An ongoing compendium of accumulated footnotes.

  1. “Western” is not a place. It’s an attitude and a quality, the hallmarks of which are self-sufficiency, self-reliance, transformation, rugged independence, saltiness, a predisposition to risk and margins, and a DTF-type of commitment to one’s pursuits. [ Source: ABOUT ]
  2. More than reliable transportation or a destination or extensive provisioning, any Explorer or Traveler (or Philosopher/Wanderer) worth his salt, requires only a quality wool blanket. Wool blankets can be fashioned into a jacket, as in a capote, or a cloak or cape. They can be used to wrap and therefore protect your valuables during travel as well as camouflage said valuables regrettably but necessarily left overnight in a car in a dimly lit motel parking lot. In place of an otherwise useless cotton towel pre-and-post hot spring, swim hole and river. As a bedroll, a napkin (albeit an oversized napkin), a pillow, a sack or makeshift bag, a brightly colored and nicely delineated picnic or lunch spot, for love-making, in defense against nearly feral or overly habituated animals, a lightweight saddle alternative, fire containment and for bivouacking and/or enhancing an otherwise primitive shelter. For wound care and poultices. Protection against the elements like dust, wind, direct sunlight, etc., as well as volatile and/or tempestuous weather. Insulation be it fixed, semi-permanent or temporary. To appear Period Correct if which period is the whole of the 1800s. A blanket and/or ad-hoc burrito-style mummy bag. And finally, if need be, they can be soaked in various nutrients, broths, herbs and tinctures for later oral or topical application. [ Source: ABOUT ]
  3. Each ride has been chosen for its intrinsic character, historical relevance and ride qualities. [ Source: BROVET: OLD RIDGE ROAD ]
  4. “Bakersfield was founded by Colonel Thomas Baker in 1869. It was located near (part of it “in”) one of the forks of the Kern River in reclaimed swampland. At one time called Kern Island, the city became known as Bakersfield after Colonel Baker’s residence and field, which was used as a stop over for travelers (called Baker’s Field). Located on the Los Angeles to Stockton Road, its close proximity to mountain passes to the west, south, and east would later make the city into a transportation hub. Bakersfield was originally incorporated in 1873.” [ Source: BROVET: OLD RIDGE ROAD ]
  5. The largest cut on the Old Ridge Route, Swede’s Cut is a 110 ft. excavation into a hillside creating a narrow rockfall-prone notch, completed in 1915. [ Source: BROVET: OLD RIDGE ROAD ]
  6. The Poler Napsack: For cold-weather detours, pitstops, corn-dogging, après-anything-and-everything leisure, and in place of wool blanket. [ Source: BROVET: OLD RIDGE ROAD ]
  7. The Highlight Yellow Giro Aeon: A Hi-Vis Yellow and Rando-correct helmet that transcends the post-600k consumption of chocolate milk, and the lamination of meticulous lists and instructions. [ Source: BROVET: OLD RIDGE ROAD ]
  8. The Raleigh International: a reliable and capable steel bicycle for long distances and myriad road surfaces. [ Source: BROVET: OLD RIDGE ROAD ]
  9. Corn-Dogging (v.) mid-2000s, Appalachian-American,  coined by Cole Maness. Figurative – the act of wasting (valuable) resources such as riding time, daylight, money, comfort zone(s), etc., in the pursuit of curious and/or seemingly pointless, regionally specific endeavors, e.g. swimming in a swimming hole, sitting on a decommissioned Sherman Tank cum War War II Monument such that the barrel appears to be your overly-large penis, listening to a taxidermist play the banjo and harmonica in a barn in West Virginia, throwing rocks at road signs for target practice and sport and possibly money, stopping at the Pendleton Round-Up (a rodeo in Pendleton, Oregon) in the middle of a 150-mile ride to eat/share the worlds largest corn dog. [ Source: BROVET: OLD RIDGE ROAD ]
  10. “The Pacific Ring of Fire, or just Ring of Fire for short, is an area where a large number of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur in the basin of the Pacific Ocean. In a 40,000 km (25,000 mi) horseshoe shape, it is associated with a nearly continuous series of oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, and volcanic belts and/or plate movements. The Ring of Fire has 452 volcanoes and is home to over 75% of the world’s active and dormant volcanoes. It is sometimes called the circum-Pacific belt or the circum-Pacific seismic belt.” [ Source:  LAZARUS PITS ]
  11. “Ovis dalli is a species of sheep native to northwestern North America, ranging from white to slate brown in color and having curved yellowish brown horns.” [ Source:  KILLING A MOUNTAIN CARIBOU ]
  12. e.g Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. [ Source:  KILLING A MOUNTAIN CARIBOU ]
  13. At times, especially as we made our way through Western Colorado, we dragged, pushed and pulled (more than paddled) our packed rafts through less than eighteen inches of water. An eight mile section might take us several hours and force us to repeatedly get into and out of our rafts to navigate around larger rocks and past the wider sections where the flow was diminished and the river more shallow. [ Source:  ROWDY WATER ]
  14. National Park Service: Wilderness Act [ Source:  KALMIOPSIS WILDERNESS AREA EXPANSION ]
  15. National Forest List [ Source:  KALMIOPSIS WILDERNESS AREA EXPANSION ]
  16. Wikipedia: The Mythical State of Jefferson) [ Source:  KALMIOPSIS WILDERNESS AREA EXPANSION ]
  17. Wikipedia: Kilmiopsis Wilderness [ Source:  KALMIOPSIS WILDERNESS AREA EXPANSION ]
  18. Kalmiopsis Wilderness Map  [ Source:  KALMIOPSIS WILDERNESS AREA EXPANSION ]
  19. National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act [ Source:  KALMIOPSIS WILDERNESS AREA EXPANSION ]
  20. For bushcraft, we may recommend knives from Helle Norway. [ Source:  THE IDEAL WOODSMAN KNIFE ]
  21. “Bushcraft is about surviving and thriving in the natural environment, and the acquisition of ancient skills and knowledge to do so. Bushcraft skills include; firecraft, tracking, hunting, fishing, shelter building, the use of tools such as knives and axes, foraging, hand-carving wood, container construction from natural materials, rope and twine-making, and many others.” Wikipedia [ Source:  THE IDEAL WOODSMAN KNIFE ]
  22. An example of a primitive shelter. [ Source:  THE IDEAL WOODSMAN KNIFE ]
  23. Butcher and clean your sheep like so. [ Source:  DALL SHEEP KEBABS ]
  24. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_steak_seasoning [ Source:  DALL SHEEP KEBABS ]
  25. “Through the livestock industry’s range of demands in the 21st century, a diversified, stress-free education has been developed to meet this variety of needs not only for the livestock but also the stock handlers.” http://www.theblackdog.com.au/ [ Source:  LOW STRESS CATTLE MANAGEMENT ]
  26. Vaccinate by hand, one at a time. [ Source:  LOW STRESS CATTLE MANAGEMENT ]
  27. Docile cattle. [ Source:  LOW STRESS CATTLE MANAGEMENT ]
  28. A portrait of Marissa Taylor. [ Source:  LOW STRESS CATTLE MANAGEMENT ]
  29. http://everettruess.net/ [ Source:  THE DISAPPEARANCE OF EVERETT RUESS ]
  30. See page 23 for Davis Gulch access information (NPS PDF) [ Source:  THE DISAPPEARANCE OF EVERETT RUESS ]
  31. Wikipedia: Controversy over Everett Ruess’ disspearance [ Source:  THE DISAPPEARANCE OF EVERETT RUESS ]
  32. After the Trojan War, Odysseus sets off for home, crossing the land of the Cyclops (the one-eyed giants). One of them, Polyphemus, takes Odysseus and his crew captive. Odysseus begs Polyphemus to let him and his crew go. When Polyphemus asks his name, Odysseus replies, “Nemo”. [ Source:  THE DISAPPEARANCE OF EVERETT RUESS ]
  33. Wikipedia: Ungulates [ Source:  MULE DEER RADIO COLLARING ]
  34. Landscape-scale conservation is a holistic approach to wilderness conservation that takes into account local economic and social considerations. [ Source:  MULE DEER RADIO COLLARING ]