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| Natural formation of Buddha in Washington, complete with topknot (Thayne Tuason/flickr) |
What every hiker needs to carry at all times
Survivalist Christopher Nyerges
Too many folks these days are getting lost or hurt in their local hills, particularly in Los Angeles. Here is a solution.
We go into nature to enjoy the natural world, perhaps in search of solitude and quiet, to meditate, for renewal. Most of us expect to get back safely. That doesn’t always happen for reasons ranging from unexpected weather, accidents, and
unanticipated terrain.
Never go hiking and exploring in the local mountains and deserts without some very basic preparations.
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| The Self-Sufficient Home |
Make a plan and an itinerary. Be sure to tell someone where and when you go and when you intend to return.
If
traveling by car carry extra water, as well as a blanket, snacks, some way to make a fire. Have a map of the
area handy [realizing that GPS and cell reception will likely be poor to nonexistent]. Be sure to carry road flares and
jumper cables, a simple tool kit, which are actually things everyone should carry at
all times.
When hiking -- even a short day hike --
there are certain items to always pack. Keep in mind that knowledge and experience are as
valuable as any “stuff” one might carry. Carry a bare minimum of one quart
of water. On a hot day, that will be used up quickly. More
- Author of How to Survive Anywhere, Nyerges does a weekly podcast for Preparedness Radio Network and blogs at ChristopherNyerges.com. Write for a schedule of his classes: School of Self-Reliance, P.O. Box 41834, Eagle Rock, CA 90041
Wisdom Quarterly edit of Wikipedia entry Hahamongna
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| First the invaders then the settlers then JPL |
Hahamongna is a historic Tongva (Los Angeles' original Native American inhabitants, aka Gabrieleño) settlement in the Verdugo Mountains of Southern California, named after the local Tongva band's name, in present-day Pasadena and Glendale in L.A. County.
Hahamog-na - Arroyo Seco
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| Native land is now home to JPL secrets (SZT) |
A well-studied and related location named Hahamog-na is a Tongva village archeological site located in the upper Arroyo Seco just above Devil's Gate in a present day area of Altadena/Pasadena that serves the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It is in a canyon-valley on the lower slopes at the convergence of the eastern Verdugo Mountains, southern San Gabriel Mountains (Sierra Madre range), and western San Rafael Hills.
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| Nyerges picks sage in Hahamongna (LAT) |
The Hahamog-na site is now within a protected natural area called Hahamongna Watershed Park, a 1,400-acre (5.7 km2) habitat in the northern L.A. foothills blending freshwater marsh wetlands, riparian zones, native oak woodlands, and chaparral elfin forests. The Tongva settlement later became a rancheria as part of the large 1834 Mexican land grant of Rancho San Pascual, issued by Alta California Governor José Figueroa to Juan Maríne and Eulalia Pérez de Guillén Mariné. More
Environmentalist saves Hahamongna Watershed Park
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| Californian foothills look Himalayan |
Hugh Bowles has been fighting to protect Hahamongna Watershed Park
since the city [of Pasadena] first decided to hold a mountain bike racing event there
in 1996. Back then, Bowles and his contingent of fellow
concerned citizens unsuccessfully sued the city to stop the event, but [they]
were successful in getting a stipulation that a similar event would
never be held in the park. “We didn’t win, but we got that stipulation,”
Bowles said. Recently, Bowles won another battle, this time after
the city backed away from controversial plans to use a $1-million state
grant to build Sycamore Grove Field, a soccer field, in the park. “What
they are doing now is redirecting the $1-million grant to spend the
money at John Muir High School. They could always find some other avenue
to bring it back to Hahamongna, but it seems unlikely. We definitely
won on the grant. That is a victory.” Environmentalists like
Bowles want the 1,300-acre park -- located between Altadena and Pasadena
in the Upper Arroyo Seco ["dry riverbed"], providing access to mountain trails in La
Cañada Flintridge and US Forest Service property -- to remain in its
natural state. More
Saving Dolphins: Beyond the Water's Edge
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| "That was a close call, Flippy!" |
Once in a while, something really cool happens. And when good
things occur, we need to recognize, celebrate and reinforce them. The cause for celebration this time? On
March 8, all 12 voting members of the California Coastal Commission
rejected the US Navy’s plan for an increased use of high-intensity sonar
and underwater explosives for training exercises off the coasts of Los
Angeles, Orange, and San Diego counties. The reason for the commission’s rejection of the Navy’s plan? The
increased use of such sonar and underwater explosions will further
threaten the lives of whales and other marine mammals, many of which are
already endangered due to whaling and other human activities. The
California Coastal Commission was created by a voter initiative in 1972
(Proposition 20), and it was later made permanent by the state
Legislature’s adoption of the California Coastal Act of 1976. Citizens
at the time were rightfully alarmed that private development was cutting
off the public’s access to the 1,100 miles of California’s magnificent
coastline, and so they acted. The mission of the Coastal Commission,
according to its Web site, is to “Protect, conserve, restore and enhance
environmental and human-based resources of the California coast and
ocean for environmentally sustainable and prudent use by current and
future generations.” More
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| Below LA's foothills are beautiful beaches like those in Sri Lanka below Himalayas (IFB) |
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