| Yosemite's a Mysterious
Place |
 |
 Best-selling mystery writer Nevada Barr wasn't the
first to choose Yosemite as the setting for one of her books.
Her Anna Pigeon novel, High Country, was the most
recent in quite a number of mysteries set in or around the
park.
YA president Steve Medley did a little research about
Yosemite mysteries for a talk he gave for a writers' weekend
in the park. He discovered that as early as 1943 (with The
Affair of the Jade Monkey) novelists were using Yosemite
as the scene for nefarious goings-on. And in the 1980s the
place really became popular with writers, albeit not very good
writers.
Medley compiled a list of the mysteries (and a few other
works of fiction he couldn't resist throwing in) arranged by
date and with verbatim text from their dust jackets. Even if
you don't read the books, you should find the promotional
blurbs entertaining in and of themselves!
A couple of the titles are available through the Yosemite
Store, but most of the books are out of print. A select few
are very rare and command prices of several hundred dollars or
more (Jade Monkey, Sinister Stranger, Angels of Light).
If you know of other Yosemite mystery or fiction titles, be
sure to share them with us. Click on the link below to see
the mystery list.
For
the list of Yosemite mystery books... »
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| Spend Your Holiday Weekend in Tuolumne
Meadows |
|
 We can't think of a better way for you to spend your
Labor Day weekend (September 4 and 5) than strolling through
Tuolumne Meadows with our knowledgeable instructor, Michael
Ross. On Saturday, explore the geology of the Tuolumne Meadows
region in our Outdoor Adventure course called "The Story
Behind the Scenery."
"We learn geology the morning after the earthquake, on
ghastly diagrams of cloven mountains, upheaved plains, and the
dry bed of the sea," Emerson observed, and we'd add to his
list "from the magnificent granite structures of Yosemite."
You'll spend the day hiking throughout Tuolumne Meadows while
learning about the geologic processes that have created a
landscape like no other in the world.
On Sunday, Michael will lead the group on a fun
birdwatching excursion in his "Fall Birding in Tuolumne
Meadows." You will stroll through forest, meadow and water
habitats in search of avian inhabitants of the High Sierra.
Late summer is an excellent time of year to view a wide
variety of songbirds as well as raptors that have moved
upslope following breeding. Beginner to intermediate birders
are welcome.
Limited space is still available. Free camping is included.
Take one or both of these fine courses, the fee for each of
which is $80. YA members receive a 15% discount and can
enroll for only $68 per course! Come spend your Labor
Day in Yosemite's high country.
For
more about the Labor Day courses and to enroll... »
|
| Yosemite Rangers Survive Santa Cruz
Run! |
|
 On Sunday, July 25 through a dense fog of 15,000 people
and 90% humidity (better than smoke, but still unfamiliar!),
Yosemite interpretive rangers Marea Ortiz and Adrienne
Freeman ran the Wharf-to- Wharf, a 10K race from the Santa
Cruz Wharf to the wharf at Capitola. They did not perish.
The two intrepid young women participated in the race as a
fundraiser for education programs in the park, and many
fine Yosemite Association members and supporters made
generous contributions as sponsors of Marea and Adrienne.
Finishing in just over an hour, Adrienne and Marea weren't
quite eligible for the cash prizes, but they ran their hearts
out and thoroughly enjoyed the crazy Santa Cruz scene!
They want to thank all the people who supported them, both
through donations to YA and with running hints (especially Tom
Arfsten) and offers to help coach! They hope to do it again
next year - with even more pledges and more runners!
It's not too late to sponsor Marea and Adrienne. By
clicking the link below you can make an online donation
that will be used for important educational work in Yosemite.
Thanks!
To
be a sponsor of the running rangers (slightly after the
fact)... »
|
| Missing in the Minarets Now Available in
Paper! |
|
 Bill Alsup's compelling chronicle of the disappearance
of mountaineer Walter A. "Peter" Starr in 1933 won rave
reviews when it was first published in hardcover. The first
edition has been sold out, and YA has issued Missing in
the Minarets in a paperback edition.
According to conservationist and mountaineer Edgar Wayburn:
"The story reads like a good mystery, flavored with tidbits of
detective work one would expect in a classic whodunit."
Noted climber and historian Steve Roper says: "I often
wondered what had happened to Walter Starr that summer in the
jagged Minarets. Bill Alsup has done a splendid job recreating
Starr's wanderings and the unique search that followed."
If you didn't buy the book in hardcover, here's your chance
to find out what did happen to Peter Starr and how Sierra
legend Norman Clyde was involved in solving the case. The new
paperback edition is priced at $14.95, but Y.A. members
receive a 15% discount and pay only $12.71. Order your
copy today!
For
more about Missing in the Minarets and to order...
»
| |
| New Edition of Sierra Nevada Natural History
Long Overdue! |
 |
| For forty years travelers to the High Sierra have been
relying on a trusty natural history field guide to help them
become familiar with the world around them. That handbook has
become an enduring classic, used by thousands from several
generations to learn about virtually every aspect of our
favorite mountain range.
Originally written by University of California at Berkeley
professors Tracy Storer and Robert Usinger, the work
has been thoroughly updated by professional naturalist (and
Yosemite Association instructor) David Lukas. His
careful revisions necessary to update this classic book have
made it even more useful and comprehensive.
If the original guide had a weakness it was the quality of
the illustrations. That problem has been more than remedied
with the addition of more than 500 new color photographs and
218 detailed black-and-white drawings that illustrate the bulk
of the included 750 likely-to-be- encountered species.
In this single, portable volume there is enough information
to satisfy the most voracious naturalist, whether resident or
visitor, while also providing a wealth of useful illustrations
(maps, line drawings, color photos) to assist in field
identification. Every lover of Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada
will want to have this book!
The new handbook, printed in color and black- and-white,
retails for $24.95. With their 15% discount, YA members can
buy it now for only $21.21! Order your copy today.
For
more information and to order Sierra Nevada Natural
History... |
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