Everglades to be put back on U.N. endangered list?

by Kraig Becker on

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar is meeting with a task force charged with overseeing the restoration of the Florida Everglades this week. He intends to tell them that the Obama administration will ask the United Nations World Heritage Committee to put the national park back on its endangered list when the committee meet in Spain this week.

Two years ago, in what has been viewed as a controversial decision, the Bush administration requested that the U.N. remove the Everglades from the list. At the time, the Department of the Interior defended the decision by citing progress being made in protecting the region and the species that lived there, despite the fact that the restoration program had failed to meet milestones, and was billions over budget.

The current administration believes restoring the Everglades National Park to the list of endangered places will send a strong signal to environmentalists that they are committed to the protecting the environment. If restored to the list, the park will join the Galapagos Islands, the Old City of Jerusalem and Afghanistan’s Bamiyan Valley as the other World Heritage Sites considered to be in danger. The Everglades were originally added to the list back in 1993 when the area was damaged by Hurricane Andrew and the effects of prolonged exposure to water pollution became known.

Despite the issues effecting the park, the Everglades remains a popular tourist destination. There are more than 156 miles of canoe/kayak and hiking trails, with 47 designated campsites, inside the 2500 square miles of subtropical forest that define the parks boundaries. The Park Service reports that over one million visitors experience the Everglades each year.

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Beating the recession on the Appalachian Trail

by Kraig Becker on

Yesterday we introduced you to one of the world’s classic treks in the from of The Appalachian Trail. Turns out you might not have needed in introduction at all, as according to NPR, many Americans are heading to the AT to beat the recession.

According to the story, a number of hikers who have lost their jobs, have decided to take advantage of their time off, and spend some extended time on the AT. The more adventurous are even electing to thru-hike the entire 2175 mile length, which generally takes anywhere from five to seven months to complete.

Some of the hikers that NPR spoke to saw the loss of their jobs as an opportunity to do something that they might not have the chance to do later on in life. Most are young, still in their 20’s, and don’t quite have the responsibilities that will come as they get older, such as families, a mortgage, or well established careers. They’re focusing on the long distance hike with the hope that when they are finished, and they return to civilization, the economy will be showing signs of recovery.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy website estimates that it will cost somewhere between $3000-$5000 to hike the entire length of the trail, which runs from Maine to Georgia, crossing a total of 14 states in the process. Most of that is spent when hikers leave the trail behind and return to town, where they tend to splurge on hotels and restaurants. While that is a large chunk of change to spend on a single trip in the middle of an economic downturn, overall that’s a fairly inexpensive trip considering the length.

So, if you’ve found that you have a little extra time on your hands, and some severance pay burning a hole in your pocket, maybe you should consider taking on the AT or some other extended adventure. After all, the economy is going to turn around at some point, and when it does, we’re going to be expected to go back to work!

Classic Treks: The Appalachian Trail

by Kraig Becker on

The Appalachian Trail has been mentioned in the news quite a bit in the past week or so, thanks to a certain governor who managed to hike it all the way to Argentina. While “Hiking the AT” may yet become a sexual euphemism due to this recent scandal, for years the trail has been one of the best long distance treks in North America, if not the entire world.

The Appalachian Trail was first conceived back in 1921, with construction being completed in 1937. In 1968 it was designated as the United States’ first national scenic trail, cementing its status as the top trail in the country. Stretching more than 2,175 miles in length, the trail crosses 14 states, running from Maine to Georgia, and while it does pass through six national parks, it doesn’t wander anywhere close to Argentina.

According to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy website, more than 10,000 people have taken the estimated 5 million footsteps it takes to hike the entire length of the trail. Many of them have done it over the course of a number of years, breaking it into sections, and tackling various lengths as their time allows. A few have thru-hiked the entire trail however, going non-stop across its vast length, stopping in towns along the way to resupply before heading out to the backcountry once again. Typically it takes about six months to finish the entire length of the AT, with some starting in the spring in Georgia and heading north, and others getting underway in the summer in Maine, and moving south.

The Appalchian Trail falls within a days ride of 2/3rds of the American population, and 4 million of us head out on the “foot path” every year. The AT offers everything from great day hikes to months long adventures, serving up spectacular views and stunning vistas across its length. Hikers will also encounter plenty of wildlife as well, with moose, dear, elk, and even black bear making regular appearances through out its length.

With its rich diversity, ease of access, and amazing length, the Appalachian Trail has something to offer just about everyone. Whether you are a bird watcher looking to kill a few hours in the woods or a hardcore backpacker with the desire to add your name to the list of those who have conqured all 2000+ miles, this classic trek has something for you. Even armchair adventurers can can get in on the fun by picking up Bill Bryson’s classic book A Walk in the Woods. America’s first scenic trail, remains its greatest, even if it has gained a bit of noteriety.

On the trail of the Kalahari bushmen

by Kraig Becker on

A few days back we posted about 18 unique travel experiences that even the seasoned traveler would find interesting. One of the suggestions on that list was to travel to the Kalahari Desert to stay with bushmen and partake in an initiation hunt with the tribes that still wander the remote regions of southern Africa.

Recently, travel writer Sally Emerson journeyed to Botswana to go in search of the bushmen herself. She wrote about her adventures for the Times Online, as she explored the Okavango Delta and the Kalahari, following in the footsteps of author Laurens Van der Post, who published The Lost World of the Kalahari back in 1956. The book has become one of the seminal works on the bushmen and their culture.

Both Emerson, and Van der Post before her, were searching for the San Bushmen, one of five distinct tribes that are spread out across South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Angola, and Botswana. Today, it is believed that less than 100,000 of the bushmen remain, but those that do, maintain close ties to their culture, and the land on which they live.

Emerson says that the bushmen that she met were able to teach her about the plants and animals of the Kalahari while showing her how to set traps and hunt as well. They displayed a deep understanding of what their surroundings could provide for them, allowing them to survive for extended periods of time in the desert. Many of the tribesmen are now guides, and are eager to share their history and culture with visitors from the rest of the world. Traveling to the Kalahari to spend some time with these guides would indeed makre for a unique and amazing travel experience.

18 unique travel experiences for the well traveled

by Kraig Becker on

So you think you’ve been everywhere and done everything? Is their something missing when you travel these days? Is the sense of adventure gone? Never fear, because the Times Online has compiled an interesting list of 18 unique travel experiences that are designed to give us a special experience on our getaways.

The suggestions on the list run the gamut from adventurous to decadent to down right surreal. For instance, if you’re headed to southern Africa, then you might want to stay with the bushmen of the Kalahari Desert, where you’ll have the opportunity to go on an initiation hunt and spend the night in their village. If that seems like you might be roughing it a bit too much, than perhaps you’d prefer to spend the night on a private island and go sailing off the coast of Croatia. How about taking an exclusive tour of Nefertari’s Tomb in Egypt, where you’ll be one of just 20 visitors in the soon to be closed monument. Or, how about the workout of a lifetime when you’ll be training with the the toughest rugby team on the planet, New Zealand’s All Blacks, , for one very intense week.

Each of the travel experiences comes with a good description of what you can expect on your unique adventure. A link is included to the travel company that is offering the trip, along with expected prices, in this case listed in pounds. But be warned, these one-of-a-kind experiences don’t come cheap, but how do you put a price tag on this kind of excitement?