Lunchbox's Disaster Roundup

The beloved star of our in-book feature "The Predicament," Lunchbox the Cadaver Sniffing Dog, brings you a round-up of this week's outdoor predicaments, disasters, and near-misses

Ahoy-hoy, Lunchbox here: People can't seem to go a week without getting hurt in the backcountry. It means I'll get to stay up to my ears in kibble, but it also means that some of you could be a little more careful when you head into the wild. Class is in session—let's take a look at this week's wilderness woes:

Read Full Story...

---

Friday, November 06, 2009 in: News and Events, Survival, Lunchbox's Disaster Roundup
View Comments (0)

1,200 New Species Discovered in Yellowstone "bioblitz"

Scientific study yields thousands of new animals and plants in Yellowstone

Late last August, 125 scientists converged on a two-square-mile patch of land in the northern section of Yellowstone National Park with the goal of finding as many new species as possible in a 24-hour period. Their ‘bioblitz’ came up with stunning results: They found 1,200 new species, including microscopic worms, blue-green lichen, mushrooms, slender grass, and a colorful tiger beetle.

Why all the hype?... Read Full Story...

---

Friday, November 06, 2009 in:
View Comments (0)

Mandatory Backcountry Bear Spray In Wyoming?

Wyoming introduces a bill that would require permitted backcountry users to carry bear spray.

If you’re the sort of daredevil who regularly heads into Yellowstone or Teton’s grizzly-filled backcountry without protection, you may be forced to change your ways. Wyoming plans to introduce legislation that will require backcountry users to carry bear spray. Read Full Story...

---

Friday, November 06, 2009 in: News and Events
View Comments (4)

Aron Ralston: The Movie

Danny Boyle, the Oscar-winning director of Slumdog Millionaire, will make a film about climber Aron Ralston next

Aron Ralston, the climber who famously cut off his own hand to escape from a boulder that pinned him in a Utah canyon, is getting the film treatment: Danny Boyle and the Oscar-winning team behind Slumdog Millionaire have announced plans to film Ralston's story for a late 2010 release.

127 Hours will portray Ralston's harrowing and now famous survival tale in Blue John Canyon, where he used a dull multi-tool to cut free his arm after being pinned by a boulder for days. Ralston climbed to safety and was later rescued.
Read Full Story...

---

Friday, November 06, 2009 in: News and Events
View Comments (5)

National Parks Free on Veteran's Day

Salazar waives entrance fees for all national parks on Veteran’s Day

Got plans for this Veteran’s Day (November 11)? You could be trekking around a national park…for free.

On Tuesday, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced plans to waive entrance fees to all national parks on Veteran’s Day in honor of the country’s servicemen and servicewomen. 

In Tuesday’s news release, Salazar said this:

“The Department of the Interior is honored to offer this fee free day to thank our nation’s service men and women,” said Salazar said “The sacrifices and achievements of the brave men and women of our armed forces can never be understated. We invite all of our visitors to enjoy this fee free day and take time out on this national holiday to remember our service men and women who are currently serving overseas in harms way. ”

Read Full Story...

---

Thursday, November 05, 2009 in: News and Events
View Comments (0)

Trail Chef: 8 Dirtbag Dinners

Quite possibly the easiest meals you'll ever make with three ingredients or less

There are two kinds of backpackers: those willing to haul fresh veggies, backpacking ovens, and a French press in service of gourmet cuisine, and those who would rather just rehydrate their peas and be done with it. I'm a card-carrying member of the former group—and not surprisingly, this blog has catered to hikers with foodie tendencies. But not today.

'Cause, let's face it, there are some nights where you're so bone-tired, you can barely work your jaw. You just want food—anything will do, as long as it's hot (and even that's debatable). The easier, the better. For those nights, try these ultrasimple dirtbag meals, all with three ingredients or less. No chopping or filleting required, we promise. And yeah, they still taste good. Read Full Story...

---

Thursday, November 05, 2009 in: Trail Chef
View Comments (3)

Oh, The Pain: Gear Testing in Switzerland

BACKPACKER editors put the year's best gear through its paces with the finest Swiss cheese, sausages, beer, and—oh yeah—hiking

Backpacking in Switzerland's Grindelwald region—probably boring.

Set your jealousy detectors to overload: Last week, BACKPACKER editors jumped the pond to test all the latest n' greatest gear you (and me) haven't even seen yet in the land of Alpinism's birth—Switzerland! Of course, Der Schweiz offers much more than chocolate, cheese, and neutrality. Miles and miles of skyscraping mountains, tumbling glaciers, and rugged trail in the Grindelwald region ensured a perfect testing ground for our crew to determine which pieces of gear will win next year's coveted Editors' Choice Awards.

All of which couldn't stop our fearless, globe-trotting editors from sampling the finest in said cheese and chocolate, plus buckets of beer, sausage, and pretty much every other gourmet pleasure you can imagine—they just packed it in with them. Herewith, impressions from our editors on the Swiss backpacking experience: Read Full Story...

---

Thursday, November 05, 2009 in: Gear, Destinations
View Comments (0)

Gear Test: Stoic Outdoor Wear

Backcountry.com launches in-house outdoor apparel brand

After years of hawking other people's gear online, Backcountry.com is stepping full-bore into the outdoor gear game: Today, they announced the launch of Stoic, their in-house brand of technical apparel built for harsh mountain conditions.

Backcountry first tested the waters with a limited run of hats, baselayers, and other items named after themselves. But with Stoic, they're going after the technical, fast-and-light alpine crowd with a clean selection of hard and soft shells, pants, and gloves. The collection is full of the regular stuff like baselayers, fleece hoodies, hats, and down sweaters, but five signature items sound most intriguing:


Read Full Story...

---

Wednesday, November 04, 2009 in: Gear, Gear Test
View Comments (1)

Future Fires For Yosemite

Diminished snowpack and hotter summers mean more fires for Yosemite in years to come.

Climate change factors are causing big impacts in lots of national parks, but in years to come Yosemite National Park might literally feel the heat more than most. A recent study in the International Journal of Wildland Fire suggests that by 2049, the park could see a substantial increase in the frequency and severity of lightning-related fires.
Read Full Story...

---

Wednesday, November 04, 2009 in: News and Events
View Comments (0)

Caption This Photo! Week 3

Is that the biggest beer fridge you've ever seen?

Last week, in week 2 of our new blog feature, "Caption This Photo," we posed our bloody Editor in Chief as fodder–and you guys were surprisingly gentle, but clever. Sure a handful of you went the ketchup route–did the photo look that staged?–but we also got an interesting glimpse into our audience's collective psyche. Here are a few of our favorite captions from last week and this week's photo.
Read Full Story...

---

Tuesday, November 03, 2009 in:
View Comments (93)

---

More Articles

Next >>