Navigator: Sonic Boom

Sonic Boom was born in Hinkley, California, in December 2018. He wiggled across the sand as two-month-old puppy and joined Shadow Mountain as its lead navigator. Sonic Boom loves to play fetch and has lower back problems (but that doesn’t slow him down very much). Sonic Boom is an enthusiastic clap of thunder and a ball of joy. He thinks he weighs 20 pounds (9kg), but he is closer to 90 pounds (41kg).

If you bring him a treat, he will be your friend for life. He can dig a giant hole in under one minute. Sonic Boom prefers the shade.

Hinkley is a scrappy region about 14 miles (23km) northwest of Barstow, California. The last time he was in Hinkley, many dogs, birds, and coyotes were converging on a dead horse carcass just over the hill in this photo. It was a real party.

Hinkley is best known as the site where Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) contaminated the groundwater with hexavalent chromium (chromium-6) from 1954 to 1964. Erin Brockovich successfully brought a lawsuit against Pacific Gas & Electric and was the focus of the feature film Erin Brockovich (2000).