The U.S. Government Shut Down And The Closure Of Our National Parks

Happy Birthday Yosemite

Dale Matson

"The National Park Service preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations." (Mission Statement of NPS)

In December of 1995, I had planned on skiing out Glacier Point Road in Yosemite but could not get into the park because of the U.S. Federal Government shut down. Today is another example of the National Parks closing because the Federal Government is shut down once again.

The National Parks are the “people’s parks”. They belong to us and we are being kept out. The parks are over-regulated to begin with. You need a special pass or entry fee when you enter the parks (If only these gate fees were used exclusively for the parks). After you are in the park, you will need to pay an additional fee for a wilderness permit to stay overnight along the trails. On the Mt. Whitney trail or the Half Dome trail,  you are required to reserve and pay for a pass even if it is only a day hike. This trail permit requirement lends new meaning to pack it in pack it out.

The following statement is part of the shutdown contingency plans for the NPS.

“The shutdown process will take place in two phases. Phase 1 includes all activities to notify the public of the closure, secure government records and property, and begin winding down operations to essential activities only. Phase 1 will take place over a day and a half. Phase 2 will be initiated by the Director and includes the complete shutdown of all concession facilities and commercial visitor services. Overnight visitors will be given two days to make alternate arrangements and depart the parks. At the end of Phase 2 operations are expected to be at the minimum levels defined below. The entire closure process – both phases – will be completed within four days.” http://www.doi.gov/shutdown/fy2014/upload/NPS-contingency-plan.pdf

We are impacted in many ways by these decisions. Highway 120, an important trans-sierra road is closed. Those who made plans from around the world to visit the parks or travel the John Muir Trail will not be allowed to enter either Yosemite (North) or Sequoia (South) Parks. There is no provision for those already on the trail who continue to travel. Are they required to leave the parks also? Are those who work concessions such as the Delaware North Company folks required to leave the park?

I would be willing to bet that the current emergency staffing levels are not significantly lower than seasonal low emergency personnel staffing levels such as winter/spring in Yosemite. Thus, what is the point of shutting down the parks?

Finally, these parks were set aside “…for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.”  It is not right that we should be kept out of our own parks; parks we have paid taxes and permit fees to access. My right of access is not secondary to those who wish to fly in and out of airports. The government has seen fit to ensure their rights by keeping on the air traffic controllers. The current situation does not involve my safety such as when trails are closed because of landslides or roads are closed for fires like the Rim fire. This is not an emergency that warrants a ‘no access’ policy.     

Mount Whitney Revisited As A Day Hike

Dale Matson

Time marches on. I hiked to the top of Mt. Whitney in 2004. It was the 100^th anniversary of the building of the trail. Mt. Whitney is the highest mountain in the contiguous U.S.  The bad news is it took me 15 hours (three more hours) this year to complete the 22 mile out and back hike. The good news is that I didn't have altitude sickness this year.  I suppose it IS taller at 14,505’ than it was in 2004 (14,494’). Maybe that’s why it took longer.  Mt. Whitney is an impressive and imposing sight from the Inyo County permit station on the east side of highway 395. Whitney rises over two miles above the town of Lone Pine.

Mt. Whitney Viewed From Lone Pine, CA

A day hike is still a three day hike, if you don’t live in the vicinity of Lone Pine. The Whitney trail requires a specific permit and is obtained through a reservation lottery. You need to pick up the permit in Lone Pine by noon the day before the hike. If you pick up the permit as a same day “walk in”, there is already a problem. You won’t be on the trail until after 9am. The average hiker takes about eight hours to summit. When storms come in, they generally come in the afternoon. Hikers want to be on their way down before noon. When you are done with the hike on day two, you will need to spend the night in Lone Pine unless you live in Bishop.

There are generally lots of pilgrims on the Whitney trail since the folks on the John Muir Trail are either beginning or ending their hike at Whitney too. When you get to "Trail Crest" (13,600’) there are quite a few backpacks stacked around the area. The JMT folks leave them there to top out at Whitney which is the southern terminus or beginning of the JMT depending on whether you hike the JMT N-S or S-N. The trail-head at Whitney Portal is at 8,000’ but it is not a true measure of the climate and conditions on top of Whitney. It can be more than twenty degrees colder than Whitney Portal on top of Whitney. The wind chill will make it feel even colder. Once the trail enters Sequoia Park at trail crest, the wind increases and another layer of clothing is required.

Unfortunately, it is near this area that the trail narrows to a knife edge in a few places making it especially dangerous. People have been blown off the trail. Some have probably fallen from sheer fatigue or died from hypothermia. Anyway, the trail claims at least one person every year. I was a part of the search team helicoptered in to look for Kenneth Wade Brunette in 2009, who fell off the trail to his death. It may have been storm related. If you have balance issues, stay off this trail.

Knife Edge On Mt. Whitney Trail

   

People are not really afraid of heights. They are afraid of edges. No one is afraid of falling off of Denver. There are plenty of edges on the Whitney trail. There is one short section of guard posts with cables along the 99 switchbacks. There is a problem with ice buildup on this section and a very steep drop off along the fence.

The stone shelter on top of Whitney was constructed in 1909 to protect people from lightning strikes and has a wooden floor for the same purpose. The hut used to have a toilet but it was removed by order of the head ranger J.D. Swed. He told me he was quite proud of this action.

There used to be a solar toilet available at trail camp. It was there in 2004 but has been removed since that time. Now the policy is pack it in and pack it out. When you pick up your trail permit, you also receive a human waste bag to pack out. I noticed some bags used and left along the trail. Maybe those individuals were waiting for their mother to pick up after them. 

My friend John Shehadey ran the Badwater ultramarathon (135 miles) from Death Valley to Whitney Portal. It is the custom for the finishers to hike to the top of Whitney AFTER this. John loves to tell the story to anyone who will listen that he had to stay the night in the stone hut and saw a Buddhist monk appear off and on during the night. I believe you John since I once saw a bunch of Scottie Dogs on the trail at about mile 75 while running the Western States 100 mile endurance run.

I have a youtube video of this hike available here:  . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPk2ibzZqM4&feature=c4-overview&list=UU0G3jx2PLv6FOw2NM5Aa6Yw        

   

Thoughts While Ascending The Outbound Trail

Trail To Kaiser Peak 

Dale Matson

I am ascending a mountain trail. Where is the top? Is it just up there or is that just another false summit? I can see a hole in the trees. As I walk my heart pounds in my chest. It is not like running down below. This is much more noticeable. I need to pause from time to time to get a deep cleansing breath as I lean forward on my trekking poles. Someone approaches from up above. I gladly step off the trail to let him by. It is as much an excuse to rest as it is being polite. He says he’s from England. “This is a heck of a lot higher than Ben Nevis” I say and he nods his head.

I take a long drink from my water bottle. I gasp for breath again. It was too long without breathing. A bead of sweat mixed with Deet drips from my forehead into my eye. It begins to burn. I squirt water into my eye from my water bottle and wipe it with my towel hanging from my pack.

There is a distant sound like someone blowing rapidly into a Coke bottle. It is a Partridge drumming on a log. There is a stone in my shoe. It has been there awhile, sometimes painful, sometimes not but I need to find a sitting rock and take my shoe off. There’s a good rock that is the right height to support my pack too but it’s too far off the trail. Maybe I’ll find one on the next switchback. I need a rest again too.

I hear a conversation. Is it above or below me? It’s below me. People are catching up and will soon pass. Dang! This never happened in the old days. I think to myself as they pass, “I could be their grandfather.” It’s time for another drink. Well, that’s almost the last of my water. I need resupply the next time I come to a source.

Man, this climb is never ending! I can’t take any more caffeinated energy gels till I have lots more water. Oh, I’ll just shorten my stride and get into my marching mode to conserve energy. There goes my hope for a two miles an hour pace for this climb. Did I put my car key in my Velcro or my zip pocket? Man, I wouldn't want to do this climb in the afternoon.

Oops, I almost tripped on that root stub. Where did it come from? I then scold myself for looking at the altimeter too much on my watch. I pause again to take another cleansing breath. Just as I think I am on the last switchback and I can see the peak ahead of me, the trail takes a hard left and climbs in another direction.

Finally, I see people sitting just above me. The view is beginning to open up.  I wonder where those folks are from. I’ll ask them when I find a place to sit and admire the view.

View East From Kaiser Peak With Banner Peak       

Trails

Trail To Glen Pass From Kearsarge Pass

Dale Matson

As someone who has searched for lost individuals off trails, I know how foreboding and difficult it can be to navigate the wilderness without them. Trails are highways through the wilderness. They are a thin ribbon often called ‘single tracks’. Trails are the shortcut. They are the way into and out of the wilderness. They take us to a timeless time zone. Most often they are ‘use’ trails headed over a mountain pass, to a view or to lakes. Trails frequently follow the course of a creek or a river which is also good for necessary hydration.

As you proceed, there are signs on trees called reassurance markers or blazes. When the trail is faint, they reassure the traveler that he is headed in the correct direction. On large stretches of open areas there are often cairns made of stacked rocks. There are other more subtle signs for the experienced traveler. Trails are also used by pack animals and their scat can help when the trail is uncertain. It is also common to see deer and bear track on human made trails.  The residue from soiled boots leaves a telltale travel sign on smooth granite. Trails through meadows are well worn, deep and certain. Trails on steep climbs and descents zigzag in what are called switchbacks to make the climb less steep. One must be careful on a descending trail not to follow the waterway diversion path, designed to keep the trail from washing away during spring runoff and thunderstorms. Ferns open as you approach and close like curtains on the trail behind you.

Trails lead us deeper into the wilderness and deeper into ourselves. Suddenly you are so small and insignificant. You are like the protagonist in the movie “The Incredible Shrinking Man”.

West Of Mt. Whitney On A SAR Mission

The surroundings are timeless and indifferent to your presence.  Your footsteps will be erased by the next storm. The granite in sunlight is warm to the touch on a cool windy day. The wind at high elevations blows continuously and makes a narrow knife edge trail a test of courage too. Our hearts pound like a drum in our chests in an uncustomary way as we climb in thinner air. Trails along water bring mosquitoes in the early and late hours and deer flies and horseflies and gnats in the hotter part of the day. Thank God for Deet.

Trails bring surprises. All you have to do is turn around and your view can be even better than the slow motion wonderland you are walking into. A partridge flies up and startles you. The brush cracks and a deer bolts into the trees. A coyote (God’s dogs) barks and grudgingly gives ground. So often our ears perceive things before our eyes do.  Fresh bear scat steams in the cool morning air and you wonder if he is just around that big boulder up ahead. You see a stick and then it moves and then it is a rattlesnake and you give her the proper distance. After days on the trail, you hear an uncustomary sound at a considerable distance. It is a human voice and it is out of place. We expect the scolding jays and crows but not a conversation between other humans.

There are sections of trail that are not so pretty. I still remember the area near Red Cones on the JMT. A long ago fire turned a beautiful section of forest into a long lasting black skeleton. Switchbacks on the face of an open section of mountain are exposed, hot and dry at mid-day. There are sections of trail where the forest was flattened by avalanches and landslides. Downed trees across the trail force climb-overs and walk-arounds. Where did the trail go? They also give a renewed appreciation for an unobstructed trail.

Twenty years ago I ran trails and traveled fifty miles in a day. I was light and younger, fast and foolish. Today, the views most often require an overnight. An overnight requires a pack and a pack makes you heavy, old and slow but realistic.  As long as I am physically able to move on trails and have sound judgment, I will continue to use them to plan, dream and explore the wilderness and my own thoughts.

Thank you Lord for the trails in the wilderness created and maintained by the footsteps of pilgrims and the work of volunteers and forest service workers before me.      

   

My Productivity Tools Then And Now

Dale Matson

Productivity tools have always been a part of my working life. As an adolescent in Michigan I began with tools like rakes, dirt and snow shovels and push lawnmowers. A wheelbarrow was a step up and made it easier to move wood and dirt around our yard. It had a pneumatic tire and occasionally went flat. The blades on the mower became dull and it tended to skip over the tougher grass. These were problems with tools with moving parts.

I worked as a laborer for quite a few years including my first two years of college. The grounds supervisor promoted me to tractor driver and I pulled a set of gang mowers to mow acres of grass daily on our campus. I enjoyed it and taught myself how to operate other kinds of heavy equipment used by the grounds department.

After military service I moved to Wisconsin and went to work for a general contractor. My primary productivity tools were bulldozers, backhoes and front loaders. I enjoyed the work and appreciated how much these machines could do compared to hand labor. I still used shovels and rakes to finish up close to buildings.

Dale Operating Dozer In Late 1970’s

I went back to college still using the typing skills I learned in high school. This extended into my early college days with ‘onion skin’ paper the paper of choice because it could be erased. The transition to the word processor was easy since the keyboards were the same but mistakes could easily be corrected and work stored. “Xerox” machines made it easy to duplicate work. They became my productivity tools as I completed my master’s degree and doctorate. As a professor, my productivity tools also included an overhead projector. At this point, computers were used to email folks, perform statistical analysis and word processing. PowerPoint was fairly new when I retired. This was far beyond the use of the yellow legal pad and a ball point pen. The Commodore 64 computer that I used had a whopping 64 kilobytes of RAM. Writing lesson plans and lectures was a snap.

The hardware and software I use today is another giant leap. The hardware is smaller, much more powerful and easier to use. The real change is the internet, traffic speeds and software (some refer to it as “Apps”). This is the digital age. As an author and self-publisher my productivity tools are mostly contained in a laptop and desktop computer. My pocket point and shoot camera can take and store almost an unlimited number photographs. Just one picture file today would not “fit” on an older 3.5” floppy disc. I have a love hate relationship with my modern productivity tools and spent two hours today installing a newer version of Adobe Photoshop. Don’t look for tech support. Companies today think FAQs will suffice. Sorry but NO!

We now have “cloud technology” where software companies will keep their products in the cloud and the software user will rent the software. I don’t trust cloud storage and cloud access. My productivity tools will remain in my house along with my shovel and rake. Every occupation has productivity tools. These tools make the impossible only difficult and sometimes easy.  

Shane Krogen RIP

Marek Warszawski — The Fresno Bee 09-15-13

Shane Krogen

Shane Krogen was one of the first friendly faces I met in Fresno.

He was behind the counter at California Outfitters, the outdoors speciality shop he used to own near Blackstone and Herndon, when I walked in 15 years ago looking for new hiking boots. (I found the store in something called the yellow pages. Kids, ask your parents what that is.)

Shane not only sold me new boots but also measured my feet for high-quality moldable insoles. I balked, but he insisted. And my blister problems ceased that day.

I remember being struck by Krogen's smile and enthusiasm for the outdoors, and it wasn't long before he had me volunteering for his trail crew and signing up for the store's activity classes. He was one of those people you can't help but think of fondly.

That's why my knees buckled when I heard that Krogen died Thursday morning in a fall from a helicopter while members of the High Sierra Volunteer Trail Crew assisted in the cleanup of a marijuana grove in the Tulare County mountains. The group's founder and executive director was 57.

While I could sit here and tell you what a great guy Shane was and how many lives he influenced, others do it better.

Mike Libecki, 40, is a renowned explorer and climber who lives outside Salt Lake City. National Geographic named him one of its Adventurers of the Year for 2013.

But back in the 1990s, Libecki was just an aspiring rock climber from Clovis who hung around California Outfitters for two reasons: his friends worked there; and it was the only place in town that sold climbing equipment.

But Shane sensed something in the young upstart. ("A lot of kids come to the store and talk a lot," Krogen told me for a 2003 story. "But I knew right away Mike was more than just talk.") So when Libecki started getting his foot in the door by doing a couple big routes on Yosemite's El Capitan and Baffin Island, Krogen helped him kick it open.

"I'll never forget when he told me, 'Mike, when you come into the store, take anything you want. Anything you want,' " Libecki recalls. "He said, 'You're going to make it as a climber, and I want to help you get there.' "When I heard the news (about Krogen's death), I immediately thought of his kindness and generosity."

Libecki estimates that over the years he took "thousands of dollars" worth of equipment from California Outfitters on his expeditions to places like Greenland, Madagascar and Antarctica. But Krogen's influence when he returned from those adventures was just as important.

Libecki is known for his entertaining slideshows; he's given hundreds around the world. But the very first one came at California Outfitters — and it was Shane who encouraged it.

"I don't know if I'd be where I'm at today without his support in those early days," Libecki says.

Then there is Ryan Soares.

Soares, 36, is Fresno State's "adventure professor" teaching outdoors-themed classes for the Department of Recreation Administration. He also directs the school's E.D.G.E Challenge Ropes Course, a leadership development program.

Soares began working at California Outfitters as an 18-year-old. Years later, as store manager, he, Krogen and two professors helped establish outdoors classes on campus.

"I'd say about 90% of where I am today in the outdoors industry is because of him," Soares says. "And I'm only one person. When you think of all the people whose lives he touched, it's kind of hard to quantify."

The group includes Haley Fielding.

Fielding, a 19-year-old graduate of Yosemite High, is pursuing a degree in environmental biology (though she's currently living in Florida working for Disney on an internship). She credits the many summer weekends she and her mother, Coni Hintergardt, spent volunteering for the trail crew with sparking her interest in the outdoors.

"I don't think that I'd be the person I am today without him," Fielding says. "He had a huge influence on my life, and I've met so many people through trail crew that are like my second family."

Krogen made it his mission to get people excited about nature and the outdoors while encouraging volunteer stewardship of our public lands.

The legacy he leaves behind carries on with these three stories, and many more. There couldn't be a better tribute.

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/09/14/3498787/outdoors-kindness-was-his-domain.html#storylink=cpy

Lightweight Backpacking Items

Over the years, two things have happened that have changed backpacking for me. I have gotten older and gear has gotten lighter. Twenty years ago a multi-day backpacking trip would mean reaching for a 70 liter back pack and stuffing it with lots of heavy gear.  Even today I still see these packs on the trail used by folks out for only a few days. These heavy packs limit trail speed, daily endurance and distance traveled. they also increase the possibility of a fall. I thought it useful to offer a suggested list of items based on what I use on a four day, three night trip. These are only suggested items and your needs may differ but the gear listed here combined is about 25 pounds. This is essentially the same gear I set aside for my 3 day Search and Rescue pack minus the Bear Vault 450.

Big Agnes Seedhouse 1

Summit Rocket 40

Back pack Sierra Designs Discovery 30 ----30 liter backpack (or Mountain Hardwear Summit Rocket 40 Liter pack)

Tent------Big Agnes Seedhouse 1 (tent in pack and metal support rods in outside pocket) Or single wall Mountain Hardwear direkt 2

Bear Canister----Bear Vault 450 solo

Bear canister contains [Snowpeak Litemax Titanium stove in cook pot w/small fuel can, waterproof matches, first aid kit, toilet kit and Food---energy bars, dried fruit, mixed nuts and premixed instant coffee]

Waterproof stuff sack w/ Sleeping Bag----Mountain Hardwear Phantom 32°

Sleeping Pad-----Thermarest NeoAir all season

Waterproof stuff sack w/ Down Sweater----Mountain Hardwear  Ghost Whisperer

Waterproof stuff sack w/merino wool socks, light poly pro gloves and balaclava

Inflatable pillow

Pack lid contains Petzl Tekki LED headlamp, spare AA and AAA batteries, mini Bic butane lighter and chlorine tabs for emergency purification

Note pad and pen, spare waterproof map

Garmin Oregon 550 t with detailed California topo map chip on front of shoulder strap

Left waistbelt pocket includes mosquito repellent, Suunto Compass, lip balm

Right waistbelt pocket contains small Kershaw folding knife and sunscreen

Right side mesh pocket contains spare water bottle

Left side mesh pocket has collapsible tent support rods and Mont-bel titanium scoop

Mesh pocket on back has Mountain Hardwear lightweight hooded rain shell, rain pants and waterproof gloves.

Utility Belt

Velcro holster with a Katadyn filter water bottle

Point and shoot camera w/plastic sealable bag

Iridium 9575 Sat Phone in waterproof bag

Utility pouch for chap stick, water tablets, camera batteries, aspirin and ibuprofen, sunblock, folding knife etc.

Cargo Shorts with lots of zippered pockets

Mountain Hardwear polypro shirt with zipper pocket

Salomon XA Pro 3D Ultra 2 Trail-Running shoes
Black Diamond Trekking Poles