Along the Pine City Trail in Joshua Tree National Park you’ll see California junipers, barrel cacti, Joshua trees and Mojave yuccas, shrub oaks, and a lot of the stunning nolinas, near relatives of the yuccas that bear sturdy banners of dead flowers aloft for years after blooming. Even in a cold month like the last one, it’s still to get into the high desert for a...
Learn MoreHow do you go into the wild without going Into the Wild? The trouble is, nature does not come naturally to city people. It is not something we just do, like walk. It’s a thing we sign up for, train for, save for. The best evidence of this is the fact that our first stop is always to a sporting goods store, a place like REI, the Recreational Equipment Inc. (motto: “Get...
Learn MoreThere are still natural places in this world that are protected from the ravages of time and modernity. One such place is Custer State Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota. It’s a place where buffalo still roam over rolling hills and trout still swim in cool, clear mountain streams. It’s a place where giant granite spires poke through forest landscapes like sewing...
Learn MoreViolent encounters with animals at national parks are rare, but the danger of severe injury, illness and possibly death make prevention all the more important. Many of the national parks in the U.S. are teeming with wildlife. People are often motivated to visit these parks to see impressive representatives of the animal kingdom for themselves. For the most part,...
Learn MoreA billionaire hedge-fund manager pledged to protect 90,000 acres of his Colorado ranch from further development as part of a much larger planned conservation area. The Obama administration said it would be the “largest single conservation easement” ever provided to the federal government. The easement, which would include tax benefits for New York-based Louis...
Learn MoreAmerican travelers romanticize Montana for its wildness, its sky-scraping mountains and its glistening ribbons of trout-packed streams. But for Montanans, the dream destination is the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, a tranquil pocket of Montana backcountry commonly referred to as the Bob. A 1.5-million-acre preserve with no roads and only a handful of permanent...
Learn MoreWhen an Alaskan says “the mountain is out” there is no doubt which mountain is filling the horizon. It is Mount McKinley, or “Denali” as most Alaskans call it. The 20,320-foot massif is the tallest mountain in North America. It is often covered by clouds, but when visible, it is a magnificent sight. The mountain is not the reason Denali National Park and Preserve was...
Learn MoreI don’t think many other owners are as clear-eyed about their dogs’ limitations as I am about mine. They think their dogs actually listen. Such a mistaken belief results in lots of, “Mollie, come here. Come here. Here. Did you hear me? Mollie come. Now. This time I mean it. I won’t say it again. Mollie come. Come here.” I’m of two minds regarding dogs hiking off the...
Learn MoreOn Saturday, September 24, Great Smoky Mountains National Park will celebrate National Public Lands Day by hosting several volunteer projects in a unified effort with many public lands across the country. National Public Lands Day is the nation’s largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve and enhance the public lands that Americans enjoy. Those interested in...
Learn MoreWith a mix of soaring granite peaks, lush alpine meadows, high country lakes and waterfalls, Rocky Mountain National Park, in northeastern Colorado, is a park straight out of central casting. Driving the 48-mile Trail Ridge Road from Estes Park on the park’s east side to Grand Lake on the west offers thrills you can’t find in a car without a number painted on the...
Learn MoreSaturday, July 16th — Linville Falls Campground Amphitheater (milepost 316) 7:30pm: While out hiking you may become lost, get injured, encounter wildlife, or endure a thunderstorm. What do you do then? Come find out!
Learn More
I am Jeff Clark, founder of Internet Brothers, producer of this blog, and passionate about hiking. My regular hiking companions have designated me the lead hiker, so I suppose that makes me the slowest Meanderthal. 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. 
Recent Comments