Indoor Kids: A Contrarian Opinion
Fast on the heels of our last dispirited post—on the reported decrease in the number of Americans willing to venture outdoors, leaving behind the comforts of fridge, recliner and screen—came two stories that provide an interesting nuance to the discussion. And maybe a reinterpretation. The first, from Colorado Public Radio, documents the strain placed on...
Never forget the Icy Finger of Death
You’ve been baking under the sun for a few weeks now. There’s more to come. Summer feels like an energy leech, sucking away your strength, your enthusiasm, your life force. You long for winter. So it’s time to remind everyone that cold, though attractive right now, can be as terrifying and lethal as fire. To...
A Curious Obsession
In early March of 1979, Ranger Steve and I were traveling Highway 2 from East Glacier, Montana to Kalispell. Having just reviewed an epic production of Barefoot in the Park by the East Glacier Players, we were headed west to do a little alpine sliding. The entire area was besieged with slides and major avalanches...
Plugged in, in nature: How much isolation do we want?
Alaska Dispatch has a nice piece by Deanna Neil on the integration of technology and our experience of nature. Truth be told, that integration has been going on for centuries, since an ink-stained printer using movable type chunked out the first backpack-sized plant and wildlife identification books. And books are just...
