text:
UPDATE: The website of the Internet Systems Consortium, the developers of the BIND DNS software deployed all over the Web, was reportedly infected with malware last week.

UPDATE: _This story has been updated with comments from the Internet Systems Consortium._

The Internet Systems Consortium website is offline today after the non-profit domain name service maintainer announced its website had possibly become infected with malware.

The ISC, as it is commonly known, is perhaps best known as the developers of BIND, the most widely used DNS software on the Internet. However, the group also maintains the F-root server, one of the Internet’s 13 root name servers.

The security firm Cyphort says it notified ISC.org of the infection on December 22. Sometime thereafter, the ICS replaced it’s homepage with a static notice informing users of the infection.

“We believe the web site may have become infected with malware,” the ISC announced. “Please scan any machine that has accessed this site recently for malware. This is a WordPress issue, ftp.isc.org, kb.isc.org and our other network resources are unaffected.”

The consortium goes on to note that it has not received any complaints of visitors having been infected with malware, but is urging that any potential victims contact ISC’s security officer via email.

This is a WordPress issue, ftp.isc.org, kb.isc.org and our other network resources are unaffected.

Cyphort explained last week that attackers managed to compromise  ISC.org through a WordPress bug that allowed them to modify the ISC homepage with code that redirected visitors to a landing page hosting the Angler exploit kit. The kit, they say, is known to deploy a variety of exploits. In this case, Cyphort says the kit relied on Internet Explorer, Flash and Silverlight exploits.

In order to evade detection, the attackers have been cycling through the redirect domains hosting Angler.

The initial IE exploit is obfuscated. Upon deobfuscation, Cyphort determined that the kit attempts to detect the presence security products and virtual machine use. After that, it starts to enumerates plugins present and attempts to find a vulnerable version of IE. If there is a vulnerable version of Microsoft’s browser, Angler exploits it.

The kit then deobfuscates shellcode that finds windows APIs using an API hash technique and downloads the binary from the server. After decoding that binary, Cyphort explained that the shellcode downloads another pair of binaries (one for 32-bit and another for 64-bit systems).

  The Internet Systems Consortium says its website may have been infected with #malware, advises visitors to scan machines:

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Cyphort researcher McEnroe Navaraj says the shellcode is particularly clever because even if the user dumps the file from the memory, the hash of the loaded binary will be different each time the exploit loads.

“The reason behind this file hash difference is a few modified fields in the PE Optional Header,” Navaraj wrote. “It stores the dynamically allocated buffer address as part of PE Optional Header. This trick modifies the file hash each time you load the exploit.”

Each of the binaries are DLL files. the 32-bit MD5 hash is “38f583da8bc6e3d09799c88213206f14” while the 64-bit variety is “deacb2e37746ec97ac199e28e445c123”

The 64-bit DLL has the following exports: AtTwo, BothCase, IsAroundMustSyntax, LineNames, ThereForAboveColumnLearn, TruthFileIs and WithinFor. The 32-bit DLL has the following exports: StartMustValueTrailing, ThatRecognisedOptionHeaderm WithinShareMustTheFile and YouLeastBrokenIntoDefining.

ISC spokesperson Vicky Risk told Threatpost via email that they have zero indication that this attack was specifically targeted toward the ISC. In fact, she explained, the injected code contained an explicit statement regarding how the exploit should proceed for both WordPress and Drupal sites. ISC, of course, does not use Drupal, so if the attack had been targeting them exclusively, there would be no need for a Drupal module.

“We think the web site vulnerability was first discovered by Sucuri.net, a company that offers a web site virus scanning and remediation service for WordPress and Drupal (and some other CMSes),” Risk said. “We remediated ourselves after they reported we had some spam redirect links, removed the hidden spam, added a more complex captcha, updated our php and made a few other security improvements. This remediation was presumably inadequate in hindsight, because later, we were infected with the Angler Exploit.

“We are reconsidering our use of WordPress,” Risk continued. “We have fairly simple needs and we could go to a more static site. However, in the meantime, we have protected our site with the Sucuri web site scanning service.   We should probably have had a web site virus protection plan in place, just as nobody would use a pc these days without virus protection.”

While it appears that this attack only would have affected visitors to the ISC site and not the organization’s BIND software or other work, it is troubling nonetheless, considering the ISC’s broad role in the architecture of the Internet. The attack also invites comparison to another earlier this month, when unknown hackers were able to compromise vital systems belonging to ICANN, the organization that manages the global top-level domain system, and had access to the system that manages the files with data on resolving specific domain names.

question: What does the text say about what the ISC is?

answer: The ISC is the Internet Systems Consortium, a non-profit domain name service maintainer. They are best-known as the developers of BIND, a widely used DNS software on the Internet. They also maintain the F-root server, one of the Internet's 13 root name servers.

question: Summarize how the Angler exploit kit attacked systems.

answer: The kit relied on exploits for Internet Explorer, Flash, and Silverlight. The kit attempts to detect the presence of security products or virtual machine use, then it searches to a vulnerable version of IE to exploit. It then searches for Windows APIs and downloads a binary from a server. Once the first binary is downloaded, it downloads two other binaries, one for 32-bit systems and one for 64-bit.

question: How does the ISC plan to prevent malware attacks in the future?

answer: In the short-term, they have replaced their homepage with a static notice informing users of the infection. For the future, they are reconsidering their use of WordPress, as they have simple needs and could use a more static site framework. They have also protected their website with the Sucuri web site scanning service.

question: What does the text say about those responsible for the malware attack?


split: train

text:
[View of Lake Aloha from the notch]
View of Lake Aloha from the notch

[There were a ton of small wildflowers on the ridge, which made the hike really beautiful.]
There were a ton of small wildflowers on the ridge, which made the hike really beautiful.

[Taking in the view of Twin Lakes and the waterfall that feeds into the lakes]
Taking in the view of Twin Lakes and the waterfall that feeds into the lakes

[View of some wildflowers and a small lake between Island Lake and Twin Lakes.]
View of some wildflowers and a small lake between Island Lake and Twin Lakes.

[The view looking back towards Twin Lakes at sunset.]
The view looking back towards Twin Lakes at sunset.

TRIP OVERVIEW: ~12 mile relaxing backpacking trip in Desolation Wilderness. +/- 3,000 feet of elevation with a starting elevation of 6,970 feet and a peak elevation of 9,660 feet. Highlights include alpine lakes, granite peaks, and expansive views of Desolation Wilderness. We completed this short distance backpacking trip over 3 days in July of 2018.

[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-overall_map]
Overall map of the Desolation Wilderness backpacking trip in the Twin Lakes area. The magenta line shows the trail to and from the Twin Lakes trailhead to Island Lake. The red line shows the trail from Island Lake to the viewpoint of Lake Aloha.
-   Link to download USGS topographic map of area (CA_Fallen Leaf Lake_geo)
-   Link to purchase printed USGS topographic map of area (Amazon map)

Jump to Day 1: Twin Lakes trailhead to Island Lake

Jump to Day 2: Island Lake to Lake Aloha viewpoint (near Mount Price summit)

Jump to Day 3: Island Lake to Twin Lakes trailhead

Shop Deal of the Day at REI Outlet (up to 50% off)!

PREPARATIONS:

Click here to read more about Permits
_Permits_:  Permits are required year-round for overnight camping in Desolation Wilderness. During the summer (Friday before Memorial Day to Sept. 30), there is a permit quota for each different zone in the wilderness. Desolation Wilderness is split into 45 zones and the quota for each zone varies from 2 permits to 40 permits.  More info about the permits and zones can be found on the Forest Service website. Your permit only specifies your night of entry into the wilderness and the zone you will camp in on the first night. After your first night, you are allowed to hike and camp anywhere within Desolation Wilderness.

70% of the permit quota for each zone is available for advanced reservation on recreation.gov for a $10 reservation fee. The remaining 30% of permits are available on a first-come, first-serve basis on the day of entry. The day of permits are claimed and picked up at one of the nearby ranger stations.

Click here to read more about Logistics
_Logistics_: We planned this trip at the last minute. I was able to book a permit on Thursday night and then we drove to the Twin Lakes trailhead Friday afternoon after work. Since the hike from Twin Lakes trailhead to Island Lake was only 4 miles, we decided to go ahead and hike in on Friday evening rather than camping at the trailhead.

If you need to camp at the trailhead, there is Wright’s Lake Campground very close. This campground requires reservations in the summer though and can fill up quickly. Other options include many of the first-come, first-serve forest service campsites in El Dorado National Forest.

There is a parking lot near the Twin Lakes trailhead, where can leave your car during your hike. There is no fee for parking so long as you have an overnight camping permit and there is a restroom near the parking lot. For water, we did not see a tap at the parking lot, but there is a potable water tap at the nearby Wright’s Lake Campground.

Click here to read more about Difficulty and Trail Conditions
_Trail Conditions_ and _Difficulty_: This trail has several small creek and river crossings but it is unlikely that the water level would be too high to cross. We never had to take our shoes off and were able to rock hop across all crossings.

The biggest issue with this trail is that it is poorly marked in several areas. A mile or so into the trail, you are largely just walking on granite and there is no worn path to follow. There are strategically places rock cairns, which help with navigation, but it can be a bit tricky in places. Luckily the trail follows along creeks most of the time so you can be certain you are going the correct direction if you follow the creek. That said, you should have a map or have the route downloaded on your phone to help with navigation.

The trail is only ~3-4 miles long and thus is not very difficult. There is a bit of elevation gain, but overall this is a fairly easy trek. If you wish to hike up to the Crystal Range or Mount Price, you should be comfortable with scrambling and route finding. There is no maintained trail up the ridge and you must hike off-trail.

We wanted a relaxing and easy trip, so we completed our trek over 3 days. We camped at Island Lake two consecutive nights and just did a day hike on the 2nd day. The Twin Lakes area is a bit isolated by the Crystal Range Mountains, so there is not a super easy long loop from the Twin Lakes trailhead. We hiked to a small notch/pass just north of Mount Price. From this pass, it looked like it was possible to hike down to Lake Aloha (note that we did not actually hike down to Lake Aloha). If you are an experienced backpacker you could likely hike to Lake Aloha on day 2 and then head north and form a loop returning via the area by Rockbound Pass. Or, you could just do a short relaxing trip like that show below!

_Supplies:_ There are black bears in the area, so you will want either a bear canister or a dry bag and ropefor hanging your food[]. Doing so will also protect your food from the marmots and chipmunks that seem to search campsites for food.

You likely will want bug spray because the mosquitoes can be out in force in certain areas of the trek. I prefer a picaridin based spray[] because it does not damage plastics and synthetic fibers like high concentration DEET sprays do. I also like to pre-treat my clothes and tent with permethrin spray repellent[]. The permethrin treatment stays on your clothes for up to 7 washes, so it helps reduce the amount of spray you need to put on your skin.

The other essential item for this trek is an inflatable sleeping pad. Most of the campsites are on pretty hard granite or gravel surfaces, so a good mat makes all the difference. If you plan to hike up to the top of the Crystal Ridge behind Island Lake to get a view of Lake Aloha, you will want trekking poles and possibly microspikes/crampons. There were several sections on this ridge where we hiked across snow and the extra traction from crampons would have been nice. The trekking poles are helpful because you can use them for stability in place of an ice ax (unnecessary for this hike unless you are hiking down the backside of the ridge all the way down to Lake Aloha).

Below is a list of the gear I brought on the hike to Island Lake in Desolation Wilderness:

_Hiking clothes_

-   a lightweight hiking rain jacket (North Face Venture 2 Jacket)
-   fast drying synthetic hiking pants (prAna Zion Pants)
-   a quick drying long sleeve hiking shirt (Columbia Silver Ridge L/S Shirt)
-   wool outer socks (People Socks Moreno 4-pack)
-   thin blister preventing base socks (WrightSock double layer Coolmesh)
-   quick drying synthetic boxer briefs (ExOfficio Give-N-Go)
-   Gore-tex hiking shoes (adidas Outdoor Terrex Fast R Gore-Tex Shoe)

_Clothes for camp_

-   wool leggings (Minus33 Merino Wool Kancamagus Midweight Bottom)
-   wool base layer shirt (Minus33 Merino Wool Chocorua Midweight Crew)
-   warm wool overshirt (Pendleton Long Sleeve Classic-Fit Board Shirt)
-   lightweight down jacket (Patagonia 800-fill Down Jacket)
-   lightweight camp shoes (Xero Z-Trail lightweight sandal)

_Hiking gear_

-   topographic map (Tom Harrison Desolation Wilderness Map)
-   trekking poles (Black Diamond Trail Ergo Cork Trekking Poles)
-   2 liter hydration bladder (Platypus Big Zip Water Reservoir)
-   65 liter backpack (Osprey Atmos 65 Liter pack)
-   water filtration system (Platypus gravity filtration system)

_Camp gear_

-   strong tent with rain-fly (Alps Mountaineering Chaos 2 Tent)
-   inflatable sleeping pad (Therm-a-Rest Trail Pro Sleeping Pad)
-   sleeping bag (REI Co-op Igneo 25 Sleeping Bag)
-   inflatable camping pillow (Ultralight Inflating Pillow)
-   lightweight backpacking chair (Helinox Chair Zero)
-   lightweight lantern (MPOWERD Luci Outdoor 2.0)
-   headlamp (Black Diamond Cosmo Headlamp)
-   multi-tool with knife (Gerber MDime Mini Multi-Tool)
-   Ursack (Ursack Major bear bag) or bear canister (BearVault BV500)
-   lightweight stove (MSR PocketRocket 2)
-   lighter (BIC plastic lighters)
-   2 liter pot (GSI Outdoors Halulite Boiler Pot)
-   coffee cup (GSI Outdoors Glacier Stainless Cup)
-   lightweight spork (Snow Peak Titanium Spork)
-   small, quick drying towel (REI mutli towel mini)

_Random_

-   wet wipes (Stall Mates individually wrapped wipes)
-   mole skin for blisters (Blister medic kit)
-   lightweight trowel (GSI Sanitation Trowel)
-   small amount of duct tape for gear repairs
-   chapstick and sun screen

_Food and drink_

-   a variety of my favorite dehydrated meals
-   electrolyte replacement (NUUN Hydration Tablets)
-   quick snacks (Clif Shot Bloks and Clif energy bars)
-   instant coffee (Starbucks VIA)
-   small plastic water bottles filled with whisky 🙂

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……

DAY 1: 4 miles; +1,250 feet / -75 feet; Twin Lakes Trailhead to Island Lake

[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-map-day-1]
Map of the day 1 hike in Desolation Wilderness from the Twin Lake Trailhead to Island Lake.
Desolation Wilderness hike hike from Twin Lakes Trailhead Day 1 Map (pdf)

[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-map-elevation-1]

Elevation profile of the day 1 hike Desolation Wilderness Twin Lakes Trailhead.

On the first day, we arrived at the Twin Lakes trailhead at 5:30pm. We began hiking at about 6:00pm and arrived at camp at ~7:45pm. We found a great secluded campsite (here), quickly set up camp, and then watched the sun set while cooking dinner. It can be a bit tricky to find campsites in the area. Most people seemed to look on the south side of the lake (opposite of where we went). It’s possible there were more sites on that side, but we really liked the site we found. Being on the north side of the lake lets you see the sunset over the lake and gives some fantastic views.

[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-trailhead-parking]
The Twin Lakes Trailhead is a short walk from the parking lot. To start the hike, head down the road and you eventually will find an information stand at the trailhead. There is not great signage at the beginning of the trail, but head towards Twin Lakes any time you see it on a sign.
[IMG_20180706_174941]
Sign at the Twin Lakes trailhead in Desolation Wilderness.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-hiking-through-trees]
Soon after hiking from the Trailhead at Wright’s Lake, the trail begins to meander through some trees. This area of the trail had some mosquitoes since there were meadows and streams nearby.  (pictured: Kelty women’s 50L backpack)
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-wrights-lake-bridge]
Shortly after the trailhead, you cross a bridge over the inlet to Wrights Lake.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-trail-meadow]
The trail passes a small meadow and then goes through the forest.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-junction-forest-to-granite]
Eventually you will reach a trail junction. Follow the sign towards Twin Lakes. At this point the trail transitions from a forest to granite. The trail is more difficult to follow on the granite, so keep your eyes out for rock cairns and other trail markings.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-trail-on-granite]
As you start hiking on granite and rocks, you need to keep an eye out for markers along the trail (pictured: Vivobarefoot lightweight camp shoes)
[IMG_20180706_181602]
The trail then briefly passes back through the forest as it climbs.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-rocks-mark-trail]
Trail as it skirts across the granite rocks. Note the rocks used to show the trail direction.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-sign-entering-wilderness]
The trail briefly ducks back into the forest and you are greeted by the Desolation Wilderness sign.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-waterfall-along-trail]
Along the trail you pass several small waterfalls and pools of water.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-wrights-lake-distance-after-climb]
The view looking back towards the trailhead after climbing up a ways.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-trail-granite-and-rocks]
An example of the trail when hiking on granite. There is a line of rocks marking the trail.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-waterfall-in-distance]
Another small cascade along the Twin Lakes trail.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-hiker-twin-lakes-trail]
Once you get above the trees, the views really open up
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-outlet-from-twin-lakes]
When you approach Twin Lakes, there are several small lakes and pools of water formed by the stream at the outlet of the lakes.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-trail-waterfalls]
Cascade along the trail from the stream at the outlet of Twin Lakes. The trail is a little tricky to follow here, but you just generally follow the outlet until you get to Twin Lakes.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-first-view-twin-lakes]
Taking in the view of Twin Lakes and the waterfall that feeds into the lakes (pictured: prAna Zion pants)
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-outlet]
The trail then crosses the stream at the outlet of Twin Lakes and continues towards upper Twin Lake.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-one-camping-area]
Looking over at the lower Twin Lake as the trail climbs up towards the upper Twin Lake.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-trail-between-twin-and-island-lake]
We continued on the trail past Twin Lakes and towards Island Lake which is about 0.5 miles further along the trail
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-heading-to-island-lake]
This portion of the hike is really beautiful. Both Island Lakes and Twin Lakes would make nice campsites, but we figured there would be fewer people at Island Lake. (pictured: Carbon fiber trekking pole)
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-boomerang-lake]
The trail meanders its way past Boomerang Lake (shown here) on the way to Island Lake.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-lake-on-trail-to-island-lake]
Another small lake between Twin Lakes and Island Lake.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-first-glimpse-island-lake]
Our first glimpse of Island Lake in the distance. From here we headed to the small peninsula on the northwest quadrant of the lake. We found a great campsite there that had a great view of the Crystal Range mountains, had easy water access, and was protected from the wind.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-view-shore-island-lake]
The maintained trail ends when you approach Island Lake and you then just hike along the lakes shore until you find your preferred campsite.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-panoramic-view-island-lake-before-sunset]
We camped on a peninsula on the northwest side of Island Lake, which had a great view of Mount Price and the Crystal Range.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-sunset-at-island-lake]
The view looking back towards Twin Lakes at sunset.
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……

DAY 2: 4.25 miles; +/- 1,700 feet; round trip Island Lake to Mount Price notch lookout

[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-map-day-2]
Map of the day 2 hike in Desolation Wilderness from Island Lake to the Lake Aloha lookout near the summit of Mount Price.
Desolation Wilderness Twin Lakes Day 2 Map (pdf)

[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-map-elevation-day-2]

On our second day, we kept our camp at Island Lake and just set off on a day hike. The goal was to scramble up to the top of the Crystal Range mountain ridge near Mount Price. From the ridge we hoped to get a view of Lake Aloha. This part of the hike was all off-trail hiking, so I only recommend it if you are comfortable route finding and doing some basic scrambling.

We did not summit Mount Price, but instead went to a small notch/pass just north of the summit. From this notch, we found a great view of the Lake Aloha area. I would highly recommend this day hike as the views are great. Lake Aloha is beautiful and the views of Island and Twin Lakes are great as well. If you wanted to do a longer day hike, it appeared possible to hike down all the way to Lake Aloha. Again, this would be off-trail hiking so stay within your skill level. There was fair amount of snow on the north side of the pass (the side going down to Lake Aloha), so cramponsand an ice ax would not be the worst idea.

[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-island-lake-campsite]
Our campsite at Island Lake in Desolation Wilderness  (pictured: Alps Mountaineering Chaos 2 tent)
[IMG_20180707_143122]
Showing off my mesh bag filled with beer. The bag is a great way to keep drinks cold in the lake! The major benefit of only hiking in 4 miles is that you can carry some extra weight 🙂 (pictured: Synthetic long sleeve hiking shirt)
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-marmot]
There were lots of friendly marmots near our campsite.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-looking-out-over-island-lake]
Looking out over Island Lake from a viewpoint slightly behind our campsite.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-pond-crossing-day-hike]
A small pond we crossed while on our day hike.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-crystal-range-pano]
View of the portion of the Crystal Range mountains that we hiked up. The notch we hiked to is located left of center in this image.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-island-lake-view-higher-up]
Looking back down at Island Lake after hiking a bit up the ridge.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-waterfall-above-twin-lakes]
We took a short detour over to the top of the waterfall that flows into the upper Twin Lake.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-from-above-2]
View of the Twin Lakes from the ridge near the waterfall.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-day-hike-up-crystal-range]
Much of the day hike involved trying to find the path of least resistance when climbing up the slope  (pictured: prAna Halle women’s pants).
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-panoramic-view-from-crystal-range]
View looking down towards Island and Twin Lakes from near the top of the ridge by Mount Price.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-climbing-to-mount-price]
As we got higher up and started to head to the notch, we had to hiker over a fair amount of snow.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-view-from-near-mount-price]
The views were really spectacular once we reached the ridge near the top (pictured:  65L burnt orange backpack)
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-lake-aloha-and-clyde-lake]
The great view of Lake Aloha and Clyde Lake as seen from the top of the notch near Mount Price.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-hiker-above-lake-aloha]
View of Lake Aloha from the notch (pictured: Columbia Silver Ridge Hiking Shirt)
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-lake-aloha-from-mount-price]
View of Lake Aloha in its entirety from near the summit of Mount Price.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-lake-aloha-clyde-lake-ridge]
View of the saddle that separates Clyde Lake from Lake Aloha. It may be possible to hike down from the ridge and follow the saddle to Lake Aloha.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-climbing-down-from-mount-price]
View from the Crystal Range as we started the hike back down to Island Lake (pictured: Women’s North Face Venture 2 jacket)
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-climbing-down-crystal-range]
There were a ton of small wildflowers on the ridge, which made the hike really beautiful.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-small-lake-south-of-island-lake]
A long, narrow and unnamed lake the is northeast of Twin Lakes.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-crossing-land-bridge]
Crossing one of the small lakes before reaching Island Lake.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-panoramic-island-lake]
We then hiked up a bit behind our campsite to get a nice view of Island Lake and the Crystal Range. From here we watched the sun set.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-panoramic-island-lake-sunset-1]
A great thing about this area is that the sunsets are amazing. First the lake gets shaded and the Crystal Range stays lit up by the sun.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-panoramic-island-lake-sunset-2]
Then everything gets shaded and shortly after the range begins to turn pink.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-panoramic-island-lake-sunset-3]
Shortly after, the Crystal Range lights up bright pink and the reflections on Island Lake are really beautiful. This process is awesome because it’s like you get two sunsets.
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……

DAY 3: 4.2 miles: +90 feet / -1275 feet; Island Lake to Twin Lakes Trailhead

[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-map-day-1]
Map of the day 3 hike in Desolation Wilderness from the Twin Lake Trailhead to Island Lake.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-map-elevation-day-3]
Elevation profile for the day 3 hike from Island Lake back to the Twin Lakes Trailhead.
On the last day of our trip, we followed the Twin Lakes trail back to the trailhead. When we reached the trailhead, we rinsed off at Wright’s Lake and relaxed for a bit. When we were ready, we then headed back to our car and went home.

[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-wildflowers-near-island-lake]
View of some wildflowers and a small lake between Island Lake and Twin Lakes.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-trail]
Even though the trail back is not as beautiful as the lakes, there are still some nice views.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-trail-view-after-climb]
View looking towards Wrights Lake
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-trail-large-tree]
A large solitary tree along the trail back to Wright’s Lake and the Twin Lakes Trailhead.
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-trail-to-wrights-lake]
Wildflowers in the forest as we approached Wright’s Lake and the Twin Lakes trailhead
[Desolation-wilderness-twin-lakes-trailhead-wrights-lake]
A view of Wright’s Lake where we relaxed for a bit after finishing the hike.
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HERE ARE SOME RELATED TRIP REPORTS:

Trinity Alps Wilderness – Four Lakes Loop (20 mile trek)

Trinity Alps Wilderness – Emerald and Sapphire Lakes

The Enchantments – Alpine Lakes Wilderness (18 mile point-to-point)

Three Sisters Wilderness – Broken Top Loop (24 mile loop)

question: What lakes are mentioned in this wilderness?

answer: Twin Lakes, Island Lake, and Island Lake are all mentioned

question: What is the elevation of Desolation Wilderness?

answer: There is a starting elevation of 6,970 and a peak elevation of 9,660 feet

question: How many zones is Desolation Wilderness split into?

answer: 45 zones

question: What is required for year-round for overnight camping?

answer: Permits are required for year-round overnight camping in Desolation Wilderness.

question: How long is the trail?

answer: The trail is only 3-4 miles.

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: A description of the Desolation Wilderness and what it has to offer is advertised. Preparation for coming to the Desolation Wilderness is also provided.


text:
[Drawing of a person holding their heart.]

Illustration by Joni Majer.

Charlene Leung discusses how Buddhist practice can help us be aware of and work with our biases.

As a Buddhist, I have vowed to put an end to suffering—not only my own, but also the suffering I cause, knowingly or unknowingly, to other beings. A profound way to do that is by developing cultural humility, a term coined by two women of color specializing in public health, Drs. Melanie Tervalon and Jann Murray-Garcia. Although humility has connotations of weakness or submissiveness, the ability to listen to others—their speech, appearance, and values—as well as to our own speech, appearance, and values, requires great inner strength. Regardless of whether we are on the upside or the downside of sociopolitical power, we all participate in and uphold a socially constructed hierarchy that benefits some and marginalizes others. By listening to ourselves, we can begin to recognize that participation as well as our own biases, limitations, and unconscious stereotypes. As a result, we become more authentically open to ourselves and to others.

Cultural humility is about looking deeper and discovering the complexity of our cultural inheritance, the values we learned about ourselves and about others. It’s discovering what we’ve internalized and embodied from our families of origins, how we grew up, and our cultural traditions, social identities, life circumstances, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Cultural humility means uncovering the ways in which that cultural inheritance impacts how we see ourselves and relate to others. Consider the messages and mixed messages you received while growing up, and still receive, about gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class, or other distinguishing characteristics of identity. Where did those messages come from? Books, movies, media, family, friends, institutions—school, church, work—the totality of our personal experiences and stories heard and unheard. What was the feeling tone of the messages and mixed messages? What are the physical, mental, or emotional reactions stored in the body now? How might these messages and mixed messages affect the relationships we have or have had with people? And with ourself?

One way we can develop our cultural humility is by extending our formal Buddhist practices of compassion, contemplation, mindfulness, and awareness meditation into our everyday lives. Using contemplative practice, we can explore our social conditioning, how we have been taught to operate in the world as social beings. Social conditioning is how culture is transmitted, how social systems are held in place. Social conditioning is not all bad. It’s how we learn to live and work well with others, but it’s also how we have unconsciously learned to see groups of people in specific and limited ways. It started the day we were born, when people learned our biological sex, as evidenced by numerous studies showing the effect gender bias has on infant development. It’s the basis for how we fundamentally feel about humanity.

It’s not easy to see unconscious social biases. When one begins to look closer, one often feels shame, blame, or guilt. We need to be willing to feel it so we can go beyond it.

Stop for a minute to contemplate how Black men have been portrayed throughout your life. I remember the media images, the stories, the warnings I got from my Chinese immigrant parents. In the past when I encountered Black men unfamiliar to me, an embodied fear arose, unbidden. The body tenses. That tension transmits subtle—or not so subtle—messages that contribute to the social body, to upholding a system I would rather not support. This response isn’t unique to Asians or whites. I have heard from Black friends, both men and women, that they too have been conditioned to be afraid of Black men. Though this bodily response is not our fault—it’s how we were socially conditioned—it is our responsibility to become more aware.

By acknowledging our cultural baggage, we can notice when fear arises. I recognize it in the tightening of my body, the contraction of my torso. I have learned to stop and assess the situation before reacting. I can objectively evaluate the safety of my surroundings, and rather than crossing the street, I can relax and walk past a group of Black men. This may seem insignificant when weighed against the scale of societal racial injustice, but this conscious awareness is the first step toward social transformation. Feeling whatever arises in the body with care and curiosity, without judgment, opens space in the body for wisdom to emerge. It is possible to gain valuable knowledge that can help us go beyond habitual, fearful responses in daily life situations.

Fortunately, Buddhism teaches that whatever has been constructed can be deconstructed. Social constructs are ultimately empty, yet they can cause great suffering. It’s not easy to see unconscious social biases, to see what we don’t see. Moreover, the socially constructed hierarchy can seem very solid and cause much harm, as we remain unaware. When one begins to look closer and uncover unconscious beliefs—the roots of prejudice, the foundation of an unjust social construct—one often feels shame, blame, or guilt. While no one likes to feel shame, blame, or guilt, we need to be willing to feel it so we can go beyond it. Only then can the journey of uncovering our hidden beliefs, painful as it may be, become the very ground for creating community, the deep interconnections that can heal human divides and ultimately heal the planet.

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Cultural humility is a lifelong journey of self-awareness and self-reflection. It’s not about being “politically correct.”

It’s difficult to practice this kind of awareness without first laying some groundwork. I start by remembering basic goodness, vast open space, an awareness that is infused with caring warmth. In Buddhism, we try to see beyond appearances so that we may know the ultimate truth, buddhanature, the basic goodness of all phenomena. This absolute truth is the necessary ground for exploring our entanglement with social injustice. At the same time, we cannot forget the relative truth of unacknowledged pain and suffering. As they co-emerge moment by moment, we can hold both relative and absolute truth in our hearts, creating good human society.

Cultural humility is a lifelong journey of self-awareness and self-reflection. It requires exploring how varied cultural backgrounds might merge or collide. It is not simply about learning a list of what to say or not to say in mixed groups. It’s not about being “politically correct.” There are just too many cultures and subcultures for any of us to be able to begin to know them all. Even if it were possible, people don’t fit neatly into cultural boxes. We are all multidimensional beings, with overlapping and intersecting identities, with complex values and beliefs. Misunderstandings occur, and even good intentions can have a negative impact on others. The starting place for cultivating cultural humility, then, is to develop an attitude of inquiry, sensitivity, and active listening.

For myself, cultural humility practice creates an inquisitive atmosphere for self-awareness and reflection, a loving space to heal the racism I experienced growing up. The wounds I once unconsciously carried—seeing my brother being called a “chink” while getting beaten up as a child, or the anger I felt upon learning my family was not welcome in a neighborhood my parents had considered moving us to—no longer haunt me. Supported by community, this healing space of cultural humility has allowed me to be more fully present with whatever arises. In allowing what arises to simply be, space opens for something new: tender vulnerability and a broken heart that longs for authentic relationship.

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question: Who is the author?

answer: Charlene Leung

question: What religion's teachings does the author draw from?

answer: Buddhism

question: What is one major theme of Buddhism mentioned in the article?

answer: Cultural humility

question: When is this article from?

answer: It is not mentioned, but it can be assumed it was during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 or 2021.

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: Charlene Leung discusses he ways that Buddhism can be used to work on our biases. She explains cultural humility, the idea of looking deeper into our cultural inheritances and values we have internalized about ourselves and others. She uses the example of Black men and the ways they have been portrayed to explain this cultural baggage. She calls cultural humility a lifelong journey of self-awareness and self-reflection.


text:
	Whenever I'm on campus I always make it a point to stop for a drink from the same fountain in an alcove of the English building around the corner from my creative writing lab. My intentions are not  so much directed by my physical thirst, but by the certainty of her presence. Perpetually hanging out in her frame above the fountain, she gazes out at me from amidst a charcoal tangle of bed sheets. Her shoulders and clavicle are curves of smooth brown velum stroked by her maker's pencil. He created perfection in her eyes. They draw me to her like inky pools of pulsing gravity. Often, I end up stooped over with my gaze averted towards the ceiling slurping much longer than I need to.
	The sketch is titled, In the Morning. How many times I have wished to have actually been there on that morning, to be the lucky one who first saw her lying there in the flesh, a vision to inspire any form. He's the one who gets all the credit on the placard though. “Troy Munro, American, b. 1986. Troy's works in many mediums are inspired by placid scenes of everyday reality.” Everyday reality? Who are these curators kidding? Girls like that don't exist in everyday life! They inexplicably manifest out of some interdimensional field of radical perfection, on a collective mission to populate artists' receptions and backstage band interviews. “So,” the man with the tape recorder asks, “where do you draw your inspiration from?”
	What was it like on that first morning when he woke up in her bed? Was he so smitten that he immediately leapt up and reached for his notebook and pencil to immortalize the moment? Would she have thought he was weird if he did? Was she complicit? Is she a model? One thing I know for certain is that she was drawn in her natural habitat, completely at home, wrapped half modestly in those rumpled sheets. No, it can't have been the very first morning because no human being could possible exude that kind of perfectly serene languor after such an uncertain, seminal night as the one which surely preceded, could they? That would be so cool. I wish I knew who she was, and whether or not her and Troy Munro's relationship came to the eventual, fortuitous demise that I'm imagining.
	I live with my girlfriend, Jenny, in an apartment off campus, and we mostly get along. Sometimes we seem to get so busy though that we exist merely as images passing through each other's space. The cohabitation thing really didn't come about as the result of a well thought out plan, it more or less just happened. My old roommate dropped out of school in the middle of last semester and bailed on the lease. Two weeks went by and nobody responded to the fliers I hung on billboards around campus. My ad said, “Space available. Potential applicants should be fastidiously undistinguished, not lacking in discretion, and tasteful in habit and manner. 1 bedroom, separate bath, $400/mo. plus utilities.” I guess I was looking for another ultra-ironic English major. At least Jenny puts up with my mess making.
	Last week I left a Facebook conversation up on my monitor with a girl from my Film and Lit. class about an extracurricular movie we watched together. During the ensuing hostilities I tried to cobble together some kind of scholastic justification for our liaison, but Jenny tested my fumbling excuses like a tuning fork and they all rang hollow. That night I slept in the computer room, on the floor in a sleeping bag, staring up at the glow of my desktop.
	The next day I found myself back at the fountain, head bowed as if in wistful supplication. Please relieve the futility of my situation. As I gaze at her portrait her voice glides smooth as pulp into my ear, “It's already a perfect morning, Robert.” Now that I'm lying next to her I'm beginning to understand the image from a different perspective. That stack of books on her nightstand wasn't visible from the other side of the fountain. She's obviously a grad student; every volume meets my perspicuous approval- discourses by Barthes, a collection of Thoreau, confessions of Augustine, even a door stopping volume of DFW. The same voices flow through her supple mind as through mine. We hardly need to speak, but we do. Dialog after dialog, bantering easily in the most natural poetry and prose, there in her room, in the morning.
	Back at the apartment that evening and Jenny can't believe that I didn't bring home any take-out for dinner. Seriously, after yesterday, I can't even bother to grab some Chinese? The cable has been cutting in and out all evening and she tried to call but the account is in my name and they won't do anything unless I talk to them. But the call center is closed now because I took my sweet time coming home. Don't I understand that she would have cleaned the kitchen if she hadn't had her class and then her internship, and what had I been doing all morning at home by myself anyway? Maybe if I controlled my time better, both of our lives would be a lot easier. Oh yeah, and have I checked my fucking Facebook lately?
	That night I lay curled up on the floor and dreamed of stealing that picture.
	In the morning, when I am with her, time ceases to function in its usual jet propulsed way. Her artfully tossed sheets freeze sloping rifts in the continuum between space, time, and everything else. We clamber barely clothed among the many incidental ridges, trekking the badland hills of her linens like a couple of early morning wanderers trying to rediscover where we pitched our tent. She stokes the smoldering campfire and boils organic fair-trade coffee for us in a speckled green percolator. Even in the desert wilds, this one has class.
	It's nine P.M. and students and faculty are clearing the academic building in mass exodus. I have very little desire to go home, and my company has already been politely declined via text from the girl from Film and Lit.. Sitting on a bench in a deserted hallway reading Don Delillo, I must look like I'm waiting for someone. In a way, I suppose I am. I unzip my backpack and wander around the corner to the fountain. There's a moment where my adrenaline jumps and I am petrified that someone is about to come out of the restroom while I'm stuffing her into my bag. I feel kind of creepy to be honest, but I can tell that she wants to come home with me. So I commence with the theft. At the last second I decide to snatch the descriptive tag along with it. Now the only evidence left of her abduction is a tiny white hook. These corridors are hung like art galleries; nobody will even notice that she's gone.
	When I get home, Jenny is already shut off in the bedroom watching HBO on the DVR. Right now I am ever so grateful to be separated, even just by walls and noise. I don't dare get a hammer and nail out right now to hang her properly, so I just lean the frame up against the wall on the back of my computer desk. I check online to make sure I haven't missed any messages, fiddling around with the title placard while I click around and think. This tag is evidence against me. It has got to go. I already know the title of the piece, and of course the preeminent Troy Munro signed his own work. There's no getting around that, but it's mine now. Sorry about it friend. I'll just throw this card in the dumpster tomorrow when I go out for a smoke. But that's in the morning. For right now I'm just going to sit here in my computer chair for a while and just stare at her.

title: [MF] Stolen Work

question: What does the story say about the narrator's relationship?

answer: The narrator lives with his girlfriend, Jenny, and they mostly get along. Sometimes they are so busy they exist merely as images passing through each other's space. Jenny puts up with the narrator's mess making. Things become hostile between them when he leaves open a Facebook conversation on his monitor with a girl from Film and Lit. class.

question: What does the story say about the theme of obsession?

answer: The narrator always makes a point to drink by the fountain where the sketch is hanging whenever he's on campus. He wishes he could have been there on the morning when the sketch was made. The narrator dreams of stealing the picture. In the morning, he does steal the picture, feeling that the subject wants to come home with him. At the end of the story, he decides to just sit in his computer chair and stare at the sketch.

question: What does the story say about the narrator's relationship with Troy Munro?

question: Summarize the negative events.

answer: Hostilities ensued between the narrator and his girlfriend, Jenny, when he left open a Facebook conversation with a girl from Film and Lit. class. Jenny scolds the narrator for not bringing home takeout for dinner and taking his sweet time coming home.