Carry on Climbing
Let’s dispense with the warnings first, shall we? If you’re afraid of heights, don’t climb the via ferrata at Nelson Rocks Preserve. Just don’t. As far as the other warnings go, let’s take a point out of NRP’s waiver, written in refreshingly plain language by Stuart Hammett, lawyer/co-owner along with his wife, LaVonne Hammett: “It’s a fact, climbing is extremely dangerous. If you don’t like it, stay at home. You really shouldn’t be doing it anyway.”
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s concentrate on what the acrophobes are missing out on: two knife-edge quartzite fins jutting up hundreds of feet out from the forest, connected by an aerial footbridge. Green, undulating ridges as far as the eye can see. Sunshine on your smiling face and a stiff breeze waiting to knock you off the four-foot-wide peak (don’t worry, you’re tied in). Kestrels and red-ta
The Summer Road Trip
When you go out on a summer road trip, you want a combination of cool scenery and great stuff to do when you stop. Also, the stop activities should be things you would normally never do — otherwise, you’re just b
Get Your Green Going
Have you ever wondered what your personal carbon footprint is? A carbon footprint is the measurement of the impact your human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of green house gases produced, calculated in units of carbon dioxi
» Full StorySee the Hemlock — A Limited-Time Offer
Those bumper stickers that read, “Daddy, what were forests like?” seem a bit melodramatic, don’t they? But the reality is, your grandkids may grow up to think of hemlocks the same way we think of American Chestnuts — long exti
» Full StoryGraffiti Does Hawaii, Leaves Money (on the nightstand) In the Ocean
Dear Wave,
I don’t blame you for what you did. In fact, I halfheartedly thank you for ridding me of the pixilated mediocrity my gear had become. I mean, who needs a phone or camera anyway? (I do, Ocean, I d


