Here’s an interesting article about how spring-water companies have been trying to tap into the headwaters of springs in the Great Lakes Basin, and how local communities are fighting ’em tooth and nail. “It affects animal life, vegetation, wetlands, lakes…

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From a thread on poison oak at High Sierra Topix: Before I moved to South Lake Tahoe I lived in Santa Cruz. This was in the late-90s. The house I stayed in was located in a wooded area called Pogonip.…

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It’s LIVE GRIZZLY CAM!

GoBlog and National Parks Traveler weigh in on the subject of what attracts mosquitoes to people. GoBlog notes that resarchers are just beginning to study genetic factors that might explain why some people attract mosquitoes like pilgrims to Mecca and…

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it’s the look in their eyes that gives people the willies, this story says. “Wolves don’t turn and run away immediately like we’re used to with other animals,” said Carolyn Sime, gray wolf program coordinator with the Montana Fish, Wildlife…

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One of the most entertaining online discussions this week has been in the comments from Ryan Jordan’s blog on the entry revealing an injury had ended his Alaskan trek. The best part has been the digression in regards to bears,…

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I’m getting sick of cows. They are big, they are stupid, and they leave stupendous piles of crap on the trail that I inevitably step in. The other day I was on my morning hike and had to navigate through…

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A Seattle Times story details the ongoing war against bugs on the trail: “I find alleviating bug hassle an art form,” said avid backpacker Kim Brown, a Fremont resident. “Some people like to cook in the backcountry; I enjoy finding…

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I know this sounds gross, but: polar bears like bloody tampons; other bears probably ignore them.