Hike Review: Wildwood Canyon State Park

Location: near Yucaipa, CA
Distance: various trails (.5 to 8 miles)
Difficulty: various (easy to dificult)
Elevation Change: 0 to 1,800 feet
Time of Year Best: Year round (hot in summer)
Recommended Maps: Wildwood Canyon State Park Brochure

Grand Canyon Backpacking Checklist

Below is a link to a PDF document created and provided by Four Season Guides.  This is a basic list that I will be using as a checklist for my Grand Canyon adventure.

Grand Canyon Pack List

 

 

 

Book Review: Blind Man's Bluff

Title: Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage
Author: Sherry Sontag, Christopher Drew
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (October, 2000)
Genre: US History, Cold War, political thriller

From 1945 to 1991, the worlds super powers locked horns in a slow motion struggle for information.  The USSR and the USA did not trust each other and it became clear that an effective means to "watch" each other was waged via submerged sea faring vessel.  The era of the submarine began evolving at a furious rate to the point that a nuclear sub can remain underwater indefinitely, creating its own oxygen and water, food being the only limitation.

Blind Man's Bluff is a collection of stories, untold until the 21st century, of various missions made by the submariners during the Cold War.  From wiretaps into land lines made in Russian waters to men overboard, the stories are interesting, thrilling, and educational.

From a former Navy submariner, I have heard it argued that a lot of this book is compiled of exaggerations and even a little untruth.  These same former Navy also stated their displeasure with the book for its liberal manner in sharing tactics and strategy that are still in use today.