Letters: Prime Evil Forest

Pretty gloomy article about Angeles National Forest ("Dark Behind It Rose the Forest ... ," July). All the terrible things that Randall Sullivan wrote about do happen, and more, but gangs, murderers, and satanists aren't the only visitors to the Angeles. Most of the people who venture more than a quarter-mile from the highway include Scouts, hikers, and mountaineers. Head deeper into the Angeles and you'll encounter a unique front country with trails leading into a beautiful high alpine landscape. Yes, your article eventually talks about this wonderful area, but only as a sideline, and then only after much doom and gloom.

In my ten years of hiking the San Gabriel Mountains, I have seen none of the horrors that Sullivan describes. I have seen lovely vistas, incredible wildflower displays, and some of the most challenging mountain terrain anywhere. I've had great companions on my hikes, friends and strangers alike, who delight in the honest and primitive beauty of these mountains. There are many things wrong with southern California, but the San Gabriel mountain range is one thing that is wonderfully right.

Every problem in the Angeles can be attributed to the motorized access that we have allowed to invade our public open spaces. To preserve the Angeles for future generations, we shouldn't add more law enforcement officers, but reduce the number of roads. Until we make excursions into our nation's public lands more taxing than a trip to the grocery store, forests like the Angeles will continue to suffer.

Before I read your piece on the Angeles, I had been lamenting the $5 per car user fee for Washington forests, thinking that my taxes should provide me with free access. Now, however, I'd gladly send my $5 to the Angeles — it needs it.

Crabgrass Please, with a Side of Bitterroot
From now on, every time I make a salad — harvested from my supermarket — I'll think of the "weed woman" happily plucking spoonwort from the beaches of Alaska ("I Am Monkey Flower," July). I could pluck a few dandelion greens from my own yard, but I'm afraid the neighborhood dogs have other uses for them.

Great. that's exactly what we need — an article inspiring a slew of novices to go running through the wilderness plucking the few remaining native plants into extinction. With the resurgence of herbalism, edible and medicinal plants are being decimated worldwide. Leave them alone!

Take Your Pill
Great tutorials on the sports of summer ("Masters of the Sandlot," July). I'm pleased to finally learn how Greg Maddux gets that heat on his fastball, but now that I at last know how to approximate his wicked throw, no one wants to play catch with me anymore.

Snake Charmer
Every kid who went through the Miami public school system must have met the tireless Mr. Haast on the annual trip to the Serpentarium ("Bite Me," July). His venom-rich blood provided hours of conversation on the playground. Glad to hear he's still bucking the flu.

I enjoyed reading about the drama involved in Bill Haast's line of work, but has anyone ever suggested to him that he might wear protective gloves while handling the venomous snakes? Just a thought.

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