Matt Johanson lives in Castro Valley and authored “Sierra Summits: A Guide to 50 Peak Experiences in California’s Range of Light,” winner of a National Outdoor Book Award.
2022 saw the pandemic recede, wildfires decrease and outdoor recreation dramatically improve as a result. Here are some positive outdoor stories you may have missed.
A visit to Austria’s Tyrol region broadened my horizons in more ways than one. Though I had passed through these mountains before, my college-age summer of backpacking between youth hostels had faded in memory. When I returned to Tyrol, Austrians reminded me that one must also branch out sometime.
As Minden sounded its siren at noon on May 28, a group of more than 50 Washoe and their allies shouted together in response, “Stop the siren!” Their defiant cry and a formidable eight-mile group run followed an hour-long protest of the Nevada town’s daily siren blasts.
Joy and excitement filled a perfect day on Nov. 27 at Woodward Park in Fresno when the state’s best 2,007 high school distance runners gathered for the CIF Cross Country Championships. Brilliant performances broke records. Good news happened outdoors in 2021.