When we're not outdoors, we're finding adventure by exploring social media and the web. Here are some of the best adventure links we discovered this week.
Scotland's New National Park: It took 21 years for Scottish authorities to create two new protected areas: a national park in Galloway and 190,000 hectares of Flow Country, the world's largest blanket bog. Ronald Turnbill explains why these two areas are so special.
If you can do it, you can do it at night: Astrotourism, a form of tourism focused on stargazing, is growing in popularity. Activities you enjoy during the day (hiking, kayaking, photography) can also be magical at night.
THE The New York Times recommends five nighttime adventures, from snorkeling under the stars to hiking with goats under a full moon.
Tim Kover. Photo: Steve Lillegren
Tree Climbing Ninja
Influencers are harming California redwoods:Tim Kover is an elite professional tree climber. Over the past 30 years, his obscure passion has become popular several times. Each time, he feels the same feeling: frustration. The latest trend is ninja climbing, with influencers attempting to scale gigantic trees. A recent headline details illegal climbs on giant redwoods in California.
“These guys are looking to ‘conquer’ the biggest, most dangerous trees and posting videos of themselves doing it online,” Kover says. “It’s disrespectful to nature and to the scientists whose life’s work is in those trees.”
How does a climbing career end?:Everything happens eventually. Will Esposito looks back at how famous climbers ended their careers. Some had to give up their physical activity, others stopped after an accident or injury, others died in the mountains. Some simply kept going.
Kate Kelleghan (right) and Michelle Pellette (left). Photo: Jack Keane
El Cap twice a day
Women's team climbs El Cap twice in one day: On June 3, Kate Kelleghan and Michelle Pellette became the second female team to summit El Cap twice in one day. Their first ascent of The Nose took eight hours and fifty-four minutes; their second ascent, of Lurking Fear, took nine hours and forty-five minutes.
A teacher finds a bear in the classroom: Last week, Elaine Salmon returned to her classroom to find a bear munching on granola bars. The young bear had managed to sneak into the earthquake survival kit. Luckily, there were no students in the room at the time.
Incidents like this are becoming more common in parts of Northern California. Bears know there are easy meals in residential areas and are becoming increasingly immune to humans.
Skiing at Mont Blanc
The fastest woman to ski Mont Blanc: On June 5, Anna Demonte set a new women's FKT alpine skiing record on Mont Blanc. After climbing to the summit, she skied down the Grands Mulets route in an incredible time of seven hours and 29 minutes.
Two and a half months later, Demonte released a video documentary of her run. Her FKT is two minutes slower than the women's walk time set by Hillary Gerardi.
The Maverick Archaeologist of the Americas: In 1976, Tom Dillehay visited the area where humans first settled in the Americas. His analyses showed that humans arrived 14,500 years ago, about 1,500 years earlier than previous studies had concluded.
Academia didn’t take Dillehay seriously, at the age of 27 and not yet a Ph.D. Decades of disagreement ensued. Authors of earlier studies tried to get him fired and even suggested he was a CIA agent. Twenty-one years later, and many data points later, experts finally agreed that Dillehay was right.
