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,…
Trails
Priceless grammatical error of the day
by tmangan • October 2, 2007 • 1 Comment
From a teen’s account of visiting Yellowstone: Our next stop was what we had come here to see: the infamous Old Faithful geyser. Scheduled to erupt every 92 minutes, we waited impatiently. I know if I were scheduled to erupt…
The WildeBeat
Join the WildeBeat, get a book
by tmangan • October 1, 2007 • 1 Comment
Steve notes that if you become a member and donate $48, he’ll send you one of the following: Joy of Backpacking by Brian Beffort Wild Soundscapes by Bernie Krause Afoot & Afield San Francisco Bay Area by David Weintraub The…
Blogs
4WheelBob’s blog
by tmangan • October 1, 2007 • 2 Comments
Some of you have already noticed this, but for those who haven’t: Bob Coomber has started blogging. His latest post answers questions provoked by the unexpected sight of a wheelchair rider in the wilderness. A highlight: Do you carry a…
Hiking
Falling over ourselves
by tmangan • October 1, 2007 • 1 Comment
It’s October, which means: a) Rainy season could start any day now. Dig your gaiters back out. b) Some trees will turn color (but most won’t). c) Shadeless East and South Bay parks are livable again. d) Big hairy spiders…
Media (books, DVDs, etc)
Last thoughts on “Into the Wild”
by tmangan • September 30, 2007 • 5 Comments
Well, I’ve got this nagging urge to write some more about “Into the Wild” — mainly because I’ve been having a hard time reconciling my first impressions with those of everybody who’s raving about what a great film it is.…
Henry Coe State Park
Searching for fire damage at Henry Coe
by tmangan • September 30, 2007 • 1 Comment
Two long hikes in the past week at Henry Coe have shown me that it takes some serious hoofing to see any of the remnants of the Lick fire, which burned across almost half the park’s acreage. Whether you come…
Media (books, DVDs, etc)
Just back from “Into the Wild”
by tmangan • September 28, 2007 • 4 Comments
First thing you need to know is that “Into the Wild” is not about the wilderness. The protagonist does starve to death in the Alaskan outback; he does carry a backpack; he does go on epic hikes; he does paddle…
Hiking
How hikers get lost
by tmangan • September 28, 2007 • 9 Comments
Fresno Bee has a story on two people who were lost in Yosemite recently — one lived, one didn’t. It’s called the “cascade effect” — a catchy name for the way one mistake leads to another, and a quick explanation…