Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced that the Greenbrier area will be temporarily closed at the Greenbrier Ranger Station to all motorists and pedestrians through April 23, 2021. Previously the closure was in place at the picnic area. The closure area has been expanded due to pedestrian use beyond the picnic area into the construction zone which poses an unacceptable safety risk to visitors and workers.

Ramsey Cascades Trail, Porters Creek Trail, Grapeyard Ridge Trail, Backcountry Campsite 31, Backcountry Campsite 32, and all manways along the Greenbrier Road will also be closed to visitor use for the duration of the construction closure. Old Settlers and Brushy Mountain Trails will continue to be open, but hikers cannot access these trails from the Greenbrier area during the closure and should plan their routes carefully.

For more information about this work, please visit the park website at https://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/news/greenbrier-road-sections-temporarily-closed-for-bridge-replacement.htm. For more information about temporary road closures across the park, please visit the park website at http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/temproadclose.htm.

  A federal judge rejected a coal mine expansion in southern Utah, finding that the Trump administration illegally failed to account for the climate costs of authorizing more mining at the doorstep of Bryce Canyon National Park.

First proposed in 2011, the Alton coal lease would have opened the door for strip mining on 2,114 acres in southern Utah, allowing the Alton Coal Company to extract more than 30 million tons of coal from the Coal Hollow mine. The mining was ultimately approved in 2018 by the Trump administration. Shortly after, WildEarth Guardians, Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), and Grand Canyon Trust filed suit.

The lawsuit challenged the approval on the ground that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management had failed to fully disclose and analyze the mine’s impact on climate change and mercury pollution as required by federal law.

In the ruling, the court held the Bureau of Land Management violated the law in touting the supposed economic benefits of the mine without including a discussion of the economic costs associated with climate change in the same discussion.

The court also agreed with plaintiffs that the Bureau of Land Management had not adequately addressed the cumulative climate impact of the mine when considered together with other fossil fuel projects that contribute to climate change, including pollution from transporting and burning the coal at the nearly Intermountain Power coal plant in southern Utah.

Read full story…

The last of our whirlwind post-Christmas Utah swing through three national parks, a state park, and BLM land, Zion is always a crowd favorite. And the crowds were out in force. Pandemic or not, holiday season or not, Zion was packed. Zion Canyon itself was closed without a reservation, so we confined our visit to the eastern side of the park. Still absolutely stunning!

Paula and I visited east Zion on December 30, 2020 and remained confined to our car except for photo taking to remain Covid safe. I was thrilled for her to see the beauty within the park. While I love everything about Zion National Park, the east side has an appeal to me because it is so different from Zion Canyon. Most of the granite structures are white instead of red. There is usually less traffic on the east side, but not this day, as you weren’t allowed onto a shuttle into the canyon without a pre-approved reservation. So everyone crowded to the east.

The drive along the Zion-Mount Carmel road (Hwy 9) is breathtaking, including through the mile-long tunnel and the twisty, winding road down to the canyon level. We did manage to find a picnic table with some solitude for a nice lunch in a pleasant breeze.

We were there a total of about five hours and left late in the afternoon to head back to our home in western Colorado. About that… on the drive back we learned that the AirBnB host might have contracted Covid from family over Christmas while we were gone.

Pivot to an emergency home search, and an abrupt change of plans. Instead of spending the last four days of our AirBnB contract there, we found a hotel room in Grand Junction where we stayed, and Paula worked, including on New Year’s Day. She has taught me to be adaptive and quick on my feet leading the nomad life.

This gallery includes pictures from the east side of Zion National Park in Utah. Enjoy the photos, and please feel free to comment.

This week this website turns 10 years old. A lot has happened during that time, with the world, with hiking, and with Meanderthals. I’m still here because of you… the more than 1,350,000 of you who have visited and supported me over the years.

There are more than 300 trail reports from 15 states included in the content, with an additional 70 of the newly featured Photo Essays. Over the years I have conducted Interviews with hiking aficionados and authors, reviewed hiking gear, books, and films, and kept you abreast of the latest News about hiking and the outdoors, and conservation and the environment.

We all are 10 years older now. I don’t have quite the stamina as I did back then, so the big hikes are a thing of the past, but I have come to love and appreciate Nature a little more fully because of it. I have made many great friends along the way, and shared my stories with you.

Now begins the second decade for Meanderthals Hiking. With your continued encouragement I will try to bring you more stories about the places that I love and cherish, and tell you about how to get there yourself. Thank you so much for guiding me along the way.

Vont began a few years ago as a company with a superior bicycle light that could also be used as a flashlight. Over the years they have evolved to include multiple means of lighting up the outdoors; for camping, hiking, caving, watersports… just about anything you need to see in the dark. Included among these is their Ultimate Survival Kit, a trio of products with his and hers duplication that includes battery powered camping lanterns, flashlights, and headlamps.

The products are very lightweight, water and drop resistant, and compact. And, every order from Vont comes with a lifetime warranty. You get a full refund or fast replacement (no questions asked) should you find the quality below expectations. They provide easy online instructional videos instead of hard-to-read paper instructions in the packaging.

Vont has grown to include more than 50 electronics products these days, expanding to indoor lighting, audio equipment, and electronic scales. But they started with a top notch bicycle light. They know what they’re doing from practice.

Disclosure: I was contacted by a representative of Vont with an offer to receive their Ultimate Survival Kit. The products in the kit were provided at no cost to me. My only responsibility was an agreement to complete this review. I was not pressured in any way to make a positive endorsement.

The camping lanterns are made of durable, lightweight materials, and pack a powerful 30 led’s that cast light 360 degrees. The battery use is quite efficient, averaging 90 hours of lighting with typical AA batteries.

A unique, collapsible design reduces and increases the light as you collapse or expand the lantern. When collapsed it’s as small as your phone, and easily fits in your backpack or camping kit. Great for having at home too for those unexpected power outages.

The lantern is able to survive a 10-foot drop and being temporarily submerged under water, so don’t worry if you accidently drop it in the creek… that is unless it floats away.

Paula and I had a delightful evening at our New Mexico home sitting on the deck looking out at the nearby mountains. We turned on the two lanterns to light up the table between us as we snacked and chatted. Our makeshift porch picnic was very well lit, but I didn’t feel a glare from the led’s. I like the adjustability of the brightness, simply by opening the lantern wider or closing it down some. You turn it back off by closing completely.

The Vont flashlights are ultra light and portable. Easy to carry around. Compact enough for a pants or jacket pocket, lightweight enough as a lighting essential in your hiking pack. The same five tactical light settings that the U.S. Special Forces use are included: ( (low | medium | high | sos | strobe).

They also come with a fully adjustable beam width. I found this to be particularly useful. Simply slide the flashlight cylinder in and out for a wider, or more narrowly focused beam. The wide light is great for hiking trails, lighting up not only what’s ahead of you, but what is beside you off-trail as well. Extending the cylinder creates a brighter, more focused long light. Paula and I used it to look for something in the darkness that had mysteriously appeared earlier in the day, but seemed to have just as mysteriously disappeared. The long beam easily enabled us to see a hundred feet away.

Vont has tested their flashlights under freezing conditions, run over by a truck, and underwater submersion. This product is durable and survivable. The led’s have proven to offer more than 20,000 hours of light.

Over the years I’ve tested probably four other headlamps. Most of them work as advertised, including this one, but I found the Vont headlamp to be superior to the others in it’s ease of use. When you are wearing a headlamp, you can’t see it. You can’t see the controls to adjust it. So some that I have used are a pain because I have to take it off, adjust, then put it back on. With the Vont headlamp, the controls are very simple and strategically placed. Just reach up to your forehead and touch. Very easy adjustments make this one stand out.

The headlamp will light up an entire tent, a road or your hiking trail. Batteries are included in the packaging for your convenience.

Another nice feature is the ergonomic 45° tilt: it is designed to throw light at a 45° angle. Other headlamps use an awkward 30° angle, causing occasional neck strain.

Like the other products in the Ultimate Survival Kit, the headlamps are waterproof, drop-resistant and portable: don’t worry about being out in the rain or dropping your headlamp. And, they come with the Vont lifetime warranty.

Due to time constraints I was unable to test the headlamp out in the field, but I did try it in the house and found that everything worked as it should. It fits comfortably, is easily adjustable to any size head, and the controls are a breeze to operate. I am completely satisfied.

How to Get the Ultimate Survival Kit by Vont

The Ultimate Survival Kit integrated Outdoor Lighting package by Vont is available on Amazon, retailing for US$47.95, a great price for (2) camping lanterns, (2) headlamps, and (2) tactical flashlights. Buy them as a kit for your hiking partner and yourself, or separately from Amazon or the Vont website.

I feel confident about each of the individual products. You will be pleased with your purchase.

This post was created by Jeff Clark. Please feel free to use the sharing icons below, or add your thoughts to the comments. Pack it in, pack it out. Preserve the past. Respect other hikers. Let nature prevail. Leave no trace.

Accidents happen. No matter how well prepared you are for a hike, you could become sick or injured due to many circumstances. And in the wilderness, even the smallest hurt — such as a blister — can really put a damper on your experience.

While it takes special training and experience to treat many medical issues, anyone can learn a few first aid skills to take care of minor, common issues that occur during hikes. Here are five items to pack in your personal first aid kit for hiking, along with the skills required to use them.

• Blister treatment
• Bandages and abrasions
• Carefully labeled pills
• Emergency nourishment
• Splint for a twisted ankle

Get more details about each here…

The Catawba Falls trail in the Grandfather District of Pisgah National Forest near Old Fort, NC will be temporarily closed next week, from March 29 through April 2, 2021. The trail closure is necessary to ensure public safety while engineering work is being performed along sections of the trail.

Contractors will be performing geotechnical investigations, drilling holes within the trail and areas of recent landslides using heavy equipment. These geotechnical investigations are used to determine the stability of the underlying rock in order to design retaining structures to stabilize the trail. Heavy equipment will be blocking the trail to the point where it will be impassible.

This work is one of the initial steps as the Grandfather Ranger District works to improve public access from lower Catawba Falls to Upper Catawba Falls. Engineers are working to design structures that will allow the public to safely travel along the steep slopes to the upper falls. This work is supported by funding from the Great American Outdoors Act, the NC State Recreation Trails Program, and McDowell County. It is part of the larger Old Fort Trails Project that will bring a wide range of trail improvements and additions this area of Pisgah National Forest.

For more information about the closure, contact the Grandfather Ranger District at 828-652-2144.

State lawmakers in Hawaii are considering legislation that would make some hikers pay for their own rescue when they get lost or endangered because of their own recklessness.

Senate Bill 700 would allow local governments to recoup the cost of search and rescue operations, which can run upward of $10,000. A second bill, SB 363, also working its way through the state Senate, would go further and impose fines for illegally hiking on closed trails and private property.

The legislation, which mimics similar rules in multiple other states including California, would penalize hikers who disregard warning signs, trespass or take other risks in their quest for off-the-beaten-path adventure.

Hawaii, which greets more than 10 million tourists yearly and where tourism makes up nearly one quarter of the economy, would be sending a strong message to visitors. At a time when the coronavirus pandemic has caused a significant drop in tourism-related revenue, the cash-strapped Hawaiian government hopes the bills will reimburse taxpayers for costly rescues and discourage irresponsible behavior that puts both tourists, and their would-be rescuers, at risk.

If either bill passes, hikers who ignore “no trespassing” signs at the head of famous, but off-limits, trails like Red Sand Beach, which sits on private land along Maui’s breathtaking Hana Highway, may soon be risking more than their lives.

Cite…

An 87-acre former sod farm on the French Broad River in Mills River could be the site of a new floodplain restoration, similar to the nearby Mouth of Mud Creek restoration. The property was recently protected with the support of savvy private investors who are using their money for conservation.

In December 2020, Conserving Carolina purchased the King’s Bridge property, named for the bridge on Highway 191 over the river. The land now presents an opportunity for wetland restoration or possibly a public access boat ramp on the river.

“This property lends itself well to both things,” said David Lee, natural resources manager for Conserving Carolina.

A restoration on the site would expand the ecological comeback begun at the Mouth of Mud Creek, just 2.1 miles upstream. Last summer, Conserving Carolina completed this 103-acre restoration, which provides important habitat for the muskellunge—or muskie, our largest native fish—and many other kinds of wildlife. It was a story about this project in the Asheville newspaper that sparked interest in King’s Bridge for some private lenders, who ultimately made the land acquisition possible.

On the horizon for the Kings Bridge property is a potential transfer to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, which will ultimately decide the best path for the property. There is no design plan in place yet, but Lee says there is potential for one muskie slough, or a possible wetland restoration. The land corridor is along the official state paddle trail on the French Broad, which means any cleanup will be beneficial for paddlers.

Read full story…

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced that a paving project will begin this week on Newfound Gap Road along an 8-mile section of the roadway from Chimneys Picnic Area to Newfound Gap. The project should be completed by November 30, 2021, though work schedules are subject to revision as needed for inclement weather.

Visitors traveling on Newfound Gap Road should expect weekday, single-lane closures and traffic delays through June 15 and again from August 16 through September 30. Lane closures are permitted from 7:00 a.m. on Mondays through 12:00 p.m. on Fridays. The lane closures will be managed with flagging operations and a pilot car to lead traffic through work zones. In addition, some parking areas and pull-offs will be closed intermittently. To better accommodate visitors during periods of high visitation, no daytime lane closures will be allowed on weekends, holidays, the week before and after the Easter holiday, summer season, or the month of October.

The Federal Highway Administration awarded the $8.5 million paving contract to Bryant’s Land Development Industries Inc of Burnsville NC. Roadwork will include the application of a pavement preservation treatment along a 6-mile section of the roadway and a full pavement rehabilitation for the remainder.

For more information about road conditions, please visit the park website at www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/temproadclose.htm or follow SmokiesRoadsNPS on Twitter.