BirdShooter's Backpacking Blog & Podcast Series
REI opened their 5th store in the Atlanta metro area today in Alpharetta, GA and clearly their marketing folks have figured it out. There were over 800 people waiting in line at 10am when the doors opened. Yeah .... people love free stuff, and REI delivered. The first 200 in the door received a water bottle with a $25-100 gift card inside. I opted to head back to work rather than line up as shopper #804. How in the world did so many people get off work mid-morning … [Read more...]
Here's an interesting article about over reliance on technology on the Trail. From Glacier National Park and reported by the Magic City Morning Star: "I don't know what to do," she said several times. And that, of course, was the problem. They were strangers in this strange land of "no cell service." No texts. No calls. No contact. And while the manager offered her options, the girl's reaction got me thinking. This almost teenager wasn't prepared to handle … [Read more...]
I read Bill Irwin's book during my 1994 thru-hike - very inspiring. He was the first blind hiker to hike the entire Appalachian Trail and did it with the assistance of his dog Orient. Sad to hear that he has passed over the weekend: "Bill Irwin, who in 1990 became the first and only blind person to hike the entire length of the Appalachian Trail without human assistance or companionship, died Saturday morning." A video story on You Tube... … [Read more...]
Yesterday, author Jon Krakauer posted an article in the New Yorker that claims to solve the mystery once and for all on how Chris McCandless died ... "Considering that potentially crippling levels of ODAP are found in wild-potato seeds, and given the symptoms McCandless described and attributed to the wild-potato seeds he ate, there is ample reason to believe that McCandless contracted lathyrism from eating those seeds." You might recall that Chris McCandless was the tragic figure … [Read more...]
Photo of Turtle Island's Eustace Conway on his ranch in N.C. from theadvocate.comIt's hard to say how much "reality" is in the History Channel's "Mountain Men" TV series - but I confess to watching and enjoying the program. Here's an interesting article on Eustace Conway, the North Carolina mountain man who promotes sustainable and primative living. It's a tale of man v's government and how the popular TV series may have saved his beloved Turtle Island near the Pisgah … [Read more...]
When Mark John spotted two hikers in the backcountry of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness - something didn't seem right: "Usually when you meet people in the back country, you have a pretty good encounter, you know, and talk about where they've been and where they're going. But they didn't want to talk," he told reporters at CNN.Salmon River - Frank Church River of No Return WildernessThe Idaho horseman was riding with his wife and … [Read more...]
From the Daily Echo in the UK....A HAMPSHIRE man dubbed the Naked Rambler has failed in a bid to challenge his latest jail sentence.Stephen Gough gained notoriety after walking naked from Land’s End to John o’Groats ten years ago – and has since been handed prison sentences totalling more than six years.The 54-year-old was jailed for 11 months in June after being found guilty of breaching an antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) which bans him from appearing in public with his … [Read more...]
