Desert Survival: Eating Cattails in Winter

I've heard it said that cattails are one of the most important plants for people in the wild to know. They signify that water is present, provide a great fire starter, make a good shelter, and even can be eaten. My husband knew where some were on the ranch, so he went out and collected some tubers and brought them back. They didn't exactly look like I thought they would:

I tried eating it and found it a little starchy without much taste. It wouldn't be great, but I guess if I were starving, I'd be willing to dig some up.

 Above is a view of the tuber spread out. It's kind of stringy, not so much like a potato, which is what I expected.

A few days later I decided I wanted to go see the cattails and try some other survival things with them, such as making cord and possibly making shelter. Desert Boy led us to them. Again, I was surprised by what I saw.

 
The cattails had been eaten by the cows and deer and were only knee high! I had to readjust my expectations.
 
Nevertheless, I was able to make a little cord. I need to practice more, and it would be fun to try to weave several strands together to make a stronger rope.

 We'll be back in the spring and summer and give the cattails another try. Still, I'm glad we went so that I know what they look like in winter!

The Great Christmas Tree Hunt

 We've had a very dry November, which means that we can still drive high into the mountains. With that thought in mind, we decided to get a white fir Christmas tree this year. They grow at higher elevations than the pinyon trees we usually get, but with the snow level above 9,000 feet, it wouldn't be  hard to reach them.

It was a really windy day, but we didn't have the rain (or snow) that California and western Nevada were getting. So we kept going up, up, up in the mountains till we saw lots and lots of white firs (Abies concolor). White firs often crowd out aspen trees, so cutting them down can help the health of aspen stands. Probably our one tree didn't do that much good, but it's nice to know that we're potentially providing a little ecosystem service. 

 We conveniently found our white fir along the side of the road. No--Henry isn't peeing on it, he's peeing on the next little white fir!

 Desert Boy agreed to pose next to it before he and his Dad cut it down.

 Meanwhile I walked up the road and saw a few ominous clouds. We would really like some moisture-- it's kind of dry around here, even for a desert!

 Desert Girl was not enjoying all the wind.

 But a few words and she was smiling.

 Timber!!!

 My husband was very happy that we found an easy tree to get. I told him I was okay with going up the road and checking out every single tree, but he said he was fine with this one.

The Christmas tree I remember most as a kid was when we went out to the tree farm close to Christmas. All the normal trees had been cut, so we wandered around until we found one of the strangest, most unloved trees. We declared it ours, and took our Charlie Brown Christmas tree home. It looked weird, but we all liked it.

 Desert Girl helped me tag it. We paid $4 for the Christmas tree tag.

 Ready to take it home!

 Fortunately we have a truck now, so we don't have to cram it into the van like last year. I'm still finding needles from last year's tree!

Then it was time to decorate, which the kids loved. One of the benefits of a white fir is that it is not as pokey as pinyon pines, so it's a lot kinder to the hands for decorating. The ornaments are spaced in clumps right now, but we all think it's the perfect tree!

A Quick Hike

 A couple weeks ago I was really worried that all the fall colors would disappear rapidly (as they do some years), so I dragged the kids up into the mountains to go for a little hike. The vibrant rabbitbrush along the way caught my attention. Most years I am allergic to it, but for some reason this year it hasn't bothered me. (Ragweed, however, is another story.)

 We stopped at Mather Overlook, but I had a hard time getting the photo I wanted. The sky was overcast and kind of blah, but there were nice colors scattered all around.

 As we continued higher, I just got more excited by the colors. I stopped, hopped out, and looked for scenic vistas to capture to remember of all the color when we soon enter the monochrome season of winter. My kids weren't nearly as impressed. Someday they will be.

 The sun peeked from behind the clouds to dust these aspens with a few rays as we drove by.

 I was grateful that hardly anyone else was on the road, as I kept stopping to take more photos!

 This dead limber pine is one of my favorite trees in Great Basin National Park. It's just past the Wheeler Peak summit trailhead.

 Finally we reached the parking lot and got out. You can see how excited my kids were. Desert Girl was really tired, so I knew there was no point in even trying to get her to hike. Instead, I put her in the stroller.

 Soon Desert Boy was feeling better.

 Even Desert Girl managed a hint of a smile.

 This aspen tree is part of the reason I wanted to go up there. I love how it curves.

 Desert Boy even helped me with a smile.

 We decided we had enough energy for  a walk through the campground.

 But first I had to run and get a different camera battery and couldn't resist a photo of the trail to the amphitheatre.

 It was so incredibly beautiful that I wanted to dawdle and spend as much time as possible. However, it was a little on the chilly side.

 I tried experimenting with more creative compositions. I figure if I take enough photos eventually I'll end up with something good. I need to learn to be a little more aggressive with the delete button on the computer so I don't fill up the hard drive too fast.

 Desert Boy really enjoyed pushing his sister, and she was content. She just let her feet, encased in cowboy boots, dangle, as it was too much work to put them on the footrest.

This has to be one of the prettiest campsites anywhere. We're going to have to try to stay there--next summer! I'm not too eager for camping in freezing conditions!

A Symphony of Aspens

 I've been fortunate to have had the opportunity to hike a lot this autumn, and the brilliant quaking aspens have been breathtaking. This tree, the most widespread in North America, has a magical quality about it that makes me feel like a smiling kid. The scientific name is Populus tremuloides, roughly translated as trembling aspen. The flattened petiole (the portion that attaches the leaf to the twig) allows the leaves to move quite freely, making a wonderful sound as wind passes through the tree. I could listen to the dancing leaves all day.

 Aspens usually turn yellow, but sometimes they turn orange or red. Most aspens don't grow by seed, but rather by a root system that sends new shoots up close by. These shoots are actually clones, and each group of clones turns color at the same time. In the fall, you can sometimes spot the different clones just by the color changes. Those clones can get quite old--the oldest one, Pando, growing on about 100 acres in Utah, is estimated to be 80,000 years old!

  Even better than hiking in aspen is hiking in aspen with a light cover of snow on the ground!

 I really enjoy finding oddly-shaped aspen trees. I wonder what happened to them to make them grow in that manner.

 This stand is absolutely gorgeous, but really hard to photograph. A whole hillside looks like it's on fire.

 Some of the colors of aspen leaves.

 I need to camp here some day.

I think I'm ready to head back outside!