Richard Cliff presented his talk “Walking in the Footsteps of William Brewer” on June 8. William Brewer was the leader of the first geological survey of California in 1860-1864 and wrote extensive journals of the team’s travels and work. Richard, an avid hiker who used to traverse the Yorkshire Dales before he arrived in California, and his pal Elvis follow the trails of the survey expedition in the Sierra Nevada (Brewer’s journals are captured in the book Up and Down California in 1860-1864).
In his presentation, Richard showed maps the team had compiled in the 19th century and related facts and entertaining anecdotes about life on the trail when it was very common for the surveyors to see grizzly bear tracks on the paths and shoot their dinner as they went. Modern-day hiking certainly gives Richard and Elvis the advantage of high-tech camping and hiking gear (they carry about 45 pounds each), but on the other hand, they don’t have the advantage of mules to carry them long distances or a wagon to take along their equipment, or a cook who greets them with a warm dinner after their travails….
