Had a coworker get back from Glacier yesterday and he was showing me pictures of his trip. Even more excited about the trip coming up over Labor Day. Though he did have a picture of some massive fires. Apparently lightening struck and there are a few fires going in the park and it is currently closed. Fingers crossed any issues are figured out before I arrive.
Was just in Banff and Yoho and staying in Canmore visiting some people the last 5 days In short, couldn't see a fucking thing. Prayers sent to those visiting pretty much anything in the Northwest and BC and Alberta.
Colleagues in Calgary say the same thing. Smoke. Smoke and more smoke. Maybe check glacier only or just the Tetons.
Arches was awesome. Busy, but not too bad. Got up early enough to do the delicate arch with a small crowd. Did not do fiery furnace but did the primitive trail in the devil's garden. Was a blast. Can't wait to dive deeper into Canyonlands in the future.
I've been wanting to ride the white rim trail for a few years now. Might bump that up to next spring. I gotta say, with all the trips I've been on, kayaking the grand canyon is far and away the best. Even rafting it would be epic. If you ever get a chance for a self guided trip do it.
Glacier was amazing. Even though the fire had the Going To the Sun road closed which made for long ass drives to the east side of the park, I loved it. Hopefully going to Moad and Arches Natl Park next year for a bachelor party.
Mrs. Titties and I spent a week hiking and hanging out in and around Acadia NP this summer. Place is epic as fuck.
Spent Friday/Saturday at Joshua Tree and then Sunday in Santa Monica Mtns NRA. Joshua Tree really surprised me. I wasn't expecting much but it far exceeded my expectations. I had a work retreat in Indian Wells last week, so when everyone flew back Friday morning I stuck around. I did a short 2 mile hike in Tahquitz Canyon right by the airport which is a nice diversion (and probably a great winter hike) but it was even hotter in the canyon than it was in Palms Springs proper; I'm guessing around 110 or so with no shade. Drove to the park and spent the afternoon driving and seeing all of the drive-up sights, then Saturday morning did a 7 mile hike. The desert area around Palm Springs is interesting in its own way but nothing remarkable, and I think that's why the park blew me away. North part has forests of Joshua Trees and rock formations, and the south part is just vast desert wilderness that was beautiful at sunset. Drove Saturday night out to the hills above Malibu then hiked to the top of Sandstone Peak Sunday morning. It was early enough that the marine layer still covered the low areas below the mountain so the view was incredible. Laughed at myself because I had read you need to scramble to the top so I ended up climbing the last 50' or so up then realized that had I gone another 75 yards down the trail there are steps carved out of the mountain that get you almost to the top. The most astounding thing to me about the Santa Monica mountains is how you don't feel at all like you're only a few miles from the LA suburban sprawl. Spent the afternoon with user VTA drinking his beer then took the long scenic way to the airport along the PCH.
Court restores federal protections for Yellowstone-area grizzly bears Spoiler A U.S. District Court judge restored federal protections Monday to about 700 grizzly bears living in and around Yellowstone National Park, canceling planned hunts in Wyoming and Idaho and overturning a Trump administration finding that the iconic population had recovered. In a 48-page order, Judge Dana L. Christensen wrote that the case was “not about the ethics of hunting, and it is not about solving human- or livestock-grizzly conflicts.” Instead, he said, the ruling was based on his determination that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had illegally failed to consider how removing the Yellowstone bears from the endangered species list would affect other protected grizzly populations, and that its analysis of future threats to the bears was “arbitrary and capricious.” The decision sided with multiple conservation and tribal organizations that sued Fish and Wildlife after it delisted Yellowstone grizzlies in 2017, and it supported one of their primary contentions: that the isolation of the bear population, which is expanding outwardbut remains unconnected to the other major U.S. grizzly population near the Canada border, makes it genetically vulnerable. “The Service appropriately recognized that the population’s genetic health is a significant factor demanding consideration,” Christensen wrote. “However, it misread the scientific studies it relied upon, failing to recognize that all evidence suggests that the long-term viability of the Greater Yellowstone grizzly is far less certain absent new genetic material.” In a statement, Fish and Wildlife said it was reviewing the ruling and noted that it means the bears' management — in the hands of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho since last year — now returns to the federal government. Nevertheless, the agency said, “we stand behind our finding that the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly bear is biologically recovered and no longer requires protection. . . . Our determination was based on our rigorous interpretation of the law and is supported by the best available science and a comprehensive conservation strategy developed with our federal, state, and tribal partners.” The ruling came amid heightening criticism of the Endangered Species Act from conservatives who say it imposes steep burdens on private landowners and industry while failing to restore imperiled populations back to their historic levels. The Department of Interior proposed regulations this summer that would overhaul the law, while GOP lawmakers have proposed a slew of bills that would remove protections for specific species from the list and bar them from being listed in the first place. “This is a prime example why Congress should modernize the Endangered Species Act. We should elevate the role of states and local experts who are on the ground working with the grizzly – and other endangered species — on a daily basis," Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso (R), chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, said in a statement Tuesday. He added: " The grizzly is recovered in Wyoming. Period." Monday’s ruling was the latest legal setback for the Trump administration’s environmental agenda. Federal courts have ruled against Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Commerce Department on several fronts, including a decision last month that blocked the administration from modifying a ban on imports of all seafood caught with gillnets in Mexico because the practice threatens the critically endangered vaquita porpoise. Grizzlies in the Lower 48 were placed on the Endangered Species List in 1975, by which point the predators had been eradicated from 98 percent of their historical range and the Yellowstone-area population had dropped to fewer than 140 bears. The federal government first delisted Yellowstone grizzlies in 2007, when their numbers had rebounded to well above 500. But that decision was also overturned in federal court, which found that the animals’ survival was threatened by the loss of a key food source because of climate change. Last year, Fish and Wildlife said it had concluded that the dwindling availability of that food, whitebark pine seeds, did not pose a major threat to the population. The grizzly decision was a victory for an array of groups that sued to retain protections for grizzlies and argued that Wyoming’s hunt — which would have allowed Shitty AMC Show of up to 22 bears — would pile unnecessary deaths onto mortality levels that are increasing because of bear run-ins with hunters, ranchers and cars. Supporters of the hunt, including the National Rifle Association and some ranching groups, argued that it was necessary to control the grizzly population and might remove “problem” bears. Federal scientists said a limited hunt would not harm the population. "We’re glad the court sided with science instead of states bent on reducing the Yellowstone grizzly population and subjecting these beloved bears to a trophy hunt,” said Bonnie Rice, a senior representative with the Sierra Club, one of the organizations that sued. “Changing food sources, isolation, inadequate state management plans and other threats that grizzly bears continue to face warrant strong protections until they reach full recovery.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/scie...ne-area-grizzly-bears/?utm_term=.55dcede55f46
Staying in the Yucca Valley area for 4 days next week - flying out from the midwest, trying to get away from the rat race for a few days. Definitely plan on getting a great deal of hiking in. Which hikes did you do in Joshua Tree? And anyone else have experience exploring that region that can give any pointers. First time spending time in the area.
Interested in snowshoeing the Tetons or Yellowstone in late February, early March. Staying at a lodge. That type of thing. Anyone have any experience?
i've done it before. That's not what I am asking. I mean specifically in those locations. recommendations, etc. That'd be like if someone asked about hiking in Joshua Tree and you said "it is tiring and it'll be hot." That's not why people come ITT
Yup. Really stupid to keep parks open but not staffed. Close and lock them all so people realize what a shutdown means.
The Arizona memorial is closed for renovation but I went through all of these last week: https://www.nps.gov/valr/planyourvisit/nearby-attractions.htm Highly recommend all 3. Just slowly walking through a sub with the cramped confinements is rough enough, but to have to do it at a rapid pace during time of war would be hell. You couldn’t pay me enough to be on one of those things. The battleship may have been my favorite because it’s closer to what military standards are nowadays and to stand on the exact point where WW2 officially ended is surreal. I recommend the short tour of the exterior (~25mins), lots of good info about the ship itself including the gun emplacements. Also, there’s also a memorial area for all the subs lost. The casualty rates were horrific and some of the stories were awful (one sub and entire crew of I believe 80ish men were lost due to lack of communication and friendly fire). Aviation museum was also really cool. Includes two hangars (one more museum setup and other more traditional hangar) but just history nerd overload especially if you’re into aviation. There’s a graphic about the naval/aerial production of the US and Japan and the #s were staggeringly in our favor, even moreso than I expected. Wasn’t able to do the Arizona portion (just a ferry out to the location as the “bridge” is closed as I believe the tix are free and first come first serve. An employee said people are in line an hour before it opens to get tix. Anyway, you can probably do the battleship, sub and aviation museum in a half a day or so. Again, highly recommended if you have ANY interest in history at all.
Hit up Bryce. Seemed fine with no Rangers and got a chance to hit up wall Street. Was gorgeous. Fresh snow fall with ice xstls riding the updrafts. Was like being in a Tolkien nivel. Magic.
a few days ago we took a snow coach into Yellowstone. Was one of the coolest things I've ever experienced. Saw a herd of bison, one only 10 yards away. Saw bull moose. Old Faithful, Beehive, Lion something and another geyser all erupted within 10 minutes of each other. Also saw a fuckton of elk and a few bald eagles in Grand Teton
looking towards when the gov't reopens, has anyone done the Grand Tetons in March? Looking to get there Friday, maybe do a snowshoe tour, and just hike generally for two days.
Okay, northerners... looking to spend 3-4 nights in upper Michigan or Wisconsin as we drive to Seattle for a family reunion this summer. We have the route mostly mapped out and will start booking once the shutdown is done. Here’s the question: Isle Royale, Apostle Islands, or Painted Rocks for three nights of camping?
Greatest State in the Union got its first National Park today https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nw...ef6a4e19-4297-5568-ae75-e2ef46b2b68f.amp.html
Elite Canadian Wolves Airdropped Into Michigan to Kill Moose and Have Babies The new arrivals bring the total wolf population of Isle Royale National Park to eight. https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/...d-into-michigan-to-kill-moose-and-have-babies Spoiler A crack team of Canadian wolves were airdropped in Michigan last week to carry out two important missions—hunting moose and making babies. The four wolves were captured by specialists at the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (OMNRF) and transferred to Isle Royale National Park, a wildlife preserve on an archipelago in Lake Superior. The relocation is part of an ongoing joint project with the US National Park Service to restore a healthy population of the iconic predators to the island chain after years of decline. If all goes to plan, the wolves will also cull the booming moose population, which is damaging the island’s ecology due to the herd’s overconsumption of plantlife. The Canadian quartet joins an existing group of four wolves in the park. Two of those wolves are the last surviving descendents of the island’s original pack, while the other pair were captured in Minnesota and introduced to the park in 2018. The new total population of eight wolves is equally split between males and females. The Isle Royale wolf population has experienced dramatic booms and busts since scientists first started studying it in 1958. Just a decade ago, there were 24 wolves in the pack. But the predators have become more isolated over time in part because of climate change. Ice bridges that historically connected the archipelago to the mainland have been receding in recent winters. As a result, mainland wolves aren’t mixing with the Isle Royale population as much, resulting in population loss and inbreeding. The newcomers were captured by OMNRF teams that fired net guns from aircraft. The animals were sedated and examined by veterinarians before and after their helicopter trip to ensure they were healthy enough for release. They were also deliberately selected to be over two or three years old, when wolves become sexually mature enough to breed, but not too old, so that they have a shot of surviving multiple breeding seasons. All of them are collared so that researchers can track their movements. The elite Canadian crew includes a female and male from a pack based on the mainland near Wawa, Ontario, and two males from Michipicoten Island Provincial Park. The female was released on Isle Royale last Tuesday, while her pack mate was set loose a day later. The Michipicoten males were introduced separately to the island on Thursday and Friday. A female wolf released on Isle Royale in October 2018. Image: NPS/Jim Peaco The wolves are probably a bit weirded out by the week’s turn of events, according to John Vucetich, an ecologist at Michigan Technological University and leader of the Wolves and Moose of Isle Royale project. “They live in families, so imagine what happens to a dog when they’re plunked into a foreign place,” Vucetich told The Guardian. “They are being introduced to each other. It’s tense and nervous, and it’s tough to find food in a new place. It’s stressful.” That said, the wolves are apparently adjusting to their new homes and pack mates without major issues. Mark Romanski, who is the project manager for the park’s wolf reintroduction as well as Division Chief of Natural Resources for Isle Royale National Park said he was “blown away by the resilience of these wolves,” in a statement. “Within hours after undergoing capture and handling and arriving on Isle Royale, [the wolves] immediately got on the trail of their pack mates,” Romanski said. “These large males, all around 90 pounds, will almost certainly know what to do when they encounter a moose.” Read More: Watch Wolves Claim Their Territories in GPS Map of Their Movements Moose are the main food source for the Isle Royale wolves, and their unique predator-prey relationship has fascinated scientists for decades. As the wolf population dwindled, the moose population exploded from 975 individuals in 2013 to about 1,500 in 2018. This ecological disruption may sound like a good deal for moose at first, but a similar population boom during the 1990s led to thousands of moose dying of starvation in the winter. Isle Royale National Park officials and their collaborators hope to avoid similar calamities by introducing 20 to 30 wolves to the park over the coming years.
Wolves aren't long for this world. The shitty DOI secretary is going to formally announce their delisting soon.
Anyone have any day hike recs or must-dos for Rocky Mtn and Great Sand Dunes NP? We'll be there in June - also with an infant so nothing too difficult. We'll be staying in Grand Lake, so anything on west side of RMNP is especially appreciated. Edit: we'll be in RMNP for 3 days and GSDNP for just 1 full day. If you know any cool spots along the way that's be great too. We were thinking of stopping at one of the hot springs.