Wayne's Word Index Noteworthy Plants Trivia Lemnaceae Biology 101 Botany Scenic Wildflowers Trains Spiders & Insects Search  Wayne's Trivia Notes Index   Wayne's Alien Species Index   Wayne's Remember When Index   Remember When 1   Remember When 2   Remember When 3   Remember When 4   Remember When 5  Do You Remember When? Published Occasionally On Facebook  © W.P. Armstrong 2024  Go To Latest "Remember When" Note On This Page 3 Strenuous Hikes In Search Of Interesting Plants (1) Wayne's Remember When #82 (16 January 2024) Remember When: 50 years ago I went on a strenuous 20 mile roundtrip hike (4,000 ft. elevation gain) to the summit of Alta Peak in Sequoia National Park. I wanted to photograph the rare foxtail pine endemic to California. Like most of my old friends, I must admit that I really miss those days when I was young. (2) Wayne's "Remember When" #83 (20 January 2024) Remember When: Over 40 years ago I went on another strenuous hike from Death Valley to snow-covered Panamint Range in search of Arizona devils claw (unicorn plant) introduced by Shoshone "Hungry Bill" at his ranch in late 1800s. Whether it was truly naturalized is controversial, but I found seed capsule evidence of plants growing at his remote ranch in Panamint Range. (3) Wayne's "Remember When" #84 (23 January 2024) Based on distance, elevation gain & altitude, my most strenuous hike was to the summit of Mt. Whitney, highest mountain in contiguous U.S. In fact, at 14,500 ft. you are getting about 60% of normal oxygen with each breath. Regarding the truly remarkable Hulda Crooks, I am amazed she made this long, difficult hike at age 91! Wayne's "Remember When" #85 (27 March 2024) In the early 1980s I submitted undisputed record for "Smallest Flowering Plants" to Guinness Book. It was published in the UK & U.S. editions. BTW, chaffweed is incorrect since 3 species of Wolffia are known from Britain.   World's Smallest Flowering Plants   Wayne's "Remember When" #86 (8 October 2024) Remember When: Over 50 years ago I spent 2 summers with Dr. Carl Sharsmith, legendary Park Ranger & Naturalist of Yosemite National Park. I was in his Subalpine & Alpine Botany classes. In addition to a world authority on the flora & fauna of this spectacular national park, he hiked to most of the peaks & meadows and knew the geologic history of this amazing region. Books have been written about this remarkable man and it was an honor to have spent time with him. I enclosed a photo taken with him on an alpine slope in the 1970s.   Carl Sharsmith On Wikipedia   Wayne's "Remember When" #86 (8 October 2024) Instead of attending high school social functions like normal students, I spent most of my free time working on my car. I restored it to original factory configuration (stock). It looked like car in photo except I replaced whitewall tires. I also beefed up the flathead V8 engine with dual carburator manifold, high compression heads & headers. 1948 (& 1946) Ford Convertibles were used in several movies, including "Back To The Future", "Grease" & "Karate Kid."   Other 48 Ford Convertibles   Wayne's "Remember When" #88 (6 December 2024) Remember When: I took this image on Palomar trip to island of Moorea (French Polynesia). I was searching for Polynesian banyan (Ficus prolixa) 40 years ago! World Flora Online lists 876 accepted species of figs on our planet! Wayne's "Remember When" #89 (14 December 2024) Sometimes I get melancholy at Christmas time. I think it is genetic like my spit finger syndrome. To cheer myself up I think about the dung beetle who pushes around a ball of dung all day. To really appreciate the plight of a dung beetle and to cheer yourself up at this wonderful time of the year, please watch the following short video: Dung Beetle Video. All text material & images on these pages copyright © W.P. Armstrong