Access to the National Parks?

by Erik Olsen on

What to do about our country’s wonderful National Parks. We ponder this question often here at gadling. On the one hand, you’ve got trends towards disinterest, with visitation number declining throughout the system. You have a major backlog of repairs and maintenance that needs to be done to keep the parks operating safely. But then, on the opposite end of the spectrum, you’ve got OVERUSE in places like Yosemite. And now, as this article points out, there are big questions about whether to limit use to the parks to protect them.

Last November, a federal judge barred crews from finishing $60 million in construction projects in Yosemite Valley, saying that the projects would bring greater numbers of visitors, and further threatening the area’s fragile ecosystem. The government then appealed, fearing it would be forced to take action to limit park usage.

Personally, this doesn’t bother me. It would mean that you’d have to plan your trip to a park like Yosemite a bit before hand. And chances are you wouldn’t be able to go in the heart of August (which you really wouldn’t want to do anyway since that’s when the valley is at its polluted, Winnebago worst). But limiting visitors would cut down on many of the over-crowding problems the parks face, and while we can argue about our citizens’ rights to visit the parks till we’re blue in the face, there won’t be parks to visit if we ruin them.

Patagonia’s Fauna

by Erik Olsen on

It is probably my favorite place on earth even though I’ve only been there twice. Patagonia is like Yosemite and Yellowstone and a bit of Europe and a handful of South America all thrown into one. You can hike for days in some of the most pristine and lovely country on the planet, or you can hang in a German-speaking village where people fish with techniques that have been passed down for centuries.

And then there is the wildlife. Guanacos (some of which spit at you), the bizarre Nandu, an ostrich-like bird that once stalked a buddy of mind and I as we walked the Torres del Paine trail, and, of course, the Penguin. It is this last animal that concerns us here, for this wonderful NPR story about a scientist who studies Patagonian penguins really brought back to me what a lovely and fascinating place Patagonia is. I recommend you put this one on your ipod and listen on the way in to work tomorrow. Close your eyes and you’ll be transported some place far from home…unless you live in Patagonia, that is.

Big Sur in Winter

by Erik Olsen on

Almost every road trip “best of” list ever made includes a drive up the foam necklaced coast to Big Sur. There’s a good reason for that. Big Sur not only offers some of the most spectacular scenery in the world, but is also a sweet place to find hiking, biking and just hanging out. But most people think of this as a summer drive, something you do when the sun is blazing in July. Not so. In fact, as this piece in the San Francisco Chronicle points out, Big Sur is a superb winter destination, where you can escape from the din of the city, and find cozy comfort in one of several luxurious inns.

Big Sur is roughly 30 miles south of Carmel and about three hours north of Los Angeles (depending on how often you stop at In-N-Out or for tacos). The writer here suggests a trip up and a hike to mist-laden Pfeiffer Falls, which you can reach just a half-mile or so from the road. The benefit of winter is that the rainy season (such as it is) swells up the streams and rivers and makes the falls a gushing photographer’s dream.

A few of the places recommended here for accommodations are the Big Sur Lodge and the Post Ranch Inn, neither of which do I personally know, but am ready and willing at any time to give them a try.

Stuck for a few days in smoggy LA with no place to go? Well now you have one.

Camelbak Elixir

by Erik Olsen on

For long paddling or hiking trips, I will often bring along my Camelbak water pack. I used to pooh-pooh these things, believing they were just another piece of extraneous gear, but now I am a big fan. They carry so much water in a simple, convenient way, and they really help you stay hydrated. Basically, a good Camelbak is like carrying around two big Nalgene bottles, but having your hands free and/or not having them darn things dangling from your hip.

But onto another point regarding Camelbaks. You can now buy electrolyte tablets for the water inside them, effectively turning your water into Gatorade. I used to doubt the usefulness of electrolytes, but a few years ago I was on a long bike trip, drank some after a grueling ride on a hot day, and found my energy surprisingly restored, my body wonderfully refreshed. The Camelbak Elixir tablets come in lemon-lime flavor that is said to be perfectly tasty, and just one of them dropped into your Camelbak water is enough to keep your salts up for several hours.

Photo of the Day (1/23/2007)

by Erik Olsen on

Part of me was wary about choosing this photo as our Photo of the Day. It is so marvelous, so crisp and perfect, that I had to wonder if it was copied from some stock house or outdoor magazine’s Web site. And while I have no way to confirm it’s provenance, I will assume it is legit, and further I salute the author, Teewinot, (aka R. Douglas Andrews?) for taking one of the most amazing pictures we’ve posted here in a while. The shot, of course, is of the epic Maroon Bells near Aspen.