Just before dawn …, Richard Code disappeared into the darkness and lit out for the Ontario wilderness, bringing little more than a few supplies and the skills he had learned from watching Survivorman, a reality show about subsisting in the bush. …
Richard Code with father, Mel Code.
… Code’s body was found in a marshy, snowed-in area just north of Huntsville.
Police say Code’s death is not considered suspicious at this time and his brother Stephen Code said OPP have informed him that the cause of death was hypothermia. …
Rosemary Kitchen on Gadling linked to 8 videos from 7 hikes.
Yikes!
I link to this one, the top of name, because a couple of days before I climbed up there, a Russian hiker was killed by lightning. On this exact spot! Now that’s scary.
Others on the list: Spain’s El Caminito del Rey (“The King’s Little Pathway”), Mount Hua in China, Tennessee’s Mount LeConte, Angel’s Landing in Utah, and Philippines’ Mount Pinatubo.
This photo of Munch by Jill Goodell generated some discussion on the Yosemite Blog.
A commenter named Tom suggested he’d be within his rights to shoot a loose dog in Yosemite National Park. It’s illegal to be off-leash.
Seems to me Tom’s not actually threatening to shoot Jill’s dog, but rather was using exaggeration to make a point. Off leash dogs can wreak havoc with wildlife.
Click through to that post if you’ve an opinion to add: Yosemite Blog – The Last Straw
But I’m thrilled he won the prestigious TED prize for 2010.
At the heart of Oliver’s work is an assault on the obesity epidemic: The CDC states that one in four Americans are considered obese. It is estimated that 43 percent of Americans, or 103 million people, will be obese by 2018. The cost of this epidemic is anticipated to reach $344 billion per year. It currently accounts for almost 10 percent of the yearly US health care costs, and that rate will rise to 21 percent by 2018. WHO’s latest projections indicate that, globally in 2005, approximately 1.6 billion adults were overweight and projects that by 2015, that figure will rise to 2.3 billion.” …
Hank Leukart calls his Without Baggage blog posts “Essays“.
Magazine quality writing. One of my favourite sites.
I’m one of those readers who believes Hank’s secret motto is, “Whoever dies on the craziest, most dangerous adventure, wins,”
This time Hank was frustrated he couldn’t get a permit to hike the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim.
Solution? Do it late December when no sane person would want a permit. Who cares that the North Rim is closed in winter.
Starting at the south rim Bright Angel Trailhead, Hank and his brother couldn’t find the biggest hole in the U.S.A. with both hands. They were lost immediately. Not an auspicious start.
And why not put a Santa Claus suit in with your lightweight winter camping gear?
Why not?
In the end, it turned out that the Santa suit was the best decision they made.
… Early the next morning, Brian puts on the Santa suit and goes to fill his Camelbak with water. A twenty-something-year-old woman interrupts him.
“Santa! Do you mind if I sit on your lap and get a picture?” she asks.
The specs aren’t definitive. But I’ve seen cited on other blogs an approximate weight of 2lbs. At that I’d carry it as survival gear even on day hikes.
Available late Spring 2010. Guesstimated price, $250.
A word of caution from Dr. Ross Tucker and Dr. Jonathan Dugas:
… I guarantee that the media are going to be all over this and they are going to tell you that you should be running barefoot or in Vibrams. You will hear how science has proven that being barefoot will prevent injuries, and that those of you who are injured should blame your shoes as you lob them into the garbage bin. …
If you wish to guarantee yourself an injury, then go out for a 2km run barefoot on a hard surface, and you will be asking your calf muscles and Achilles tendons to do work that for perhaps 30 years, they haven’t had to do. …
Disadvantages of Forefoot Striking Barefoot or in Minimal Footwear
* Thick-soled shoes are much more forgiving when running over glass, sharp objects, ice and so on.
* If you have been a heel striker, it takes some time and much work to train your body to forefoot or midfoot strike, especially because you need stronger feet and calf muscles. Runners may be at greater risk of developing Achilles tendonitis when they switch from heel striking to forefoot or midfoot striking …
besthike.com 