Today’s
POTD
comes from James Martin, and is one of several remarkably colorful and gorgeous
photographs taken by him. The Minarets in the High Sierras are made for photography, but Martin captures them in
silouette in this photo bringing out their character and shape in a way I haven’t seen before.
The Kungsladen: Snow or Summer
Hard-core cross-country fans who want to bail on
their easy little local trails take notice. It might be time to take on a real challenge: The
Kungsladen, or King’s Trail in Sweden. The trail links Abisko and Sarek
national parks, and lies above the Arctic Circle, so pack your long underwear.
As you push your way along a 58-mile section of trail through the Kebnekaise Range, you will gaze upon some of the
most remote terrain in the world. You’ll climb slowly rising mountains and find shelter and warmth at places like the
Salka Mountain Hut. Of course, dufing the summer, you can also find some kick-ass hiking if you head to the
Kungsladen and climb to the top of Sweden’s highest peak, 6,965-foot Mount Kebnekaise. Once there, cast your eyes to
the West and catch views of distant Norway. And when you’re weary, head back to Stockholm, and order yourself up a nice
Aquavit. Prost!
Helicopter on Everest
File this under, Wow, who knew.
In May, a
helicopter made the first-ever landing on the summit of Everest. The landing was apparently a publicity stunt by
Europcopter, the maker of the helicopter, but it could very much change the way that mountain rescues at such altitudes
are perceived and executed. The landing took place on May 14th at 7:08 a.m. The test pilot, Didier Delsalle,
landed at 29,035 feet, the top of the world.
It has been though that the summit of Everest was impossible for helicopters. Even basecamp has been hard to reach
because the air is so thin at that altitude.
Into Thin Air fans might
recall that KC Madan, a Nepalese military pilot, became a hero when rescued Beck Weathers and Makalu Gau at Camp
II.
Assuming the technology to make this happen can be mass-produced relatively cheaply, this could really change
mountain rescue efforts at places like Everest, K2 and Denali, all towering peaks where climbers have died due to an
inability to reach them.
Pretty fascinating.
Hiker’s Paresthesias
There you are, moving quickly along your favorite trail. It’s been a few days, and you feel
like you’ve really hit your stride. But then you get a pain in your foot or another extremity. A cramp? Something
worse? Often it goes away, but sometimes it doesn’t. What’s up?
The above scenario has happened to me. Walking for a long time, I’ve had an experience when I got some odd numbness
in my feet and fingers. I shook it off, but it turns out that this phenom has a name:
Paresthesias
According to this article, a study in The
Journal of Wilderness & Environmental Medicine found that over a third of backpackers hiking seven or more days
experience “paresthesias”. It is described as tingling, burning or prickling sensations. Chances are if you feel these
things while hiking you’ve got paresthesias…or gonorrhea (if that latter, I urge you to be less friendly with the
wildlife). It is usually temporary, and will go away. If you want to learn even more, read the piece.
The Poo Problem
Climbers face a lot of challenges when the decide to scale the world’s great peaks. Avalanches, grizzly bears,
altitude sickness. But few probably realize how dangerous is their own poo. Yes, I am sorry to say, but poo is
dangerous. No, it does not come alive at night and attack unsuspecting climbers when they sleep. Nor does it sometimes
explode when struck by the perfect combination of neutrinos (although scientists are currently studying this). But the
badness of poo comes from its nasty ability to harbor viruses and other nasty bugs, and this is making things
unpleasant for some climbers.
This article explains the
problem. On Mount McKinley in Alaska, the unsanitary conditions created by piles
of feces (heretofore known as Piles o’ Poo) often cause diarrhea among climbers. This, according to the report in the
journal Wilderness and Environmental Medicine. The numbers are clear: of 132 climbers interviewed on McKinley in the
summer of 2002, more than a quarter reported having trouble with diarrhea, and the poo is to blame. Clearly there is a
poo problem.
So what do you do? Well, it’s funny you should ask, because I have just come up with my latest a greatest new product
idea: The Poo Palace! Yes, the Poo Palace is a portable home for your poo. It looks like a regular doll-house but has a
retractable roof which is lifted and the poo is placed inside. There is poo furniture, a poo dinner table and even a
poo bean bag chair. Everything to make your poo comfortable and sanitary, therefore less prone to breed viruses or give
your poo the incentive to attack you at night (just to be safe).