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What's It Like To Climb Mt. Rainier?

Several years ago I had the opportunity to attend an RMI Expeditions seminar at a local outdoor shop. The folks at Rainier Mountaineering Inc. gave us (mostly hikers and backpackers) an in-depth explanation on what it's like to climb Mt. Rainier, the highest mountain in the state of Washington. RMI also described to us on what prospective climbers can expect on the two-day expedition to the 14,410-foot summit - including several hours of training, such as self-arrest techniques on snow. Ever since attending that seminar this "little adventure" has simmered on the back burner of my bucket list.



Below is short video from Backpacker Magazine that provides a quick overview of what it's like to climb Mt. Rainier:







Back in 2013 Kathy and I had the opportunity to visit Mt. Rainier National Park for the first time. Although we didn't climb the mountain, we did hike the famous Skyline Trail in the Paradise Valley, just below the southern slopes of Rainier. We have a trip report with several photos posted here .







Jeff

HikingintheSmokys.com

HikinginGlacier.com

RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

TetonHikingTrails.com


Throwback Thursday


If you worked at a lonely outpost in the middle of the Glacier National Park wilderness, how would you protect yourself against grizzly bears? At the Numa Ridge Lookout the fire lookouts use a heavy wooden panel with 200 spikes driven into it. With its sharp points sticking out three inches, the panel is dropped in place on the stairway each night in order to prevent grizzlies from climbing the stairs and entering the sleeping quarters! One of the lookouts to experience Numa Ridge first hand was Edward Abbey, the author of the Monkey Wrench Gang. After spending the summer of 1975 manning the lookout, he summed-up his experience by saying: “Bears, beans, bores and bugs: Numa Ridge Lookout.”



You can read a short history about Glacier’s lookouts by clicking here .







Jeff

HikingintheSmokys.com


National Parks To Be Theme Of 2016 Rose Bowl Parade

The National Park Service and Tournament of Roses Association have recently announced that they will be partnering to kick off the National Park Service centennial during the 2016 Rose Parade in Pasadena, California.



The theme for the January 1st parade, “Find Your Adventure,” is a nod to “Find Your Park,” the two-year public engagement campaign aimed to increase awareness and excitement about the National Park Service centennial.



This collaboration showcases the common interests of the National Park Service and the Tournament of Roses Association – to engage America’s youth, support an ethic of volunteerism, and embrace the diversity of American culture. The Rose Parade is a great opportunity to introduce the National Park Service and its programs to a broad, and large audience of participants, attendees, and viewers (80 million watched on television internationally and 700,000 watched in person in 2014).



Parade entrants (floats, marching bands, and equestrian units) will take inspiration for “Find Your Adventure” from the work and mission (i.e., parks and programs) of the National Park Service. But, the opportunities extend well beyond the two-hour parade. Over the course of 2015, the National Park Service and the Tournament of Roses Association will create opportunities for parks and programs to engage with communities across the country to help achieve the centennial goal, such as connecting with each of the marching bands representing high schools across the nation with their nearest national park units and/or programs.







Jeff

HikingintheSmokys.com

HikinginGlacier.com

RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

TetonHikingTrails.com


Grand Teton National Park From The Air

Below is some absolutely stunning aerial video footage of Grand Teton National Park, Mount Moran and Jenny Lake. The footage was taken by Skyworks during recent filming of the state of Wyoming. Enjoy:







If this film has inspired you to visit this wonderful park this summer, be sure to visit our newest hiking trail website first to find out what the best hikes are - in order to get the most out of your visit. Simply click here .







Jeff

HikingintheSmokys.com

HikinginGlacier.com

RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

TetonHikingTrails.com


Coastal Crescent Trail: North Carolina's Newest Long-Distant Trail

This past Friday the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation and the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail (FMST) jointly announced the naming of the Coastal Crescent Trail, an additional option for hikers seeking to walk across North Carolina.




The Coastal Crescent Trail, a new hiking option developed by FMST, will serve as an option in eastern North Carolina until the Mountains-to-Sea State Trail (MST) is completed along the planned route, which connects Smithfield, Goldsboro, Kinston and New Bern, following the path of the Neuse River. The newly named trail provides a guided way for hikers to explore communities and natural and historic sites in the ecologically unique and scenic lower coastal plain in Johnston, Sampson, Cumberland, Bladen, Pender and Onslow counties.



In addition to the Coastal Crescent Trail, other alternatives include N.C. Department of Transportation bicycle routes, as well as a paddle trail along the Neuse River through Johnston, Wayne, Lenoir and Craven counties.



FMST will be releasing trail guides for both the Neuse River paddle trail and the Coastal Crescent Trail in 2015. They will be available online at FMST’s website . The North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation, with the support of the FMST, remains committed to helping communities along the planned route of the MST to further develop the trail. The division is also committed to exploring additional community interest in trail development, including trails that connect to the MST, at both regional and local scales across the state. As part of that effort, the division, with input from the FMST, local government agencies, other partners and the public, is in the process of writing its master plan for the MST. As part of the planning process, a meeting will be held with communities along the new Coastal Crescent Trail to assess their interest in the trail. To learn about or provide input into the master planning process, please click here .



The Mountains-to-Sea State Trail links Clingman’s Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Jockey’s Ridge State Park on the Outer Banks. A project of the North Carolina State Parks System, there are 608 designated off-road miles of the 1,000+mile route. The trail is envisioned as the backbone of a network of hiking, paddling and multi-use trails which easily connect to local and regional trails and greenways. Eventually, the trail will link 33 of North Carolina’s 100 counties and offer local access to 40 percent of the state’s population.



For more information on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, please click here . The 58-mile route through the park has changed over the last several months, and this page on HikingintheSmokys.com reflects the updated route.







Jeff

HikingintheSmokys.com

HikinginGlacier.com

RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

TetonHikingTrails.com


Why You Don't Want a 'Water Feature' in Bear Country


The attribution for this photo was stripped off in the process that brought it to me, but I understand that it was taken in Beulah, Colorado (western Pueblo Country), located in the foothills of the Wet Mountains, which have a healthy population of black bears.



Bears will walk along a shallow stream flipping over rocks to see if anything edible is underneath — these two probably found nothing in the artificial pond and stream, but being bears, they had fun anyway.


Smokies Completes Comprehensive Stream Mapping Project

Great Smoky Mountains National Park geographic information system specialists and scientists in collaboration with scientists from Tennessee, North Carolina, and the United States Geological Survey (USGS), completed a three-year stream mapping project. Park scientists used a combination of aircraft-mounted scanners and a Global Positioning System verification system to re-inventory streams throughout the park.




Using this modern mapping technology, scientists determined the park contains 2,900 miles of streams. Of these, 1,073 miles of streams are large enough to support fish. Previously, using topographic maps, the scientists estimated there to be approximately 2,000 miles of streams in the park. A water features is considered a stream if it exhibits the hydrologic, geomorphologic, and biologic characteristics of moving water at least part of the year.



Working with the USGS, the park incorporated the new stream data into the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) which allows the researchers and the public real-time access to detailed information about streams across the nation. Park staff and research partners rely heavily upon the accurate information in the NHD to manage park water quality and aquatic ecosystem health. The NHD data is accessible via The National Map, and re-mapped streams within the park can be seen here.







Jeff

HikingintheSmokys.com

HikinginGlacier.com

RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

TetonHikingTrails.com


Throwback Thursday

A raft trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon is the adventure of a lifetime. However, the 220 miles from Lee’s Ferry to Pierce’s Ferry is a highly technical run. There are roughly 160 rapids, many of which are Class VI, the highest rating. By 1955 there were only 30 expeditions that had successfully run the entire Colorado through the Grand Canyon. In April of that year, two twenty-somethings decided that they would attempt to not raft, but swim that entire stretch of river. So, on April 10th, unbeknownst to the national park, Bill Beer and John Daggett plunged into the 51-degree water, wearing only thin wet suits.




At first the cold water was excruciatingly painful to the swimmers. But after some time they realized that they needed the cold, numbing water as sort of an anesthesia to mask the pain from all the bumps and grinding they were receiving as they passed through the rapids. During the 26-day swim the duo became celebrities. The park caught wind of the stunt and tried to stop them near the halfway point, but the two swimmers successfully argued to Superintendent Preston Patraw that “You gentlemen realize that after all this silly publicity and stuff, you won’t have a minute’s peace until someone does swim down the river.”



The duo finally made it to Pierce’s Ferry on May 6th. Afterwards, they told the media that it was just “a cheap vacation that got a little out of hand.”







Jeff

HikingintheSmokys.com


10 Ways to Use Duct Tape

Everyone knows that duct tape is a miracle tool/product. It can be used for a multitude of purposes to help out in a variety of jams. In this short video Backpacker Magazine shows 10 creative ways to use duct tape while out on the trail. These are just a few examples of how this product can be used in the field. Don't like the idea of carrying a role in your backpack? My wife solved this issue by wrapping a couple yards of tape around her trekking pole (just below the handle). If ever in need, she can quickly and conveniently cut-off a strip.











Jeff

HikingintheSmokys.com

HikinginGlacier.com

RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

TetonHikingTrails.com


TECHNOLOGIE :Cette ampoule n’a jamais été éteinte depuis 110 ans !

Glacier National Park: The Official Trailer

If you haven't been, Glacier National Park is an absolute must visit for every hiker out there. No place else like it. Finley-Holiday Films has recently completed a four-year filming project on this very special place. Below is a trailer from that film to wet your appetite.



If this video inspires you to visit Glacier this upcoming season, the best way to explore this wonderful park is to take a hike along one of the many hiking trails that meander throughout the park.







If you do plan to visit Glacier this year, please note that our website also offers a wide variety of accommodation listings and other things to do to help with all your vacation planning.







Jeff

HikingintheSmokys.com

HikinginGlacier.com

RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

TetonHikingTrails.com


Official Re-measurements Increase Appalachian Trail By 3.9 Miles

Re-measurements and relocations of the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) have brought the total mileage of the footpath to 2,189.2 miles, an increase of 3.9 miles from last year’s mileage of 2,185.3. This mileage is carefully documented in the Trail’s official guidebooks, which include the Appalachian Trail Data Book and the Appalachian Trail Thru-Hikers’ Companion. Both books are published by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.




Every year, the latest mileage and shelter information is updated from volunteers who are constantly improving the Trail, with volunteer Daniel D. Chazin of Teaneck, N.J. leading the efforts since 1983. This year, more than half of the changes in the mileage are in southwest Virginia, with 2 miles added to the total following a re-measurement by volunteers.



Increases were also reported in New York-New Jersey (0.1 mile); central Virginia (0.1 mile); Tennessee-North Carolina (1.5 miles); and North Carolina-Georgia (0.2 mile).



“The Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s guidebooks are invaluable planning resources for any Appalachian Trail hiker, whether they are out for a day hike or hiking the entire length from Maine to Georgia,” said Laurie Potteiger, information services manager for the ATC. “These guides contain the latest information from volunteers who measure, maintain and manage the Trail and those who hike it regularly.”



Current editions of official A.T. guidebooks, maps and travelogues are available here . For more information on hiking the Appalachian Trail in the Smokies, please click here .







Jeff

HikingintheSmokys.com

HikinginGlacier.com

RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

TetonHikingTrails.com


Throwback Thursday

Okay, so a little more than 3 years isn’t much of a throwback, but I’ll mention this historical factoid because I don’t think many people have heard of it. In fact, I just found out about it a few weeks ago. In 2011 the Trillium Gap Trail in Great Smoky Mountain National Park achieved a bit of international fame. On July 6th of that year, Ashrita Furman became the first person to climb Mt. LeConte - - on stilts, and in the process, set the Guinness Book of World Records for the highest vertical height walked on stilts. Using peg stilts made of rubber tubing that were 40.5 inches in total height, and 18 inches from the ground to his ankle, Mr. Furman made the 4018-foot climb in 3 hours and 45 minutes. Mr. Furman also holds the record for holding the most Guinness World Records. Be sure to watch out for llama trains on this trail.












Jeff

HikingintheSmokys.com


Yes, It's Pretty, But We're Sick of It




Four days of freezing fog in the last week. The spousal unit is complaining loudly that it's too icy for her daily walks. Sometimes, even gravel and bare dirt are slick. This is completely un-Southern Colorado, and we do not like it.


Winter Skills: Tricks for Melting Snow

In this short video Backpacker Magazine offers a few tricks for melting snow. Those that are new to winter camping might find this helpful:











Jeff

HikingintheSmokys.com

HikinginGlacier.com

RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

TetonHikingTrails.com


Coccinelle (Madagascar)

Après un voyage à Madagascar mouvementé, très riche en évènements et rencontres diverses et après une belle pause de récupération à l'approche des fêtes maintenant derrière nous, retour sur la blogosphère avec cette mignonne Coccinelle malgache non identifiée ( il va désormais me falloir attendre la visite de Vincent, expert en environnement et spécialiste des coccinelles malgaches, pour mettre


January 2015 Western Snowpack Map


Based on SNOTEL sites. Archive here. A variation on the map that I posted last week.


Guest Post - Dynamic beach sediments



Thank you to Dylan Gilliland for providing this guest post for us.



We all enjoy going to the beach but not every beach is the same. There are distinct differences between a north facing beach and a south facing one. An example of this is the Clarkes beach and Tallows Beach at Cape Byron. Most of the sand that makes up the beaches of the North Coast is derived from the granites of the Great Dividing Range. These granites are eroded and discharged into the coastal regime by flooding rivers. A smaller portion of the beach sediment is derived directly from the headlands and can sometimes form boulder beaches as seen at Lennox Head and Angourie near Yamba. This process has been in effect for at least 65 million years since the break-up of Gondwana and the opening of the Tasman Sea.



Once the sediment is incorporated onto the coastal fringe it is then subject to size sorting and further transportation. This is done through wind, wave and currents off the Tasman Sea which is predominantly from the south to the north and is due to anticlockwise flow of high pressure weather systems that dominate the Australian continent particularly during winter (Short and Woodroffe, 2009). This gives rise to the term that many earth scientists refer to as "the great river of sand". It has played an integral part in the formation of the Morton, Stradbroke and Fraser sand islands.



On a smaller scale, size sorting and northerly transportation affect a beaches shape and composition. This will ultimately dictate how we interact with it. An example would be to examine the location of where to launch a boat. This is usually done in southern beach corners as it is not only protected from waves but the beach has a very gentle slope and the sand is very compact allowing vehicle access without sinking in the sand. What causes this? Headlands form barriers to the dominant southerly swell and will deflect wave energy past the southern corners. This will leave the northern expanse of the beach exposed to the full force of generated wave energy. Therefore, many east coast beaches particularly long beaches develop a zeta-curve shape much like the curve inside a spiral shell.



The amount of energy to reach a beach has a profound effect on the mechanics of sand grains and where they are distributed. In the southern corners there is less energy directed toward the beach therefore smaller particles will be able to settle without being swept away. The smaller particles pack together tighter than large particles and this reduces the beach porosity. When waves wash up the beach it doesn’t soak into the sand dumping its load, instead any particles will recede with the wash resulting in a beach with a low incline and hard packed sand. The northern end of the beach will exhibit characteristics typical of a higher energy environment with coarser sand that has a higher permeability. This can result in a steeper, less compact beach. These can often have formations such as swales, berms and cusps. This is due to waves coming up the beach loaded with sand that gets dumped higher on the shore. The water percolates quickly into the beach and it doesn’t wash the sand back out into the surf zone. For these reasons, near-shore sand bars on the northern end of a beach can be hazardous to inexperienced swimmers due to steep drop-offs, currents and instability.



Beaches are highly dynamic systems that are constantly changing; they are constrained by local geology and dominated by regional weather systems. These dynamic systems give us the beaches that people enjoy so much and the coastal erosion many people fear.



This information is adapted from field notes taken from a coastal geomorphology course conducted by Dr Robert Baker at The University of New England.





References/bibliography:



*Short, A.D. and Woodroffe, C.D., 2009. The Coast of Australia. Cambridge University Press




Backcountry Overnight Stays Up 37% in Smokies

To paraphrase Mark Twain, "the reports of the death of backpacking in the Smokies have been greatly exaggerated".



According to data collected by the National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics website, the number of backcountry overnight stays in the Smokies jumped by 37% in 2014, when compared to the prior year. Moreover, the 86,153 backcountry overnight stays recorded in 2014 ranks as the second highest count in the last 15 years.



Some people in the backpacking community thought that the sharp drop-off recorded in 2013 was a direct result of the backcountry fees that were implemented in February of that year. Although that may be true, that some backpackers were essentially boycotting the park in protest to the fees, that trend appears to have been reversed.



Here's a graphical look at backcountry overnight stay counts over the last 15 years:












Jeff

HikingintheSmokys.com

HikinginGlacier.com

RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

TetonHikingTrails.com


Visitation up 8% in the Smokies in 2014

According to data collected by the National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics website, visitation to Great Smoky Mountains National Park increased by 8% in 2014, when compared to the prior year. In total, the park recorded 10,099,275 visitors in 2014, versus 9,040,430 in 2013.



Readers should note that visitation figures for 2013 were negatively impacted by the washout on Newfound Gap Road, as well as the Government Shutdown in October of that year, which occurred during one of the peak tourist seasons.



However, 2014 ranks as the fourth highest visitation count on record, and is only the fourth time visitation has ever exceeded the 10 million mark. 1999 still ranks as the highest when 10,283,598 people visited the park.



Here's a graphical look at visitation counts since the Smokies became a national park:






If you plan to visit the Smokies this upcoming year, please note that our hiking website also offers a wide variety of accommodation listings to help with your trip planning.







Jeff

Hiking in the Smokies


Volunteers Donate More than 200,000 Hours in 2014 to Maintaining the Appalachian Trail

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) is pleased to announce that for fiscal year 2014, 5,617 volunteers reported 241,936 hours to maintaining and protecting the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) for hikers to use. Since the ATC began collecting reports in 1983, individuals have contributed more than 5 million hours to the A.T., resulting in a volunteer network that is recognized worldwide.




The number of hours reported, which is the second highest since 1983, reveals a loyal commitment to the Trail despite a government shutdown in October 2013 that resulted in volunteers being unable to work on National Park Service or U.S. Forest Service lands. Despite this sequestration, volunteers donated time equivalent to what is completed by 116 full-time workers and contributed to a wide variety of projects, including maintaining the A.T. corridor, monitoring and removing invasive species, supporting teachers in the Trail to Every Classroom (TTEC) program and assisting A.T. Communities near the Trail.



ATC volunteers represent 31 A.T. Maintaining Clubs and Trail Crews; Visitor Center and regional office volunteers; and participants in additional ATC programs, such as TTEC and the Appalachian Trail Community™ program. Though Trail maintainers are perhaps the most visible, volunteers also participate in many other activities, from community outreach to local, regional and Trail-wide management efforts.



“The Appalachian Trail Conservancy exists because of the generosity, talents and support of our volunteers – they are the very soul of the Appalachian Trail,” said Ron Tipton, executive director of the ATC. “The impressive number of volunteer hours reported for fiscal year 2014 illustrates a continued dedication to the preservation and management of the Trail.”



For more information about volunteer opportunities, visit http://ift.tt/1dZRULp.







Jeff

HikingintheSmokys.com

HikinginGlacier.com

RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

TetonHikingTrails.com


Smokies Changes Firewood Regulations to Protect Forests

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced regulation changes that will help protect park forests by limiting the type of firewood brought into the park. Beginning in March 2015, only heat-treated firewood that is bundled and displays a certification stamp by the USDA or a state department of agriculture will be allowed for use in park campgrounds.



Heat-treated firewood will be available to purchase from concessioners in many of the campgrounds as well as from private businesses in the communities around the park. Certified heat-treated firewood is packaged in 0.75 cu-ft. bundles clearly displaying a certification stamp. The wood is a high-quality hardwood product that has been heated for 60 minutes at 140 degrees Fahrenheit. The wood lights easily, burns well for campfires, is safe to cook over, and is already available at over 85 locations near the park that can be viewed on an interactive map . In addition, visitors may still collect dead and down wood in the park for campfires.



“The threat of these new pests coming into our forests, both in the park and regionally, compels us to do all we can to reduce the risk to our forests,” said Acting Superintendent Clayton Jordan. “While a ban on the importation of non-treated firewood will not entirely halt the spread of destructive forest pests and diseases, it will greatly slow it down. This allows time to develop and implement new treatment strategies to help control the impacts from these non-native pests and diseases.”



Non-native, tree-killing insects and diseases can unknowingly be introduced through firewood transported from infested areas. A variety of destructive pests lay eggs or stowaway in firewood. These insects from Asia and Europe have the potential to devastate over 30 species of hardwood trees native to the park. New infestations threaten our forests with widespread tree mortality that could devastate wildlife habitat, biodiversity, and scenic views. The use of firewood that has been heat treated eliminates the threat posed by these pests through the movement and use of wood in campfires.



National parks throughout the Appalachian region have taken action to limit the spread of insect pests in firewood including, in many cases, the banning of imported firewood. For the past three years, the Smokies has prohibited the importation of firewood from areas quarantined by the USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection Service. Park rangers have been working over the past year with numerous partners representing federal and state agencies, conservation organizations, and universities to mitigate the risks associated with movement of firewood including a public education campaign with campground programs and regionally placed billboards. The park also hosted public meetings and developed an informational handout that was provided to all Smokies campers throughout the summer inviting public comments.



For more information about firewood and forest and insect pests in the park, please visit the park website .







Jeff

HikingintheSmokys.com

HikinginGlacier.com

RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

TetonHikingTrails.com


Throwback Thursday

Below is the first in a new series of blog postings I'll be running this year. The series, with the highly original name of "Throwback Thursday," will feature little known stories and facts from our national parks. Hopefully you'll find these tidbits as interesting as I have.




In 1920 Sequoia National Park had the audacity to ban anyone with a waist size of more than 32.25 inches from entering Crystal Cave. Well, I guess you could say they had a pretty good reason. On August 28th of that year, Thaddeus Brown, described as an overweight gentleman, became trapped in Hell’s Crack while touring the cave. After trying several rescue attempts – all failing – park rangers decided to starve him – for 3 days! After 3 days the man lost 14 inches on his waist line, and was finally able to free himself. According to a local newspaper account at the time, Hollywood actors took notice of this new “diet”.







Jeff

HikingintheSmokys.com


Six View on Getting in Firewood










What my friends think I do.










What my family thinks I do.











What Society thinks I do.










What my wife thinks I do.










What I think I do.










What I really do.






Big South Fork Announces First Annual Photo Contest

The National Park Service (NPS) invites photographers to submit entries for an exhibit at the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. The NPS is looking for striking digital images highlighting the spectacular views, historic sites, recreational opportunities, and diversity of life in the park. Images may show wildlife, plant life, natural landscapes, historic areas, weather, or people interacting with nature within the boundaries of the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. All photographs, except those submitted in the artistic category, should accurately reflect the subject matter and the scene as it appeared.




Photographs may be submitted into one of seven categories: Action/Adventure (photographs of people participating in recreational activities), Artistic (artistic compositions in nature both natural and manipulated in post processing); Cultural (photographs that illustrate historic or culturally significant structures); Flora &Fauna (animals in their natural habitat, including close-ups of invertebrates, or plants in their natural habitat, including close-ups of flowers, fungi, lichen, and algae); Kentucky Landscapes (expansive and dramatic views of the land and its features within the Kentucky park boundaries), Tennessee Landscapes (expansive and dramatic views of the land and its features within the Tennessee park boundaries); and Youth (entries in any category by photographers under 18 years of age).



Entries will be judged on technical excellence, originality, creativity, visual impact, and artistic merit. Judges' decisions are final. Selected images will be printed for an exhibition at the Bandy Creek Visitor Center that will open on Saturday, September 5, 2015. Selected images may also be displayed on the internet and other venues.



Contest is open to all photographers except NPS employees and their immediate families and household members. Each person can only submit three photos into the competition. All photos must be in a digital format. Entries must be received no later than Tuesday, July 21, 2015. Each entry must be accompanied by a completed entry form with all information clearly filled out. Entry forms may be downloaded from here . Entries may be emailed to biso_information@nps.gov or dropped off at or mailed to the park headquarters at Big South Fork NRRA (Photo Exhibit), 4564 Leatherwood Road, Oneida, Tennessee 37841.







Jeff

HikingintheSmokys.com

HikinginGlacier.com

RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

TetonHikingTrails.com


Early January 2015 Snowpack in the West

DIY: Waterproof a Rain Jacket

In this short video Backpacker Magazine shows how to waterproof a rain jacket. This is a very simple process for an older jacket that's lost some of its repellent over the years:











Jeff

HikingintheSmokys.com

HikinginGlacier.com

RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

TetonHikingTrails.com


25th Annual Wilderness Wildlife Week in the Smokies

The dates have been set for one of the premier annual events in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The 25th annual Wilderness Wildlife Week, an eight-day event that focuses on the Great Smoky Mountains and the outdoors in general, will take place January 24th thru January 31st. Many of this year's programs, all of which are free, will be held at the LeConte Center At Pigeon Forge, the City of Pigeon Forge’s new state-of-the-art events center.



Throughout the event’s history people have traveled from as far away as Australia, Canada, China, England and New Zealand to take part in the eight-day extravaganza of honoring and celebrating the great outdoors




On tap this year are several hundred workshops, lectures, panel discussions, mini-concerts, hikes and excursions to America’s most visited national park.



While the vast majority of Wilderness Wildlife Week programs are indoors, there are more than 65 hikes and excursions on this year's calendar. They range from a heritage tour in Cades Cove, to a 3.5-mile walk through the Elkmont Historic District, to a strenuous 13.5-mile hike in the Mt. Collins / Chimney Tops area. Round trip transportation to the trailheads will be provided for each hike.



Many of the programs are brand new for 2015, and the lineup is different each day. Multiple hiking presentations will be included on this year's agenda.



Wilderness Wildlife Week, named 10 times as a Southeast Tourism Society Top 20 Event, is part of Pigeon Forge Winterfest, which starts in November and continues through February.



Details on Wilderness Wildlife Week, including the program schedule and hike information can be found by clicking here .



For more detailed information on many of the hikes included on this year's schedule, please click here . For accommodations in the Pigeon Forge area, please click here .







Jeff

HikingintheSmokys.com

HikinginGlacier.com

RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

TetonHikingTrails.com


Sentinels in the Ice

Sentinels in the Ice

Re-emerged












First there is a building, then there is no building, then there is* -Donovan (If he'd been an archaeologist)



The ebb and flow of humans on the land fascinates me. Most people see the forest and figure it's always been there, big trees out beyond civilization's paved domain, wild lands untouched, or at least not covered with buildings. Even for those who recognize second or third growth and know that there's not really any "pristine" anymore, stumbling onto the wrack of some past society's highest tide comes as a surprise.



But I should let that tidal metaphor alone, because a lot of the stuff left behind by retreating humans in this part of the world comes not from moderate daily motion, regular as the moon and achieving balance over time. True, people have walked all over this landscape since time immemorial, but until the past century or two they just didn't create that much trash for archaeologists to find. Twentieth Century Homo sapiens, though, they created a splash, a flood that reached just about everywhere in the blink of an archaeologist's eye. For enough generations that we don't even think of it anymore, this has been because of cars and the places we need to go in them (including trailheads and campgrounds tucked in the wilds), but the underlying source of this inundation of landscapes by metal and concrete lies in the resource extraction economy that the Territories and then the States relied on so heavily.



I don't have to get metaphorical or writerly about it, because the language is right there. Men seeking minerals and timber experience boom and bust; only to someone with a drawn out sense of time does it look like an ebb and flow. Discover gold, and there's a Rush.












Hidden in the forest was a lumber mill.

By the same token, when the trees are cut or the ore peters out--or larger economic forces make the investment unwise or untenable--people tend to walk away without delay. Often quite suddenly, but usually not before removing whatever's useful, to the point of prying up the rails and ties and loading them onto the last train out. Scavengers continue to pick at it for a while, but the forest eventually cloaks even big mill buildings and then takes it's sweet time devouring what's left. A place where hundreds of people lived and worked populated by animals, train whistles replaced by bird calls.



That is, until the trees get big enough to harvest. Then it may turn out that that mill is a historic site, or at least an archaeological ruin, and someone like me gets called in to be the ironic bureaucrat. A plan to cut down trees may be complicated by the presence of an archaeological site composed of the remains of: a timber mill. The place where thousands of acres of clear-cut were sawed into boards and shingles may have, in the years since falling silent, have developed a patina of historic significance that merits its protection from: a timber harvest. Yep.



Or maybe not. Not all old stuff is meaningful. Archaeologically speaking, the place I've pictured above does not have much potential, especially considering that you can go back into archival sources and get orders of magnitude more information about what happened there than you can from the few artifacts left behind. People only lived there for a decade or so, their household trash was hauled somewhere other than the place where the trees were cut, and much of the area was tidied up with heavy machinery after abandonment. Other than agreeing not to knock the building down unless it becomes clear that there's imminent risk of it falling down (maybe on a litigious history buff), the landowner didn't have to alter his plans much.



As long as the mill walls stand with no trees around, the mill lends scale to the few other remains of this former town: a few houses along the road, the concrete bank vault sitting alone in someone's yard, and the building down the road that used to be the school. Trees are more likely to grow back than this particular town, but for the time being you can drive by and marvel at the vine-covered walls. Just don't go crawling around too close, because it might fall on you, or you might drop into one of the deep concrete caverns.


* I wrote about this place previously in a post called "Swallowed." You're welcome for me not calling this one "Regurgitated."








Grand Teton's Epic Loop Hike

It seems that most national parks have at least one loop hike that takes in the best of what that park has to offer in terms of scenery. Grand Teton National Park is no exception in that category. In fact, the Paintbrush Canyon-Cascade Canyon Loop can probably be described as being "epic". At roughly 20 miles it's quite a long hike to do in one day - though there are many people who still do it in one fell swoop. With several backcountry campsites located in both canyons, backpackers can easily hike this loop at a much more relaxing pass by taking two, or even three days, to finish the loop.



Below is a video that highlights the stunning scenery hikers will see. It takes hikers up to Holly Lake in Paintbrush Canyon, over the spectacular Paintbrush Divide, down to Lake Solitude , and then finishes off with a walk through the extremely popular Cascade Canyon.



Hope you enjoy this vicarious hike - and hope that one day you'll get a chance to at least do portions of this wonderful loop:











Jeff

HikingintheSmokys.com

HikinginGlacier.com

RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

TetonHikingTrails.com


Can I get a full A-cup sized handful of the ground beef?

And other SWPL-ish remarks and conversations allegedly overheard in Boulder, Colorado.


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