HIGH SIERRA adventures

N E W S

Weather

El Nino builds in the Pacific Ocean.

Specific Conditions:

Several feet of snow right now all over the Sierra above 6000 ft. Snow has been falling since September at upper elevations with several storms producing up to nearly 3 feet of snow. Most ski resorts in the Sierra have been open since the beginning of November. Both Kirkwood and Squaw Valley had never opened this early in the Fall, ever.

Ringin' in 2005

Every since the first of the year, snow has been dumping in the Sierra. Over 10 feet has fallen in most of the High Sierra. The Lake Tahoe area has seen upwards of 15 feet so far in the past week and expects a few more by the end of the week.

Big Picture:

The Southern Oscillation, a wavelike alternation of warm and cool ocean currents in the Southern Pacific Ocean, is releasing warm and nutrient-rich currents to the Western States and South America. This is called an "El Nino" event. The moist air from the higher temperature southern hemisphere builds and slams into the High Pressure stream created by the frigid-cold winters of the interior American states. This creates rain clouds as the warm, moist air is thrust high in the air by the wall-like high pressure stream it collides with. As the moisture in the air rises in altitude, the surrounding temperature drops and the moisture condenses into rain drops or snow flakes. This is called the "orographic uplift". The clouds fall hard on the Sierra for several reasons. One is that the dry summers create the fine dust that hovers in the air creating nuclei for the air moisture to condense on. Secondly, the increasing elevation of Sierra from the western slope is consistent and drastic, thus creating the altitude (and lower air temperatures) to help the moisture condense and fall out of the clouds.

RIGHT NOW:

Rivers have been uncommonly low for the past few years due to a prolonged Sierra draught. However, with the El Nino coming through again this year, rivers, like the Truckee that feeds and leaves Lake Tahoe in the Northern Sierra, are already much higher than they were at the end of the summer. This is good. Especially for the fish populations and skiers.

Essentially, what this means is that you need to prepare yourself for the outstanding snow conditions all winter and watch the waterfalls RAGE and wildflowers bloom throughout the summer.

Health

Carbs are good. Actually, carbs are essential. Carbohydrates are long chains of complex sugars (called polysaccharides) that your body breaks down into useable forms of quick and sustained energy. Simple sugars, like cane sugar and chocolate are monosaccharides and are quickly broken down. Polysaccharide carbohydrates, like pasta, bread and rice, are more complicated chains of sugars and are a form of "slow-drip", or sustained energy.

Your body needs a different form of fuel other than proteins and fats. Carbs provide quick and easy fuel for basal metabolic functions and they don't drain your entire system in the digestion process. Protein also has its role. They are the building blocks of all cells and tissue of the body. They are the direct product of what our genes encode. Proteins are the catalysts to many metabolic and systemic processes throughout your body. They help rebuild muscle. Fats, on the other hand, are essential as well. They are a slow-burning reserve fuel of the body and serve myriad other functions as well. The cushion the body from impact and insulate the blood vessels that carry your warm blood from colder outside temperatures. They also compose things such as hormones that regulate our metabolic functions and other systemic functions. Fats are critical. I guess the main point here is that every form of useable energy has a major role in the human body. But moderation is the key to health. Don't starve your body of carbs unless you normally eat excessive amounts. Don't avoid fats at all cost thinking that they'll go right to your hips. Balance the types of food you eat, and exercise regularly, and you will be in fine health. Period.

Stretching is under-rated. The act of stretching before and after strenuous physical activity loosens your muscles up so that can receive fresh supplies of water and nutrients and rid themselves of lactic acid waste.

Stretching helps your blood flow and in ways can help clear your mind. Yoga is an excellent way to emphasize stretching and harness its beneficial effects on a regular basis. Some people swear that these exercises (and stretching in general) will prolong your healthy life.