Category Archives: the land

“To sleep on the ground — talk about being grounded!”

A new feature, because I can't keep up: one quote posts. Here's an epic LA Times story on a woman who makes an annual pack trip across the Sierra with one horse, two mules and an Indian (really, no fooling).  Great story. Here's the quote: "To sleep on the ground — well, talk about beingContinue reading ““To sleep on the ground — talk about being grounded!””

No El Nino or La Nina this year, just La Nada

Like the headline the Star put on my story from Saturday: No El Nino or La Nina this year, just La Nada.  The crucial quote couple of graphs from the story, featuring media star and friend Bill Patzert: Veteran forecaster Bill Patzert, who works with the NASA-affiliated Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena on long-range forecastsContinue reading “No El Nino or La Nina this year, just La Nada”

Cheryl Strayed: To turn our suffering into beauty

From an unusually rich interview in The Millions, the friendliest of literary sites, with Cheryl Strayed, the author of the great and influential Wild:  Cheryl Strayed: I’ve always thought that the important thing is to turn our suffering into beauty. And the image of the phoenix rising from the ashes has always been super-cool to me,Continue reading “Cheryl Strayed: To turn our suffering into beauty”

John Muir, meet RuPaul. RuPaul, meet…

You have to know hiking/backpacking is surging in popularity when TV stars take it up. From the fluffy Saturday section in the Los Angeles Times, a charming interview with the famous drag queen/unway artist RuPaul: How has your life changed since you picked it up? I feel great throughout the day because I've gotten so muchContinue reading “John Muir, meet RuPaul. RuPaul, meet…”

Indian summer snowfall in the Sierra: John Muir

John Muir wrote poetry almost unconsciously. Or so it seems. For him metaphors — such as the idea of a land of clouds — were embedded in his thinking from his early days, and evolved easily into poems (though they're easier to see with a few line breaks). Here's an entry in his journal fromContinue reading “Indian summer snowfall in the Sierra: John Muir”

Wishing to get away from it all: Dusy Basin

From the great Tom Killion, one of his latest: Killion often goes for bold, almost surreal colors in his woodcut art, but for the Sierras, espeically at night, likes deep blue tones. Love the contrast between the austere mountains and the warm little human shelter. So true.   The Dusy basin is a gorgeous bowlContinue reading “Wishing to get away from it all: Dusy Basin”

Possible good news: El Niño conditions developing

For those of us who are suffering through seemingly endless heat and dryness, to hear of a possible change in the forecast is comforting, and yes, the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center does see increased chances for an El Niño this fall.  Supported by model forecasts and the continued warmth across the Pacific Ocean, thereContinue reading “Possible good news: El Niño conditions developing”

Average August 2012 temperature in Phoenix: 100.2

As of today. That includes night: hasn't once fallen below 90 in weeks.   Map from a resident who — looking for a cool spot — cleverly overlaid a heat image of the city on a Google Earth map. After charting the cooler green locales (see link) Mark concluded he should live in the Phoenix Country Club. 

21st century megadrought in the West

A new climatic projection for the western states and northern Mexico looks at drought over the past 1200 years and out to 2100. A graph from the study at Nature Geoscience tells the story best, as usual: Here's the caption, slightly edited:  Reconstructed summer PDSI [Palmer Drought Severity Index] from 800 to 2006, five-year mean.Continue reading “21st century megadrought in the West”