BLM Dispatch #24 - Granite Mountain Wilderness, California
I had it in mind to climb the mountain.
First week of July, first heat wave to knock on the door of the Eastern Sierra and sweep across the leftover snow like the opening of an oven. Even at eight thousand feet above the sea, temperatures flirt with ninety degrees. Sweat rolls down legs, out of armpits.
Winds at 1-2 miles per hour, imperceptible. Gnats bite incessantly.
Despite the heat, we decide to make a go of it. No trail to speak of. We meander around sage, switchback up steep sandy pitches, climb over sections of class 3 granite, and eventually summit in the early afternoon…
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BLM Dispatch #20 - My Evening With the Stallion
We made eye contact just as the last sliver of sun had dipped below the ridge. I had been wandering through a maze of sagebrush, pointing my camera in the general direction of west and north, studying shadows and watching the light slip upwardly along Granite Mountain.
That’s when I saw him.
Across the valley floor, a few hundred feet away, was a wild mustang. He was standing there motionless, like a statue, his head hanging in a posture that made him appear to be in a state of gratitude, as if he too had been appreciating the sunset. I was startled at first, not accustomed to seeing an animal five times my size. I scanned the surroundings for others, but he was as alone as I was.
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