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Archive for 'July 2012'

Climbing Legacy of Hueco Rock Ranch to Live On

Here's news all you boulderers and climbers will be happy to hear. The Access Fund and the American Alpine Club (AAC) have partnered to keep the iconic Hueco Rock Ranch in climber-friendly hands with new ownership by the AAC. Located just outside Hueco Tanks State Park and Historic Site near El Paso, Texas, the ranch is the primary spot for climbers to pitch their tents, pay for a bed or hire a guide when visiting the popular climbing destination. The AAC will be dishing out over $15,000 to ...

Posted by Joe P. on July 13, 2012 7:28 PM & Tagged Access Fund, American Alpine Club, Hueco Rock Ranch, Hueco Tanks and Rock Climbing | permalink | Comments



My First Time as a Group Traveler: One Skeptic's Story

Group travel. For a lifelong independent traveler and skeptic like me, these mere words have always conjured up fears of large crowds, restricted itineraries and a possible bombastic companion or two. I've always avoided such trips. So when I recently gave in and took an organized group bicycle trip to eastern Europe, it was with a fair of amount of trepidation. Could I adjust to the group mentality? Or would my worst fears be realized? My chosen trip was the REI Adventures' Prague to Budapest ...

Posted by Steve T on July 13, 2012 4:57 PM & Tagged Cycling, REI Adventures, Travel, group travel and guides | permalink | Comments



Simply Sizzlin': Death Valley Hits 128° as Badwater Ultramarathon Draws Near

Think it's been hot in your neighborhood? Take a look at what's been cooking at Death Valley National Park the past few days. Yesterday's high temperature (July 11) at the park's Furnace Creek Visitor Center: 128°F (53°C), the highest temperature recorded in the U.S. in this, the sweltering summer of 2012. That's a day after the mercury hit 126°, on July 10, at the visitor center, which is 190 feet below sea level. Other fun facts about heat to know and tell: • On July 10, 1913, Death Valley ...

Posted by T.D. Wood on July 12, 2012 7:27 PM & Tagged Badwater, Heat, death valley, national parks and ultramarathon | permalink | Comments



Shun the Chair: Extend Your Life by Sitting Less, Moving More

News outlets from The Wall Street Journal to WebMD to Time have picked up on a study that indicates people who spend less time sitting are likely adding years to their lives. According to a study published in the British Medical Journal's online outlet, BMJ Open, reducing your time spent sitting to 3 hours a day or less may add 2 years to your life expectancy. Plus, cutting TV viewing to fewer than 2 hours a day may extend life by about 1.4 years. This reinforces an Australian study released ...

Posted by T.D. Wood on July 12, 2012 7:26 PM & Tagged active, exercise, health and sitting | permalink | Comments



Training for a Big Hike? REI Outdoor School Can Help

Are you fairly new to hiking but with a big hiking goal in your future? In Southern California, lots of hikers dream of summiting Mount Whitney (14,496'), the highest point in the lower 48 states. So many, in fact, that the REI Outdoor School created a popular series of "Whitney Training Hikes" to help hikers improve their odds of success. I tagged along on last Saturday's REI Outdoor School hike of San Gorgonio Peak (11,502'), the highest peak in Southern California. The summit trail along ...

Posted by Steve T on July 6, 2012 7:25 PM & Tagged Hiking, Mount Whitney, REI Outdoor School and San Gorgonio Peak | permalink | Comments