Lazarow World-Hike-About

Gorgeous, a captivating scene from Ralston peak. Pyramid Peak, we climbed it a little over two years ago. It must be one of the most deceptive peaks and surfaces we have been upon. The editor was quick to inform us that the Mount Ralston is known as a butt-kicker. We are not fond of the term but it certainly makes the point. She also informed us that according to her source, the Desolation Wilderness is one of the most popular, if not the premier, hiking areas in the country. Should we wish to encourage people to visit a region, we could think of a better name than 'desolation'. Shows you how wrong our thinking is. Anyway, we set off from home which is currently Pollock Pines, somewhere along Highway 50. The area is so attractive, exacerbated by the beauty of the fall colors. We expected to have to fight our way through the crowds to get to the peak of Mount Ralston. The climb is 2,800 feet over eight miles return. There are few switchbacks, making it...

Along the way , we come across a variety of animals; they add much to the experience. In fact, it has opened a whole new vista for us. Fortunately, this dimension creates opportunity for studying the ways of the four legged creatures, winged species and others. There's something special about being on land and facing, stalking or searching for animals. Our editor draws the line when it comes to bears and mountain lions. Who can blame her? We had a discussion the other day when she mentioned that looking at antelope and other small herbivores was not the same as watching the 'Big Five' of Africa. (Commonly known as Derek Lichter, Gary Sneag, Colin Bernstein, Gary Lewis and Errol Grolman.) There are a few other special specimens but the 'number five' is limiting. Let's get back to our discussion: Whereas the editor is more interested in those five, the idea of watching antelope in motion is the ultimate in grace and poise or observing Bighorn sheep scal...