LA isn't a desert. It's outer space!
Well ok... today we are talking about a desert too. I've been watching a lot of 90's Star Trek while I recover from surgery so I'm going to start rating episodes that feature California landscapes. So by the Q's! Star Trek Voyager Season 2 finale "Basics-Part 1" was a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ supernova about to explode episode because it features a famous landscape of the high desert in the Eastern Sierras.
Spoiler alert! (Can you give spoilers for TV shows that have been out for thirty years?) It’s a trap! Season two ends with the ship being taken over by Delta Quadrant Klingons fill ins, the Kazon, who have partnered with classic crazy ex-girlfriend trope and Cardassian spy disguised as a Boujoran rebel but whoops not really, Seska, who use the baby she supposedly made by stealing DNA from the beloved rebel turned trusty Number One, Chakotay, to lure Voyageur into a trap. Obviously. Our captured heroes are left on the surprisingly common M class planet, otherwise known as the Eastern Sierra BLM land- Alabama Hills, except they switched out Mount Whitney with Mount Lassen and added a live volcano (seen in first photo).
A backpacking trip gone horribly wrong, Janeway and the gang get to work figuring out "the basics" and tromping through space sagebrush. So many glorious scenes of federation suits purposefully walking through sage and rocks. The sagebrush and cool rock formation glory continues to the start of Season 3 "Basics-Part II" where our scout troop has really gotten some badges on their belt. They made fire, almost started a war with the local Neanderthal humanoids, stopped a war by rescuing a neanderthal caught in a river of lava, studied local fauna that wanted to eat them in the caves, and found food and water. Alas they must leave their Sagebrush paradise because hotshot Paris, the holodeck doctor, and a reformed serial killer (it's a long story) save the day and return with Voyager. Obviously.
So far, out of two seasons, this episode takes the replicator rations cake! Alabama Hills is famous across the galaxy as a alien world but I really appreciated the amount of time we got to spend with the landscape in this episode. Caves, sagebrush, matte paintings of different mountains and volcanos? This episode made it so and engaged my love for Socal landscapes.
Over 400 films have been shot in the Alabama Hills, a protected area near Lone Pine, CA. It’s easy to see why! This area has everything from sweeping views of the Sierras to interesting rock formations that change with each set up of the camera, film crews can get a lot of variety out of one location.
These rocks are a formation of eroded hills set at the base of the jagged peaks of the Sierra Nevada.Both geologic features were shaped by the same uplifting occurring 100 million years ago. There are lots of natural arches to see in this area, the most famous being the Mobius Arch. I did not take a photo of it because there was a woman taking up all the space to take photos of her two dogs… but I can assure you it was very cool! You can also get glimpses of Mount Whitney, the tallest mountain in the continental USA.
The most common biome in Alabama hills area is Sagebrush. This ecosystem extends across 11 Western States and two Canadian Provinces and over 60 percent of that landscape is on public lands, half of which are managed by the Interior. This area is dominated by sagebrush, which is priority habitat for over 350 wildlife species, most notably the greater sage grouse. Alterations in the sagebrush ecosystem including changing fire regimes, spread of invasive grasses, climate change, and energy development have led to new challenges to these species and the landowners and public that lives and recreates in this area.
All too often visitors see the harsh conditions of the high desert and think that because the plants and animals live in harsh conditions that they are tough and don’t need protection. They see open vistas and the pastel colors and think that there isn’t too much living there. The animals and plants that live in the high desert are very resourceful and resilient but those harsh conditions mean that they are already under a lot of pressure to survive and many arid climates are actually more sensitive to the overuse of human impact rather than being impervious to it. Often there are many plants that can only survive in the unique soils and conditions of certain desert climates, know as endemic species, they are touch but they are also sensitive to impacts and changes to their environments. We all have a part to offer in taking care of unique ecosystems and landscapes like Alabama Hills. The “Don’t Crush The Brush” campaign was started by the BLM to raise awareness about the impact we have on these tough but also delicate ecosystems.
The past will haunt you. The Alabama Hills were named for the CSS Alabama, a Confederate warship deployed during the American Civil War. When news of the ship's exploits reached prospectors in California sympathetic to the Confederates, they named many mining claims after the ship, and the name came to be applied to the entire range. When the Alabama was finally sunk off the coast of Normandy by the USS Kearsarge in 1864, prospectors sympathetic to the Union named a mining district, a mountain pass, a mountain peak, and a town after the Kearsarge. Groups are working to change the Confederate name and that’s probably a great idea. You can read more about that here.
This area is also a very popular camping, hiking, and backpacking spot due to the previous lack of permits or reservations needed. Due to damage from too many users though, a permit system was put in place for many overused dispersed camping spots. Unfortunately too many campers think that no reservations and no fees means they can do whatever they want. Problems with trash, human waste, and brush being crushed by vehicles was causing too much harm to this sensitive arid biome. Go here to make sure you are up to date on the new guidelines for visiting this beautiful and historic area. Dispersed camping areas with no fees like Alabama Hills need visitors to be even more responsible than other outdoor spaces. No fees often mean no services and therefore it is up to each individual to figuratively and literally "take care of their shit".
To tie it all back to Los Angeles, being able to visit famous landscapes like Alabama Hills is one of the truly amazing parts on living in Southern California. There is so much film history here and its really fun to watch movies and TV now and just know where something was shot. I knew right away the Voyager episode I was watching was filmed here, I looked it up to be sure, but there is a familiarity that you get with the landscape here and it's pretty neat that so many famous and beautiful places are right here at our fingertips. No need to travel to the Delta Quadrant, just go to Lone Pine!
You can take a bit of this TV history, Stark Trek fandom, and admiration for the California landscape with you wherever you go by buying one of my SoCal In Space stickers available here.
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