Hiking and Adventures with Brian and Sylvia
How — and whether– To Pursue Adventure in the Midst of Pandemic Last week Sylvia and Brian were hiking out in the mountains of North Carolina Mountains, celebrating Brian’s birthday. We returned home to a different world than the one we left. True, the writing had been on the wall, if one had been willing to see it. Already, the […]
Happy New Year From Brian, Sylvia and Fitz Roy We have much to be thankful for. In December we we celebrated the one year anniversary of expedition sled dog captain, suf dog, cash hound and “mascota” Fitz Roy. Nothing has ever made us happier.
They’ve done it again. Backpacker Magazine pout together a list of the Ten Most Dangerous Trails in America…and the Abrams Falls Trail made the list. The last time Backpacker Magazine did this was in 2008 we believe. Abrams Falls, for those who don’t know, is perhaps the most famous (or infamous) falls in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It’s also quite likely […]
Snakes, Snake Safety, What You Should and Shouldn’t Be Worrying About Fall might seem like a strange time to be talking about snakes. However, just this past weekend we saw this on the trail during a routine walk at Forest Ridge Nature Park just a few miles from our home. In fact, Brian nearly stepped on it. Sylvia and Fitz […]
Glacier Feared to be Close to Collapse, Forcing Closures If there weren’t already enough signs that the Earth is warming, here’s another; one of Mont Blanc’s glaciers has become unstable, and may be close to collapse. The Planpincieux Glacier, just to the northeast of Courmayeur on the Italian side of the mountain, is considered to be at risk of collapse […]
Don’t Be On the Losing Side Of The Climate Change “Debate” There is no doubt that climate change is occurring, no doubt that the Earth is warming, and no doubt that human influence is by far and away the principal force behind the rise in global temperatures. There is broad scientific consensus on these facts, enormous amounts of scientific research […]
Death Toll for the 2019 Himalayan Climbing Season Could Be Near Thirty Himalayan Hiking Season is finally, and perhaps mercifully, over. At least eleven people died attempting to summit Mount Everest this year. Tragically, several of those who died had in fact summited and were on the way down when they collapsed and died. The deaths attracted considerable media attention […]
I think by now almost everyone who follows news in the outdoor world has seen this incredible photo. A queue reported by CNN to be over 300 people waits in the ‘death zone’ (above 8000 meters) just below the summit of Everest. Of the over two hundred climbers who have died on Everest, most have died in the death zone. […]
Man Arrested in Connection With Apparent Machete Attack on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia A murder has happened on the Appalachian Trail. News reports are saying that a pair of hikers were attacked by a man wielding a large knife or Machete while hiking the AT in the backwoods of Virginia. One of the two was killed; the other escaped […]
What are the Most Dangerous National Parks for Hikers? Last time we talked about safety in the National Parks and speculated if accidents in the parks are on the rise. We were unable to find any evidence this is so. But the parks remain wild and potentially dangerous places. The wildest of them are not places to tread into lightly. […]