In the Woods

 

Warning about Bears at a Trash Site in Yosemite

If you follow my blog, you know that I went on a 6 week camping trip this fall and visited a number of national parks along the way from Lewes, Delaware to Yosemite National Park in California.  While on this trip, I read an exciting book called Ranger Confidential: Living, Working, And Dying In The National Parks by Andrea Lankford. For twelve years, Andrea Lankford lived in the biggest, most impressive national parks in the world.  In this graphic and surprisingly funny account of her and others’ extraordinary careers, Lankford unveils a world in which park rangers struggle to maintain their idealism in the face of death, disillusionment, and the loss of a comrade killed. She reveals the  thin line between protecting the park from the people, the people from the park, and the people from each other.

 

Bear Trap in Yosemite

Lankford reveals arguments with bears that she won.  She pursued bad guys on her patrol horse. She jumped into rescue helicopter.   She slept with a few too many rattlesnakes. Ranger Confidential is the story behind the scenery of the nation’s crown jewels—Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Great Smokies, Denali.

This is what a bear trap looks like

 Secretly I was hoping to see a bear from a distance of course.  I only saw signs like this bear trap that I ran across on a hike one morning in Yosemite.  The trap was pretty exciting to me since I had never seen one before.  

Bear lockers

In Lankford's book, I read about the bear lockers.  These are bear proof containers that are near campsites to store food.  The sight of these bear lockers at a campsite in Yosetime brought the book to life for me.

"Housing"  for Volunteer Rescue Folks

The book describes a special section in Yosemite, that is for the volunteer rescue folks to live.  I might have just walked past it and not have even realized what this was if I hadn't read this book.

A Volunteer Rescue Worker fine tuning his skills

Right outside this section of the park, I spotted this fellow who was obviously skilled at walking a wire.  I don't think he was just entertaining himself and others.  I think he was practicing for a rescue.  For some reason which escapes me, a lot of people like to climb these huge mountains.

Mountain Climbers

 Half Dome at Yosemite is so popular that permits to climb it are awarded based on a lottery. 

El Capitan

The most dangerous things that I did in the national parks was ride in our big truck and do some mild hikes.  

Bear Pendant by Moriah Betterly of Blu Mudd

 I am on Moriah Betterly's design team so I am familiar with her ceramics.  I just bought this bear pendant.  I have plans to make this into a necklace inspired by this trip.

I am also a member of 2 teams that make handmade artisan goods.  These teams are the etteam and aweteam.

 Please click HERE to visit view with links to artisan work

Above is a little sampling of their handmade artisan works. Many of these artisans have sales this time of year. The First Friday Art Walk Team (AWETeam) is the official team hosting the the "First Friday Art Walk Weekend" on Etsy.com. I am offering 10% off my jewelry, cards and components from now through Monday with code THANKU2 at checkout.

Component by BayMoonDesign

Soft Pink Leather Compass Bracelet by BayMoonDesign

If you have a special trip to celebrate you may want to purchase my compass component or finished compass bracelet. 

Happy New Year (image from GraphicStock

Perhaps you have a special trip planned for 2015.  If so I would love to hear where you hope to go. I am hoping to go to the Smokey Mountains in the Fall.