
|
in baja norte in baja sur
courtesy of |
These Sierras are a bioecological island - pines of Alaskan origin, a place of snow and ice, lakes and mountains, surrounded by desert. The lake itself is shallow, but five miles around and surrounded by a rugged mountain and plains landscape. It is cows, bats, coyotes, wild horses and apparently a few catfish in the lake itself. But I wanted to find this out for myself, so I shoved Sonora through the marsh and circled the bouldery islands near the northern shore. No fish, but the view of the granite peaks at night from these islands was stunning; and the Milky Way was bright enough to lead me around the islands and onto them; between the pines and under uneven boulders. Returning at dark,
Vance had just returned from walking the granitic peaks. "Check it out,"
he said - a set of 8-inch lacerations up his leg. "Fell, huh?"
|