Your Most Important Gear for a Hike

(This is a post sponsored by The Clymb. Although I am being compensated for this post, all ideas and content are my own.)

What's your most important piece of gear you take with you or wear when you take a hike? Take a minute and think about your priorities. (Are you really taking a minute? How about 15 seconds? Okay, maybe just 5?) What hiking gear or clothing can't you leave behind? What is the deal breaker for you, something that if you don't have, you simply won't go out hiking?

Although I usually grab my backpack, water bottle, chapstick, camera, and sunglasses, I would have to say that I wouldn't even be going for a hike unless I had something for my feet. Long ago, I could go about anywhere barefoot. Summertime included the ritual of stubbing my toe at the public swimming pool, to which I walked barefoot, getting stung by a bee as I ran through a clover patch in the backyard, and not worrying about shoes at all.

Now I'm not so tough. I might tiptoe around the yard occasionally, but I live in the desert, where there are lots of poky, spiny, nasty plants (even around my not-so-well-manicured yard). If I venture further, I definitely need to have some foot protection. And if I want to go for a hike, I want some footwear that's going to be comfortable and keep my feet safe.

I get along well with my hiking boots. In fact, for a very early Fourth of July run, so early that I was clearly not thinking straight, I managed to arrive at the race start without my running shoes. They sat near my front door, forgotten in my early morning daze (some days I wish I drank coffee!). What was I to do? I was wearing flip flops, which clearly wouldn't be appropriate for a trail run. Fortunately I had my hiking boots with me, and they worked just fine for the race. I didn't have any blisters, sore spots, or other problems afterwards. That's when you know you have a really good hiking boot.

Finishing the run in my hiking boots. Photo courtesy of Sharon Conrad.

Maybe you already have your perfect hiking boot. If you don't, or you'd like to grab a deal on a new pair because yours are in imminent danger of wearing out, you might try www.TheClymb.com . This is an online retailer that offers deep discounts. I always like sales, and many of their prices are half off or even more. I couldn't resist and just ordered from them a couple weeks ago. I was so happy when the box with my shoes arrived. I smiled when I saw that the box said that it had been delivered carbon neutral. Why should that matter? Because when I go out hiking, I want to enjoy my outdoors, and when a company is environmentally responsible, that's one step towards a better world for all of us. If you need some hiking boots, or other gear on your top priority hiking list (or for that matter climbing or cycling or yoga gear), check out The Clymb.

Then head outdoors and enjoy a hike!

Ten Minute Pickles

How is your garden doing this summer? Mine is doing okay, although I've figured out a few things I'll change next year. My new drip irrigation system is working well. I have a lot fewer weeds! I just need to put in a couple more tees at the beginning, because the plants at the end of the drip irrigation aren't getting enough water. Before I went on a long weekend trip and my cucumber plant sort of dried up (oops!), I harvested some cucumbers. I had specifically planted cucumbers because I wanted to make pickles.

I have to admit that when I moved out to the desert, I had never made pickles before. For some reason, I thought that when you made pickles, cucumbers shrunk into pickles. I didn't realize that pickles were just made out of small cucumbers. Ay, ay, ay. Live and learn!

Oh well, fast forward to today, when I actually understand that the cucumbers won't shrink when I pickle them. I picked three cucumbers about six inches long and found a recipe for quick pickles. I didn't want to bother with canning them, as that is a rather hot and long process. Fortunately, quite a few ten minute refrigerator pickle recipes exist. The basic process is to heat some vinegar, sugar, and spices in a saucepan, pour them over your cut cucumbers, and put them in the refrigerator. That's easy enough! Here's a great recipe from Rachel Ray. If you have another recipe you like to use, please leave a comment!

Make Your Own Cave

Great Basin National Park has a kids program almost every day at 1:30 (and sometimes on weekends at 9:30), so we decided to go check one out. It was Make Your Own Cave day, and the kids each got to select a box and get some clay to make their cave.

 Ranger Nomi showed the kids how to make the clay into different shapes.

 Desert Girl was very excited to be participating like a big girl. Oh yeah, the glue may have been a huge incentive. She doesn't get to do glue very often because she has a way of making the glue go every where in the house, especially on the carpet.

 Her cave soon started looking really good. Some of the bigger kids added animals to their caves. Each one was unique. Best of all, it kept the kids happily entertained for about 45 minutes!

To find out about the kids programs and other programs offered, check the park website section of ranger programs.  If you click the link under Evening Campground Programs, you can find the schedule for the week. Or you can call the park at 775-234-7331.

Great Basin's Glacier

 We decided to go see how a glacier could survive in the desert and headed up to the high country. It was nice to find some cooler temps, but they weren't as cool as we thought, despite our early start, so we were sweating as we hiked up the Bristlecone Trail in Great Basin National Park. Lots of people passed us on the trail as we had no fewer than four snack breaks on the way to the bristlecones (it's just over a mile to get there).

 After all those snack breaks, the kids were in a good mood and had their hiking groove on. We continued past the bristlecone grove to the Wheeler cirque glacier.

 Soon we had a good view of the rock glacier. The actual glacier is at the headwall, covered with snow and falling rocks (we heard quite a few while we were up there). When I was in Alaska, I was taught that in order to be called a glacier, three conditions had to be met: 1. Ice 2. Moving 3. At least an acre in size. I've hiked up to the headwall previously and can verify that there is ice present (and it's quite slippery!). Being tucked against the north-facing wall has protected it from most of the sun's rays. Here's a view from October 2012:

A couple crevasses show that it is moving (ice cracks when it moves, and a crevasse is simply a fancy name for a crack in the ice).

The third condition, the size, is the one I'm not convinced is met. It's hard to tell because so much of the ice is covered with falling debris, so it's hard to determine what's ice and what's rock. According to Gerald Osborn and Ken Bevis in their 2001 article "Glaciation in the Great Basin of the Western United States," a glacier exists, so until a scientific article proves otherwise, I'm going with it. This makes this glacier the only one in Nevada. Who knew Nevada had a glacier?

I'm much more comfortable talking about the rock glacier, which is the bulk of what fills the cirque. A rock glacier is ice covered with rock, and the rock acts like an insulating blanket, protecting the remaining glacial ice from melting. Various studies have been done over the years, and one of the most recent looks promising to help explain if the rock glacier is active (moving). More on this in a future post (once the data has been verified and published).

You can find an excellent blog post written by a geologist friend with more info about the glacier and rock glacier here. Also, the glacier is covered in Chapter 5 of Great Basin National Park: A Guide to the Park and Surrounding Area and includes additional info, including the strawberry algae that makes the snow a pink color. (Note: pink snow should be classified with yellow snow in the 'do not eat' category.)

 Desert Boy was happy to do a rock star pose for me. Desert Girl had a hard time deciding on her pose.

 The flowers were great as we continued.

 It's such a different looking world being in the cirque. On three sides are mountain walls over a thousand feet higher, and the steep cliff face of Wheeler Peak rises over 2,000 feet from the cirque. It's so barren looking, with so much grey rock. But the many flowers definitely brighten up the place for a month or two each summer.

 We found a patch of snow and the kids had SO much fun playing in it.

 The clouds floated by quickly, letting the sun peek through and illuminate various parts of the cirque.

 Finally I made it to the sign that says "Rock Glacier Elevation 10,800 feet." The trail stops here, so if you want to go any further, you have to figure out your own route. Rocks fell every few minutes, with the crashing sounds echoing in the confined space. A raven flew nearby, squawking and sounding so much louder than at lower elevations.

 The kids were excellent troopers. They had cooled off enough to put on an extra layer, and on the way down Desert Boy decided he was ready to carry his pack. We talked about moraines and how glaciers had pushed rocks around. He thought that was pretty cool.

 He also wanted to check the GPS periodically. Desert Girl mainly wanted to climb and jump.

On the way back through the bristlecone grove we went slower to absorb the ancient trees. They weren't here when the glacier was at its maximum, but they've been growing here for thousands of years. Seeing a tiny strip of a tree alive (like the one above) makes us marvel at the adaptations life can make.

This was a very fun outing. We were not particularly fast, as the terrain is rough, and we started at about 10,000 feet in elevation. To the glacier and back was a bit over four miles. Desert Boy did it all, and Desert Girl did over three miles (and slept the fourth--she was plain tuckered out!). The trail is generally accessible on foot from June through mid-October. It's possible to ski or snowshoe here in the winter and spring, but it would be a long approach from the Upper Lehman Creek Campground, where the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive closes in the winter. Nevertheless, someday I would love to see the  rock glacier covered with thick snow, bringing thoughts of a colder, wetter time period in the Great Basin.

(This post includes an affiliate link; check out my disclosure policy here.)

National Moth Week

 July 20-28, 2013 is National Moth Week. Doesn't sound too exciting, does it? I wasn't particularly keen on it until I heard a few more of the details.

Turns out this is a huge citizen scientist effort, and there are activities in every state and many countries during the week. Some are geared at collecting moths, while others are fun hikes that might include seeing moths.

From the National Moth Week website:

"Why moths?

• Moths are among the most diverse and successful organisms on earth.
• Scientists estimate there are 150,000 to more than 500,000 moth species.
• Their colors and patterns are either dazzling or so cryptic that they define camouflage. Shapes and sizes span the gamut from as small as a pinhead to as large as an adult’s hand.
• Most moths are nocturnal, and need to be sought at night to be seen – others fly like butterflies during the day.
• Finding moths can be as simple as leaving a porch light on and checking it after dark. Serious moth aficionados use special lights and baits to attract them.

   National Moth Week provides a much-needed spotlight on moths and their ecological importance as well as their incredible biodiversity.  National Moth Week offers everyone, everywhere a unique opportunity to become a Citizen Scientist and contribute scientific data about moths. Numerous organizations around the world have partnered with National Moth Week and are supporting the event. Through partnerships with major online biological data depositories, National Moth Week participants can help map moth distribution and provide needed information on other life history aspects around the globe."

I had a chance to see some really cool moths during the recent Arachnid BioBlitz (post coming soon, some info in the Ely Times). The photos above and below are two that were attracted to a black light and landed on the white sheet next to it.

Then I decided to put up a sheet on the clothesline, attach my black light to it, and see what showed up in my backyard. Within an hour of sunset I saw nine different moths! Now I just submit my photos and I'll find out what they are. For the meantime, here's a glimpse of the moths and my own creative names for them (if you know what any of these are, please leave a note in the comments; I will be trying to figure these out a little more and sure could use some help!):

My technique: shine a black light at a white sheet

Snowy moth (very hairy near mouth)

Nasty clothes eating moth (this is the moth I squish in my house)

Golden-winged moth

Golden-winged moth with eye shine

Black banded moth

Delicate brown moth

Marbled cheesecake moth

Six-spotted moth

Skinny moths and back-striped moth

Here's your challenge: spot a moth (or two or ten) this week and take a close look at it and give it your own name.