Ear to the Ground: June / July 2015
Outdoor News and Notes for the California Region
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Category: Issue 85
Editor’s Note: A Summer of Possibilities
A few years ago I participated in a weekend seminar called the Landmark Forum. Standing in front of a room of about one hundred total strangers I was describing what my life would look like if I achieved my potential. Speaking into a microphone, I was tasked with sharing a mission statement for my life.
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EPiC: California FarmLink
It’s an alarming yet well-known statistic in the world of agriculture that the average age of the American small farmer is 58. As our farmers retire, will there be younger farmers coming in to replace them? In many cases, offspring and heirs have moved from the farm and are not interested in returning. The next generation of beginning and aspiring farmers, many of them first-timers, face big obstacles to getting started and succeeding as farmers. The top two are lack of access to land and lack of access to capital.
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Paddle Yosemite
Recently a select group of Yosemite visitors soaked in views of Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, El Capitan and every other stately Yosemite Valley landmark. This sightseeing tour happened without setting foot on a trail or driving a car, and no, they weren’t looking at Google Earth either. They were floating down the Merced River in kayaks and rafts. I was honored to be among them, and now that the rules have changed, you can do it too.
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Taking it to the River
If flatwater stand up paddling isn’t providing the thrill it once did, take it to the river and test your finesse with downriver SUP. Before jumping in over your head, know that river SUP is a potentially serious undertaking because the water can be relentless and overwhelming.
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The Dirty Sanchez
I rolled the front tire of my mountain bike to the lip of the jump. Staring down at the edge where the dirt fell away, my eyes crossed over the deep divide to the landing. It was built up with massive logs that I envisioned my body crashing against if I failed to clear the gap. My heart raced. After retreating down the takeoff, I rode past the jump without hitting it. Continuing down the trail I was met with another jump, this one with a landing formed out of jagged boulders.
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Follow Your Passion – You Can Race, Too!
1. Believe in Yourself First and foremost, you have to believe that you will succeed. Learn to silence the doubtful voices in your head and focus on believing 100% that you can do it!
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Angels on the PCT
Though hundreds of hikers per year attempt the 2,600-mile Pacific Crest Trail, my cousin Zach Padlo and I hit the wall around mile 26. We weren’t rookies but the first days are always tough when starting at high elevation, like 9,624-foot Sonora Pass.
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A Tale of Two Paddles
I wanted to quit. It wouldn’t be the first time and most certainly not the last. By this point in the 1996 Catalina Classic Paddleboard Race, nearly 15 of the starting field of 64 paddlers had already given in to the channel’s merciless conditions. In the end, only 38 paddlers would finish the race. The wind, the waves, the ripping southerly current, and the unseasonably cold water…it was all just miserable. I had been paddling for over five hours and had only covered about 20 of the 32 race miles. I was in a cold-water hell.
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Below The Tahoe Rim Trail
The Tahoe Rim Trail is a 165-mile loop around Lake Tahoe. It traverses the side of lofty mountains, and meanders along ridgelines high above Lake Tahoe. It passes by sparkling mountain lakes and saunters through deep forests of red fir and western white pine. It’s well worth the two weeks it takes to hike it. But wouldn’t it be cool to hike a 72-mile version instead?
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