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Book Review:  The Thousand Mile Summer in Desert and High Sierra by Colin Fletcher

Colin Fletcher is an iconic figure in outdoor literature and modern day backpacking.  Many people know him as the author of The Man Who Walked Through Time or The Complete Walker.  His books have changed people’s views of the outdoors and have inspired countless people to don their backpack and get outside. 

I had the honor to win his book, The Thousand Mile Summer in Desert and High Sierra, in a raffle at ALDHA-West, a hiker gathering.  I was quite possibly the happiest and luckiest person in the room, after all, I won the book while others were winning titanium flasks, t-shirts, sleeping bags and other such non-sense.

I haven’t read any of Mr. Fletcher’s works in the past.  It had always been on my radar but just never in my reading queue.  But ALDHA-West changed that and I am now a better person having read him, having gotten go to along with him on his journey, backpacking up through the state of California from Mexico to Oregon.

The book was quite different than I expected and it seemed to me that he was young and a bit inexperienced in a way, but his descriptions are magical and artistic.  His prose made me yearn to be out hiking in the desert, experiencing my own desert landscape and then in the Sierra, having glacial bowls carved into granitic giants as my backdrop. 

It is perhaps his personal evolution, his maturity as the story progresses that is of the most interest to me.  In the beginning of the story he is deathly and violently afraid of rattlesnakes.  So much so he has a tirade about the evil that emanates from them and then beats one to death.  I was totally perplexed by this.  From a man who is a hiking icon, I was shocked by this behavior.  But as the story progresses, he learns from a ranger the importance of rattlesnakes and the impact they have on the ecosystem, and the impact not having them would have on the ecosystem.  He learns to let them be, to let them live, that they are not evil.  As happens for many people, with knowledge comes decreased fear and increased understanding and peace.  Mr. Fletcher is no exception. 

Mr. Fletcher’s book is full of colorful stories of the people he met and the places he visited.  He has his idiosyncrasies and is not afraid to display them, most notably his firm belief that rattlesnakes ooze evil and, coming in a close second, his obsession with Silver King and it’s Piute cutthroat trout.    He is honest and shows reverence when musing about Yellowstone National Park and the 5 men who found it.  “Back in civilization, they registered no land or mineral claims.  Instead, they wrote and lectured on the wonders of Yellowstone’s natural beauty.”

I think the best passage to describe the book, and Mr. Fletcher’s message, is found on page 188.  He says, “Before long the sun dropped behind a line of stark peaks.  Down on the valley floor it was suddenly very gray.  But I knew that the copper-red dragonfly beside the Rubicon had given me something I would never altogether lose.  And I knew that it was for moments like these that people came to the Wild Area. 

Wilderness would be worth conserving if it did nothing but make such moments possible.  And as I walked I found myself wishing I could thank the five men who had sat around their Yellowstone campfire in the fall of 1870.  It would have been satisfying for them to know that their altruism that night-their altruism in a cockpit of rapacity and exploitation-had done so much not only for me but for the nesting Girl Scouts and for Thor astride his horse and for the father and son fishing in Lake Aloha and for Jinny stretching ecstatically on the mountain top and for Twig in his jeep and for millions of other Americans and for millions more, born and yet to be born, all over the world.” 

Thank you Mr. Fletcher for reminding me of your message, of the importance of gratitude to those before us, the importance of treasuring what you have at the moment, the importance of what we leave to future generations and for letting me live vicariously through your adventure.  It was a pleasure to read your words. 

Book Review:  The Last Season by Eric Blehm

If you’ve ever been to the Sierra, or to any special place outdoors, then the novel, The Last Season, will both captivate and haunt you.  Part life reflective, part mystery, and part who’s who of the outdoors, this novel conveys the ups and downs of the life of Randy Morgenson, an under-recognized but highly experienced, seasonal backcountry ranger. 

Blehm does an excellent job of giving the reader insight into Morgenson’s life without imposing his own biases.  This excellently researched book mixes Morgenson’s original prose with the Author’s own work to develop a deep understanding and connection to Morgenson.  The reader gains insight as to what it was like to grow up in Yosemite and the influence it had on Morgenson as an adult.  Blehm details the impact that family friends, like Ansel Adams and Wallace Stegner, had on Morgenson’s creative passions and their development. 

But Blehm does more than paint a picture of Morgenson’s life, he makes the reader want to be part of it.  I couldn’t help but wish that I could have met Randy Morgenson.  Although I didn’t travel into the Sierra until 2005, long after Morgenson’s last season in the Sierra, I feel like I missed out by not running into Ranger Randy while in the backcountry. 

I would highly recommend The Last Season to anyone who has ever been to the Sierra, had a positive interaction with a backcountry ranger, has worked or wanted to volunteer for Search and Rescue or just likes a good read.  However, this novel haunts me with it’s mystery, mistakes and my own familiarity with the area where everything goes down.  No matter how haunting, there is no denying that it was one of those “can’t put it down” books.  Happy Reading!

Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite N.P., California

Well, today was my longest zero day yet. I hiked into the Yosemite Valley. Not sure exactly how many miles I hiked, 24ish maybe. Anyhow, I managed to complete the John Muir Trail! Man it’s awesome to have that accomplished. Now it’s really Canada or bust.

So about today…well actually it starts last night at about 11pm when people decided to set up their camp all but in our campsite. I really liked having headlamp flashing into my tent. It made for awesome sleeping. I would have slept just as well if I had been in the middle of a dance club. Let’s leave it at me being, oh I don’t know, livid.

So the morning finally comes around. I woke up on my own (Doodlebug did check up on me) and as I was getting ready Stitch came over to say good morning. At 6:15am I was on the trail…well at least I was walking around the campground looking for the trail. Finally found it.

I had to deal with some snow patches and a ton of mosquitoes…especially in and around the Sunrise Camp area. In fact, if it hadn’t been for my rain gear and head net I absolutely would have jabbed my titanium spork in my eye and then thrown myself off a mountain. The mosquitoes were that bad.   They were swarming by the thousands.

I met many people along the way, many JMT hikers who were just starting out. Man did they have a heck of a climb. Many of them were asking about trail conditions. One guy heard that Donohue Pass was impassable as of July 12. We went over it on the 14th. I told him not to worry, it was fine, a little bit of snow for about a mile on each side. He felt better.

Flew by the side trail to Half Dome and ran into a ton of people who had just come down. There was a wait for the cables it was so busy. It might have something to do with the fact that the cables are closed for maintenance, Monday-Thursday from 7am-4pm. It seems like a bad idea to encourage people to hike it so early or late in the day but, I guess, it’s a better idea than not maintaining the cables so people are making due.

Well, the trend continued…people, people everywhere. The park was hopping. I was passing people left and right. As I was waiting for the shuttle bus, I saw a deer and it’s baby bounding down the road…then I saw the bear chasing them. The topper was the tourists chasing the bear. Now I realize that I am not an expert in ursine behavior however I am certain that it is never prudent to run after a bear…to ask it to participate in a photo shoot.

I then hopped on the bus. I went to Curry Village and saw a buck peeing near the bus stop. I cannot believe how close parents let their children get to a peeing buck. If I were that buck and I was urinating, and it happened to be at a bus stop in front of many people’ and they were all staring and pointing and snapping pictures and letting their boogery children get close, I would have turned right around and bit someone. Granted, the Park Service would probably have to kill me but every action has it’s consequences.  Right?

So I made it to Camp 4, I was told it’s the best place to hitch. Hitching didn’t go as well as planned. Finally, a nice man by the name of Sam gave me a ride to the 140/120 split. I then got a ride from another lady who was following her friend. At the 120 split, I went in her friend’s car. Rey drove me all the way to the Tuolumne store. It was a great ride and she was very knowledgeable about the area and the PCT. I got to the store about 10 minutes before it closed, got some pasta, talked to Dad and got back to camp at 9pm. Long day. I have finished the JMT!