bear mauling death in Denali

A hiker in Alaska’s Denali National Park photographed a grizzly bear for at least eight minutes before the bear mauled and killed him in the first fatal attack in the park’s history, officials said Saturday.

Investigators have recovered the camera and looked at the photographs, which show the bear grazing and not acting aggressively before the Friday attack …

A state trooper shot and killed the male bear on Saturday.

The hiker was identified late Saturday as Richard White, 49, of San Diego. He was backpacking alone along the Toklat River on Friday afternoon when he came within 50 yards (50 metres) of the bear, far closer than the quarter-mile (0.4 kilometres) of separation required by park rules, officials said.

Calgary Herald

This is another bear in the same area 2008. … That photographer survived.

more details on National Parks Traveler

snorkeling off La Paz, Baja

After kayaking marvelous Isla Espiritu Santo off La Paz, Baja in 2006 … I created a website promoting the kayak/hiking adventure.

For fun.

This kid had an even better time than I did. 🙂

Check out Diego as he snorkels with amazing sea life at Espiritu Santo, an island in the Sea of Cortez. While diving or snorkeling there you can see whale sharks, mobula rays, groupers, snappers, turtles, sea lions and numerous species of fishes and crustaceans.

Many people are now calling for increased protections at Espiritu Santo from harmful fishing practices such as gill nets. In this short film, Diego shares his love for the sea life at Espiritu Santo and his desire to help protect it for future generations.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Click through to islaespiritusanto.org if you’d be willing to support a campaign to ban gill nets around those rich reefs:

CONANP Letter in English

Dear. Mr Bermudez.

On behalf of present and future generations of Pacenos and visitors to Baja Sur, I am requesting the government ban use of gill nets on inshore reefs around Isla Espiritu Santo in the new management plan.

The plan documents a decline of fisheries, due in large part to the ongoing use of gill nets, yet allows those same gill nets to remain on inshore reefs around the island. In fact, this plan offers no substantive decrease in fishing effort, gear types used, nor areas fished and is not consistent with the plan’s vision to protect and restore the marine ecosystem.

As a result, this plan guarantees further fisheries degradation and will do further damage to the recreation and tourism economy of La Paz.

Thank you for protecting the ecological integrity of the marine environment around Isla Espiritu Santo with the sustainable use of the fisheries resource.

islaespiritusanto.org

no evidence bear attacks related to menstruation

Huckleberry Hiker:

Ever since the night of August 13, 1967, when two women were attacked and killed by grizzly bears in two separate incidents in Glacier National Park (which was later chronicled in Night of the Grizzlies), a myth has persisted that women may be more prone to bear attacks as a result of odors associated with menstruation.

However, according to a paper recently published by the National Park Service, “there is no statistical evidence that known bear attacks have been related to menstruation”. …

Myth Busted: Women are more prone to bear attacks due to menstruation odors

More detail on that research.

trekking Huayhuash, Peru

by site editor Rick McCharles

MY best hike was a guided 11 day adventure in the little known Huayhuash Circuit in 2004.

Here are a few of our photos.

Far better are these photos and videos from a September 2011 guided tour. (May is the best month, so this is a little off season.)

Click PLAY or watch it on Vimeo.

Click PLAY or watch it on Vimeo.

swim 5700km …

Good luck with that, Dan.

In May 2012, Dan will embark on his biggest journey to date, as he attempts a Global Triathlonswimming, cycling and running around the world. This will include a grueling 5700km swim, as Dan attempts to become the first man in history to swim the Atlantic. …

Dan Martin Extreme

How do you swim the Atlantic?

One stroke at a time.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

(via Alister Humphries)

Kloofing Suicide Gorge, South Africa

Kloofing is an adventure activity that typically involves the descent of a deep ravine or watercourse that may be dry or wet. The defining factor is usually that the ravine is several times deeper than it is wide. All manner of walking, scrambling, climbing, swimming, plunging, jumping, bumslides or abseiling (rappelling) could be involved.

A kloofing trip usually combines hiking with the descent of a watercourse. Some of the more “interesting” kloofing involves long abseils or high jumps into pools from varying heights, up to as high as 20 or more metres (for example the popular ‘Suicide Gorge‘ in South Africa). …

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Looks like FUN.

I’d sign on with a guide to ensure safety.

Doh. Two different guiding sites I visited say that these trips are cancelled “due to maintenance”.

Leave a comment if you know different.

Suicide Gorge is the favourite adventure of James Haden. He also likes Table Mountain in South Africa. And Mt Sinai in Egypt.

Gear Junkies in Patagonia

What is it like to be truly remote and pushed to your physical and emotional limits in the wilderness?

This video, culled from clips taken by our race team on the go in remote Chile during the 2012 Patagonian Expedition Race, gives a solid glimpse into that question. …

read more – Gear Junkie

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

… the team managed a third-place finish

… . . Coming into CP17, we were four hours behind the Japanese team, and we decided to gamble on a straight-line bushwhack through a valley in the night with only two hours of tent-less sleep. In the predawn light, just before the glacier pass at CP18, we came upon the Japanese. They were clearly surprised [they had been ahead for a while] and yet they greeted us warmly, forming a line with each one of them shaking each one of our hands, smiling, and saying “Good to see you.” It was surreal. They then shared a look and bolted. [Note: Team Eastwind, from Japan, ended up beating Team GearJunkie/YogaSlackers by about 30 minutes in the 10-day race.] …

High Insanity: Patagonian Exped Race

(via The Adventure Blog)

Dientes Circuit trip report

Sebastian Irazuzta via email:

… In 2010 I was inspired by the trek you have posted on Navarino Island in the South of Chile. After some research my wife and I decided to take our Canadian winter vacation to Southern Chile and Argentina and see the wilderness of Navarino Island for ourselves. I have posted a short description along with some photos and videos of this trip on Everytrail. …

That’s an interactive map. Click on the image to see it.

I should mention that the weather was sometimes amazingly harsh.

Despite this, I think it was one of the nicest wilderness treks I have
done. I think you may find this post interesting in that I have
uploaded my GPS tracks for the entire trail. This is something I wish
I had had when I was on the trail myself as some sections were
difficult to navigate by map alone due to bad weather.

Thanks Sebastian!

Check out Dientes information page.

barefoot running backlash

Predictable.

There had to be a downside to running in bare feet.

Science of Sport:

Vibram shoes named in lawsuit: The danger of barefoot running

Vibram Five-finger named in lawsuit – zealousness, unfiltered advice creates more problems than it fixes

The main problem seems to be heel strike impact force.

related – ‘Born to Run’ author helping search for Boulder ultrarunner Micah True

True, better known as Caballo Blanco, went missing while out on a run.