This Saturday, June 2nd, is National Trails Day. Put on by the American Hiking Society, National Trails Day (NTD) is a celebration of all things outdoors. If you happened to miss Get Outdoors Day this past weekend, no worries, you've got a second chance. It's the 20th annual NTD, so expect some special events and hearty celebrations this year.
Last year, there were events in all 50 states and 40,000 volunteers contributed more than 188,000 hours to trail maintenance and other efforts. Go to the American Hiking Society's website to learn about an event near you and get out and pitch in on a trail near you.
The Obama Administration's Departments of Interior and Agriculture will be putting 20,000 15-25 year-old youths to work destroying the last threads of American society improving our public lands this summer. As part of the Obama Administration's America's Great Outdoors Initiative, the youth will be employed across the country in national parks, national forests and wildlife refuges building trails, maintaining infrastructure, and otherwise improving public lands and facilities.
The work initiative is funded partly by the government through the BLM and Forest Service and partly through private donations collected by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
"This program is putting youth to work and making our nation's public lands more accessible," said [Interior Secretary] Vilsack. "With 80 percent of our country now living in urban areas, it is through partnerships like these that we are finding opportunities for Americans to work, live and play on our forests and grasslands and experience America's Great outdoors."
Well, I for one, am glad that Obama is getting these kids out into some fresh air. Maybe a blister or two will slow down their texting, but in the long run, they'll be better off for it. I worked outside as a kid and now look at me, I hunch over a computer everyday in a windowless, flourescent light, white-walled office wishing I was 17 again.
A small, white, stray dog in China adopted a team of cyclists on a grueling 1,800 kilometer-cross-country ride after the team fed it some food. According to the Toronto Star, Zhang Heng, 22, met the dog in the Sichuan Province and slipped it a bit of chicken. After that, the determined little dog followed the team for more than 20 days, over mountain passes, to the trip's end in Lhasa, Tibet.
Heng and his trip partners started a blog about the dog, which quickly grew to more than 40,000 fans. Heng named the dog Xiao Sa, aka "Little Sa," and will apparently be adopting the dog now that the race is over.
Xiao Sa ran the entire trip, except for the high-speed downhill sections, when Heng strapped a cage to his bike and gave the dog a ride to avoid the danger of hurtling downhill at speed.
Check out the video below for a Chinese news clip about the dog. You can't understand much (unless you speak Chinese) but it's a cool video nonetheless.
Apparently, President Obama's support of gay marriage has made it's way to the animal kingdom. Inca and Rayas, a pair of male Humboldt penguins found love while housed together at Madrid's Faunia Park zoo in Spain, and had been busily preparing to start a family this spring until biology got in the way. As other penguins around them began to lay eggs and incubate, Rayas and Inca waited…and waited…and waited. Fortunately for them, a female in the zoo laid two eggs, one of which would have likely been abandoned, so zookeepers passed it on to the couple. According to TreeHugger, Inca hasn't moved from the nest since the egg arrived, making sure it stays warm and safe. Zoo staff expect the egg to hatch sometime next week and are pleased that through Inca's and Rayas' love, there will now be one more Humboltd penguin to boost the population count. As it turns out, same sex couple in nature aren't that uncommon - at least with penguins. In the Toronto Zoo last year, staff decided to split up two male African penguins who had found love, hoping that they would bond with females and produce offspring to boost the imperiled species' populations.
So, without further ado, here's their top ten list and brief explanation of why each one is there: 1. Potomac River - Pollution 2. Green River - Water withdrawals 3. Chattahoochee River - New dams and reservoirs 4. Missouri River - Outdated flood management 5. Hoback River - Natural gas development 6. Grand River - Natural gas development 7. Skykomish River - New dam 8. Crystal River - Dams and water diversions 9. Coal River - Mountaintop coal mining 10. Kansas River - Sand and gravel dredging
So there you have it. Chances are there's a river near you that could use some effort on your part.
Clearly this new sleeping bag would be utterly useless for backpacking. It weighs a bloody five and a half pounds and I'm guessing doesn't pack down very small. But if you're a car camper or have access to Forest Service cabins then, it just might be what you've been waiting for.
It's called the Zippered Vents Sleeping Bag and it provides just that, a bunch of zippers that you can use to stick out an arm or a leg or get a little air. Four horizontal zippers augment the traditional one zipper that runs the length of the bag, so you have five opportunities to get the bag liner stuck in the zipper every time you open or close a vent.
The bag is supposedly rated to 20 degrees and has a cotton flannel lining and nylon shell. I highly doubt the rating is accurate, but I also highly doubt anyone who would use this bag would be camping when it was below freezing. It costs a low $119.95 and is available at everyone's favorite camping store, Hammacher Schlemmer.
It's that time of the year again, REI's biggest sale starts today and runs through 5/28/12. Time to gear up for the summer. Take 20% off one item with the coupon below.
Outside Magazine has a fun article this month that encourages readers to break the rules this summer and engage in activities that are the right mix of dangerous and fun. Nothing in the article is especially outrageous, but each suggestion reminds me of the freedom summer meant when I was a kid. We got the boot every morning and spent the day outside, pushing the limits of what a 12 year old considered dangerous. No one died, no one even got all that hurt. Maybe a broken bone or two, but what's childhood without a cast upon which to scribe your name? Of course, in typical Outside fashion, they do take cool ideas and make them nice and commercial. Take, for example, rule # 6 "Rope Swings are Dangerous and Usually Illegal." Not only do they instruct on the right type of tree to tie your rope swing to, but they offer a convenient link to a specific brand of climbing rope for you to use. Or Rule # 3, "Stick to the Course." Outside suggests readers "[G]et some folks tougher at a trailhead. Plot a rough course. Ride or run (or both) like hell. Argue who won over beers." That's all pretty easy and free. But if you use the suggested social fitness app, the experience will be that much more fun. I guess Outside figures that getting some friends together to race a one-time, on-the-spot course is obviously more fun when you can use a computer program to compare your time with others.
OK, maybe I"m being a bit of cynic here. That's what they pay me for. Still, the article seems to miss the point in some respects. I guess at Outside, the one rule you can't break is taking advantage of product placement opportunities at every turn.
Now, get out there and make a rope swing with some old suspect rope you found in the garage or salvaged from a dumpster. Cross your fingers and go…summer's here and it's time to break an arm.
The Interior Department announced yesterday that all active duty military personnel and their families will receive free admission to National Parks, Wildlife Refuges, and other public lands that charge admission fees.
This Saturday - Armed Forces Day - will mark the beginning of the program, which will present the America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreation Lands Annual Pass to the families for free. While vets and retirees won't be able to get a pass, activated members of the National Guard and Reserves will be.
The effort is part of the Joining Forces initiative, a program spearheaded by Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, which supports military families. Mrs. Biden (wife of Vice President, Joe Biden, for all you non politicos) summed it up well,
Our nation owes a debt of gratitude to our servicemen and women who make great sacrifices to protect our country and preserve our freedom. In recognition of their service, we are so pleased to be putting out a welcome mat for our military families at America's most beautiful and storied sites.
The pass costs the rest of us $80, which, once you think about other
things you spend $80 on, isn't really that much. Still, it's a great way
to recognize the sacrifice and valor of the folks who protect our right
to pay to access our public lands.
After college, I moved to Alaska where I ended up working at an adaptive ski school. We taught mentally and physically disabled people how to ski. It was pretty powerful and, more so than any other job, made me proud and contented. Of course we were based at the resort and used the lifts to ferry skiers and the heavy adaptive equipment they needed up to the top of the run.
Well, paraplegic skier Jeremy McGhee is planning to rip a big, hardcore backcountry couloir without all that lift served fuss. He's gonna shred Bloody Couloir form the top, without the help of his pals.
McGhee was hit by a car riding his motorcycle in 2001 and lost the use of his legs. He has since worked to live his life to its fullest, surfing, skiing, and generally being a badass.
Frustrated by the difficulty he experienced getting across the sand from his car to the ocean where he surfs, he invented a lightweight motorized unit that easily attaches to his wheel chair - the Surf Checker. Now he can surf without the assistance of his friends whenever he wants to.
He intends to apply the same engineering savvy, tenacity and drive to figuring out a way to get to the top of Bloody Couloir in the Sierras, and "…eat a pb+j sandwich at the top." Why not just enlist his buddies to help him get there?
"I don't want them [my friends] to feel like they need to get me there. You see, I've got arms. I can get anywhere. It might take a while, but physically, I can get there." Holy shit. Imagine how many fewer obese people there'd be in this country if we all had the same attitude towards our legs this guy has towards his arms.
For some more inspiration, check out "Drop In" the first segment of McGhee's Bloody Couloir series.
Apparently, President Obama's support of gay marriage has made it's way to the animal kingdom. Inca and Rayas, a pair of male Humboldt penguins found love while housed together at Madrid's Faunia Park zoo in Spain, and had been busily preparing to start a family this spring until biology got in the way. As other penguins around them began to lay eggs and incubate, Rayas and Inca waited…and waited…and waited. 
Outside Magazine
