CULTURE
WHERE -
TALES ARE TOLD OF
Welcome to Roland Cheek's Weblog
Remember, big changes to Campfire Culture June 30. Outdoor radio will air again. And then . . . there's a new book on its way!
There's one thing age gives a man. True, it takes a bunch away, but perhaps it returns something else that may make even debilitating age worthwhile: the ability to reason. And if we're lucky, it's all couched within a framework of understanding and sometimes even patience. Once upon a time, during our blush of youth, we thought we saw with clarity that all things were either black or white. Age tells us, however, that nothing is so stark, that it comes in different shades of gray. Age gives us the wisdom to apply that new-found color scheme to real life.
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Tip o' the Day
It is said -- and I believe it true -- dogs will seldom bark at their image in a mirror. The reason is because their first sensory reliance is on their nose; there's no dog there. Let a dog outside in the morning and watch him make his rounds. He's not staring about, as is his master. Nope, his nose is near the ground. Trot by the lilac bush and he may pause long enough to raise a leg where that isufferable mutt next door peed at midnight, then he's on his way. Why did he stop and sniff so earnestly at that particular spot in the lawn? Obviously the brain is registering something, but what?
Nature works pretty much the same way in the wild world. It's truth one should entertain if one wishes to interact with God's wild creatures.
True, pronghorn antelope and mountain goats depend on eyesight for safety. But deer and elk place more stock in their ears than eyes. And with them, the most positive indicator is the nose. So it is with wild canines: foxes, coyotes, wolves. And so it is with bears.
The point of this is if you're looking for wildlife and wish to sit and watch a meadow, open hillside, or forest glade, you should not expose the site to your scent, either through wind-drift, or by ambling around the place before deciding to sit and watch. I'll give an example:
There's this rolling 100-acre opening where Jane and I have spotted grizzly bears in the spring. We love to sneak up on the meadow, take a position at the forest edge, and simply sit and watch. Willow brush and swamp fills half the opening, with a tiny stream slicing the meadow in half. The meadow's edge has a couple of classic bear-rub trees, and there's a low forested ridge jutting a little into the meadow. The ridge is a prime place for daybeds for bears.
For a while after discovering the place, it was Jane's and my practice to circle the meadow, looking for recent bear sign (scat, ground squirrel mounds, cropped grass and forbs, tracks in the creekside mud). Then, after examining the rub trees for bear hair, we would retreat to the forest edge, set up a spotting scope, and watch.
One time, we did our usual routine, circled the meadow, then crossed it about 150 feet from the edge of the impenetrable brush-filled swamp. An hour later, Jane hissed and pointed. I glanced up from the book I was reading; a grizzly bear grazed from the brush field out into the meadow. The bear's route angled toward us! Jane had the binoculars, my eye was glued to the spotting scope. Closer and closer the bear fed, up to the edge of the tiny creek, perhaps a hundred feet away.
Then the bear stopped as if it butted into a brick wall! She sniffed the ground, then turned for the willows. "She smells where we walked," I whispered. The bear glanced back over her shoulder, then returned to our scent trail for a second opinion. That was when she made a bee-line for the willows and we saw her no more.
Testimonial on the way to a five star (*****) amazon.com rating:
"My Best Work is Done at the Office is pure Roland Cheek, that is, a rollicking blend of wit, wisdom, and adventure in the Northern Rocky Mountain country and written down in his newspaper articles for more than two decades. This highly recommended compendium showcasing some of the best of his writing is a "must" for all his fans and will serve to introduce to new generations of readers one of the country's truly masterful, witty, and memorable western storytellers."
Rural Montana Magazine says this of Chocolate Legs, an entire book about a single grizzly bear:
"In the wonderful, descriptive way Cheek aficionados have come to expect, he brings the bears and other wilderness denizens to life in the reader's imagination. The book is not a documentary. Neither is it a novel. Cheek has simply filled in the blanks with plausible storylines. The animals and events he describes arise from knowledge gained during a life in the mountains observing nature in general, but with concentration on elk and bears."
PARK MENTALITY: THEM AGAINST US?
Ordinary torture won't do it. Only when pliers are actually clamped to my fingernails and electric shocks applied to my--well--only then will I yield by allowing myself to be dragged to a place where crowds gather. "No thanks, honey; you go on to the concert without me; I'll be there in spirit, if not in real time." "Aw, gee, dear, you know I'd love to attend our grandson's graduation, but I've go this important story deadline."
I fight shy of shopping malls and athletic events, and won't even go to town between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Approach Logan Pass in the middle of Glacier National Park on a July afternoon? Are you out of your mind!
One thing that does interest me, however, is the psyche of folks who feel comfortable in a crowd atop one of the most beautiful alpine vistas served by highway America. Especially those people who who push and shove their way into the parking lot gift shop at that same pass. I began thinking. . . .
Back in 1964, when our family moved to Montana, some 700,000 people visited Glacier Park. Now their yearly totals well over two million. In 1964 one could find a parking place at Logan Pass; now a family can drive halfway across the North American Continent and be required to pass through without pause because there's no parking spot to be had.
Campgrounds were open in 1964 and campsites were usually available without waiting. Trails were cleared at least as early in the season as they are today, and often much earlier. Rangers were there to actually help folks enjoy their park rather than make them feel like crabgrass poked from their ears because they trod a few feet off-trail to admire the delicate beauty of an alpine flower.
There were no reservation systems except at the chalets and lodges, which were beyond the income reach of most young families, anyway.
Sour grapes?
I suppose. But aren't Americans of today being shortchanged compared to Americans of yesterday? It's not a phenomenon that is endemic just to Glacier--it's everywhere, in every National Park. Highways and secondary roads were at least as well-maintained in the National Parks of old; yet they served far fewer people. Yesterday's visitors got better bang for their bucks. They had more opportunity and more service, not to mention way less hassle. Why?
Because there are more of us in today's world than yesterday. That's inescapable.
However, doesn't our sheer numbers mean we're contributing more for the services we do get? Shouldn't an objective analysis of revenue contributed compare favorably, even in 1964 dollars, to the monies collected four decades ago? Or are we simply paying more and getting less?
I don't believe the problem is money alone. I don't believe throwing more dollars at the problem will necessarily lead to a solution. Instead, I wonder if the problem isn't a negative administrative philosophy? Are we coming to a "them-against-us" mentality? Compared to my experiences in days of yore, Glacier's permit system is onerously designed, user-unfriendly, and diabolically applied. Campgrounds are designed to hide an odious public from sight and sound of NPS patrol cabins--out of sight, out of mind.
Am I the only one who senses Glacier is being co-opted by border-collie guards who see visitors as an unruly band of idiotic sheep?
No, I haven't ran afoul of Park employees of late. In fact, there are quite a number of them I really do like; I just don't want my daughter to marry one. But, you see, the probable reason I haven't ran afoul of censors in Smokey Bear hats is because I haven't recently visited Glacier.
My interest is in avoiding crowds.
Roland Cheek wrote a syndicated outdoors column (Wild Trails and Tall Tales) for 21 years. The column was carried in 17 daily and weekly newspapers in two states. In addition, he scripted and broadcast a daily radio show (Trails to Outdoor Adventure) that aired on 75 stations from the Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific Ocean. He's also written upwards of 200 magazine articles and 12 fiction and nonfiction books. For more on Roland, visit:
www.rolandcheek.com
Recent Weblogs
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
for more info about these and other Roland Cheek books
There's a bunch of specific info about Roland's books, columns, and archives. By clicking on the button left or right, one can see Roland's synopsis of each book, read reviews, and even access the first chapter of each of his titles. With Roland's books, there's no reason to buy a "pig in a poke."
for detailed info about each of Roland's books
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For interested educators, this weblog is especially applicable for use in history, economic, and government classes, as well as for journalism students.
Roland, of course, visits schools. For more information on his program alternatives, go to:
Another testimonial on the way to a five star (*****) amazon.com rating
"I bought this book [Learning To Talk Bear] because I desire a knowledge of bears, their life, their existence. Reading this book has opened my eyes to more than I ever thought there was to learn. I even bought a map so that I could see the areas he describes. If all books about grizzlies and bears are this enjoyable, I have a lot of reading to do."
Jack McNeel, former Information Officer for Idaho's Fish & Game Dept. writes in the Coeur d'Alene Press:
"If you are, were, or ever hope to be an elk hunter, The Phantom Ghost of Harriet Lou is a must read book. It should be mandatory reading for every hunter education student as well as instructors. Roland Cheek has done an incredible job in portraying both the how-to and whys of elk hunting.
"Few writers have ever done so masterful a job in explaining why hunters hunt while also providing an enjoyable text on how to hunt."
NEXT WEEK:
SUFFERING NATIONAL FORESTS
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