Errata Non Grata

drowning in the net.

2008-09-02T20:44:00.002-07:00

maps. bikes. illustrator. flash. gis. travel.

there is too much information.

there are too many options.

i am treading water in the web.

Five Years Ago Today

2008-02-05T07:38:00.000-07:00

Colin Powell sat at the UN Security Council.

My how far we're not.

AJM and Colbert @ the Smithsonian

2008-01-16T13:41:00.000-07:00

Stephen Colbert recently petitioned the Smithsonian to put up his portrait in the Portrait Gallery, which is down the street from my office here in DC. I went over on my lunch break and found it...conveniently located near the bathrooms in the southwest corner of the building. I posted on the Colbert message boards, looks like I was the first...maybe he'll pick it up and give a nod to AJM on his show? That would make me one happy Colbertite.

The Capitol at Night

2008-01-07T15:56:00.001-07:00

Starting a series of cellphone images is this capture from 12/22/2007, about 8pm.

into the lifestream

2008-01-04T09:25:00.000-07:00

well...now, i have a twitter page to match my linkedin page, my facebook page, my myspace page, my anize blog, my multiple blogger blogs, and so on. all part of the lifestream. this interweb is something. not that i blog or really update any of these sites, but they are all there. huzzah.

Best bag

2007-12-22T18:02:00.000-07:00

It's a known fact that I have a problem with:

a). bags
b). shoes
c). bikes

In the first category, here's a product you should buy in bulk and distribute to all of your earth-loving friends.

Compact, re-usable grocery bags from ACME.

A great find by Kelly. It was a bag-filled Christmas.

This is what i call efficient

2007-12-21T08:17:00.000-07:00

From WashCycle:
Delivering Xmas presents via bike

New post @ Andrewmatranga blog

2007-12-20T08:48:00.001-07:00

Check it.

Early Winter's Welcome

2006-10-18T09:42:00.000-07:00

After a full-on day and night of snow yesterday, today we've got a fine layer of icing on the Flatirons and surrounding farms and fields of Boulder Valley.

Days like these remind me that 'tis is a priviledge to live in Colorado. So, I figured I'd head up to the roof to snap some pics of such a fine day.

Sierra Images

2006-08-29T22:34:00.000-07:00

Pics from the High Sierras can be found at anize.org.

The Waking Moments Between Alarm and Dawn

2006-08-28T15:03:00.000-07:00

but really, it was a long walk. we made it out just fine. a pair of crocs saved my trip from the first week on. trail angels. i shed tears, no joke. it was an early morning before our resupply, and mentally i was prepping to enter civilization and then have to re-enter the woods. not that i wasn't excited, but once your legs get dialed you have to then amp up your mind. two parts physical four parts mental. a real test of stamina and will. then many days of mountain passes and crysal-clear lakes and rushing creeks and high basins and granite spires stretching into infinity. fast forward to a tequila sunrise on half dome with two strangers and two buddies who made it out as our last food drops. amazing moment. played guitars on the top before the camera-wielding touristicos arrived. after 29 days, i was spent and was running the last three miles, pavement pounding my knees and feet down the JMT to the valley, which might have hurt my foot. we'll see how it feels in another weeks. indeed, too many moments of pure bliss. a sensory overload like times square but with nature's neon and ticker tape each morning. walking through evolution basin at sunset. waking up in a sleeping bag of ice after sleeping out one night that night at 11,000 feet. the muir hut at muir pass after being sick that morning. meadow after meadow of purple and pink and yellow wildflowers. each peak a new story to tell. a few brushes with the black bears of yosemite....

On The Trail Again

2006-07-17T18:37:00.000-07:00

Back in San Fran after a few years away. Time to hit the high country once again. We bought the food, mailed the boxes, and packed the bags. Waiting for a ride, sorta, and we're pretty much on the road again.

Taus and I will be hiking 280 miles in the next 29 days. From Sequoia NP Giant Forest to Mt. Whitney to Yosemite Valley. We'll hit a few Wilderness Area, pass through a couple National Forests, buzz by a National Monument, and probably cross a mountain pass or twelve.

For those of you worried that we won't be eating, above is a picture of our five food drops. We spent near $750 for the 29 days that we'll be on trail. Rainbox Co-Op for GORP, Safeway for tuna packets and noodle meals, and Trader Joe's for Clif Bars. Just a little something to tide you over until we get back to civilization.

John Muir Trail Itinerary Soundcheck Matranga / Taus Summer, 2006

Day	Campsite	Distance	Δ elevation	Notes
1 7/19	Bearpaw Meadow	11.5 mi	+900’	Start in crescent meadow in Giant Forest of Sequoia NP; consider sleeping in campsite at Sequoia night before hike
2 7/20	Big Arroyo Junction	11 mi	+2900’, -500?	Over Kaweah Gap (10,700’) – Western Divide
3 7/21	Upper Funston Meadow	12 mi	-800??	Optional: Moraine Lake, fill water @ sky parlor meadow (before descent) Meadow is slightly south, at entrance to Kern Canyon
4 7/22	Junction Meadow	9.75 mi	+800??	Through Kern Canyon, Kern Hot Springs @ 2-2.5 mi. Junction Meadow at end of Kern Canyon
5 7/23	Crabtree	7.5 mi	+2800’	Join up with JMT at Wallace Creek, right turn towards Mt. Whitney. Use Crabtree as a base camp for Whitney summit
6 7/24	Crabtree	15 mi	+3800’, -3800’	DAY HIKE: Summit of Mt. Whitney. Back to Crabtree basecamp
John Muir Trail Itinerary 1^st Set Matranga / Taus Summer, 2006
7 7/25	Tyndall Creek	8.6 mi	-200’, +500’	Retracing steps until the junction with High Sierra Trail
8 7/26	Vidette Meadow	12.5 mi	+2300’, -3600’	Over Forester Pass, Vidette meadow near Kearsarge Pinnacles & Lakes. Camp on Bubbs Creek.
9 7/27	Onion Valley	8.6 mi	+2300’, -2600’	RESUPPLY in onion valley. Leave JMT and push over Kearsarge pass, camp close to Onion Valley. (maybe in onion valley itself?)
10 7/28	Bullfrog Lake	6.75 mi	+2600’, -1200’	Back over Kearsarge Pass, short day with heavy packs
11 7/29	Dollar Lake	8.5 mi	(net) –400’	Over Glen Pass
12 7/30	Twin Lakes	9 mi	-1700’, +2200’	Follow south creek, then woods creek
13 7/31	King’s River-south fork	7.5 mi	+1500’, -2100’	Over Pinchot Pass; King’s river after junction with trail to bench lake
14 8/1	Deer Meadow	12.5 mi	+2000’, -3200’	Over Mather pass, camp near intersection of Palasaide, Glacier, and Cathedral creeks
15 8/2	River source before Muir Pass OR Wanda Lake	10.75 mi OR 15.25 mi	+1600’ or +2700’	Ranger station in LeConte Canyon; River source is right at treeline before Muir Pass, tributary crosses trail.
Day	Campsite	Distance	Δ elevation	Notes
16 8/3	Evolution Meadow	14.5 mi OR 9.5 mi	-2000’ (net) or -2200’	Muir Pass before Wanda Lake; Ranger station at McClure Meadow
17 8/4	Muir Trail Ranch	8.5 mi	-1400’	RESUPPLY at Muir Trail Ranch, possibly sleep on JMT after resupply? Depends on price/scene at the ranch…

John Muir Trail Itinerary 2^nd Set Matranga / Taus Summer, 2006

18 8/5	Upper Bear Creek Meadow	11 mi	+3100’, -1600’	Over Selden pass, Possible stop in Rosemarie meadow (1.4 mi less)
19 8/6	Quail Meadow	9.5 mi	-1700’	1.4 mi to water lake Thomas Edison/water taxi to Vermillion resort (possibly resupply / chill point)
20 8/7	Fish Creek	10.3 mi	+3000’, -1800’	Over Silver Pass; Fish creek at junction w/purple lake trail
21 8/8	Deer Creek	13 mi	+1100’, -1100’	Through Tully Hole, Deer Creek is 1^st river x-ing after Duck lake creek (-5.5 mi), Upper Crater Meadow is +2.0 mi
22 8/9	Devils Postpile NM – Red Meadow Campgr.	8 mi	-1400’	RESUPPLY at Red Meadow MEET WITH TMO, Devil’s Postpile NM Ranger Station 7.5 mi (GET MAP!) Car Camping Here…1^st come 1^st serve
23 8/10	Shadow Creek	9.5 mi	+1100’	JMT and PCT split after DPNM, switchbacks approaching Shadow Lake
24 8/11	River Crossing from Waugh Lake	9 mi	+800’	Past Garnet and Thousand Island lakes, over Island Pass…several options here.
25 8/12	Kuna Creek	10 mi	+400’, -1100’	Welcome to Yosemite! Camp at the creek before Lyell Fork gets wider
26 8/13	Tuolumne Meadows	9 mi	-300’	Mini-resupply with Volker Ranger station @ Tuolumne Meadows;
John Muir Trail Itinerary Encore Matranga / Taus Summer, 2006
27 8/14	Sunrise Camp	10.5 mi	+1000’, -400’	Over Cathedral Pass, sunrise is an established campsite (may need permit)
28 8/15	Cloud’s Rest Turnoff	6.5 mi	-2100’	No distinct campsite, camp somewhere near sunrise creek (check if ok w/park). Ranger station at Little Yosemite Valley +2.7 miles
29 8/16	Yosemite Valley	7 mi	-3200’	Half Dome Summit adds 4 miles and +/- 1800’ DONE! Descend into civilization.

Now you can follow us from home! See you in late August....

Sing it with me: On the road again, just can't wait to get on the road again.

Aaron Bell for Callahan 2006

2006-05-19T11:46:00.000-07:00

Aaron Bell, a friend of mine from my summer days in Hubertus, is a pretty sick ultimate player. He has led his team Oregon Ultimate into the UPA College Nationals Tournament being held in Columbus, OH, over Memorial Day. He is also up for a nomination for the 2006 Callahan MVP, which goes to the year's best player. (Even the best, however, find inspiration somewhere. Scroll on the first link above to see who mentored Aaron, ahem.)

Aaron (who goes by many monikers) and I (who also go by many appellations) taught the first Ultimate Frisbee Skill session at camp a few years back. It was quite a party, and I reflect nostalgically about those days.

But, this post is to implore all college ultimate players to Vote for Aaron, Callahan 2006.

Sounds like Student Council Presidential Elections, I know, but it's still a big enough deal in the college ultimate world.

Award Winner

2006-05-10T08:28:00.000-07:00

Last night , the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism presented the 2006 National Magazine Awards.

BACKPACKER won for Best Magazine Section, which is a big deal.

Here is the BACKPACKER blurb, taken from the ASME website:

MAGAZINE SECTION – This category recognizes the excellence of a regular department or editorial section of a magazine, either front- or back-of-book and composed of a variety of elements, both text and visual. Selection is based on the section’s voice, originality, design and packaging.

Backpacker: Jonathan Dorn, Editor-in-Chief, for its Basecamp section, June, September, December.

“Backpacker Magazine neatly stuffs exactly what its readers need into its Basecamp section, without an extra ounce of verbiage. Basecamp’s authoritative product reviews, clear technical advice, and enticing trail suggestions encourage readers and equip them for their adventures, and the writing and graphics offer a well-marked, scenic path through what could be a jungle of information.”

like ladies lying in the sun

2006-05-08T18:36:00.000-07:00

i smelled cut grass today on my walk after work to the bus stop.

rich and green.

summer.

one week back

2006-05-02T06:39:00.000-07:00

so, last monday at noon i arrived in denver. a week later, it is the first tuesday in may. summer is perched on the precipice. there are less than two weeks left for CU students. work is going okay. deadline after deadline. hike after hike. still sorting through the 2,000 pictures kelly and I took down in peru. i will blog some stuff....maybe. i am still mulling over the many moments that, if left uncounted, might slip away. let's just say that the boulder farmer's market on saturday was equal parts quaint and disturbing.

off to the map cave, while my girfriend mountain-bikes the world's most dangerous road and witnesses state-seizure of the bolivian oil industry.

Musik Para Aeropuertos

2006-04-23T19:28:00.000-07:00

Well then. Back in Lima, PE. Been here since 13:00. Nearly 21:30. Plane to Houston, Tejas, USA, in two hours. In-and-out of sleep and crying babies and a Spanish man asking me for money to pay the exorbitant Peruvian Airport Tax for his family. 30 USD times four. That is a lot. I must pay the $30. Bah. They know their tourism here.

Spendy internet in the airport, so I will say this:

Wow. Claro. Furia Roja. All that stuff.

The basics: Met my beautiful girlfriend in Cusco two weeks ago. Spent the first few days getting her acclimated to the high altitude of Cusco. Walked the streets and saw some sights. It is a fast town that stays up late. We had a great, centraly located hotel with a beautiful courtyard for morning sunlight and continental breakfast.

Then, the highlights:

*Spent Easter week in Latin America. Daytime pagentry, colorful noise, solemn nighttime prayer in a plaza, and evening rhythm at the Holy Thursday Mass.

*Saw a soccer game in Cusco. Blaring horns. Jumping fans. Cusco lost to Sao Paolo, but it was all a soccer game in South America could be. I was lucky to be there. I was reflective of my experiences as a soccer player, and a humbling moment as a fifth grader.

*Trekking for five days in the Vilcabamba Range of The Andes to a remote Inca settlement named Choque'kiraw (possibly bigger and more important, though less known than the fabled Machu Picchu). Unreal. Mist curling over centuries of human history and achievement.

*Strolled the streets of a frontier village in with Kelly and beautiful smiling children waving "Hola!" at the blond-haired gringo couple.

*Ate a wood-stove baked guinea pig, which is a Peruvian delicacy.

*Saw sunrise over Machu Picchu.

----
Peru has much more to offer, and I barely scratched the surface. I must pay my tax and get to my gate. Pictures and stories and anecdotes and all that stuff to follow. Back on the Front Strange by 10am MST.

day three

2006-04-12T12:29:00.000-07:00

so, here i am. kelly is in the hotel. scratch the ¨she´s better¨note from last night. she´s quite ill, and i hope she gets better. it´s terrible to see such a strong person set back by sickness. she´s still affected by the altitude, and i did some walking today around town. saw the south american explorers clubhouse and got a topo map of the highlands where we will trek. miguel, the main host, is an amazing resource and invited me to the futbol game tonight. i picked up some diomox for kelly´s illness and chatted with a cool girl from alaska who is in south america for a few months. i hate to say it, but speaking english with someone is comforting. between apologizing, "lo siento," and saying "no gracias," i feel like a schmuck. no and sorry. two words that i don´t really like that much. i was even yelled at by an incan in full regalia as i touched one of the ornate incan walls on my walk. sigh. between my synthetic backpacker clothes and an ill girlfriend, i am quite the tourist, but that´s expected. i have to go get some rice and noodles for her now. tomorrow i will go see ruins, but i really don´t want to do anything without kelly. that´s why i am here, after all, to see this stuff with her and have this moment.

a town called cusco

2006-04-11T18:15:00.000-07:00

well, after a night in the lima airport on the chairs and my packs, i am in cusco.

this is a fast town that is trying to sell tourists anything under the peruvian sun. so far i am in sensory overload and intimidated by my lack of language, but the mountains that ring this town at 11'000 feet are emerald green and shine in the sun. it's glory. i love mountains. (though they have one of the deepest canyons in the world just south of here, not too far from the highest elevation lake in the world. so many things to see and do in this country. two weeks isn't enough!)

we have a great hotel overlooking a square, and kelly brought me mate, a bombilla and a gourd from argentina, so i can sit on the porch in the sun and drink a beautiful drink as the traffic and people and honking and dogs go by. she did a great job finding this place. hotel garcilosa is in a central location and we got a great deal. the clincher, they always have hot water for tea and plenty of cocoa leaves to chew on for the altitude. (this is custom, even in stores, but i thrive on hot water.)

but really, the best part was seeing kelly at the taxi circus outside the airport. it was a sight for blurry eyes. she found us a cab, and we were through the bustling streets of cusco to our hotel that overlooking the courtyard. they moved our room when we had a water problem in the bathroom (while kelly was ill with sickness, she's better now) and we got an upgrade. ah, the corner suite with a porch.

but, to rewind, last night was intense. it is the beginning of holy week and all the folks are out. we were in plaza de armas for the processional of the earthquake god (i will flesh out that later from my notes and pictures) and we waiting for a few hours for jesus to show up. we took some pics of some kids, and an old quechua woman got angry with us. not unlike the navajo at havasupai, pictures of the natives come off as somewhat disrespectful. so, that was the first cultural clash, besides my piss-poor espanol. but, then came jesus, who was brought in on a large platform followed by a horn section and placed in front of the church, tipped to the crowd, who by this time was kneeling in prayer all around us, and then taken into the the cathedral behind the massive green front doors. after an easter in rome, which was a gigantic affair, seeing this interpretation was an interesting comparison. catholicism is a powerful force, like it or not. (i made the sign of the cross, as it's a reflex at this point; happy dad?) after the processional ended, we fought through the throngs of worshippers (some nicer than others) and found a place for dinner. what a day. i didn't sleep from saturday night until monday night, and spent a night walking around dazed in the lima airport, so i was wiped.

today (tuesday) i met up with the trekking service and got everything set up for our 5-day trip to an ancient outpost of the incas, choquequirao. all is set, and we meet with the guide on thursday night. tomorrow we might leave the town and see the countryside. my collarbone is better, but i am still sore. i hope that the many miles we walk won't be too much for my healing body.

we walked around town today and saw more colorful costumes and dancing and pagentry. now we are about to get some food and turn in.

2006-04-09T12:58:00.000-07:00

2006-04-09T08:59:00.000-07:00

the time has come

2006-04-09T00:14:00.000-07:00

two bags packed. a thing of glory. hope the big pack isn't too much over 50, though it probably is. i can make the exposure 42 do a little more for me, but it's just so tidy now. that's the early stage though. a clean line. anyways. enough of that. the rest? hikes roughly finished and sent off. i could only do so much.

seven hours until departure to to denver international airport. that said, hope i have a ride to the airport.

ten hours to flight departure to houston. one hour in houstain and then on to lima. arrive in lima in 22 hours. stay the night in the lima airport and catch the red-eye to cusco. arrive in cusco in 31 hours.

i hope getting from the airport to the hostel where kelly is stationed isn't too much of a travail.

the gringo trail begins.

Cloud Study: Redrock Frame

2006-04-07T02:28:00.000-07:00

After a last post, I was asked when I started an interest in clouds. Well, the short answer is some time ago. I can't remember when. I grew up along Lake Michigan, and there was always some lake effect weather going on. That must have something to do with it.

But, specifically, I framed a picture taken in The Summer of '99 where Willlow Creek Road crests that hill and you know you're almost home. A good friend gave it to me as the front of a card. It's striking. There are these puffy, perfect Wisconsin Summertime clouds bunched up over the kettle moraine near Hubertus. That picture, with the rolling emerald hills and crystal-blue skies, is still a favorite. Other cumulus moment I remember was one day laying in a field near Lake Mendota in May of 2002 and having a spiritual moment with a cloud mass. I used love to weather in high school when I was the "Weather Director" and "Weather Center" co-creator for Newscene. I often have Field Guide to Weather from the National Audubon Society in my bag that features great cloud shots and scientific labels.

Granted, this photo is no Unafraid Leroy shot, but I took it in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area when I was there in September of 2005. I remember standing under this towering amphiteater of caramel sandstone thinking the natural redrock frame was quite appealing. It's the converging cirrus fibratus clouds that temper the deep-blue ceiling of the desert Southwest that does it for me I guess.

Oak Canyon Amphitheater Natural Frame © Andrew Matranga 2005

Moments of Darwin

2006-04-07T00:35:00.000-07:00

For those that really know me, a spoon is eternally in the left pocket of any pair of Carhartt's I wear, be they shorts, double-knee, or work dungaree. I had three different spoons in three different pairs at the same time. It was glory.

For the longest time, the standard lexan spoon was my junk.

But no more, evolution of the species has occurred.

The Brunton My-Ti Folding Spork, which fits in the change pocket of any pants.

Pretty nice and pretty light.

I am gear nerd, I know.

Hocus Pocus Dominocus

2006-04-06T22:07:00.000-07:00

59 hours to go.

Right...anyways, I just home from the map cave a little bit ago. On Sunday morning, I fly to Lima from Denver. Then, on Monday morning, I fly to Cusco and meet up with Kelly, who hopefully has made it across a few South American border crossings without too much strife.

I will be there for two weeks. We are planning on a trek to Choquequirao, an Incan outpost south of the fabled Macchu Picchu. I was recommended this historical site by an anize'r who is reputable in all things Peru and the Number One. This off-the-beaten track trek supposedly isn't quite the Gringo Trail up the Camino Inca to Macchu Picchu. We'll see what goes down once we get there. Communication with the trekking service has been good up so far. I found this trekking service referred by a California hiker I work with on the GPS project. He was in Lima with his wife and writing a story for the San Francisco Chronicle and a few other publications. So, I am trying to use my resources for this trip. Meeting Kelly means I have someone who has been down in that hemisphere for a spell navigating the waters of our sister continent to the south. Pre-trip research and planning is only good up until a point, then it's time to drive or audible the outline.

Time to read more Lonely Planet and edit waypoint cards before then.

workers of the world

2006-04-05T06:25:00.000-07:00

so the RTD drivers are on a strike here in Boulder, only locally tying up some transit. in bolivia, kelly is stuck, not able to cross the border because of a transit strike. i hope she makes it to peru, or i'll be one lonely gringo in cusco.

second sighting of ben

2006-04-01T20:10:00.001-07:00

i was working tonight (a saturday) because i am going to peru next week, and i was eating food and watching the ncaa game with my bro at a sports bar on pearl street. i went back to my office as george mason was ending their season with missed layups, and my bro comes busting down the stairs.

"ben harper is outside eating food on the bench."

i was like, "oh yeah, ben is playing at the fox theatre tonight. and last night. huh."

so, i saunter up to mr. harper and say, "hey ben. so, i know you'd like to remain an anonymous person here in a public place, but i had to say hello again. we ate breakfast next to each other at a diner in san fransico." when i told him, again, about how "ashes" was the reason i chose to teach myself mandolin, he got this faraway look in his eyes and said "isn't that something, when it affects you like that."

we could have had a discussion about that for a long, long time. i was too excited to think like a journalist; besides, he's just trying to be some random dude eating a snack after a bike ride around bouldertown.

{funny that both times we met it was over food. consumption, ritual, humanity--all concepts flowing through my mind in those moments.}

(he had a rental bike from the st. julien hotel, which is just down the street. he made a funny remark about how he needed more gears on the hills here. "i need to get more of those downhills!")

the key was that he remembered me from the morning san fran.

"oh yeah, weren't you the one i was talking to about a mandola?" he asked. "you can tune a mandolin down, you know. though, i am sure you knew that." then he was like, "that was a few years ago, right?" i go, "july of '04 actually." i talked to him about his place in san fran, busy life, etc. for a little while until my bro came over. we all chatted and laughed for a spell, and then we all went on our way.

i mean, i didn't want to impede on his time as he relaxed before his show, but i can't pass up a chance to talk to someone that has inspired my creativity like few other musicians. he's a big influence in my musical history, for sure. (doesn't hurt i've had a couple down-to-earth conversation with him a few times now.)

anyways. ashes. in minor chords. the preferred key of condoleeza rice: "i feel like the composer was working harder." nuff said.

music will keep on giving.

Cloud Study: Waveform Cumulus

2006-03-31T22:57:00.000-07:00

©Scott Coppersmith

I will continue to catalog Unafraid Leroy's Cloud Studies with further meteorological distinction when possible.

Cloud Study #12

2006-03-31T22:25:00.000-07:00

Something To Say

2006-03-17T10:23:00.000-07:00

LA Music Writer Bob Lefsetz had a moving quote is his recent newsletter:

"We do our best in this society not to feel, to keep busy, so we don't have to face how scary life is. We used to count on musicians to explore these dark areas for us. And when successful, we followed them, we believed in them. To bask in [their] humanity."

I second that. No, I feel that, especially since I have no band to follow these days, though the community still buzzes...

Lines and Half-Circles

2006-03-16T14:29:00.000-07:00

A study of public architecture at the Boulder Public Library Main Branch.

Errata Pic of the Day

2006-03-16T14:26:00.000-07:00

This frog usually has kids climbing all over him. Today, he was loving the late-morning sunshine on Pearl St.

errata #473: one bane of tech.lifestyle and a global thought

2006-03-16T09:18:00.000-07:00

email becomes your constant companion. upgrading and downshifting. a notified-moment of communication that is as cursory as hitting the send button.

yet.

it's the world some live in. it's not visceral, like holding a letter, though it can strike deep.

--trangential--

others, however, are in a water shortage. see nytimes front section story on mexico city and water rations.

we are in a water shortage out west and in the us as a whole, but are we really hearing enough about it to do anything substantive and reformative. is it a shortage? what is going on? who has their hand on the lever, the leveee, and the dam? do we really want a precision earthquake at the glen canyon dam? a well-placed act of god that wipes out the oregon coast like the islands of thailand?

in the meantime, i will take the first shower of my two-hot-shower-per-day regimen as of late.

hyprocrite to the end...i suppose.

Award Nomination

2006-03-15T15:52:00.000-07:00

So this is a big deal in the magazine publishing world.

BACKPACKER Magazine was nominated for a National Magazine Award in the General Excellence category, in part because of the Regional inserts and GPS initiave. Clearly, much thanks to the BP Map Staff in Boulder, CO. We are always bringin' it to you, geo-reference style. Fact-checked and all that stuff.

We also received a nomination for the "Magazine Section" category because of the "Basecamp" section of our magazine, which is important...but it's not GPS content from kw, crm, jab (before she left this week) and ajm (all told, the "kickass" BP Map Team).

Rodale Media is stoked, obviously. More from the parent company:

About Rodale’s Backpacker:
Backpacker brings the outdoors straight to the reader's doorstep, inspiring and enabling them to go more places and enjoy nature more often. The authority on active adventure, Backpacker is the world's first GPS-enabled magazine, and it's the only magazine whose editors personally test the hiking trails, camping gear, and survival tips they publish. Backpacker's six regional editions offer accessible, close-to-home getaways with detailed, tear-out maps to dozens of nearby hikes, as well as practical tips on day hikes, camping and the best gear information available. This combination provides outdoors enthusiasts with the tools they need to make active outdoor travel and backcountry experiences an everyday reality. Backpacker's Editors' Choice Awards, an industry honor recognizing design, feature and product innovation has become the gold standard against which all other outdoor-industry awards are measured. Published by Rodale Inc., Backpacker has a circulation of 325,000 and is published 9 times a year. Backpacker's companion web site, www.backpacker.com, is updated daily and features more than 30,000 hikes, a searchable and comprehensive database of outdoor gear with reviews (www.gearfinder.com), a special section for female hikers, and an all-new map and GPS center.

About Rodale Inc.
Rodale Inc. is the authoritative source for expert content in health, fitness and wellness around the world, reaching 40 million people each month. The company publishes some of the best-known health and wellness lifestyle magazines, including Men's Health, Prevention, Women's Health, Runner's World, Best Life, Bicycling, Backpacker and Organic Gardening, and is also the largest independent book publisher in America with a stable of international titles, including The South Beach Diet and The Abs Diet franchises. Rodale's broad range of media platforms includes magazines, books, video and extensive Web sites. The company is also a leader in direct response marketing and has more than 25 million active customers in its database. www.rodale.com.

Errata Non Grata #109

2006-03-15T11:28:00.000-07:00

Okay. It's been more than an hour. More like three. Got here on the RTD "B" bus -- love the Broadway Boogie, that is, hopping on any bus to the "downtown" station.

Doing August California hikes, including some JMT maps and itinerary. The latter is a Big Project, for sure.

My other project, which is waaaay on the backburner, is to GPS the Flatirons of Boulder and prepare a GoogleEarth 3D blowout of what I would argue are some of America's best close-to-metro trails. That will come as I train for Muir and as I amass GPS data.

Back to the Santa Margarita River Trail in San Diego.

Full Moon Fever

2006-03-15T08:15:00.000-07:00

Well. Here we are again. Morning. Woke up with the shoulder feeling good. Hit the snooze for a good hour. Getting bad at that, and not honoring my morning walk. Blah. Need to do that. Need to train. Need to get the legs back in working order.

But....alas, Time For Work. Map editing time. I've got to finish up my California hikes for August and move on to the teeming mass of the Midwest and other regions. Then, September. All before I leave for Peru in April. Magazine deadlines and production schedules mean that you are never really living in the here and now, but I still get lit off my art--can't you see it comin' outta me heart? (Thanks for that line, Joey D.)

In sum, had a good enough night last night. Did some scouting of the local pirate's nest and concocted a plan of attack. It was the Full Moon Fever in effect. (More and more I realize how dominated I am by the lunar cycle.)

So lucky to have the resources of Boulder. Leroy and Superlove are crucial figures in this narrative moment. Peter Matthew is key as well. I am blessed. Now I just need to thrown down the Morning Thunder and pound the NYTimes and get down to Pearl. The temps are climbing and the sun is shining. Winter on the Front Range is a beautiful affair. I will miss it if, and/or when, I leave the StRange. See you in an hour. (Why an hour? Why not? Probably not, but still.)

Doctor's Orders

2006-03-14T19:35:00.000-07:00

Saw the doc a couple weeks ago. Said I am healing well and to start some physical therapy. Nurse said I was a fast healer.

Just what I needed to hear.

He also said to start hiking again, but no sports like basketball or biking again (obviously).

I have another appointment before I leave for Peru to make sure that the Andes don't set me back for the Sierra Nevada.

Ah...the mountains and canyons of the world.

Too Many Options.

So, now I will put trust in the good doctor's diagnosis and start (slowly, carefully and gingerly) GPS'ing the Flatirons for a nice little personal project that I will tell y'all about real soon.

Errata Non Grata

2006-03-11T22:43:00.000-07:00

In an effort to utilize the many resources of terra digitalia, I've set up this Google-style'd blog. This does not mean, in any way, that I am leaving the anize.org.flock. I am just trying to extend the media outlets whereby my voice is heard and seen and all that stuff. I hope the use this audio blog feature via the Trimble/Nextel GPS phones from trail, where possible. This way, I'll have pictures, audio, and text to flesh out the things that are going in this here world. I will say this, blogging from a cell phone is odd. Blogging in general is odd. But that's another post. Or call. Or whatever.

Into the nether in audio format

2006-03-11T18:17:00.000-07:00

ajm

2006-03-11T17:56:00.000-07:00

Errata #1

2006-03-11T17:30:00.000-07:00

Just to post up on a piece of virtual real estate, I'm here at blogger.

-ajm

Errata Non Grata

drowning in the net.

Five Years Ago Today

AJM and Colbert @ the Smithsonian

The Capitol at Night

into the lifestream

Best bag

This is what i call efficient

New post @ Andrewmatranga blog

Early Winter's Welcome

Sierra Images

The Waking Moments Between Alarm and Dawn

On The Trail Again

Distance

Δ elevation

Bearpaw Meadow

Start in crescent meadow in Giant Forest of Sequoia NP; consider sleeping in campsite at Sequoia night before hike

Upper Funston Meadow

Distance

Δ elevation

Devils Postpile NM – Red Meadow Campgr.

Aaron Bell for Callahan 2006

Award Winner

like ladies lying in the sun

one week back

Musik Para Aeropuertos

day three

a town called cusco

the time has come

Cloud Study: Redrock Frame

Moments of Darwin

Hocus Pocus Dominocus

workers of the world

second sighting of ben

Cloud Study: Waveform Cumulus

Cloud Study #12

Something To Say

Lines and Half-Circles

Errata Pic of the Day

errata #473: one bane of tech.lifestyle and a global thought

Award Nomination

Errata Non Grata #109

Full Moon Fever

Doctor's Orders

Errata Non Grata

Into the nether in audio format

ajm

Errata #1