An American River Canyon "Book of Days": August 26 (1976, 1983, 1987) Boulder Swale ~ Pacific Crest Trail

August 26 (1976, 1983, 1987)
Boulder Swale ~ Pacific Crest Trail

“8/26/76 early morning at my building site, that i once referred to as boulderfield in light of the many boulders that lie about on the ground, boulders that rolled down the... ”

The entry continues in this scanned journal page—click to enlarge:

[Russell Towle's journal]

“8/26/83 Morning... Day lengths shorten quickly as the fall equinox approaches. The pinnacle ridge across the canyon is left untouched by the sun for an hour after dawn; a few weeks ago, it was lit at the very stroke of dawn.”

[Russell Towle's journal]

“8/26/87 [...] Yesterday Gay and I hiked from Donner Pass to Squaw Valley on the Pacific Crest trail, connecting to the Shirley Canyon trail. About sixteen miles. Lunch atop Tinkers Knob, a swim at Mt. Meadow Lake, which we shared with a dozen ducks and one belted kingfisher. [...]”

[Russell Towle's journal]

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About this site ~

On September 20, 1975, Russell Towle wrote in his journal...

“twilight in wren shack, wren shack in twilight. just returned from the north fork land, checking it out. it's beautiful ~ the awesome canyon of the american river, with tinker knob (8900') above all at the canyon's head on the sierra crest. there are acorn woodpeckers, hawks, wrens no doubt, incense cedars & ponderosas, sugar pines, black and canyon live oaks, doug fir, digger pine, manzanita, garrya fremontii, deerbrush; there are magnificent cliffs: and tho nothing is perfect (save the All) (there will be logging soon in a wonderful grove beside the river) (and you can hear the train go by) ~ i look forward very much to living there.”

Thus began Russell's 33 years of observing, exploring, living in, studying, and writing about this fantastical place.

I am Gay Wiseman, Russell's partner of 20 years. I've worked on this project in fits and starts since Russell's sudden death in August 2008. Some of the most recent material was posted on his North Fork Trails blog (link in right sidebar) but a great deal of it has never been shared anywhere before.

Included are portions of journal entries, portions of personal correspondence, formal essays, many photographs and some audio and video recordings, as well as links to external sources and selections from Russell's blog posts that will—over the course of a calendar year—provide a revealing and sensitive portrait of this river canyon at the turning of the millennium; of its geology, its beauty, its mystique; of the natural and human history of the region, and of the ongoing threats to its preservation as one of California's few remaining partially wild watercourses.

I still live in the great canyon. I still appreciate every day things that Russell helped me see and know during our years together. I am ever grateful for his determined and diligent effort over so many years to preserve a record of the canyon marvels he was enriched by every single day. I hope you also will enjoy this unique portrait of the grand and glorious canyon, the North Fork of the American River, in California's Sierra Nevada mountain range; and of life lived within it.

Spend a year with us, exploring and loving this place.

August 26 (1976, 1983, 1987) Boulder Swale ~ Pacific Crest Trail

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August 26 (1976, 1983, 1987)
Boulder Swale ~ Pacific Crest Trail