Glacier Peak

Missing hiker should be rescued today.

The hiker has been instructed to stay put and rescuers should be able to reach him today, Rochon said. He had food and shelter for the night and was not injured.

Search teams were hoping Wednesday afternoon that the man would quit moving, Rochon said.

"We can find you if you sit still. We can't find a moving target," he said.

The man, 28, apparently lost his map and was navigating using a compass and a global positioning system. He was believed to be at the 7,000-foot level of the volcanic peak, which stands about 10,500 feet in eastern Snohomish County.

Update: He has been found and will walk out.

Ouch !

Hiker attacked by bear in California.

Wardens set a trap for the bear at the spot where the woman, hiking with her two dogs, was attacked Tuesday, and they used hound dogs in their hunt for the animal, said Kevin Brennan , a wildlife biologist with the California Department of Fish and Game.

When the bear is caught, it will be euthanized, he said.

One of the hound dogs used in the search had an altercation with a bear Tuesday night, but it was unknown if it was the same bear that attacked the woman. The dog was not seriously injured and the bear was not captured, Brennan said.

The woman has now undergone 10 hours of surgery at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and is expected to recover, her neighbor told television reporters.

The injured woman was identified by the neighbor as Allena Hansen, 57, who owns property either on or near where the attack took place Tuesday, about four miles north of the town of Piute.

Lets hope she recovers well. It is rare that a bear will attack with dogs present.

Glacier Peak

Clouds On The Summit Of Glacier Peak, originally uploaded by jasonracey.

A hiker set off his emergency beacon on Glacier Peak.

A U.S. Navy helicopter is searching for a man hiking alone who may be in trouble on Glacier Peak.

The man apparently activated an emergency beacon just before 8:30 a.m. today, but the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office isn’t sure whether the activation was deliberate or accidental, Lt. Rodney Rochon said.

“We are responding to this as if it were an intentional activation,” Rochon said.

Hopefully they will find him in the morning.

We Are Number One!

Wind Turbines, originally uploaded by brentdanley.

We are number one in the amount of electricity produced by wind. Tree Hugger

The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) announced today that the USA has overcome Germany as the biggest generator of wind energy electricity in the first half of 2008. This milestone, which was not expected until the end of 2009, comes as a result of the higher average wind speeds in the USA, since Germany is still the leader in installed capacity.

Go, Carpetbagger Go!

He is on fire today. He on McCain like stink on a thru-hiker! You really must read these three posts by the Carpetbagger, Steve Benen. The hardest working man in the blogosphere.

It’s simply breathtaking. When it comes to his signature issue, McCain is little more than a fool. He’s spouting obvious and demonstrable nonsense with the kind of confidence that only comes with abject stupidity.

McCain is certainly entitled to his own opinions, but he’s not entitled to his own reality. We’re well beyond “gaffes” here; we’ve reached the point at which it’s reasonable to wonder if McCain genuinely understands what’s going on around him. This is, by any reasonable measure, the kind of mistake that should ruin his chances of winning the White House.

On CBS changing the interview to make him look less like an idiot.

On balance, McCain’s striking ignorance is clearly more important than CBS News’ journalistic malpractice. But it’s nevertheless hard to know what the network was thinking.

I’d just add that around the same time that McCain was demonstrating scandalous ignorance about U.S. policy in Iraq, and CBS News was covering that ignorance up, McCain’s campaign was whining about the media going easy on Barack Obama. The irony is rich.

He has no decency left.

So, I’ll just say this: John McCain is not an honorable man. Political candidates of strong moral character do not do what John McCain is doing.

Maybe it won’t matter. Perhaps voters aren’t paying enough attention. Maybe just enough Americans will be scared by email smears, Obama’s middle name, and the color of Obama’s skin to tilt the election in the other direction.

But John McCain has no business leading the greatest nation on earth.

Read each of his posts. They are good. McCain is being propped up my his media enablers. If you liked Bush, you will love McCain. He's Bush without the warm fuzzy side.

Infrastructure Good

Nissan is teaming up with the Tennessee Valley Authority to build charging stations for electric cars.

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) - Nissan Motor Co has formed a partnership with Tennessee to study the infrastructure needed to support the roll-out of electric cars starting in 2011, Nissan Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn said on Tuesday.

"We are forming a partnership with the state of Tennessee to promote zero-emission mobility," Ghosn said at the opening of the Japanese automaker's new headquarters in Nashville.

The tie-up will include the Tennessee Valley Authority, a federally controlled utility that ranks as the nation's largest, supplying electricity to residents in seven states.

We use oil mostly for transportation. We need to find a new way to power cars and trucks. Electric batteries and compressed air seem like the best bet. Its going to be an interesting couple of years as the old gas guzzlers are phased out.

Best Sentence Of The Day

Cernig at Newshoggers

Down on the coast, people are battening down the hatches and here in San Antonio Gov. Perry has actually learned from past mistakes, shocking many:

Denali Goes Hybrid

Denali National Park is testing a hybrid diesel electric bus this summer. If it works well they may replace all their buses with hybrids.

Park managers do not allow visitors to drive their personal cars the length of the park road. Visitors board the buses near the park entrance. The 92-mile road, much of it unpaved, is the only way in and out of the nearly 6 million-acre park, home to Mount McKinley, at 20,320 feet the tallest mountain in North America.[...]

The hybrid bus requires as much as 70% less fuel.

"The beauty is when you use less fuel, you emit fewer pollutants," Kladder said.

The hybrid application is perfect for park buses, because just like school buses, they make a lot of stops and starts, Kladder said.

For park managers, it's not all about money. The quieter hybrid motors will enhance the visitor experience.

One big problem with the diesel-engine buses — which drive an average of 1.2 million miles per year — is that they are noisy. They can be heard from afar in the park.

The hybrids are quiet.

"Can you imagine the thrill of moving slowly and silently past a bear nursing its cub or wolf hunting along the road?" said Elwood Lynn, assistant superintendent of operations for Denali.

I hope it works for the park service. With diesel fuel going up and up, there will be bigger demand for this type of bus driving the cost of the buses down. It will make them much more attractive to other transit systems.

Via Backpacker's Ted Alvarez

The Future

Electric cars are probably the we will go. Perhaps the air car. But the US is not planning for the future.
Michael Graham Richard at Tree hugger.

But if the future of transportation really is electric, there could be a problem down the road because there's almost no battery production in North-America as far as we know.

No Need

They say in G A. Georgians are responding to Alabama wanting to move the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.

The nascent attempt by some Alabamians to have the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail moved to their state is more than a little questionable, particularly given what is, apparently, the overriding reason for the effort. According to a Saturday report in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the movers and shakers behind the initiative are undertaking it with "hopes an expansion would lure more young professionals and, consequently, jobs" to the state.

Granted, there are some reasonable arguments for extending the famed 2,175-mile Georgia-to-Maine trail an additional few hundred miles into Alabama. As boosters of the proposal to extend the trail argue, the Appalachian Mountains don't end at the top of Georgia's Springer Mountain, the current end of the trial, but in Alabama.

It's also true that the trail has been a somewhat fluid entity. In 1921, the man behind the trail, Benton Mackaye, laid out a route from the highest point in Maine to the highest point in North Carolina. Four years later, the trail was extended to Georgia's Cohutta Mountain, due west of Springer Mountain, and in 1930, the trail's southern terminus was established at Mount Oglethorpe, 20 miles south of Springer, according to the Atlanta newspaper story. Twenty-eight years later, as a chicken farm encroached on Mount Oglethorpe, the Appalachian Trail's southern endpoint was established at Springer Mountain, where it has remained.

How much do the Georgians really care if they let a chicken farm move the terminus?

Jay Hawking

Lion King encounters weather in Kansas.

Quote Of The Day

Al Gore on the difference between fossil fuels and renewables.

"Here's the difference, when the demand for wind and solar goes up, costs go down. When demand for oil and gas goes up, prices go up."

Via Ezra

Everyone Knows

That the water diversion is the reason the salmon fishery collapsed. Perhaps now we can talk about and address the problem. In most of the articles about the salmon fisheries collapse, the reporters would find several farmers, water department workers, or the wonderful scientists say, to quote saying "nobody knows." A few articles would slip at the end and some old time fisherman would tell how much water had been diverted from the rivers. Now maybe the issue can be addressed in a proper manner.

A federal judge in Fresno affirmed Friday that water diversions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta have jeopardized the existence of California's beleaguered salmon.

It was the latest in a string of rulings ordering state and federal regulators to fix a water system that supplies millions of Californians with water but is all but dysfunctional when it comes to protecting fisheries and the environment.

U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger told the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the California Department of Water Resources to come up with ways to protect salmon and steelhead trout, but declined to order any immediate remedies.

Salmon live a three year life cycle. In 2005 the Bush administration said its OK to divert the water. Three years later total collapse of a billion dollar industry. The Bush administration is a failure in so many areas. Its shameful.

Tennessee Appalachian Trail Conference Tags

This is cool.

A new Tennessee specialty plate that would help support maintenance of the Appalachian Trail is one step closer to reality.

The plate received approval from the Tennessee General Assembly, but supporters now have one year to sell 1,000 of the plates in order to support initial production.

“This will be a major resource generator for years to come and a great benefit to the trail,” said Ed Montgomery, a volunteer with the Tennessee Eastman Hiking and Canoeing Club (TEHCC).

It would be nice if all the states along the trail did this.

Applications and more information on obtaining an Appalachian Trail specialty plate are available at www.appalachiantrail.org/tnlicenseplate or by calling the ATC regional office in Asheville, N.C., at (828) 254-3708. The first 1,000 applicants will also receive a one-time annual membership to the ATC once the plates go into production.

Tag looks like this.

Missing Hiker

This time in Michigan.

PARADISE -- Authorities are continuing to search for a missing hiker in the Paradise area.

Police say the last time 73-year-old Joseph Robert Clewley was seen was this past Saturday. Clewely was believed to be taking a walk with his dog on the North Country Trial.

Police say the subject has had heart problems.

He's described as 5'10", 150 pounds, with brownish-gray hair.

Dried Up

The catfish industry.

LELAND, Miss. — Catfish farmers across the South, unable to cope with the soaring cost of corn and soybean feed, are draining their ponds.

“It’s a dead business,” said John Dillard, who pioneered the commercial farming of catfish in the late 1960s. Last year Dillard & Company raised 11 million fish. Next year it will raise none. People can eat imported fish, Mr. Dillard said, just as they use imported oil.

As for his 55 employees? “Those jobs are gone.”

Corn and soybeans have nearly tripled in price in the last two years, for many reasons: harvest shortfalls, increasing demand by the Asian middle class, government mandates for corn to produce ethanol and, most recently, the flooding in the Midwest.

Good News

A judge put gray wolves back on the endangered species list.

Gray wolves in the greater Yellowstone area of the northern Rocky Mountains, which would have been fair game for hunters in three states as a result of a federal government decision in March, were again put under the protections of the Endangered Species Act by a judge in Montana on Friday.

The action by the judge, Donald W. Molloy of Federal District Court, took the form of a preliminary injunction and could be reversed. But Judge Molloy’s language showed serious reservations about the Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to remove endangered species protections for the wolves.

Environmental groups, including Defenders of Wildlife and the Sierra Club, which sued the Interior Department and the Fish and Wildlife Service on behalf of the wolves, persuaded Judge Molloy that there was a possibility of irreparable harm to the species if hunts had been allowed.

Backpacking For Trout

A nice article by Don Moyer in the Sun Post.

There's something about being knee-deep in a high alpine meadow stream with towering peaks all around and wildflowers along the creek. The trout are almost always small, but brightly colored and so plentiful that even a klutz like me can catch and release dozens in an afternoon. That evening, I'll fry up a batch of 8 to 9 inch Rainbows, or Brookies mixed in with wild onions and bacon. I doubt if I'll ever eat better than that. Then, after dinner while sitting around the campfire drinking coffee that would be great paint stripper, I fall asleep to the serenade of a pack of coyotes. Yes sir, it's hard to beat a day backpacking for trout.

This graph reminded me of Rocky Top, one of the few long distance hikers that I have seen carrying a fishing rod. He only carried it in the high Sierra section of th Pacific Crest Trail. When people would ask about his fly rod, He would proclaim "Ain't no catch and release, just catch and hot grease!" And smile.

They Never Give Up

No matter how bad the idea, conservatives never give up. Lie, cheat, steal, there is money to be made drilling in the arctic. Heck, now they have added both coasts to the equation. Again and again they lie. No oil spills after Katrina it safe they say. The media give them a platform to lie on the networks, on cable, on radio, if the public is lucky, the media will allow some unknown person to contradict their lies. But not often. They are giving full court pressure to get drilling through before Bush leaves office. The next congress will not be as friendly.

Mark Morford discusses the renewed fight for drilling and spilling in our oceans.
I admit to bafflement. I admit to a bit of total confusion mixed with a certain level of stupefied awe and teeth-rattling frustration as to why anyone with the mental acuity of more than a housefly would think that stabbing more holes into Alaska and the eastern seaboard in the search for a few remaining precious drops of oil is a good idea, would solve anything at all, is anything more than the equivalent of hurling matches at the devil.

It Just pisses me off.

George Will Is An Ass

He wrote a decent piece about beer and civilization. How the two grew together but in the end he had to throw some insults that do not help the piece at all.

But that is a potential stew of racial or ethnic sensitivities that we need not stir in this correction of Investor's Business Daily. Suffice it to say that the good news is really good: Beer is a health food. And you do not need to buy it from those wan, unhealthy-looking people who, peering disapprovingly at you through rimless Trotsky-style spectacles, seem to run all the health food stores.

I doubt Will has been in health food stores.

Deep Thought

The tougher the trail the less trash you will see.

Full Moon!

full_moon_small, originally uploaded by *snapshot*.

Full Moon.

Everyone Knows Its Windy

Texas has approved the countries biggest wind farm.

AUSTIN, Texas - Texas officials gave preliminary approval Thursday to the nation's largest wind-power project, a plan to build billions of dollars worth of new transmission lines to bring pollution-free energy from gusty West Texas to urban areas.

Texas is already the national leader in wind power, and wind supporters say Thursday's move by the Public Utility Commission will make the Lone Star State a leader in moving energy to the urban areas that need electricity.

"We will add more wind than the 14 states following Texas combined," said PUC Commissioner Paul Hudson. "I think that's a very extraordinary achievement. Some think we haven't gone far enough, some think we've pushed too far."

Just how many homes will be powered?

Texas already generates about 5,000 megawatts of wind power, more than any other state. The new plan would add transmission lines to boost capacity to about 18,000 megawatts.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas says one megawatt of power provides enough electricity for 500 to 700 average homes under normal conditions in Texas, or about 200 homes during hot weather.

That is a lot of houses.

We're Number....

19 and last.

The United States fell from 15th to last among 19 industrialized nations on this measure from 2006 to 2008. The report estimated the U.S. health care system could save 100,000 lives if it matched Japan or France, the top performers.

OK maybe our health care is not that bad.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States fails on most measures of health care quality, with Americans waiting longer to see doctors and more likely to die of preventable or treatable illnesses than people in other industrialized countries, a report released on Thursday said

Americans squander money on wasteful administrative costs, illnesses caused by medical error and inefficient use of time, the report from the nonprofit Commonwealth Fund concluded.

"We lead the world in spending. We should be expecting much more in return," Commonwealth Fund senior vice president Cathy Schoen told reporters.

Just because the republicans on the TV say we have the best health care does not mean we do.

Sad

A body believed to be Ric Devan's was found near Bishop Pass. The LA Times headline says it is Ric Devan's body but it has not been confirmed.

My condolences to his friends and family.

The LA times article has the most information.

Update: It is Ric DeVan.

McWorse

McCain will be worse than Bush. Steve Benen The hardest working man in the blogosphere has put together a list of flip flops by Jukebox John. Just wait a minute and he will change his tune. I prefer Jellyfish John myself. He just floats spinelessly in the conservative currents. Which ever current has his spineless body, there goes Jellyfish John.

List of McCain's flip-flops here. 62 and rising fast.

He also seems confused a lot.

John McCain is confused.

Food Glorious Food

It always tastes better after 20 miles. A nice article in the Oregonian about food backpacking possibilities. You can have just about anything you want on the first day out.

Tucked between extra socks and moleskin, sunscreen and sleeping bag are the real essentials for Tracie McCall's backpacking trip.

Marcona almonds and a hunk of aged gouda cheese. Red wine for dinner, cream for her morning coffee. And a head of lettuce for her nightly salad.

That's right, you can hoof it above the tree line and still have leafy greens for dinner. At least if you follow McCall's plan for packing and eating on a back-country trip.

Via Slashfood

Out Of The Wilderness

The Economist has an article about why visitation to the National Parks is down.

Yosemite is long on staggering views but short on what most people would today regard as entertainment. It contains fewer diversions than it once did. Scott Gediman, the park’s spokesman, points out that it used to have a Cadillac dealership and a zoo. Although pretty, Yosemite’s hotels are basic compared to most cities (if they were in Las Vegas they would have been dynamited long ago). Camp Curry, a vaguely military cluster of fixed tents and cabins, has hardly changed in a century.

As in other national parks, Yosemite’s rooms tend to sell out in descending price order. Expensive hotels go before cheaper ones—indeed, they routinely book up as soon as reservations can be made, 366 days in advance. Cabins with bathrooms go before cabins without. This suggests there is pent-up demand for luxury hotel rooms. Not only is there little chance more will be built; it is proving almost impossible to put up a handful of campsites.

I think people have become used to certain creature comforts and are not willing to give them up. I have been to Yosemite and it is near impossible to shower there. You have to be in the hotel or cabins that offer showers. Camping areas offer no showers. I think all National Parks are this way. I am not sure of the reasoning.

To The North Pole

By Kayak.

LONDON (AFP) - A British explorer unveiled plans Tuesday to kayak all the way to the North Pole to expose just how quickly the ice cap is melting.

But renowned extreme swimmer Lewis Gordon Pugh, dubbed the human polar bear, is hoping his bid will fail -- and not because of the lethal conditions or a walrus attack.

The climate change campaigner said the mission ought to be impossible -- but some scientists predict that due to global warming, this year might be the first when someone could do so.

Pugh is due to paddle out from Norway's Svalbard islands on August 29, heading 1,200 kilometres (some 750 miles) north across the Arctic Ocean to the North Pole, kayaking up cracks in the ice.

Have I Mentioned I hate Bottled Water

Watch the video of recycling rates.
Via Biomes.

Volkswagen 1 Liter Car

Volkswagen 1-Liter Car, originally uploaded by jalopnik.

282 miles to the gallon! It is really small but if you try you can succeed. Here is Tree Hugger on the 1 liter car.

The 1-Liter car has been around in prototype form since 2002 and greens everywhere have been drooling at its 282 miles per gallon fuel economy (or 1 liter of gasoline per 100 kilometers, hence the name). VW has finally decided to make more and sell them, and a limited edition (estimated in the thousands) should start selling in 2010.

1-Liter Car Technical Specs
The One-Liter car (or 1-Litre, over in Europe) weights only 660 pounds. The body is made from carbon composites and it is shaped to be extremely slippery, giving it a coefficient of drag of only 0.16 ("the average car comes in around 0.30 and the Honda Insight had a Cd of 0.25"). The prototype was powered by a 1-cylinder diesel engine, but the production model should have a 2-cylinder diesel (which means it could be powered by algae-biodiesel!), and maybe even a stop-start anti-idling feature (to cut the engine when the car is stopped).

Its A Start

Chrysler is going to try to get electric cars to the market. We need them now but...

DETROIT (Reuters) - Chrysler LLC is planning to launch all-electric vehicles in the next three to five years, the latest automaker to join the race to produce cars with fuel-saving technologies.

Chrysler's new Envi unit, which was created last September, is developing vehicles that are intended to run on battery power alone for about 40 miles, Chrysler spokesman Nick Cappa said on Monday.

"The group is looking to have a product available in the marketplace in the next three to five years," Cappa said.

Ha Ha

The Carpetbagger refuses to believe McCain is behind Obama in Arizona. But they know him best. If he does not win the Presidency in 2008, he may not win reelection to the Senate in 2010. Current Governor Janet Napolitano leads 47 to 36.

When(if) people find out who McCain is they will not like him.

Conundrum

Peyote vendors are having a hard time finding their crop.

Suggestions to allow greenhouse cultivation of the plant on Native American reservations don't pass muster either. Church members believe the plant gains its spiritual properties only when it grows naturally.

The solutions are tricky, but ultimately necessary, Terry said.

"How can you have a peyote-based religion without peyote?" he said. "It's kind of like substituting Kool-Aid for wine in a Christian Church."

Caution: Mountain Lions

CAUTION: Mountain Lions!, originally uploaded by slworking2.

A hiker was attacked by a mountain lion in the Palo Alto Foothills of California. Ouch!

PALO ALTO (KGO) -- Police and a trapper are on the lookout for a mountain lion that pounced on a lone hiker in Palo Alto's Foothills Park on Saturday.

Police Agent Dan Ryan said the man was attacked from behind but avoided serious injury because the lion knocked him down a hill, where he hit a tree as the lion tumbled down into a creek.

I have only once seen a mountain lion in the wild, near Breckenridge, Colorado. It was awesome! Far enough away that there was no need to feel threatened but close enough to see it well.The lion was hunting amongst the rocks, looking for rodents before bounding over the ridge and out of sight. Some hikers on the trail I was going to take got to within 20 or 30 feet of the lion. They never saw it.

Stealthy creatures. I remember talking to a ranger in Olympia National Park about mountain lions. He showed me a picture of a family eating at a picnic table with a mountain lion on a branch above them. The family did not notice the lion until the pictures were developed! I wonder from time to time how close I have been to a mountain lion without knowing it.

Update: Tom at Two Heeled Drive has a post on this incident and mentions a study that mountain lions will get very close to humans without their knowledge.

97% Of Drug Deaths

Come from legal drugs. More die from bad reactions to prescription drugs 32,000, than all illegal drugs 17,000.
Via Avedon and read this on illegal immigration enforcement.

So we have virtually a whole town that's able to exist because one large employer hires barely-literate undocumented workers. Most of them have never heard Social Security, because all of their paperwork has been filled out for them by the employer.

Kings Peak Summit

Kings Peak's summit (13,528'), originally uploaded by Aubrey Sun.

A hiker is lost near Kings Peak.

An Ohio man is lost in the Uintas after falling behind his hiking companions on the trail Friday.

The 61-year-old man was last seen on the trail at 1 p.m. Friday in the King's Peak area, said Josh Wall, a detective at the Summit County Sheriff's Office.

The man had been hiking with about five people, and fell behind. The group waited for a bit, and eventually turned back hoping to find him on the trail.

Hopefully he will be found in the mourning. And he was.

An Ohio man missing since Friday afternoon in the King's Peak area was found about 10:30 a.m Sunday and appears to be in good health.

Summit County Sheriff's officials said they found 61-year-old John "Giz" Youngerman hiking in the area, about 80 miles east of Salt Lake in the Uinta Mountains, Sunday morning and were conducting a medical evaluation and debriefing. Youngerman disappeared Friday while hiking back from the 13,528-foot King's Peak summit. He had joined a group of local hikers on the trek, but fell behind on the way down the mountain.

Market Collapse Does Not Mean The Executives Failed

Ian Welsh has a good post up with the above title. A great and obvious conclusion.

Regulators who don't believe in regulation can't regulate. Executives whose real job is to grow their bonuses will do that, no matter what the cost to anyone else.

And until we remember rule #1: "don't reward people for bad behaviour" this sort of thing will just keep happening.

Hiker Missing

In California's Humboldt County.

Brian Schapiro, 52, of Garberville was last seen wearing a blue long-sleeve shirt and a bandana. Sheriff's spokeswoman Brenda Godsey said the search went from Thursday night and continued into Friday afternoon.

Sheriff's deputies, the special services unit, and the search and rescue posse have joined in the search efforts. The U.S. Coast Guard launched a helicopter, but had to land because of poor visibility. The sheriff's air auxiliary posse also launched an aircraft, but did not find the hiker.

Update:Found.

San Gorgonio Peak

Day 1: Mt. San Gorgonio, originally uploaded by Scott_Mitchell.

A hiker is missing near San Gogonio Peak.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department search and rescue team and helicopter are searching for a 21-year-old Corona woman who was reported missing late Thursday by her hiking companions.

Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Cindy Beavers said the group was hiking to the summit of San Gorgonio Peak Thursday afternoon. The woman stopped about halfway up and the rest of the group continued on without her, Beavers said.

Update: More info.

Grace Hilario, 21, of Corona, was reported missing at 11 p.m. Thursday.[...]

A helicopter was unable to go up until this morning, due to lightning storms in the area, Beavers said.

This morning, the searchers are combing the trails and have placed trail blocks in hopes of locating the hiker.

Hilario has some food and water, but no tent or shelter, Beavers said. Friends said she's only been out hiking a few times, Beavers said.

Good News: Found safe this morning.(Saturday)

A 21-year-old woman who was lost while hiking was airlifted today to safety.

A San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department helicopter hoisted Grace Hilario out of the San Gorgonio Mountains just after 8 a.m. and took her to an area hospital. The Corona woman was treated for dehydration, exposure and bruises to her legs.

We Are Number One!

Bush at the climate summit.

The American leader, who has been condemned throughout his presidency for failing to tackle climate change, ended a private meeting with the words: "Goodbye from the world's biggest polluter."

He then punched the air while grinning widely, as the rest of those present including Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy looked on in shock.

How do such tasteless spoiled children get elected? It must be with the help of their friends in the media.

No Dog

No Chef! If they take dog off the menu I'm not going. The young light colored ones taste best. Mmm!

BEIJING (Reuters) - Beijing has asked hotels and restaurants in the city to take dog meat off the menu for the duration of next month's Olympics and September's Paralympics.

Dog is eaten not only by the large Korean community in China's capital but is also popular in Yunnan and Guizhou restaurants.

A directive from the Beijing Food Safety Office issued last month ordered Olympic contractor hotels not to provide any dishes made with dog meat and said any canine material used in traditional medicated diets must be clearly labeled.

New Solar

If we keep working on solar and wind, we will get our energy needs in tune with the planet.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Using sheets of glass covered with organic dyes, scientists have devised an efficient and practical solar power device that they believe can help make this clean, renewable energy source more affordable.

Experts eager for energy sources that do not involve the burning of fossil fuels often point to the promise of solar energy -- harnessing sunlight to make electricity. But solar power so far has proven costlier than standard energy sources.

Writing on Thursday in the journal Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers describe the development of a new type of "solar concentrator" that may provide a better way to extract energy from the sun.

Can They Find A Bigger Idiot?

Bush was clearly an idiot before he was elected. Yet republicans voted for him. McCain is an even bigger idiot. It is hard to believe just how stupid this man is. Bush would have at least, said something stupid. Not, I am stupid.

McCain is going to be a bigger embarrassment than Bush.

McCain more embarrassing than Bush!

via Shake's Sis.

Melting In Winter

OK, the glacier is not actually melting.

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Part of Argentina's Perito Moreno glacier collapsed on Wednesday, the first time large chunks of ice have broken off during the southern hemisphere winter.

Park wardens said global warming might be responsible.

The Patagonian glacier known as the "White Giant" is one of Argentina's biggest attractions. The river of ice 18 miles (30 km) long ends in a sheer wall blocking Lago Argentino where large pieces tumble into the water from time to time.

Unsettling.

Another Missing Hiker

This time in Pisgah National Forest.

Emergency managers in Haywood County tell us the 23-year old man from Canton was dropped off at Black Balsam parking lot around noon Tuesday. He was planning to walk a trail and was to arrive at the boy scout camp Daniel Boone sometime today. Officials say he was wearing a personal locator beacon and he activated it around 7a.m. as a distress signal.

I would not be surprised if he has already been found.

Update: Micheal Brechner has been found, he is alive and well.

Mount Goode Summit

DSCF2556 Dave and Mount Goode, originally uploaded by Joshua Ricardi.

A hiker is missing in the Sierra's. Ric DeVan, 44, of San Diego was reported missing on Friday.
He signed the register at the top of 13,085 foot Mount Goode it is his last known location.

Update: Help is needed to find Ric DeVan.

An experienced mountaineer, DeVan was last seen wearing "a yellow shirt with black side panels, tan pants, light-colored backpack, gray jacket with black trim, a beige or green ball cap and an orange, gold and purple National Geographic bandanna."

Anyone with information on DeVan's whereabouts should contact the Inyo County Sheriff's Department at (760) 878-0383.

Further information is available here

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If you were in the area and can help. Please do.

Most recent article I could find here. Noon pacific time on the 10th.

Update 2: The search has been suspended. 8:36 on the 11th pacific time.

“Search operations will be suspended,” Inyo County Sheriff William R. Lutze said in a statement. “Search teams gave everything they could to locate Mr. DeVan. The scope of this search endeavor has been one of the largest-known in Inyo County, and the commitment of the teams involved has been remarkable.

“This is very difficult to reconcile, for everyone involved in the operation,” Lutze said.

Lets hope he makes it out somehow.

Trail Mix

It used to be Gorp. Good old raisins and peanuts. Some where along the lines chocolate was added and Trail Mix was born. In 1968, the name Trail Mix was used by Harmony Foods and Hadley Fruit Orchards. Both are California companies.

I make several different versions, depending on money and availability. There really is no right or wrong. I like to keep it fairly simple. Three maybe four ingredients.

Poor Man's Trail Mix

1. 1 pound roasted salted peanuts
2. 1 pound raisins
3. 12 oz package of semi sweet chocolate chips.

Candy Man's Trail Mix

1. 1 pound bag Peanut M&M's
2. 1 pound Raisinettes
3. 1 pound Reece's Pieces

Gourmet Trail Mix

1. 12 oz toasted pecans*
2. 12 oz toasted almonds*
3. 1 pound dried cherries
4. 1 pound dark chocolate chips

These are the three I tend to eat when I am hiking. In really hot weather M&M's are better than chocolate chips they do not melt as fast.

*It is easy to roast your own nuts. Heat a clean well seasoned cast iron skillet over medium to medium high heat add nuts. Stir as needed. Do not burn. It brings out the wonderful sugars.

Good Bye Fourth
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

See here.

Trail of A Killer

Interesting question and answer session with Will Haygood who wrote about Randal Lee Smith. Smith killed two hikers on the Appalachian Trail in 1981. Recently he shot two fisherman near the trail.

Vertical Axis Wind Turbines

Gaspe Cap Chat, originally uploaded by Gene's.

Are they more efficient? It seems not yet,but they could be. I love wind mills they are very pleasing to me.

There’s appeal for them in the marketplace because there’s something so visually appealing about a vertical axis turbine. There are actually studies in Europe showing that people are mesmerized by windmills. It’s called the frequency effect. It’s akin to sitting on a shore and watching waves come in, or a campfire, or wind on prairie grasses. The studies show that people are more fascinated by vertical axis turbines than horizontal, for one reason because you don’t see them as frequently, for another reason because verticals don’t have this tail moving around, which can be distracting, depending on how the wind is moving it around. People are fascinated by the technology because it’s very soothing. There are a number of inventers that take advantage of that.

Of Course, Hiking Is Dangerous

The Grant Davis at Backpacker seem surprised that hiking is listed as the third most dangerous out door sport. If it were just wilderness sports, hiking would certainly pass sledding. As most sledding is not exactly a wilderness sport. It could even pass snowboarding. Most ski resorts now have convenient hospitals. Which would make the injuries not wilderness related but out door recreational injuries.

Also, illnesses, such as diarrhea, acute mountain sickness, and cardiac arrest, have been shown to cause considerable morbidity and mortality in outdoor settings but were not included in the study.^9,11,12 Finally, NEISS-AIP provides only national estimates and cannot be used to obtain state-level estimates.

Despite these limitations, this study's results have important implications for the growing field of wilderness medicine, for which wilderness injury prevention is central to the mission of minimizing the risks of wilderness environments.¹⁵ The definition of a wilderness injury has 3 aspects: locale, activity, and the injury itself.²⁶ Although in this study we could not determine if an injury had occurred in a true wilderness setting—1 to 2 hours from hospital-based care—the study did select cases that occurred in an outdoor, natural, or environmental setting. It also selected activities commonly considered to be outdoor recreation and identified specific injuries.^1,2,15 Although the study calls these injuries “outdoor recreational injuries” instead of “wilderness injuries,” many cases described here are subject to the same risks and complications as “true” wilderness injuries.

So according to this study, Harry Lewis who had a heart attack while backpacking earlier this week, would not have been included.

I think it is amazing that backpacker would be surprised that hiking could be dangerous. After all hikers are some times attacked by bears, mauled by mountain lions, attacked by rabid bobcats, bitten by poisonous snakes, not too mention ticks, scorpions or bees.

Just in the past month several hikers have died. Heat stroke, Hypothermia, Several Falls, Heart attack, this is by no means a complete list.

Mr Davis was probably trying to be funny. But hiking can be deadly serious for both the prepared and unprepared. It can also be a hole lot of fun. Be safe out there.

Funny

From Gristmill.

At the present moment Mattel, the maker of Hot Wheels and Matchbox toy cars, is worth $6.2 billion, putting it at a premium to GM, worth a mere $5.7 billion.

It's The Economy Stupid

Paul Krugman in the New York Times.

But is the public right to be so disgusted with Mr. Bush’s economic leadership? Not exactly. We really do have a lousy economy, a fact of which Mr. Bush seems spectacularly unaware. But that’s not the same thing as saying that the bad economy is Mr. Bush’s fault.

On the other hand, there’s a certain rough justice in the public’s attitude. Other politicians besides Mr. Bush share the blame for the mess we’re in — but most of them are Republicans.[...]

So here’s the bottom line: Mr. Bush deserves some blame for the poor performance of the economy on his watch, but much of the blame lies with other, earlier political figures, who squandered chances for reform. As it happens, however, most though not all of the politicians responsible for our current economic difficulties were Republicans.

And bear in mind that John McCain has gone to great lengths to affirm his support for Republican economic orthodoxy. So he’ll have no reason to complain if, as seems likely, the economy costs him the election.

Toyota To Add Solar Panels To The Prius

It cant hurt.

TOKYO, July 7 (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) plans to install solar panels on some Prius hybrids in its next remodelling, responding to growing demand for "green" cars amid record-high oil prices, a source briefed on the matter said on Monday.

The panels, supplied by Kyocera Corp (6971.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), would be able to power part of the air-conditioning on high-end versions of the gasoline-electric Prius, the source said.

Ouch!

Two hikers were hit by lightning.

ASPEN — Two youths were struck by lightning Sunday afternoon while hiking in Pitkin County.

The siblings, a 15-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy, were hiking with family members on the American Lake Trail when they were hit.

According to the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office, the girl needed CPR to revive her. Her brother suffered burns to the bottoms of both feet. They were transported by ambulance to Aspen Valley Hospital.

Sad To Hear

A hiker dies in Arizona.

A Tucson man died while hiking in the Catalina Foothills on Sunday afternoon, a Sheriff's Department spokesman said.

The man died of natural causes, but officials had not released his identity as of Sunday evening, said Sgt. James Ogden of the Pima County Sheriff's Department.

My condolences to his friends and family.

Update: The hiker has been identified.

A Tucson man who died while hiking in the Catalina Foothills Sunday afternoon has been identified as Armen Dermen, an official said Monday.

Natural causes are stil the cause of death.

Flights of Fancy

Lawn Chair Balloonist, originally uploaded by Raford2.

I have always been fascinated by Larry Walters. Perhaps someday, I too will strap some balloons to a lawn chair.

BEND -- It's hard to keep Kent Couch down, especially when he's sitting in a recliner tethered to 160 helium balloons.

On Saturday, Couch will try again to fly about 300 miles from Bend to Boise in a lawn chair held aloft by a 6-foot wide bouquet of balloons.

On his second attempt a year ago, Couch, 48, made it as far as Union County in northeastern Oregon, about 193 miles from Bend, before bringing an end to his flight.

About Time

Looks like the US may join the rest of the world and build high speed rail.

High-speed rail won the pole position on the November ballot -- it was named Proposition 1 when the secretary of state assigned numbers to the 11 initiatives voters will consider. That's no guarantee of victory, but the momentum is clearly building.

The proposal to build an 800-mile system of 200-mph trains linking Southern and Northern California, by way of the Valley, has made a great deal of sense throughout its two-decade gestation. Proposition 1, the $9.95 billion bond measure, is the necessary first step.

High-speed rail will be an engine of economic development that we badly need in this state, creating tens of thousands of jobs in both its construction and its operation.

It will have a dramatic impact on our environment, removing thousands of cars from California's highways. Less congestion will make the remaining vehicles more efficient for those that remain on the road. Conservative estimates suggest millions of barrels of oil could be saved annually, and as much as 22 billion pounds of carbon dioxide kept out of the atmosphere.

This Site Is

Kansas

Lion King is walking through Kansas in this video of his American Discovery Trail trek.

Sad To Hear

A hiker died in the Great Smokey Mountain National Park.

Park spokesperson Bob Miller says rangers were called to the Little River Trail, just above Elkmont, around 3:30 p.m. Friday.

Harry Lewis, 67, of Morristown, had collapsed next to the trail. He was backpacking with a companion when he suffered an apparent heart attack.

Miller says five other hikers tried to revive Lewis, but he died before emergency crews arrived on the scene.

My condolences to his friends and family.

The Same

The media will again try to portray the candidates as the same. Matt thinks they might be different.

Consider such non-obscure points as John McCain is pro-life and has said he wants to appoint judges who will restrict abortion rights, whereas Barack Obama is pro-choice. John McCain favors an amendment to California's constitution that would take back gay and lesbian couples' newfound marriage rights whereas Barack Obama opposes such an amendment. Barack Obama opposes a permanent American military presence in Iraq whereas John McCain favors it. Barack Obama thinks torture is wrong even when the CIA does it, whereas John McCain thinks it's great for the CIA to torture people. Barack Obama favors good-faith high-level negotiations with Iran, whereas John McCain wants to "bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran." One could go on, but it hardly seems necessary -- the only question is why The Washington Post thinks it's a good idea to publish columns that are designed to mislead its audience rather than to inform its audience, or why they think customers would want to pay money for a publication that behaves that way.

Media Circus

Paul Krugman in the New York Times.

Al Gore never claimed that he invented the Internet. Howard Dean didn’t scream. Hillary Clinton didn’t say she was staying in the race because Barack Obama might be assassinated. And Wesley Clark didn’t impugn John McCain’s military service.

Scott McClellan, the former White House press secretary, titled his tell-all memoir “What Happened.” But a true account of modern American politics should be titled “What Didn’t Happen.” Again and again we’ve had media firestorms over supposedly revealing incidents that never actually took place.

The latest fake scandal fit the usual pattern as an awkwardly phrased remark, lifted out of context and willfully misinterpreted, exploded across the airwaves.[...]

After all, if this campaign isn’t dominated by faux outrage over fake scandals, it will have to be about things that really did happen, like a failed economic policy and a disastrous war — both of which Mr. McCain promises will continue if he wins.

The media does not want to inform you of the candidates positions.

Green Tea

From Time magazine.

All it took, says Vlachopoulos, was 6 g of green tea, which amounts to 3 to 4 cups. To make sure the dilation effect was not due to the small amounts of caffeine found in green tea, the group compared the arterial sizes in the green-tea drinkers with those consuming a diluted caffeine beverage and found no change in arterial size in the caffeine drinkers. Even more intriguing, the beneficial effect seems to be long-lasting and cumulative. When the doctors measured the green-tea drinkers' arteries two weeks after daily consumption of the beverage, they found that their vessels were more dilated than they had been at the beginning of the study. "It's something that needs to be investigated, but we think that if someone takes green tea for one or two months, the beneficial effect will be even greater," says Vlachopoulos.

Patriotism

Juan Cole has some good patriotic quotes today. I like this one.

Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it."

-Mark Twain

Non White Guys Arrested By Immigration

The New York Times title is 2 Supervisors Arrested.

The supervisors, Juan Carlos Guerrero Espinoza and Martin De la Rosa Loera, were arrested at the Agriprocessors plant in Postville, prosecutors said. They were the first employees who were not rank-and-file workers to be arrested since 389 illegal immigrants were rounded up at the plant on May 12, said Bob Teig, a spokesman for the United States attorney for the Northern District of Iowa.

Not the white owners that profit from their labor.

On Thursday in Houston, five senior managers of another company that was recently raided, Action Rags USA, made their initial court appearances. Those arrested on Wednesday included Mabarik Kahlon, 45, the owner of the company, an exporter of used clothing, and his partner Rasheed Ahmed, 58. About 160 workers were arrested on June 25 at the company’s plant in Houston.

More non white guys arrested. If you want the illegals to go you must start putting the rich white dudes that control most employment in this country in jail.

Beer Quote of The Day

"I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts, and beer."
-Abraham Lincoln

The Elite

Matthew Yglesias on the McCain's elitism.

By contrast, John McCain is an all-American regular guy who, like most people, earns his keep by marrying an heiress. Like average, everyday folks the McCain's rely on credit cards to make ends meet month-to-month "Cindy McCain charged as much as $500,000 in a single month on one American Express card and $250,000 on another, while one of their two dependent children had an AmEx card with a monthly balance as large as $50,000." Yes it's true, one of McCain's dependent children spent approximately the median annual household income of the United States in a single month and that's how McCain knows how to connect with regular people.

Yes Jellyfish John is a regular guy.

Sad To Hear

Vermont Hiker, David Ricker, fell into a shaft at West Fairlee Copper Mines and died.

My condolences to his friends and family.

Watermelon Sex

Researchers at Texas A&M University's Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Center have found watermelon to have the same properties as Viagra.

Experts claim that the red-fleshed fruit contains an ingredient that affects the body's blood vessels in the same way as when a man takes the sex drug.

Researchers believe that the juicy fruit could be used to help men who suffer from erectile dysfunction.

Watermelons are loaded with an organic compound called citrulline that can trigger blood vessels to relax, much like Viagra does, according to scientists from Texas A&M University in the United States.

Mom always said to eat your fruits and veggies. No word on whether it had to be a traditional round shape or square.

Smokey The Bear Sutra

I am not exactly sure what a Sutra is but via Mahablog the monks at the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center have requested the Smokey the Bear Sutra.

A handsome smokey-colored brown bear standing on his hind legs, showing that he is aroused and watchful.

Bearing in his right paw the Shovel that digs to the truth beneath appearances; cuts the roots of useless attachments, and flings damp sand on the fires of greed and war;

Read it all. I really like this line as it rings true to me.

all true paths lead through mountains

Shrooms

Not health food but...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The "spiritual" effects of psilocybin from so-called sacred mushrooms last for more than a year and may offer a way to help patients with fatal diseases or addictions, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.[...]

"This is a truly remarkable finding," Griffiths said in a statement. "Rarely in psychological research do we see such persistently positive reports from a single event in the laboratory."

The findings may offer a way to help treat extremely anxious and depressed patients, or people with addictions, said Griffiths, whose work was funded by the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse.

"This gives credence to the claims that the mystical-type experiences some people have during hallucinogen sessions may help patients suffering from cancer-related anxiety or depression and may serve as a potential treatment for drug dependence," Griffiths said.

Square Watermelon

Square Watermelon, originally uploaded by jdcb42.

This is Just not right.

Go Harry!

Now, I have had my differences with Senator Harry Reid, but he is right. Coal is making us and the planet sick.

Oops

Maybe it is not the tomatoes.
More info here.

Sad News

A hiker died in Arizona.

An elderly man died Tuesday, possibly of a heat-related illness, while hiking at a mountain park in Glendale.

The victim, described by firefighters as a man in his mid-70s, collapsed and died at Thunderbird Conservation Park, near 59th Avenue and Deer Valley Road.

Glendale police are investigating the cause of death, said Firefighter Daniel Valenzuela, a spokesman for the Glendale Fire Department.

My condolences to his friends and family.

Update: The hiker has been identified.

A Glendale man who died while hiking in Thunderbird Conservation Park last Tuesday has been identified by police as William J. Marsh, 75.

Stuff

At Their Peril

Ed from the Slow Cook.

Nations that neglect the health of their soil do so at their peril. North Africa used to be the breadbasket of the Mediterranean. Now it is desert. Today, humans have fooled themselves into thinking we can douse the soil with synthetic fertilizers and deadly poisons and reap an ever-expanding harvest. The latest global food crises proves otherwise. We are killing our soil at the same time we pat ourselves on the back over the purchase of organic milk with pictures of happy cows on the carton.

The idea of regenerating our soil is in direct opposition to the exploitative nature of industrial agriculture. Feeding the soil with compost takes the long view of fertility. Raising crops with noxious insecticides and fertilizers made from fossil fuels takes the short route to profits. Anyone who believes in organics, who believes in food that sustains rather than exploits this blue planet we call home, must embrace compost.

Row Row Row Your Boat

A drunken Swede fell a sleep in one of the worlds busiest shipping channels.

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - A drunken 78-year-old Swede stole a dinghy after a night out in the Danish town of Helsingor and tried to row back to Sweden, but fell asleep halfway, Danish police said on Monday.

When the man discovered he lacked the necessary funds to pay for the ferry from Helsingor to Helsingborg in Sweden on Saturday, he decided to row the five km (three miles) across the strait of Oresund that separates the two.