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Home » Blog

Lassen Country Hikes

December 18, 2019 by Backcountry Press 3 Comments

Updated Hiking Maps

The book’s trail guide showcases the geologic history of the Lassen country. We have selected hikes that provide examples of the Lassen Volcanic Center and regional geology. USGS 1:24,000 scale maps show the trails and parking locations. The guide is illustrated but watch for references to figures and tables in previous chapters. Also, important background information about the geology in each hiking guide is discussed.

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Eureka Waterfront Trail

December 4, 2019 by Backcountry Press Leave a Comment

The route is now complete!

In mid-November 2019, the city of Eureka completed the Eureka Waterfront Trail by connecting a one-block section on 1st Street. This now allows bikers and walkers to hike from Tydd Street to Herrick Avenue — all on paved Trail!

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The Books That Built Backcountry Press

November 26, 2019 by Backcountry Press Leave a Comment

In 2012, after nine years of writing Conifer Country, the book had evolved into my Master’s Thesis at Humboldt State. Based on all the time and energy we had put into this book, my wife Allison and I decided to take the leap and start our own small business. We had options with other publishers but the time seemed right for us to print and distribute the book ourselves. Conifer Country was our first baby and we wanted to keep it around. The book had become a well-refined masterpiece and we were going to take on all aspects of getting it into people’s backpacks.

Currently in their 6th round of printing–with over 12,000 copies sold–Conifers of the Pacific Slope and Conifer Country are the books that built Backcountry Press.

Michael Kauffmann, co-owner of Backcountry Press
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Rees Hughes and Humboldt Trails

November 12, 2019 by Backcountry Press Leave a Comment

Learn about current and future opportunities with the Volunteer Trail Steward program and Humboldt Trails with this interview with Rees Hughes. For 10 years now Volunteer Trail Stewards have made it possible for the county and municipalities to expand our trail system. Maintenance and upkeep is always a concern, but volunteers have kept costs so low expansion is possible.

More opportunities available at Humboldt Trails.

Stream the Rees Hughes Interview
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2019 Humboldt County Trails Updates

November 12, 2019 by Backcountry Press Leave a Comment

Inland Mountains

Chris Valle-Riestra is an exceptional volunteer and trail steward–with a particular fondness for the Klamath Mountains. He has been spearheading trailwork in the Orleans Ranger District for many years and knows the trails well .

He has updated conditions of trails on the forest for fall 2019. Click through to the hiking descriptions and read his comments.

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Conifer Country

November 6, 2019 by Backcountry Press Leave a Comment

In Defense of Plants podcast

Michael Kauffmann, author of Conifer Country, joined Matt to discuss his passion: Conifers of the Klamath Mountains. Please listen or even better, subscribe where you get your podcasts.

From the In Defense of Plants website: Today we celebrate conifers with educator, author, and ecologist, Michael Kauffmann. Michael fell in love with conifers early on and has been doing everything he can to share this passion with the rest of the world, from writing conifer books to creating a conifer-themed trail system in the Klamath Mountains. Learn how Michael and others are working hard to map rare conifers, study the effects of climate change, and hopefully conserve their diversity for future generations. Join us as we geek out over these amazing trees.

Big Tree – Elk Prairie Loop

November 1, 2019 by Backcountry Press 1 Comment

Prairie Creek Redwoods National and State Parks

The most extensive accessible trail system in Humboldt County is in the Elk Prairie/Big Tree areas of Prairie Creek Redwood State Park and Redwood National Park. This trail system offers many ways to mix and match the trails that network this area. Included in the route are magnificent old growth redwoods, picturesque Prairie Creek, the open grasslands of Elk Prairie, a nature trail, and miles of accessible trail.

Big Tree – Elk Prairie Hiking Basics
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Bumpass Hell Trail

August 26, 2019 by Backcountry Press 2 Comments

Geology of the Lassen Country

Bumpass Hell Trail
Bumpass Hell Hike Map

The Bumpass Hell Trail is one of the most popular destinations in the Lassen Country. The trailhead is at the large parking area 0.25 mile (0.4 km) east of Lake Helen. The trail traverses the dacite of Bumpass Mountain for the majority of the hike. Also, note the well-preserved glacial polish and striae in the dacite alongside the first few hundred yards of the trail. They were created by the glacier that started from the Lake Helen cirque. At the viewpoint where the trail turns east, about 0.5 mile (0.8 km) from the trailhead, it crosses briefly into andesite of Mount Diller. Here a National Park Service trailside interpretive display shows a model of Brokeoff Volcano before erosion.

Trailhead: Bumpass Hell trailhead parking lot
Distance: 3.0 miles (4.8 km) round trip
Key Geologic Features: Hot springs, clay-altered bedrock

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Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park

May 20, 2019 by Backcountry Press 2 Comments

Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park

Hiking and wildflower adventures

Learn more in our book!

Description: Located on a bend in the Van Duzen River, Owen R. Cheatham Grove is a majestic patch of old growth redwoods spared by the founder of what would become the Georgia-Pacific Plywood and Lumber Company. The short hike loops through the grove. From the west side of the parking area two trails lead across the riverbed to the Van Duzen River. Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park offers a small network of trails on the north and south side of the Van Duzen River. A summer bridge crosses the Van Duzen to 1.5 miles of additional trails on the south side. The north side trails include a nature trail with interpretive signs, a meandering walk up and down the hillside east of Grizzly Creek, and a stretch of trail west of Grizzly Creek.

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Lassen Geology

April 28, 2019 by Backcountry Press Leave a Comment

The Earth is not always quiet. An isolated region of northeast California offers a land of boiling springs, steaming sulfur vents, mud pots, and volcanoes. The boisterous geology of the southern Cascades is defined by Lassen Volcanic National Park. A complex and compelling geologic story is told in The Geology of the Lassen Country, a new book by R. Forrest Hopson and Michael A. Clynne.

June 14, 1914 phreatic eruption of Lassen Peak from near Manzanita Lake. Photograph by B.F. Loomis, courtesy of National Park Service.
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Mad About Manzanitas

March 26, 2019 by Backcountry Press 1 Comment

The In Defense of Plants podcast took deeper look at the most diverse woody plant lineage in western North America (Arctostaphylos spp.) with San Francisco State Professor Dr. Tom Parker who has devoted much of his career to uncovering the ecology and evolution of the manzanita lineage. From mutualistic relationships with rodents and fungi to their dependence on fire, you will soon find that manzanitas play an important role in the ecology of California’s natural ecosystems. It is time we start paying these plants the respect they deserve and I hope this episode is a good start to doing just that.

Tom Parker is also the co-author of Field Guide to Manzanitas!

Bipartisan Conservation

March 6, 2019 by Backcountry Press Leave a Comment

Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act

Ryan Henson called in to KHUM’s Happy Trails Program to discuss a new public lands bill that is being celebrated as an act of bipartisan conservation. It is a project Ryan has been working on for 11 years and he shares his excitement for the work and what it means for California.

bipartisan conservation explained
Ryan Henson describes his love for wild places on a flight to pursue land conservation in the Klamath Mountain Region. Photo by Michael Kauffmann, October 2018.

Read More:

  • KQED Science
  • New York Times

Guatemala bearberry

February 16, 2019 by Backcountry Press Leave a Comment

(Arctostaphylos uva-ursi subsp. cratericola)

Jeff Bisbee

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi is a variable taxa because of the wide range of latitudes it explores across the northern hemisphere. Guatemala bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi subsp. cratericola) is a subspecies because of its disjunction distribution in Guatemala. It is also the only taxon not included in Field Guide to Manzanitas. Fernando Tobar recently took a trip to the Sierra Cuchumatanes, in Guatemala and observed these plants in their native habitat. That trip inspired this post.

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi treatment from Field Guide to Manzanitas.
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Drury – Chaney Groves Trail

December 14, 2018 by Backcountry Press 1 Comment

From Hiking Humboldt V2 by Rees Hughes

Drury – Chaney Map by Jason Barnes

In the massive flood of 1964, the once bustling community of Pepperwood was inundated by 30 feet of water. What remains on this floodplain of the Eel River are a few homes and farms, some vegetable stands, and a robust redwood forest. The Drury-Chaney Groves trail bisects the flat alluvial bench populated with redwoods that lie between the Avenue of the Giants and US 101. It is a flat walk and an accessible trail through several extensive groves of towering redwoods.

Ralph Works Chaney Memorial Grove

It was Berkeley paleontologist Ralph Chaney who first brought back ‘dawn redwood’ seedlings with him from China in the late 1940s. This deciduous sequoia joins the coast redwood and the giant sequoia as the three conifers known as redwoods.

Peaceful trail along the Eel River floodplain.

Getting there: Drive south on US 101 for 32.5 miles taking Exit 674 (Avenue of the Giants/Pepperwood). Turn left onto the Avenue of the Giants for 2.7 miles. The road passes through what remains of the community of Pepperwood taking a bend to the south, quickly reaching the parking area for the Drury-Chaney Groves trailhead. Parking is available on both sides of the Avenue of the Giants. Approximate driving time, 40 minutes.

Evergreen [Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum)] and deciduous ferns [Lady Fern (Athyrium filix-femina)] abound.

The route: From the parking area, the trail crosses a small open space and enters the redwood forest for the remainder of the walk. The level trail crosses the old Barkdull Road (0.6) — a right turn here will take you to another access point from the Avenue of the Giants in half a mile; a left turn leads to the general location of the old Barkdull Ranch (0.1). After crossing the Barkdull Road, the trail reaches the loop trail (0.7). The loop is 0.9 mile long (1.6). The return to the parking area necessitates retracing your steps (2.4).

Extras. Once located between Pepperwood and Stafford, the town of Elinor had a railroad stop, hotel, post office, and logging camp on the east side of the Eel River and a collection of homes, store, and school on the west side. A ferry plied the river connecting the two sides of the town. However, when the 1964 floodwaters receded there was little of Elinor left. Just after you turn left onto the Avenue of the Giants from Exit 674, turn left again on Elinor Road and drive 150 yards to the concrete barriers that block old US 101. You can follow the old road for a short distance to the bridge (dated 1938) crossing Jordan Creek. During periods of low water, it is possible to wander east to the Eel River.

Winter Hiking and Wild Plants

December 4, 2018 by Backcountry Press 2 Comments

Hiking Humboldt and Del Norte counties in the winter

Astounding diversity of terrestrial cryptogams exists in the Klamath Mountains—represented by mosses, liverworts, lichen, ferns, and forest mushrooms. In northwestern North America, thousands of species of fungi  are complimented by 900 mosses, 1500 lichens, 250 liverworts, and 100 ferns. Winter hiking offers a winder into the life of cryptogams. This is the time of year, after the first rains, that they spring into green. Moisture plays a key role in cryptogams reproduction.

https://backcountrypress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/HT-12-4-18-Kauffmann.mp3

This is the time of year to revel in the cryptogams because this diverse group needs water because they reproduce with spores.

Cryptograms abound along the Craig’s Creek Trail in Del Norte County.

Interested in more? Check out the Conifer Country blog.

Thanks to Cliff and KHUM for capturing this discussion on Happy Trails.

Other great winter trails

Fern Canyon
Hiking Trinidad Head
Hike 41: Johnson Trail Camp
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File this under “Rocks of the Klamath Mountains File this under “Rocks of the Klamath Mountains Rockhounds Think Are Neat-o”
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(AKA: a selection of rocks Mark Bailey found in the Klamath Mountains and featured in his Geology webinar—Part 3 of the series—last Thursday.)
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1. Diorite with unusually large crystals (top), Tonalite (left), Granodiorite (right)
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2. Diabase
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3. Schist
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4. Marble
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5. Serpentinite (California’s state rock!)
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6. Skarn
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7. Phyllite
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8. Greenstone
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Missed the live broadcast? You can catch the recording for any past session at LINK IN PROFILE. When you sign up we email you the link to view archived sessions.
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This Thursday catch Part 4: Climate of the Klamath Mountains and hear the story of December 1982: the most rain to fall in California recorded history!
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#rockhound #staterock #serpentinite #geologyrocks #klamathmountains #distancelearning
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https://backcountrypress.com/klamath/webinar-series/
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#exploregon #ashland #mountshasta #humboldt #pnw #pdx #geologist #geology #shasta #williamsor #applegatevalley #cavejunction #rogueriver #medford #grantspass #yreka #etnaca #trinitycounty #trinityalps #siskiyoucounty #siskiyou #crescentcityca #gasquet #arcata
Bring it! #atmosphericriver #7dayforecast . 5” t Bring it!
#atmosphericriver #7dayforecast
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5” to 10” of rain over the next 7 days in #NorCal!
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And what does this mean for the California mountains? ❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️
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How much ❄️? That depends on temperature.
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I’m sure you’ve heard the old refrain that 1” of rain = 10” of snow.
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Sometimes this is true: when the temperature hovers around 30°F.
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If temps are a bit warmer, the ratio is more like 5-to-1.
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And if it’s colder? Loads more fluffy, dry snow. At 20°F the ratio is more like 20-to-1!
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Interested in learning more about the dynamic variation of regional microclimates across the Klamath Mountains of NW California and SW Oregon? How about paleoclimate regimes, how those have shifted to what we have today, and what the future may hold?
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Check our Part 4 of our winter webinar series this Thursday: “Climate of the Klamath Mountains” with Rosemary Sherriff.
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You can join on for any session or the whole series—and recordings of all sessions you missed are ready for you to stream.
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Tap LINK IN PROFILE to find your way there!
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#climate #klamathmountains #distancelearning
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#california #letitrain #letitsnow #northerncalifornia #humboldt #humboldtcounty #trinitycounty #shasta #mountshasta #mtshasta #ashland #mtashland #delnortecounty #siskiyoucounty #trinityalps #pnw #pnwonderland #leftcoast #upperleftusa
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https://backcountrypress.com/klamath/webinar-series/
It’s complicated ⛰ Luckily we have an incredib It’s complicated ⛰ Luckily we have an incredible tour guide to hike us through it!
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Part 3: Geology of the Klamath Mountains with Mark Bailey is Thursday at 7pm PT
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Join for any or all sessions in this 10-Part series on the Natural History of the Klamath Mountains.
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Tap LINK IN PROFILE to find your way there. Hope to see you in the Zoom-o-sphere!
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#geologicmap #klamathmountains #itscomplicated
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#geology #geologyrocks #geologist #northerncalifornia #southernoregon #exploregon #shastacounty #mountshasta #ashland #ashlandoregon #medfordoregon #medford #humboldt #humboldtcounty #trinitycounty #siskiyoucounty #delnortecounty #trinityalps #wilderness
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https://backcountrypress.com/klamath/webinar-series/
“Loved it. I don't know how Instagram knew to se “Loved it. I don't know how Instagram knew to serve me the ad for this series, but I turned to my wife during the presentation and said "these are my people."”
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YES!
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It’s an anonymous comment like that that makes all the hard work of piecing together this 10 part webinar series on the Natural History of the Klamath Mountains entirely worth it.
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I’m so glad we found each other, whoever you are! 😆
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This week is Part 2: Fire in the Klamath Mountains with Jeff Kane (with Part 3: Geology next week!).
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Here’s a plant well adapted to life with fire in the Klamath: beargrass (Xerophyllum tenax) is quick to regenerate on open serpentine slopes after a burn.
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Join us each Thursday through March 11 if you like at 7pm. All sessions are recorded so you can catch up on any you’ve missed!
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Tap LINK IN PROFILE to find your way there.
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#thesearemypeople #beargrass #fireecology #klamathmountains
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📷: @jefekane
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https://backcountrypress.com/klamath/webinar-series/
Next up in our Winter Webinar Series: Fire in the Next up in our Winter Webinar Series: Fire in the Klamath Mountains
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This session will be presented by Dr. Jeff Kane, Associate Professor of Fire Ecology and Fuels Management at @humboldtstate and Director of HSU’s Wildland Fire Lab.
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He shares these tidbits about fire in the Klamath to get us started:
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🔥 More than 80% of the area burned in the Klamath Mountains over the past 30 years was ignited by lightning
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🔥 Many plant species in the Klamath are adapted to fire, enhancing flowering, seed release, and germination
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🔥 Fire scars on trees tell the story of frequent fire in the Klamath, with many forests historically burning every 15 years
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🔥 Smoke-filled valleys during a fire cools water temperatures in fish-bearing streams and rivers of the Klamath
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Tap LINK IN PROFILE if you’d like to join us at 7pm on 1/14. All sessions will be recorded in case you can’t make the live broadcast.
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📷: @jefekane
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#fireecology #rxburn #oakwoodland #wildfire #klamathmountains #klamathknot
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https://backcountrypress.com/klamath/webinar-series/
Did you catch @justin.garwood ‘s tour of the Kla Did you catch @justin.garwood ‘s tour of the Klamath Mountains’ last glacier yesterday evening?!
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What did you think?
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WOW sums it up for me.
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(Thank you, Justin, and your research team! Incredible documentation work.)
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If you missed it, the recording will be posted Saturday!
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Already getting excited for Part 2: Fire in the Klamath Mountains with @jefekane next Thursday.
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Tap LINK IN PROFILE for all the details.
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#glacier #thisisscience #klamathmountains #trinityalps #webinarseries
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https://backcountrypress.com/klamath/webinar-series/
The Klamath Mountains webinar series kicks off Thu The Klamath Mountains webinar series kicks off Thursday evening and we’re feeling as excited as a . . .
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western forest scorpion in a rotting ponderosa log . . .
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or perhaps a checkerspot in a wildflower meadow. 
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Hope you can join us!
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Friendly reminder that we’re donating class passes to anyone who does education, restoration, or community building work in the Klamath Mountain region. Hit us up!
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Pre-registration is required. Tap LINK IN PROFILE to find your way there.
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#yesthereareforestscorpions
#klamathmountains #naturalhistory
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📷: Ken DeCamp
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https://backcountrypress.com/klamath/webinar-series/
Hey you! What’s that green stuff growing on thos Hey you! What’s that green stuff growing on those rocks?!?
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Look a little more closely... it’s not all moss.
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You may be looking at liverworts!
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The most simple way to tell the difference between a moss and a leafy liverwort:
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Most leafy liverworts will have leaves that attach to their stems in a flattened, 2D fashion.
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On the contrary, most mosses have leaves that spiral around the stem.
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#ancientplants #themoreyouknow🌈 #liverwort #moss #bryophyte #botany #botanist #plantidentification #pnw #pnwonderland #redwoodforest #redwoods
Cheers to the New Year! May 2021 be a bright one f Cheers to the New Year! May 2021 be a bright one for us all, and our planet!
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Since we could certainly all use a bit more fun in our lives, it was recommended to us that each session in the Klamath Mountains Natural History winter webinar series (which begins 1/7!) feature its own pairing -- food and/or bev.
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Brilliant. And why not. Thank you @salmonriveroutpost For the suggestion!
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I present to you the Glaciertini: a fine drink to accompany the first session in this 10-part series where Justin Garwood will tell the story of the Klamath Mountains' Last "tini" Glacier. 
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It also happens to be the signature cocktail of his research team. Per his and colleague Mike van Hattem's instructions:
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1. When setting out on your expedition, allow olives (3 per serving) to slosh marinate in vermouth over a 10 mile hike.
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2. Chill vodka, olives, and cup (titanium preferred) in a 34 degree glacier melt stream for 4 hours.
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3. Combine and sip responsibly on a chunk of granite while taking in a hard earned, grand alpine view.
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Granite Lake (as pictured above) in the Trinity Alps is an ideal location to experience a Glaciertini.
📷: Mike van Hattem
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Fun facts about the Klamath's Last Glacier:
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The ice beetle, Nebria praedicta, lives here and nowhere else on Earth!
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American pipits forage for insects on Grizzly Glacier.
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Grizzly Glacier is the lowest elevation glacier in the US south of the Olympic Peninsula.
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It's so cool on the slopes below Grizzly Glacier that spring flowering alpine shooting star (Primula tetrandra) do not bloom until September!
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There’s still time to sign up. Tap LINK IN PROFILE for the details.
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#glaciertini #trinityalps #klamathmountains
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#glacier #backpacking #naturalhistory #trinitycounty #humboldt #humboldtcounty #southernoregon #norcal #northerncalifornia #pnw #pnwonderland #pnwlife #ashland #ashlandoregon #wilderness #wildernessculture #pdx #corvallis #eugeneoregon #exploremore #optoutside #martini #backpackinglife #traillife #mountshasta #siskiyoucounty #shasta 
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https://backcountrypress.com/klamath/webinar-series/
> > > name needed < < < How shall we refer to this > > > name needed < < <
How shall we refer to this burly being? Have any ideas? We’d love to hear them!
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Our littlest suggested “Fred” but I don’t think it quite fits 🤔
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Will pick our fave from the comments and send you a free copy of “Conifer Country,” truly our first born and the book that started Backcountry Press.
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This old growth tree spirit/goblin/jester greets us each time along our favorite hike to do with our *actual* kids in tow: Hike #4 in Conifer Country.
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It was great to give a nice Hello to this being yesterday along the 4 mile loop through the majestic ancients! 🌲🌲🌲
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#redwoodforest #burl #oldgrowth #conifercountry #hikinghumboldt
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#redwoods #conifers #californianativeplants #humboldt #humboldtcounty #howihumboldt #redwoodcoast #theradwoodcoast #redwoodnationalpark #redwoodnationalandstateparks #prairiecreekredwoodsstatepark #delnortecounty #familyhike #optoutside #exploremore #treemagic #treespirit #bigtrees #treesofinstagram #forestspirit #forestmagic #pnwonderland
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https://backcountrypress.com/book/conifer-country/
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Field Guide to Manzanitas

By Michael Kauffmann, Michael Vasey and Tom Parker

Manzanita’s center of biodiversity is in the California Floristic Province, where they are the “rock stars” of woody shrub diversity. Ranging from the Sierra Nevada mountains to coastal bluffs along the Pacific, from temperate rainforests along the North Coast to arid mountain slopes in Southern California, a wealth of manzanita species and subspecies can be […]

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