What! You live in California yet don't know its deserts?

Desert Committee will show you our state's driest, wildest places - and how to protect them.

"Driving up on the Mojave Stage, I met Salty again crossing Indian Wells, his face from the high seat, tanned and ruddy as a harvest moon, looming through the golden dust above his eighteen mules. The land had called him."

In Land of Little Rain Mary Austin again and again spoke of the beauty of Eastern California's deserts - and of the hold of these places on those who know them. A century later, many of us still love these forgotten and hidden places. Let the Desert Committee show you the way to their magic.

The Desert Committee (part of the Sierra Club's California/Nevada Regional Conservation Committee) has two modes of action: it sponsors an extensive year-round program of outings, ranging from gentle car-camps to grueling carry-your-own-water backpacks, to all parts of California's deserts as well as those of Nevada and occasionally states beyond; and it works to protect these places.

The committee's efforts include publicity, political action, service trips, monitoring of the areas, commenting on proposals of land agencies, and recreational trips to introduce new people to the land. Our meetings are scheduled for locations in or near the desert, and are open to all who share our concern for the integrity of the desert.

Through our outings we especially hope to introduce new people to the desert, and to extend the limits of those who have begun to know it. We will teach you safe and practical ways to travel in these ultimate lands of natural beauty and wonder. Some of our outings are service trips, where we volunteer time to help take care of the lands.

The seasons and locations of trips are determined by weather and climate. Spring, with its milder temperatures and wildflowers, is perhaps most popular, but as summer progresses, the higher desert mountains open up. Fall brings mild temperatures again, and even in the cold of winter many of us thrive on the beauty of the desert's spaces.

A year with the Desert Committee

The following selection from our calendar for this year gives a taste of the variety of our outings.

January - a three-day car-camp near the Cleghorn Wilderness Area east of Joshua Tree National Park. Representatives from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Student Conservation Association instructed us in restoring the damage created by illegal roads in areas closed to vehicles. We were also instructed in how to monitor and report on similar intrusions in other areas.

March - a two-day natural-history trip in the Carrizo Plain, led by a trained botanist. Spring wildflowers and migrating birds were the attraction. When good rains come, Carrizo is one of the premier wildflower spots of all California.

April - three-day car-camp in Anza-Borrego State Park, with day hikes to observe and study desert flora and fauna. Anza-Borrego has some of the most varied desert terrain and vegetation, changing dramatically mile by mile.

May - service weekend to restore damaged habitat in the Yuha Desert, adjacent to the spectacular Jacumba Mountains Wilderness Area. The Yuha is famous for its fossils, badland areas, and the routes of several historic Spanish expeditions. The weekend included, of course, a hike in the mountains.

June - six-day backpack on the Paria River in Utah. The leader calls these the finest narrows in the world, with brilliant red rock and lots of wading.

August - a three-night backpack in Nevada's High Monitor Range through miles of quaking aspen. (See the Events and Activities calendar in this Yodeler for details and sign-up information.)

September - three days in the Owens Valley, including a tour and talk by the Owens Lake Committee, which is negotiating with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power for increased flow in the river. (See this month's Yodeler calendar.)

October - geology weekend at Rainbow Basin, east of Barstow.

To learn about future trips, see the Events and Activities calendar in the center of each Yodeler, e-mail: deutsche@earthlink.net or send a self-addressed, stamped envelope with 60 cents postage to:

Craig Deutsche
2231 Kelton Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90064.

Although the Mojave Stage no longer runs, it is possible still to meet travelers at Indian Wells. Perhaps you too will be called back to this land.

Craig Deutsche