James Hetfield's new metal project

Interesting article in the Marin Independent Journal -- James Hetfield of Metallica fame (or one of his minions) has erected a fence barrier blocking access at Terra Linda/Sleepy Hollow Divide Open Space Preserve, in San Rafael.

http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_10233894

If my memory is correct, this is the boundary (photo from 2002).

Here's the write-up I did about this preserve:
http://www.bahiker.com/northbayhikes/tlshdnorth.html

Honestly, this sort of behavior sounds more like Lars than James....

Upcoming construction on Mount Davidson

Mount Davidson is my favorite easy city escape. Most people know the peak for its distinctive large white cross and SF views, but for me it is a little nature oasis in the middle of this busy city. On our frequent family hikes around the mountain we see hawks, hummingbirds, and many songbirds. A few times I've spotted banana slugs and garter snakes and heard a great horned owl. One year the blackberry bushes provided enough sweet fruit to make blackberry jelly as family Christmas gifts.

Much to my dismay, the mountain is about to be torn asunder by a water pipeline project. Starting on August 18, several of the mountain's most scenic and heavily used trails will be closed, including the ascending paths from La Bica and the bus stop. The project looks to climb from the bus stop to the viewpoint, then drop back down through the woods to exit at La Bica. I am thankful that this project may spare the "native treasures" trail on the north slope of the mountain, but large swaths of forest are tagged and destined to be mangled, and it appears that the graceful eucalyptus near the lower viewpoint will be cut down. Ah, the price of progress and clean water.

What pockets of "everyday" bay area nature have you lost?

Bears, again

Local hikers have allegedly spotted a bear in the bay area: read Tom Stienstra's article here: http://tinyurl.com/5c542a

"The stunning encounter took place in Rancho San Antonio, located near the border of Los Altos Hills and Cupertino. The hikers, a senior couple, said they saw the bear cross the Rogue Valley Trail, about a third of a mile east of the park's pond, according to Bob Power and Mino Freund, who reported the episode.

This is one of the park's most popular trails for hiking and jogging. The sighting took place at about 7 p.m., Freund said."

The last bear sightings, in 2003, occurred in Marin County, on Mount Tamalpais and Point Reyes. I was always a bit dubious about the Tam sightings, but the Point Reyes sighting seemed legit. This time around I am even more skeptical; the closest bear population to Los Altos is most likely waaaaay south (maybe Monterey County?) and from there to Los Altos is a great distance for a bear to travel. But it seems the sighting would be easy to prove or disprove -- hire a tracker and have him search for tracks. I wonder if there are any amateur trackers out at Rancho right now, combing the chaparral....

"The Cactus Eaters" by Dan White

Tom Managan mentioned "The Cactus Eaters" on his blog recently and I had to have it. I love trail memoirs but am often disappointed by them. Many seem to follow a boilerplate: naive hiker sets out, gets blisters, feels discouraged, pack is too heavy, things get better, bear, weird trail characters, rain, enlightening moment, endorphins, ice cream, hurray here's the end of the trail. One book that really rose above the genre is the late great Colin Fletcher's "The Thousand Mile Summer," published in 1964. Dan White's memoir doesn't equal Fletcher's, but it's quite good.

I think the secret to a successful memoir is simple: honesty. When writers dodge the dark nasty secrets at the pit of their souls the books don't work. A memoir should not serve to make the author look noble or superior. You have to strip all the bullshit away and tell the truth, even if it makes you look bad. And Dan White's book feels very true.

White set off to hike the Pacific Crest Trail with his girlfriend. Both were unprepared and overburdened with stuff in every sense of the word. "Cactus Eaters" chronicles White's physical and mental journeys in a style that is never just for laughs, although it would have been easy to go that route (like Bill Bryson's "Walk in the Woods"). I enjoyed reading White's descriptions of hiking and camping, as well as trail and town characters, but my favorite part was following White's struggle with himself. The subtitle of the book is: "How I lost my mind and almost found myself on the Pacific Crest Trail," and it's a compelling trip.

I don't want to spoil the story for anyone by revealing the ending, but I will say that the very last 2 pages of the book gave me the chills. White gives closure to his journey in a beautiful haunting way that brought to mind one of the final shots in Nicholas Roeg's 1971 movie "Walkabout," where a young woman daydreams about an incredible journey, knowing it's an experience she will never have again.

I highly recommend "Cactus Eaters" to backpackers, hikers, and folks who like a good outdoor memoir.

Dan White's website: http://www.cactuseaters.blogspot.com/

Bird books and more bird books

I've been browsing the selection of bird guidebooks this morning on Amazon. Yikes, there are so many! I mostly rely on the Kaufman Guide (Field Guide to Birds of North America ISBN 0-618-57423-9), but I can't resist adding some new titles to my library (or at least to my Amazon wishlist). Any suggestions?