Denali National Park seeks artist in residence

by Kraig Becker on

Are you an aspiring artist looking for some inspiration? Do you enjoy the great outdoors and have a desire to paint spectacular landscapes? Then Denali National Park has an opportunity for you. The park is now taking applications for its artist in residence program, seeking qualified artists to visit during the summer of 2011.

Each of the residency programs is ten days in length and comes with the use of the Murie Cabin, located at Mile 43 along the Park Road. The cabin was the base of operations for Adolph Murie, who conducted a ground breaking study on the predator-prey relationship between wolves and sheep back in the early 1940’s. The cabin sits at a very scenic site in Denali, offering access to some of the best landscapes in all of North America, although the accommodations are a bit spartan. The cabin comes equipped with a propane heater, necessary even during the Alaskan summer, a stove, refrigerator, a small library, and double beds. There is no electricity or running water however, and an outhouse out back provides bathroom facilities.

The ten day residencies take place between June and September of next year and the artists selected will be responsible for their own food and travel. Additionally, the position offers no monetary compensation, and the artist is expected to create at least one piece of art and donate it to the park. They are also expected to make one public presentation of the piece they create. In exchange for their work, they’ll receive free use of the cabin and access to some of the most spectacular backcountry on the planet, which should serve as fantastic inspiration for their art.

For more information on the Denali Artist in Residence program and to fill out an application, click here.

[Photo credit: National Park Service]

Park service dedicates ‘trail of time’ at Grand Canyon

by Kraig Becker on

The National Park Service is hosting a ribbon cutting ceremony along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon today as they dedicate a new trail that has been hundreds of millions of years in the making. The official ceremony will take place at 2:30 PM local time, with an informal hike along the trail taking place between 3:00 and 5:00 PM. The event is part of the park’s celebration of Earth Science Week.

The new path has been dubbed the “Trail of Time” and it is designed to be an interpretive walk that focuses on the amazing geologic processes that are on display in and around the Grand Canyon. The new exhibit follows an existing trail, but incorporates some interesting new elements that help to define the magnitude of the natural forces that are on display to visitors. For instance, there are now brass markers every meter along the route, with each of those markers representing 1 million years of geologic history. Viewing tubes have also been added which help to put into context where certain visible rocks fall along the Earth’s historical timeline.

The Trail of Time can be hiked in two different directions. If visitors start at the Yavapai Geology Museum they can walk backwards in time, slowly approaching the oldest rock in the park, the Elves Canyon gneiss. This ancient formation is more than 1.8 billion years old. On the other hand, hikers who begin at the Verkamp’s Visitor Center will actually move forward in time, approaching the youngest rock in the Grand Canyon the Kaibab Limestone, which is a mere 270 million years old.

The Grand Canyon is one of the best places on Earth to view first hand the impressive geological processes that go on around us on a daily basis. Those processes are so small that their effects can only be seen over the course of millions of years, but in the Canyon, more than a billion years of Earth history is open to examination, giving a all a very humbling glimpse into the powerful forces that are in play on our planet.

For more information on this fun and educational new trail, check out the virtual Trail of Time by clicking here.

[Photo credit: Micahel Quinn of the NPS]

National Parks app comes to the iPhone

by Kraig Becker on

Visitors to America’s national parks now have a new high tech option for learning more about those amazing places. Last week the National Parks Conservation Association released an app for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch that offers up a wealth of information on 50 of the most popular parks in the country, including Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, and Yosemite. (For a complete list of the parks covered click here.)

The app is completely free and provides information on the plants and animals that travelers can expect to find in the various parks, including the ones that are poisonous and dangerous, something this always helpful when you’re not sure if your about to step into poison ivy or not. You’ll also find comprehensive lists of threatened and endangered species, as well as a brief history of each of the parks, including great photos from each location as well.

But that’s not all. The app also allows you to find parks that are close to your current location and offers directions on how to get there. It includes information on making reservations at each park, directions on how to find the visitors center, and current news from the park system on featured parks as well.

The field guide app was developed in conjunction with eNature.com, a company with an extensive database of information focused on wildlife. That database has been created by top biologists, zoologists, and conservationists, and contains information on over 6000 different species. That information is now, quite literally, delivered to the fingertips of visitors to the national parks.

There is one caveat to using the app however, as a data network is required to download the information. The iPhone will work where cell service is available, although in more remote areas of the parks that can be spotty at best. iPod Touch and iPad users will need to use wifi, which is available in some visitor centers, to load up their maps and information ahead of time. Keep that in mind when relying on this app to help guide you through the parks.

To download the new app click here.

[Photo credit: NPCA]

Lost hiker found after six days in the wild

by Kraig Becker on

Los Angeles real estate broker Ed Rosenthal recently pulled off a big sale, and to celebrate he decided to get out of town and go for a hike, something he had done many times in the past. Little did he know that that hike would leave him scrambling for his life, even as he thought he was on his last trek.

On September 24th Rosenthal made the trip to Joshua Tree National Park where he says that he took a wrong turn and lost the trail. What seemed like a simple mistake sent him hiking off into a remote area of the park where he quickly found himself disoriented and completely lost.

Over the next six days he wandered the park looking for landmarks that could lead him back to civilization. He says that he would spend the hot days resting in the shade of a tree while at night he would walk, usually downhill, to try to stay warm in the cool desert nights. Eventually he hiked into East Wide Canyon, which descends to the park’s southern boundary. It was there that he was found last Thursday by a search and rescue team that spotted him from the air. He was just eight miles from where he had wandered off the trail.

While lost in the wild, Rosenthal wrote letters to his wife and daughter to tell them that he loved them. He also left instructions on where to donate some of his money to charity and passed on advice to his business partners as well. The lost hiker also wrote a chronicle of his trek that is reportedly the story of a man who believed he was going to die alone in the backcountry.

After his rescue, Rosenthal spent a few days in the hospital where he was treated for exposure and dehydration. He was released on Monday and is in fine condition after his ordeal. My guess is his family will buy him a compass and/or a GPS for Christmas this year.

[Photo credit: Matthew Field via WikiMedia]

America’s favorite park: Bear Head Lake State Park, MN

by Kraig Becker on

Over the past few months Coca-Cola has been encouraging Americans to vote for their favorite park through the “America is Your Park” campaign. With more than 5.7 million votes cast, the competition for the title of the country’s top park was decidedly fierce, and with a $100,000 grant up for grabs, there was a lot of interest in the outcome. When the competition was over, and the votes were tabulated, the winner was Bear Head Lake State Park in Minnesota.

Yep, that’s right, America’s favorite park isn’t Yellowstone or Yosemite, but a little known state park that falls along the Boundary Waters near Ely, Minnesota. Bear Head Lake received more than 1.6 million votes, easily outpacing the rest of the competition, and earning the $100,000 prize. The Minnesota DNR says they intend to use those funds to build a new trail center for hikers and paddlers to enjoy before heading out on their adventures.

While Bear Head Lake may not be as famous as some other parks in the U.S., it does offer some great opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. The park has 17 miles of hiking trails for summer use, and 9 miles of cross country skiing and snowshoeing trails for the winter. Paddlers can spend hours exploring the scenic shorelines by kayak or canoe, while wolves, moose, and black bear wander the beautiful Northwoods forests.

For more than 40 years Coca-Cola has been a major supporter of America’s National Parks. In fact, they donated more than $500,000 to the National Parks Foundation this summer alone and $4 million over the past four years. The company has also helped to build and maintain more than 260 miles of trail while giving away annual passes and other prizes to entice more visitors to visit the parks. You can find out more about these efforts, as well as America’s Favorite Park, at LivePositively.com.