This past weekend a San Diego hiker was walking through the Mission Trails Regional Park outside the city, when he stumbled across something alarming. It wasn’t a bear or mountain lion, but a weapons cache. Rather than run away (or even worse, explore further!), the hiker flagged the coordinates in his GPS and reported it to the authorities.
Tag Archive: News
Washington State’s budget crisis may affect popular trails
Yesterday it was announced that Washington’s Department of Natural Resources may have to close more than 20 trails and campgrounds. The state is strapped for cash and unless the DNR can obtain the $276,000 in general funding money to keep trails open, residents will see some of the most popular trailheads closed.
The impacts of mining on mountaintops
Last week a group of twelve scientists from institutions across the country published a paper in the journal Science that reveals the impacts that mountaintop mining has on health and ecology. However, the real surprise revealed in the paper was not the facts presented, but that the scientists took a stand and called for a ban of the mining practice.
Is stretching before exercise beneficial?
In recent years, stretching has become a debatable subject: “Do you stretch before exercise, after warming up, or not at all?” In PE classes stretching was always done before exercise, and was frequently considered the “warm-up.” More recently, some said that stretching is most beneficial (and less likely to damage/tear muscles) if done after a brief cardio warm-up. But a study by Nebraska Wesleyan University published last year suggests that stretching (and more specifically, flexibility gained by stretching) is unnecessary.
DeLorme and SPOT team up to create backcountry messaging device
The big news this week is the partnership between DeLorme and SPOT on DeLorme’s latest Earthmate PN-series GPS. The new PN-60w will be paired with a SPOT communicator; together they will allow someone to send text messages via satellite to friends and family back at home.
Helmets and Snowsports
The New York Times published a great article last week about the increased use of helmets for skiing and snowboarding. In recent years, nearly half of all skiers and snowboarders use a helmet, according to the National Ski Area Association. This is an increase of roughly 25 percent from the 2002-03 ski/snowboard season.
Personal locator beacons to be required on Mt. Hood?
With the recent tragedy on Mt. Hood in Oregon, the debate as to whether personal locator beacons should be required for all climbers has been revived. The issue was actually brought to the forefront back in 2007 when Oregon’s legislature introduced a bill that would require winter hikers to carry the beacons with them.
California Desert Protection Act of 2010
A new piece of legislation has been introduced by Senator Diane Feinstein (D-California), known as the California Desert Protection Act of 2010. Under this legislation, 90,000 acres of land in Death Valley National Park would become officially designated wilderness, as well as creating a buffer of national monuments around parts of Joshua Tree National Park.
British Columbia’s old growth forests being destroyed
With all the concern about climate change as of late, every way to address it are being explored. In British Columbia, the old-growth coastal rainforests are one of their greatest weapons. Unfortunately, they are slowly being destroyed by industrial logging.
Teton Ice Park opens this Saturday
On Saturday, December 19th, the Teton Ice Park will be open for business. The man-made ice waterfall is located at Parking Lot Rocks just outside Grand Targhee Resort in Alta, Wyoming. Said to be the only ice climbing park at a ski resort in the US, the Teton Ice Park has a wall 100 feet wide and 100 feet tall. To add more dimension to the overall climbing experience, the wall has 40 feet of advanced vertical climbing as well as 60 feet of ice designed for beginners just getting into the sport.