The Cradle of Forestry in America historic site will begin the 2016 season on April 9 with a living history event, “Old Time Plowing and Folkways.” David and Diane Burnette from Haywood County will demonstrate how their Percheron draft horses work the land the old way. Weather permitting, they will plow the Cradle’s vegetable garden along the Biltmore Campus Trail and teach a skill that was once familiar to many. The Cradle of Forestry’s living history volunteers will demonstrate their crafts among the historic...
read moreCaution: “Smuggling and illegal immigration may be encountered in this area.” Visitors to state and national parks, monuments and memorials in Southern Arizona have undoubtedly seen these signs posted along popular hiking trails. The sites near the Mexico border are great spots to find hiking, bird watching and camping, but also provide the perfect place for undocumented immigrants and drug smugglers to cross into the U.S. However, visitors are now unlikely to see any illegal border activity. One reason: Border Patrol now has an operating...
read moreFor Portlanders, “getaway” might be a bit of a stretch when it comes to Mount Tabor, but whether you live around the city or are touring it for the first time, the scenic city park is a perfect place to get away from the urban environment – without really leaving it at all. Built atop an old volcanic cinder cone, Mount Tabor is beloved by runners, walkers, cyclists, stroller-pushers, hikers and even soap box racers. Paved roads, staircases and trails form a network of pathways throughout the park, weaving through a forest of tall...
read moreOn Valentine’s Day, Luke “Strider” Jordan entered Guadalupe Mountains National Park in West Texas, taking his first step on a 2,100-mile journey that will end in early May in the Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge near Kenmare, North Dakota, close to the Canadian border. When he gets there, he’ll be the first hiker to finish the nascent Great Plains Trail. He’ll spend this weekend passing through the Wildcat Hills and Mitchell Pass on his way to Agate Fossil Beds and points north. It’s not the energetic 25-year-old’s first extended hike. He...
read moreThe Green Mountain Club (GMC), maintainer of Vermont’s Long Trail and Vermont’s hiking trail advocate, and the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation (FPR), manager of State Forests and Parks, announce that Mud Season has returned to the Green Mountains a month early. They ask hikers to stay off muddy trails from now until Memorial Day weekend; the forest has not caught up with the variable climate so the trails will remain wet, muddy, and prone to erosion. Hikers walking on saturated soils or on the sides of trails cause...
read moreOnly a half mile from the trailhead near Hacking Lake you can ogle a herd of mountain goats. Minutes later, a weasel darts upon your track with a mouse hanging in its mouth. Another half mile, and you stumble upon two spotted elk calves lounging near timberline. Then, two more goat herds on the five-mile climb to 11,700-foot Gabbro Pass, from which you flush 100 elk on the far side. After just 10 miles of hiking, you’ve had about one animal encounter per mile. And that’s just counting the obvious ones. Surely you will miss others, with...
read moreJenny Bennett died in the flowing waters of Porters Creek, her body shutting down from a toxic dose of diphenhydramine before succumbing to hypothermia from exposure. She’d been missing a week before her disappearance was reported and a search began. Officials found her body about four miles up the trail, in a place that’s a gateway to some of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s most unusual and challenging terrain. The death of the well-known 62-year-old shook the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club and outdoor community throughout Appalachia....
read moreFlowing from the top of the Rockies to the Mississippi River, the Arkansas River is one of America’s mighty river systems. Its headwaters make up an ecological wonderland and a recreational hotspot, cutting through rugged canyon country full of hair-raising land features like rock hoodoos and rough crags. This breathtaking Colorado landscape could be protected for future generations thanks to Planning 2.0, which places an emphasis on landscape-level planning and balancing conservation with other uses. The Wilderness Society worked with our...
read moreFor half a century, climate scientists have seen the West Antarctic ice sheet, a remnant of the last ice age, as a sword of Damocles hanging over human civilization. The great ice sheet, larger than Mexico, is thought to be potentially vulnerable to disintegration from a relatively small amount of global warming, and capable of raising the sea level by 12 feet or more should it break up. But researchers long assumed the worst effects would take hundreds — if not thousands — of years to occur. Now, new research suggests the disaster scenario...
read moreExperts on the Appalachian Trail said a handful of hikers in the Southern Appalachian region have come down with a stomach bug, and it’s a little earlier than usual. This is an unfortunate annual tradition on the AT. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy said a handful of hikers in the Smokies have come down with the stomach bug, with symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration. They say no tests have been done, so there’s no confirmation of norovirus cases. Hikers said they’re taking measures to avoid...
read moreA new study out of Stanford University offers residents of Pavillion, Wyoming a little more clarity on an issue that has been plaguing them for nearly a decade: is hydraulic fracturing to blame for years of contamination in their drinking water? The town initially made headlines in 2008, when residents began complaining of strange odors and tastes in their drinking water. In 2011 the EPA got involved, first issuing a draft report that connected fracking to the contamination. The agency later walked back on the report, however, and refused to...
read moreAt the 50-mile mark of last year’s 165 Mile Challenge from the North Country Trail Association, Steph Hogan made her decision. “It was at that point I decided I was going to finish the challenge,” said Hogan, 73, who was in Vergas in Ottertail County, Minnesota. “I really wasn’t sure before that.” In 25 intervals beginning in April and ending in October, she and a small group of other outdoor enthusiasts hiked from Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge northeast of Detroit Lakes to Hwy. 6 near Remer, Minn. Every step came on the North Country...
read moreAt 2am, you begin the trek up. Once you reach the Ijen plateau, you stand and look down at the dazzling, electric-blue fire. This comes from the burning of sulphuric gas, which emerges from cracks of the Ijen volcano. As the sun slowly rises, the site looks even more surreal, as the turquoise blue lake there unfolds.The lake is the site of a labour-intensive mining operation, in which baskets laden with blocks of sulphur are manually carried up from the floor of the volcanic crater. The lake is recognised as the largest acidic crater lake in...
read moreIt’s that time of the year when the weather is warming up leaving people wanting to explore nature. When it comes to hiking you don’t have to be an expert, but you do have to be prepared before taking a step into the wilderness. Henry Jackson who is director of education at outside world outfitters says to first be fully aware of your body before considering a trail. “Instead of watching TV in the evenings go for a short walk with the kids or the dog just to get your body accustomed and active again, that will go a long way when...
read moreDescendants of a bison herd captured and sent to Canada more than 140 years ago will be relocated to a Montana American Indian reservation next month, in what tribal leaders bill as a homecoming for a species emblematic of their traditions. The shipment of animals from Alberta’s Elk Island National Park to the Blackfeet Indian Reservation follows a 2014 treaty among tribes in the United States and Canada. That agreement aims to restore bison to areas of the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains where millions once roamed. “For...
read moreChaunaca is on a well-established trekking route through the Cordillera de los Frailes, a jumbled geologic mass that rises just west of Sucre, Bolivia’s official capital, best known for its whitewashed Spanish colonial neighborhoods and universities. Though the edge of the mountains can be reached from the city in about an hour, the villages within them feel worlds away. The scenery would be enough to draw you to the cordillera, with its upthrust layers of multicolored sedimentary rock set around a crater that’s encircled by rugged river...
read moreArchaeologists exploring the remote mesas of northern Arizona have uncovered a trove of previously undocumented rock art, including more than 1,500 petroglyphs, and confirmed the presence a prehistoric solar calendar, which has been marking the seasons for more than 700 years with a striking “shadow dagger” that travels across its sandstone face. Researchers made these finds in the backcountry of Wupatki National Monument northeast of Flagstaff, which includes the ruins of dozens of sites built by Ancestral Puebloans known as the Kayenta and...
read moreKiwis work hard to make hiking attractive. The maintenance on the trails hiked is impressive: crushed-rock trail beds; comfortable clearance even in the most dense areas of the beech- and fern-dominated rainforests; boardwalks that meander over wetlands; and well-built, if sometimes unnerving, suspension bridges that span the roiling creeks. Richard Davies, a recreation manager for New Zealand’s Department of Conservation, says millions of dollars are pumped into the country’s park areas annually, much of it devoted to trail development and...
read moreFact-checking four of the most pervasive myths used by anti-conservation land takeover proponents. As presidential hopefuls tour the country, some candidates are spreading false rhetoric about our national public lands, how they originated and to whom these lands “rightfully” belong. The standoff at Oregon’s Malheur National Wildlife Refuge has shed light on the extremist views of a vocal minority, but the reality is that most Americans do not agree with the agenda to turn our national public lands like parks, forests and refuges over to...
read morePuget Sound’s southern end is close to Seattle, yet just far enough away. Unlike the steep stair-climber slopes in the mountains around Seattle, the area around Olympia tends to feature rolling terrain and smaller hills. Plentiful parks make finding a hike easy, and the hikes’ accessibility makes them friendly to families and those with limited time or physical capabilities. Take Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve, a 635-acre park just south of Olympia, for example. The derivation of its namesake earthen humps is still uncertain despite much...
read moreAfter some 115 years, Scotland has burned its last lump of coal for electricity. The Longannet power station, the last and largest coal-fired power plant in Scotland, ceased operations March 24th. What once was the largest coal plant in Europe shut down after 46 years before the eyes of workers and journalists, who gathered in the main control room. “Ok, here we go,” said one worker moments before pressing a bright red button that stopped the coal-fired turbines that generated electricity for a quarter of Scottish homes. Longannet’s closure...
read moreCongress has the power and responsibility to investigate the threat of anti-government extremism to America’s public lands, public servants, and nearby communities. Since 2014, when Cliven Bundy led hundreds of anti-government militants in an armed standoff with federal law enforcement officials near Bunkerville, Nevada, anti-government activists have organized and led at least four other armed confrontations on public lands. Congress should begin to fulfill its oversight responsibilities by launching an investigation into the rise of violent...
read moreAs the National Park Service (NPS) celebrates 100 years of protecting and preserving the nation’s parks and monuments, all Americans are encouraged to get out and FindYourPark during National Park Week, April 16 through 24, 2016. All National Park Service entrance fees will be waived for the week so choose a park, near or far, and discover what makes it unique. Each of the 410 national parks is a thread in the tapestry that tells the story of our country – its beautiful landscapes, diverse culture, and rich heritage. Throughout the year, and...
read moreToday is the 5 year anniversary of the launch of Meanderthals: A Hiking Blog. Started as an online means of enhancing information available about hiking in the Carolinas, Meanderthals has expanded over the years to include news about hiking, conservation and the environment, as well as reviews of goods and services that are of interest to the outdoors community. There are now more than 200 trail reports from places near and far like Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests, North and South Carolina State Parks and Forests, Great Smoky Mountains...
read moreThe Aliso Creek Regional Riding and Hiking Trail is a well maintained class-one bikeway and soft recreational trail extending from the foothills of Orange County, California to the boundary of Laguna Beach. The continuous fifteen miles of asphalt bikeway designed for multi-use travels through five south county cities. The soft trail mirrors the asphalt bikeway path on either side of the Aliso Creek traveling from the mountains to the sea. The ten-foot-wide bikeway was originally designed in the 1970s when the old El Toro Road was abandoned...
read moreAmerican Hiking Society’s National Trails Day® (NTD) is a celebration of America’s magnificent Trail System, occurring annually on the first Saturday in June. NTD features a series of outdoor activities, designed to promote and celebrate the importance of trails in the United States. Individuals, clubs and organizations from around the country host National Trails Day® events to share their love of trails with friends, family, and their communities. NTD introduces thousands of Americans to a wide array of trail activities: hiking, biking,...
read moreIn 1964, Congress protected areas where, according to the Wilderness Act, “the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” Wilderness areas now cover approximately 5 percent of the United States – over 100 million acres. While the ecological and aesthetic value of these lands is apparent, their economic value is less intuitive. In a review article published in the Journal of Forestry, U.S. Forest Service scientist Thomas Holmes and his colleagues describe the concepts and tools...
read moreHundreds of well owners near Duke Energy coal ash pits received letters last spring from state health officials warning them not to drink their own well water. Last week, a letter signed by Randall Williams, the state health director, and Tom Reeder, the assistant state secretary for the environment, lifted the warning. Now, well owners such as Bonita Queen, Deborah Graham and Gail Johnston, who live near coal ash pits, say they don’t know what to believe. Their wells still contain hexavalent chromium, a man-made carcinogen. “Nothing has...
read moreA high route is designed to be the finest backpacking experience available in a single mountain range, watershed, or canyon system, offering an unrivaled concentration of best-of features. When worthy terrain peters out, a high route terminates; it does not continue on for days or weeks through marginal landscapes before reaching another notable destination. Depending on your prior familiarity with an area, a high route can be a defining capstone course or an ambitious attempt at one-stop shopping. High routes are not recognized by land...
read moreJust off the Continental Divide, deep in Wyoming’s Absaroka Range and Teton Wilderness, Younts Peak brushes thin air at 12,156 feet. When the melt season arrives, snowfields in a cirque high up on the massif’s north face and other flanks are adorned with countless rivulets. Trickling off the snow, they weave in the mountain’s tundra, forming into small creeks as they gather in the denser vegetation below and provide the initial waters for the North and South forks of the Yellowstone River. Beneath Younts’ west wall, the two branches...
read moreTuacahn Split is a fun but strenuous hike located near Tuacahn Center for the Arts in Ivins, Utah. It takes you through a maze of sandstone that leads up above Snow Canyon State Park. Throughout the hike you will see the breathtaking views of red sandstone and black lava rock that are so familiar to everyone in the St. George surrounding area. The trail is about three miles long with an elevation gain of about 1,200 ft. Most of the trail is unmarked, and many areas will require a bit of scrambling and climbing. Hikers will need to make sure...
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I am Jeff Clark, founder of Internet Brothers, producer of this blog, and passionate about hiking. I live in Western NC near the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains. Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests are just out my door, so the content will focus on these areas, but let me know what you would like to see on the site. 
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