Articles tagged “adventure travel”

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US National Parks May Open To Mountain Biking

by Kraig Becker on

Earlier this week the National Park Service announced a shift in policy that could potentially allow mountain biking in more of the parks. A new rule, that goes into effect on August 6, will give park superintendents the option to decide if they will allow cyclists access to roads that are typically closed to motor vehicles. Those paths would include fire and access roads that are now only used by the park service itself.

This is welcome news for mountain bikers, many of whom have hoped to ride inside the national parks for some time. But while this new rule does open the door a crack, it is unlikely that many of the superintendents will actually grant access to those roads. The policy does provide for greater flexibility of course, but don’t plan on riding through the backcountry of Yellowstone just yet.

Those opposed to allowing mountain bikes in the parks should rest easy, as the new rules stipulate that mountain bikes would be restricted to fire and access roads only. That means you won’t find them on the majority of hiking trails and any newly created trails will have to be closely evaluated before access to bikes of any kind would be granted.

Cycling on paved roads that are shared with motor traffic has always been permitted inside the parks and that hasn’t changed in any way because of this new policy.

Given the multitude of great options, what national parks would you most like to explore by mountain bike? Personally, I think Big Bend would be fantastic, along with Canyonlands and Arches.

[Photo credit: Tom Johnson via WikiMedia]

Video: BASE Jumper Survives 400-Foot Drop When Parachute Fails To Open

by Kraig Becker on

A Russian BASE jumper survived a 120-meter (393-foot) drop from an electrical tower after his parachute failed to open while his friends looked on, filming the entire incident. The video, which you’ll find below, shows the man tentatively shuffle out onto the edge of the tower before throwing himself off. Seconds later we see his parachute deploy but it never opens wide enough to slow his descent and as a result he hits the ground at full speed.

Thanks to a blanket of deep, powdery snow at the base of the tower the man actually managed to survive the fall. He reportedly broke his legs, several vertebrae and his pelvis but after going through extensive rehab he was up and walking again in about three months.

I can’t be the only one who actually said “ouch!” out loud when I saw the impact.


Living In Cairo’s City Of The Dead

by Sean McLachlan on


Life can be hard in the developing world, as is shown in this video of a poor neighborhood in Cairo done by IRIN Films. The film doesn’t show your typical slum. This is the City of the Dead, a vast necropolis where poor people have moved in and set up homes and shops inside the tombs.

The capital of Egypt is a sprawling metropolis of some 12.5 million people. Actually, nobody is really sure how many people there are. Cairo has been a huge city for many centuries, and so its necropolis is also huge, some four miles long and filled with tightly packed tombs and mausoleums. The dead have been buried here since the 7th century A.D. Most tombs are simple buildings with little inside except a basic stone marker. Thus poor people can move in, put a lock on the door, and have a ready-made home.

Like with Cairo, nobody knows exactly how many people live in the City of the Dead. Some say half a million; some say ten times that number. They scrape out a living working odd jobs in the city or taking care of tombs for more wealthy Egyptians. A lucky few have saved enough money to set up small businesses serving the needs of their neighbors. A whole city of life has sprung up among the bones of the dead.

%Gallery-159771%Many locals say they like the neighborhood. There’s a chronic housing shortage in Cairo and people here can have a much bigger place than they could ever afford in more traditional neighborhoods. Also, they say people here are friendlier. Perhaps the proximity of death makes folks more aware of their behavior, or perhaps they feel they’re all in the same boat and are thus kinder to their neighbors.

There are downsides too. Living in the tombs is illegal, although the government hasn’t done anything about it, and infrastructure is minimal. Still, the people of the City of the Dead have created their own community where most people wouldn’t even consider living.

Several companies in Cairo offer tours of the City of the Dead. This allows the locals to make some money off the curious who come to see life in the tombs.

Check out the gallery for more images of this strange neighborhood.

Search For Amelia Earhart Begins In South Pacific

by Kraig Becker on

In the beginning of June we told you about new research that seemed to indicate that famous aviator Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan not only survived a crash in the South Pacific back in 1937, but also made numerous attempts to radio for help. Armed with those findings a search team launched an expedition earlier this week with the aim of exploring the tiny atoll that they believe was the final resting place for the duo.

Earhart and Noonan went missing on July 2, 1937, while attempting to circumnavigate the planet by airplane. When they last made radio contact they were searching for Howland Island where they were planning on refueling for their flight across the Pacific. They never arrived at Howland and what exactly became of them remains a mystery to this day.

Historians and scientists have theorized that Earhart’s Lockheed Electra actually went down on a tiny atoll known as Nikumaroro, where she and Noonan proceeded to send radio messages for several days before the ocean claimed their aircraft. It is that small island, which is part of the nation of Kiribati, that this most recent search party is now en route.

When they arrive the team will use a robotic submersible to search for the missing airplane in the waters just off Nikumaroro and they’ll comb the island itself for more clues to Earhart and Noonan’s ultimate fate. A recent excursion to the atoll discovered an old jar of freckle cream that was consistent with the brand that Earhart used and researchers are hoping to discover similar clues this time out. They feel that if they find definitive evidence that the island was Earhart and Noonan’s last resting place it can help solve one of the most enduring mysteries of the 20th century.

The expedition is expected to last approximately 26 days, with ten of those days dedicated to the search itself. The team departed from Honolulu on Tuesday and should arrive on site some time next week. After that, we’ll all have to wait to see if they discover anything of interest.

Hiking The Black Canyon In The United States’ Newest National Park

by Jessica Festa on

“Our surroundings were of the wildest possible description. The roar of the water … was constantly in our ears, and the walls of the canyon, towering half mile in height above us, were seemingly vertical” – Abraham Lincoln Fellows, 1901

For those who love the outdoors and unique landscapes, Colorado is home to the United States’ newest national park, Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

Named a national park in 1999, the canyon is 48 miles in length, with 14 of those being part of the park. Black Canyon gets its name from the fact that it’s extremely deep, sheer and narrow with very little light coming in. The first written record about it comes from the Hayden Expedition in 1873, deeming it inaccessible. However, in 1901 Abraham Lincoln Fellows and William Torrence floated 33 miles down the canyon’s river on a rubber mattress. Today, it’s still used for irrigation purposes.

A hike of the park will allow you to experience not only the awe-inspiring Black Canyon, but also unique rock formations, vibrant colored birds, wildlife, plants and beautiful nature surroundings.

For a more visual idea of the experience, check out the gallery below.

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[Above image via Jessie on a Journey. Gallery photos via Big Stock and Jessie on a Journey]