‘The Summit Journal’s’ editor hopes to offer an independent voice in climbing media after most print publications merged Ollie Hancock/High Country News In 1955, at a time when women were not expected (or encouraged) to either climb mountains or start magazines, Jean Crenshaw and Helen Kilness started Summit Magazine. Concerned that no one would read it … Continue reading Historic Climbing Magazine Returns After Nearly 30 Years
Welcome to my annual refresher about Backcountry Avalanche Awareness 2023/2024. I am no subject matter expert, but Stella and I are always eager to explore new terrain in search of an off-the-beaten-path adventure. Thus, when you leave the cozy confines of the groomed trails at the ski resorts/nordic centers, you must understand your environment and … Continue reading Backcountry Avalanche Awareness 2023/2024
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:
Another dangerous fire season is looming in the Western U.S., and the drought-stricken region is headed for a water crisis Dry conditions across the West follow a hot, dry year of record-setting wildfires in 2020. Communities were left with scenes like this, from California’s Creek Fire. Amir Aghakouchak/University of California Irvine Mojtaba Sadegh, Boise State … Continue reading Another dangerous fire season is looming in the Western U.S.
As climate change lengthens fire seasons, will the government do enough to protect them? ImageCredit: Michael Hansen Mark Betancourt/High Country News An hour or so before dawn in late July 2015, just south of the California-Oregon border, Danny Brown turned off the highway into the Modoc National Forest and headed toward a menacing glow of … Continue reading Wildland Firefighters are Risking their Mental Health
Despite decades of research, myth and fear still surround the animals. Image credit: Sarah Gilman/High Country News Sarah Gilman/High Country News Last winter, I went walking on a gray afternoon between storms. Meltwater pattered the snow around the ponderosas. Fog wound through overhanging boughs. My dog, Taiga, strained at her leash. We turned up a ravine, climbing … Continue reading The Mystery of Mountain Lions
Mt Craig, Rocky Mountain National Park Gateway communities grow wary of out-of-town crowds. Jessica Kutz/High Country News Ski resorts have shuttered. Disneyland is closed. Professional sports have been canceled. For most of the United States, social events and attractions ranging from museum visits to music festivals have vanished. But despite nationwide warnings that people should … Continue reading THE DANGER OF SELF-ISOLATING FROM COVID-19 ON PUBLIC LANDS