A day fighting wildfires can require as much endurance as riding the Tour de France Ruby Mountain hotshots construct a fire line during the Dixie Fire in 2021. Joe Bradshaw/BLM Brent C. Ruby, University of Montana For three weeks in July, the world’s most elite bike racers climb steep mountains and sprint along historic cobblestones to … Continue reading Yellow Jerseys of the Fireline:
What happened when two experienced hikers got caught in the Bolt Creek Fire. Kylie Mohr/High Country News Matt Bishop and Steve Cooper grabbed exposed roots and mossy rocks for balance as they climbed up a steep hillside. It was just after 7 a.m. on Sept. 10, 2022, and the two friends were headed up Baring Mountain, … Continue reading ‘We have fire all around us and we can’t get out’
Fires are increasing in high mountain areas that rarely burned in the past. John McColgan, Bureau of Land Management, Alaska Fire Service Mohammad Reza Alizadeh, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Mojtaba Sadegh, Boise State University As wildfire risk rises in the West, wildland firefighters and officials are keeping a closer eye on the high … Continue reading Fire danger in the high mountains is intensifying: That’s bad news for humans, treacherous for the environment
California’s snowpack was more than twice the average in much of the state in early March 2023. Mario Tama/Getty Images Dan McEvoy, Desert Research Institute After three years of extreme drought, the Western U.S. is finally getting a break. Mountain ranges are covered in deep snow, and water reservoirs in many areas are filling up … Continue reading Is the Western drought finally ending? That depends on where you look
Reflection Canyon Utah taken in 2015 What comes next for Lake Powell? Craig Childs/High Country News There is the crumpling, the mess. A marina that once floated in a cove has been towed out of the shrinking lake and dropped in a field of Russian thistle, its metal pontoons partially sunk into dry, crack-crazed soil. Cooler … Continue reading Glen Canyon Revealed
We journeyed through northern Idaho the past summer during our Idaho Panhandle ~ Canada Adventure and twice biked along the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes. The 72-mile-long Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes is a rail trail located in northern Idaho. It follows the former Union Pacific Railroad from Mullan, a mountain mining town near the … Continue reading Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes
Big things are in store for Base Camp @ Grand Lake this year! After extensive discussion and research, we decided to purchase a 2022 Winnebago Micro Minnie FLX 2108DS travel trailer. There are many reasons why we decided upon this particular RV, but most importantly, it will allow us to utilize it year-round, anywhere. We … Continue reading Base Camp @ Grand Lake Summer Plans