An obscure peak in the High Sierra preserves the legacy of a beloved ranger and beckons more to its granite summit. Author: Eric Blehm Publish date: Jul 10, 2019 Updated on Jul 10, 2019 We were on a cross-country route, ascending a gentle gully, when Rick Sanger—or “Ranger Rick,” as he was known for nearly two decades in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks—bolted past me in a full sprint. His elbows were pumping, his boots were kicking up gravel, and the hiking pole in his right hand was pointed skyward, gripped in the manner that one might wield a sword while charging an enemy—or hightailing it away from one. Startled, I glanced over my shoulder to see if I should be running too. But there was nothing behind us with claws or fangs, only granite and a few old burled snags, their haunting but harmless limbs reaching up into the lingering edge of an afternoon thunderstorm. I turned to face uphill again and watched as Rick, in full … [Read more...] about Ranger Randy Morgenson’s Epitaph in the Sky
Moving forward in life quotes
What the %&* Is Midburn? A Review of Israel’s Regional Burn • Alex in Wanderland
No man can live this life unchanged. He will carry the imprint of the desert, the brand which marks the nomad; and he will have within him the yearning to return. For this cruel land can cast a spell which no temperate clime can match. — Wilfred Thesiger Axwell blasted through my tinny iPhone speaker on repeat, my long drive through the Israeli desert soundtracked by the one song that had loaded before I’d lost service driving out of Tel Aviv. I rolled down the windows and sang along at the top of my lungs, eager to hype myself up for the self-imposed challenge that lay ahead: five days solo at a festival I’ve never attended, at which I knew no one, in a country I’d never been to and didn’t speak the language of. It had been a while since I’d really pushed myself this far out of my comfort zone. This entire six week trip to Kuwait, Egypt and Israel had been about challenging myself. So why not finish it with a bang and do something that truly kind of … [Read more...] about What the %&* Is Midburn? A Review of Israel’s Regional Burn • Alex in Wanderland
On the outside looking in: A US American in Vietnam
I have spent over 40 percent of my adult life outside of my home country, never content with having my soul controlled by geography, to paraphrase George Santayana. I carry a U.S. passport but it doesn’t define me. I am a U.S. ex-patriot and global citizen who calls Vietnam home. It was during my first visit to Hanoi 23 years ago this month that this country - with its tragic yet inspirational millennia-long history - cast its spell on me. After moving here in 2005, I joined a select group of expats – an estimated 100,000 of them, according to official sources - who live in the midst of 97 million Vietnamese. Love us, love us not As a foreigner, I am one of those strange creatures from a distant planet, walking enigmas who evoke a panoply of emotions, ranging from interest and curiosity to indifference, contempt, and fear. As outsiders, we are sources of income, role models, fonts of wisdom, bearers of all things good, easy marks, and importers of evil … [Read more...] about On the outside looking in: A US American in Vietnam
Kurtenbach: The quotes that defined the Raiders in 2018
By Dieter Kurtenbach | [email protected] | Bay Area News GroupPUBLISHED: December 31, 2018 at 2:05 pm | UPDATED: January 1, 2019 at 5:48 am The Raiders’ 2018 season is mercifully over, but in taking stock of everything that went wrong for the Silver and Black the last calendar year, it struck me on just how quotable this team — well, one guy — was. The jury is still out on if Jon Gruden can coach in the NFL, but there’s no doubt that he helps create good copy. The man is a golden quote machine. If he ever wanted to go into broadcasting, I bet he could get paid a bunch… So I’ll let Gruden’s own words tell the story of his team. Well, sort of: “I want to give them two of the best years of football that I can possibly help deliver.” — Jon Gruden No one can say where the Raiders will play in 2019, but given the team’s trajectory in Gruden’s first year, it’s hard to imagine that the Raiders are … [Read more...] about Kurtenbach: The quotes that defined the Raiders in 2018
Colorado baker back in court over 2nd LGBT bias allegation
Colleen Slevin, Associated Press Updated 5:36 pm CST, Tuesday, December 18, 2018 FILE - In this Monday, June 4, 2018, file photograph, baker Jack Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, manages his shop after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that he could refuse to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple because of his religious beliefs did not violate Colorado's anti-discrimination law in Lakewood, Colo. Attorneys for Philliups are in federal court in Denver Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018, to seek to overturn a Colorado Civil Rights Commission ruling that the baker discriminated against a transgender person by refusing to make a cake to mark the person's transition from male to female. less FILE - In this Monday, June 4, 2018, file photograph, baker Jack Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, manages his shop after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that he could refuse to make a wedding cake for a ... more Photo: David … [Read more...] about Colorado baker back in court over 2nd LGBT bias allegation