A Finger of Land on an Old Man's Hand

Chronicles in words and photographs the 1962-64 adventures of young men inspired by naturalist Joseph Wood Krutch's book, "The Forgotten Peninsula," about Baja California (1961). Then a sparsely populated raw wilderness, Baja proved a formidable challenge to men and equipment within its mountainous, sometimes lush, sometimes barren, desert environments, spectacular geology and complex ecologies bracketed by oceans. They enjoyed encounters with wild animals; found bountiful places to hunt and fish; met frontier families of the kindest sort; experienced Pacific storms, and love in a frontier village; met gold prospectors, hermits and one-of-a-kind characters. They encountered brigands and fools; had life-threatening events; found gold nuggets and rescued lost team members. Plant photography was among the author's interests, only partially foiled by wind-blown sand fouling his camera lens. Most important, they learned about themselves and their relations with nature and God -- finding their own answers or clarifying what they hoped to better understand. Major contributions to this book were provided by Earl's life-long friend Mark Winheld.