Dan White

Here is my field sketch of a juvenile American black bear in repose. I have had mostly positive experiences (so far) with California’s robust black bear population. Although they seem very peaceable, like overstuffed labrador retrievers, they are truly wild and should not be trifled with. (they can hook-climb a tall tree in a matter of seconds, and can run much faster than any human in the short distance.) Don’t ever try to sneak up on one of them, as I once did in a moment of sheer youthful idiocy. And whatever you do, don’t feed them or bring camp food, or smelly deoderants or toothpaste, into your tent with you. I’ve heard of many cases in which bears have ripped down tents — and in one case, sat right on top of a sleeping backpacker — to get to the vittles. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

This is my field sketch of a pika, a creature familiar to alpine backpackers. If you’ve walked above tree line, you’ve probably heard their strange “ook-ook” vocalizations. Pikas have different squeaks for different occasions (distress squeaks, angry squeaks, etc.) They even have their own Facebook-like system for letting other pikas know if they are dating, interested or available. According to Allan Schoenherr’s book, “A Natural History of California,” pikas will make certain vocalizations to lure other pikas into mating with them — but they will also make “wailing calls” to signal the end of a courtship. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

This just in. I will be teaching a writing class and leading a nature walk in an event sponsored by Bookshop Santa Cruz this spring. Bookshop has decided to set this nature walk and discussion in a cool and misty redwood forest instead of a forbidding desert. There are 30 spaces for this, so shoot me an email if you are interested, and I will forward it to the event organizer. It is tentatively scheduled for May. Don’t worry; I will take a head count before and after the nature walk. (It won’t be like Open Water, where the scuba-diving couple gets left in the ocean.)I will have more specific informmation in the coming months. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

I’m on the fence about these newfangled eat-them-straight-out-of-the-pouch backpacking foods. I’m talking about those pre-cooked slabs of salty lemon-and-pepper tuna, mushy lentils, squishy soups and gloopy curries that smell like fungus. Sure, they’re convenient, and they are -stable. Eat them now, or eat them in 350 years, and you will notice no difference in mouthfeel, taste or quality. They also preclude the need to carry a stove into the woods. But the new MRE’s have a couple of slight drawbacks. For one, the “food” looks and smells vomitous. For another, the contents of these pouches are so pressurized that they sometimes explode in my backpack. During my trip to the Southeastern backwoods, a pouch of pumpkin curry self-detonated all over my mess kit, tool pouch, Maglight and sleeping bag. I was able to remove the larger pumpkin chunks, but even now, my backpack has an unbearable stench that attracts varmints,…

I love to take day-hikes and backpacking trips when I can, but lately most of my hiking takes place through the streets of my new hometown. I almost always see crazy things during my strolls through Golden Gate Park, where I often head to the bison enclosure and back again. This weekend, I was on the eastern edge of the park when I saw a young man and young woman, both with robes and dreadlocks and standing very close to each other. They were leaning forward but not quite touching. When I got closer, I saw that the woman had an enormous spliff in her hand, and the man was trying to light it. Neither one of them had matches. Instead, he was trying to fire up the joint by holding a thick magnifying glass to the sun and focusing the beam of yellow light onto the rolling paper. “It’s…

I am not one to advocate hitchhiking — it’s one of those ‘try at your own risk’ kinds of things, and in some cases it can be very dangerous — but I will admit that I’ve hitchhiked many dozens of times, with no bad experiences at all. Sometimes, unless you’ve planned a pick-up, or are hiking a loop, it is almost impossible to avoid hitching. I’ve hitched in California, Oregon, Washington, Kentucky (to no avail) and in Mexico. In fact, the biggest challenge I’ve faced is the fact that people were usually too scared to give me a ride because I used to have a very large, curly, red scungy beard and smelled really bad. In my experience, it’s easier to get a ride …1. if you are hitch-hiking with your girlfriend and not all by yourself. (People might think you are psycho if you are hitch-hiking by yourself. And…

I am resolutely anti-vandalism but I do think that this bit of improvised graffiti, on the Southern California P.C.T., is pretty hilarious. (I don’t know if the sign is still there — this was a while back!) http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

I just wanted to point out that my reading at the Steinbeck Center at San Jose State has been changed to Tuesday, September 30, 730 p.m. (see list of events below.) It will be on the fifth floor of the Martin Luther King Jr. Library. Snacks and wine will be served. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

The other day, I went on a twilight run through mountain lion territory. It was scary! Every time I heard something stalking around in the bushes, I thought a puma was going to leap out and bite me in half. It always turned out to be a quail, a woodrat or a sparrow, but still. From now on, I will remember these words of wisdom every time I’m walking through cougar territory: 1. Always hike in a group. The mountain lion will only eat your slow-moving, chubby friends and leave you alone.2. If you see a mountain lion, stand on your tip-toes and stretch your arms high in the air to make yourself look larger. That way, the mountain lion will think there’s more to eat. 3. If you see a mountain lion, make as much noise as possible! That way, every cougar in the forest will know where you…

I just had a great conversation on KFOG about The Cactus Eaters and living in the backcountry. Many thanks to the listeners who called in or emailed questions during the broadcast. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default