Since last we spoke, summer has officially come to a close. In fact, Lake Tahoe’s first snowfall occurred on the last day of summer. Exciting stuff!
The name of the game this summer was to work lots and get a grip on my finances while building consistent production habits with regard to my artistic pursuits. I’ve got a ways to go on both fronts (and I need to re-incorporate exercise into my daily routine!), but overall I’ve had success. It definitely helps to have vision and purpose for my work (jobs and art stuff), so at this point it’s just a matter of staying on target and continuing to work, learn, and produce great artwork.
The path near the Taylor Creek Visitor Center, off of HWY 89 in South Lake Tahoe.
Alignment is the word that keeps repeating in my mind. All things connected and working in harmony. The parts combining to create something greater than the whole. Leveraging the efforts and knowledge from one endeavor or facet of life to assist with another. And all that jazz.
Kokanee Salmon spawning at Taylor Creek, just off of HWY 89 in South Lake Tahoe.
There will always be setbacks, stumbling blocks, and other challenges that conspire to destroy what you’ve built or derail you from your path. However, they only become debilitating and paralyzing when you solely focus on them. Keep in mind that target fixation works both ways. The same energy you invest in negative habits can be used to fuel the positive ones.
Hope Valley near the intersection of HWYs 88 & 89. Thompson Peak is on the left and Freel Peak and Jobs Sister are in the distance on the right (those sandy looking peaks).
For the first week of October I was the caretaker at Angora Lakes (a sweet way to close out the season!) and spent a fair portion of that time hiking around and taking pictures of Sierra Nevada flora/fauna. At that point in the season many of the critters had already begun to quiet down, but there were still a bunch of winged wonders out and about. In addition to the typical birds you’d see in Tahoe (like Steller’s Jays, American Robins, etc…), and those I’ve posted directly below, I also saw a Spotted Towhee and (drum roll…) a Burrowing Owl. I actually got a photo of the owl, but it’s of such low quality (too far away for the point-and-shoot camera I was carrying) that I won’t bother posting it. Yet. I will eventually create a Lake Tahoe infographic about it. I lamented not having my larger DSLR camera when I saw the owl but, alas, the best camera is always the one you have in hand. As you can see, I had a compositional theme going on when I selected these pics. Here is an aged Dark-eyed Junco (check out all the white around its head — normally its hood would be all black and its eyes barely visible), an immature White-crowned Sparrow, a female Common Merganser, and a Sooty Grouse.
Here are two more Lake Tahoe posters I created for my Tahoe Swag collection on RedBubble. The print quality of these posters is excellent and would look great at home, in the office, or in the classroom.
Here are a couple of recent articles I wrote for Tahoe Trail Guide. The blog about planning is the first of a 9-part series highlighting the steps I use when planning for a backcountry trip. I don’t intend to write them week-after-week, but they will all be written in due time. Some might find them a bit cerebral (why all this extra work for going on a quick overnight backpacking trip?), but discussing backcountry philosophy is one of my guilty pleasures. Click an image to read its article.
One of the other activities I participated in while caretaking in October was to color some of the pages of my coloring book, Color the Tahoe Rim Trail. These were done in colored pencils. If you have pages that you’ve colored, send me images of them and I’ll post them with the others on the Wilderness Activities Book website. Speaking of the coloring book, Color the Tahoe Rim Trail is still available for purchase. The holidays are coming up, after all!
Snow is in the air as I write this, literally. There are some delicate flakes floating around outside my window. There was supposed to be a few inches of snow on the ground by now, but that’s OK because I still have tasks to complete before we’re in the the thick of winter.
I started working again at the cross-country ski center in Truckee two weeks ago and we’ve been diligently reassembling the rental room and converting the entire building back to its winter version. Here are some pics of me and my supervisor getting the ball rolling.
Thanks for being a part of my life. Until next time…
-Jared Manninen
Tahoe Trail Guide is an online magazine for sharing my knowledge about hiking, backpacking, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing, as well as information about traveling to (and through) the Lake Tahoe region. I refine that information for a younger audience and produce it in a printed format under the title Wilderness Activity Books. Lastly, Tahoe Swag is a collection of art and design products I create based on my love of the outdoors and appreciation for Lake Tahoe.