Tumblr

hey, so i've once again changed blog sites! I have a tumblr now. I like the way it displays my photographs and the interface is easier to use. here it is.

http://scomassed.tumblr.com/

Back East

First off, I apologize to all those who check up on me to find that I have not updated the blog.

After a long cross country trip I have made it back to Vermont safe and sound. It does feel nice to back at my typical wintering grounds of Vermont. Since arriving back home I have worked a little here and there and visited friends but as usual I can already feel my feet beginning to itch. The holidays are over so my main drive at this point is to make decisions about this coming year. The main consideration is wether to stay East for this summer (to work and make bank) or to return to my car, which is currently in Bouler, CO. Sooo in the mean time I ponder; and I polish my resume.

New photos from the trip are up on the Flickr!

Howdy

The word "howdy", as a greeting, has invaded my vocabulary. I wonder why....

Perhaps it is because I live in the true wild west.

Camping Out

Camping at the Red Rock Fire Area

My past few weeks of work have been quite camping intensive and I don't see much changing in the coming weeks seeing as our field season is now in full swing. A lot of the projects we work on out here, as the BLM botany team, require us to drive deep into our 5 million acre district to accomplish our tasks. Here, I'll give you the lowdown on a few of our most recent projects.

Three weeks ago we were in the Red Rock Fire area, where we so often find ourselves working on various projects. This time we were occupied with the monitoring of vegetation communities. after the fire in 2009 at Red Rock, the team at that time had set up four transect monitoring plots to be read for three years in succession to gain a perspective for how the vegetation recovers after a fire event, so it was our job to take year two data. We showed up to the first plot with a small team of five and managed to read/ gather all of the necessary data in three days time... This was a tough plot since the transect lines crossed a riparian zone (where the plant community composition changes drastically, making it a long task when you need to key out all of the unknown plants) and crossed over from the burned area to the non-burned sagebrush zone (more plants). Luckily, for us botanists doing all the reading, the last three plots were less diverse and we had our entire team of ten out to lend a hand, effectively completing the rest of the plots.

Last week we spent a total of three nights camping out in the Mono Lake basin, east of the sierras, to collect native seed material. As an intern for the CLM we are working in partnership with the Seeds of Success program, where it is our mission to collect native plant seed in remote locations for the use of fire restoration and to gather the genetic material for long term storage. This last seed collecting trip turned out to be more of a vacation than actual work. We were camped out by lakes for each of the three nights so after our long ten hour day of looking at flowers and gathering seed, we were able to go for a refreshing swim in the cool waters of the high sierran lakes.

Up Lundy Canyon

Yellow star

Eriogonum umbellatum. Beautiful, but not ready to collect

Recent Realizations

6 months today I left Keene NH to embark on a winter driving journey that would take me through Boston, Michigan, Omaha, Boulder CO, Salt Lake City, and all of those miles in between.
...
I was going to analyze this statement using phrases like "big steps from the nest" and "widening vision" but I just now realized I simply wanted to share some photos with you all, the folks who follow this here blog.

native thistle plant at our monitoring site

mimulus sp.

breakfast in carson

look how big! not the most up-to-date photo but it will suffice in the meantime

I keep working and the seasons keep changing.

Looking Back: Sequoia

Being back out alone on the trail this past weekend up around Lake Tahoe had me thinking to this past fall when I solo backpacked for 5 days in Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park. It was much easier then, it seemed right to be out in the wild lands with only myself to keep the company. Here are some excerpts from my journal.

Wednesday October 27th 2010

After two days of thick fog hindering my view, I am finally laying my eyes upon the beautifully glaciated peaks of the Sierras. So ridged at the peaks and so smooth throughout, carved by years of glacial action, deep bowls, long arroyos as if created by man for his own recreation but this glory is unmatched by the hand of man. the trees scattered throughout give way to the path of ice and water, although no glaciers are present you can see their work. Light snow is dusted on the highest peaks, giving this range more depth

After hiking just 2 miles i set up camp in the Lone Pine Creek drainage. The site is near the river with good access thanks to the CCC and the remains of their bridge. Up river is a large cascading waterfall and looking downriver reveals glaciated peaks and rounded buttes reminiscent of El Capitan and Half Dome of Yosemite. After setting camp I walked up for the sunlight to read in. the sun faded and the colors danced upon the rounded summits.

Thursday October 28th 2010

After five miles of switchbacks and an early start from my base camp I have reached Precipice Lake at about mid-day. the water is crystal clear to an unknown depth and thre is a gradient of color starting at the edge with orange-red that cools into a deep aqua blue. the noontime sunlight only reaches half of the lake (thankfully my side) leaving the sheer cliff that plummets straight into the water covered in ice and snow. Above the cliff are patches of snow at the base of Eagle Scout Peak that seem as though they may never have felt the strength of direct sunlight.

As I sit here gazing at the wall in front of me I am wondering where it was that Ansel Adams stood as he expose his photograph of this lake.

I toss a stone. It makes a sound just like I had expected it to, that of a typical pebble piercing the surface of a lake. After laying down by the water I am convinced that I hear approaching voices and the snapping of their poles. I then agree with myself that it is simply the many voices of the babbling water as it flows down to the other lakes. 3 days and still no others.

These entries capture my initial encounter with the sierras in all their beauty. I am glad to still have access to their enchantment.

Bishop Bouldering

The Buttermilks main boulder field by night

Last weekend was memorial day weekend so after talking with my buddy Mike, from Vermont, aslo living in the area, we decided to travel a few hours south into warmer desert temperatures so that we might escape this oddly cold/ snowy weather that has plagued us these past weeks. Apart from the enticing change in climate, Bishop California is known for it's amazing bouldering fields. For those of you that may not know, bouldering is a style of rock climbing that involves very little gear and minimal risk as long as you stay within your own limits. Basically free climbing around on large rocks, not to gain altitude, but to test your balance and strength. This was my initial understanding of the activity but I later realized it is more involved than I had imagined.

The two of us drove four hours south to the town of bishop, which rests in a large valley between the eastern front of the Sierras and the western edge of the White Mountains. It's an odd feeling when you drive into town as the lanscape changes from low sagebrush plains into fully leafed deciduous trees. After a short stop at the local, delicious Eric Shatz's bakery for lunch we headed to the climbing store to rent a crash pad. Since climbing shoes are made to fit a size smaller than your shoe and are quite uncomfortable, the crash pad comes in handy when dropping off the rocks from considerable heights. While at the shop and asking about camping in the area we came to find out that a wild fire swept through one of the climbing areas a day before and may not be open to camping. Apparently some climbers were out camping by the rocks and neglected to smother their fire coals completely. The fire didn't start until one in the afternoon that next day when the strong winds unearthed the still red coals, ignited them, and sent them tumbling into the sage brush. Fires can be a gamble in such a dry environment.

On our way up to the Buttermilks boulder field we drove through the blackened fire area, which was fully under control thanks to the dozens of wildland fire fighters by the time we got there. We found the main boulder field, climbed some rocks and set camp without a fire that night.

Mike

And I

We continued to climb on rocks and exhaust our bodies for the next three days. On the third day I came to the understanding that bouldering is just as much a mental test as it is physical. On day three I hit a barrier where I would climb this one particular line and get to a point where I know, physically, I can reach the next hold but it was as if my mind was giving up before my body, saying "nope, that's not gonna happen". It was quite frustrating after trying to top out onto that boulder over a dozen times. I quickly began to see how much the mind plays a role in ones ability to complete a smooth effortless ascent.