicycle tour operation that offered glorified camping trips on which the guides set up tents, fluffed sleeping bags and cooked…
In the news
What to do on your next Sierra pack trip
by tmangan • October 18, 2007 • 2 Comments
Keep an eye out for Bigfoot. Raygoza, 49, is an award-winning principal at Central Unified’s Pershing Continuation High School west of Fresno, Calif. But for 14 years, he’s also had a secret hobby: tracking Bigfoot in Sequoia National Forest in…
‘Healthy Trails’ in Santa Clara County
by tmangan • October 5, 2007 • 0 Comments
The Parks Department is planning a Trail Challenge that dares everybody to overcome their nature-deficit disorder by enduring the rigors of five — count ’em, five! — hikes in 12 months on the county’s trails. (Upside: if your quest ends…
Yeah, they still hire fire lookouts
by tmangan • October 3, 2007 • 0 Comments
Not nearly as many as in the old days, however. The New York Times profiles a guy who spends his summers looking for smoke in Tahoe National Forest. To get to the Saddleback lookout, one travels back in time, road-wise,…
Priceless hiking-related headine of the day
by tmangan • October 2, 2007 • 2 Comments
From the Los Angeles Times: “Friends’ hike ends with sword-wielding brawl” What started as a Sunday hike in the San Gabriel Mountains among friends turned into a violent brawl involving a sword and pepper spray. Police said 26-year-old Wesley Brockway,…
Woman charged in Lick Fire at Henry Coe
by tmangan • September 27, 2007 • 0 Comments
For those of you who missed it in this morning’s Mercury News: Wednesday, prosecutors said the 50-year-old San Juan Bautista schoolteacher had been formally charged in the blaze, detailing for the first time how the tiny flames on her hillside…
More Lick fire pics
by tmangan • September 22, 2007 • 0 Comments
Shannon Gomes, who has a cabin that nearly got caught up in the Lick fire at Henry Coe, posted some fire-damage pictures at flickr.com from near her property. She posted an interesting comment here the other day. For those who…
Coe fire contained
by tmangan • September 11, 2007 • 2 Comments
Cal Fire says the Lick fire is 100 percent contained. I don’t think that means “out,” by the way. Word has it the park will remain closed for a couple weeks while the remaining fire crews douse hot spots and…
Who owns the land burnt in the Lick fire
by tmangan • September 8, 2007 • 0 Comments
A couple Merc reporters compiled a nice story on folks whose land is mostly ashes these days because of the fire in and around Henry Coe State Park. Twenty-four hours later, their weekend getaway was gone. The massive Lick fire,…