The latest from the world outdoors.
Fatpacking Backpacking Vacations: Couldn't resist starting with this one. A few more months in front of the computer blogging and I'll be enrolling for sure. Read more here.
Rewilding North America: A team of U.S. biologists and conservationists is proposing a plan to restore giant wild mammals to North America, like those that roamed the continent during the Ice Age—mammoths, saber-toothed cats, and the extinct American cheetah, among others. Interesting theory. Read more about rewilding in this Slate article and this National Geographic article.
10,000 Elephants to Be Culled: Due to rapid population growth, thousands of elephants in world-famous Kruger National Park will most likely be culled. Unfortunately, this sounds like something that has to be done. Though, why not give them to the rewilders...Or....elephant steaks on the 4th...Mmmmm.
Grand Canyon river runners sickened; norovirus suspected: Northern Arizona authorities are trying to determine the source of tainted food that has sickened about 100 people on Colorado River tour boat trips during the past month. More here.
"Alex Lowe Peak" - A Mountain Honoring a Mountaineer: The US Board on Geographic Names has approved a proposal to bestow the name “Alex Lowe Peak” on a mountain in the Gallatin National Forest.
Three Days In Yosemite: Detailed itinerary of what to do if you've got three days to kill in Yosemite. Three day Yosemite itinerary here.
Fall Color Guide: Appalachian Trail Fall Foliage: A Hiker's Guide to Autumn's Peak Colors provides an overview of average dates of peak color along the A.T.
Colors are just beginning to appear in the northern sections of the
Trail, with earliest color in higher elevations.
Nepal’s Highways to Hell: As Maoist guerrillas battle security forces for control of strategic areas in this tiny kingdom in South Asia, traveling by road is becoming increasingly dangerous, fraught with blockades, ambushes, and mine explosions. Read about it here.
US slashes estimated recreational value of national forests 90%: A new evaluation by the Bush administration cuts the estimated value of recreation in national forests from $111 billion to $11 billion, leading some environmentalists to warn that the study could be used to justify increased logging.
Books About Yellowstone in 2005: A list of notable books about Yellowstone from the Billings Gazette here.
