Daily Hiker

Still time for suggestions on winter-usage at Yellowstone NP

2010-03-09T06:48:08Z

America’s first national park, Yellowstone National Park, has been making the headlines in recent years because of controversial winter-usage plans. The fight over the limits and regulation of snowmobiles and snowcoaches between conservationists and snowmobilers has been widely reported. Currently the park has set limits that allow up to 318 snowmobiles and 78 multi-passenger snowcoaches per [...]

Canadian government invests in BC National Parks

2010-03-08T05:28:37Z

On Friday Dr. James Lunney, Member of Parliament for Nanaimo-Alberni announced that the Government of Canada will invest $3.8 million in National Parks and Historic Sites on Vancouver Island. The invested funds would go towards boosting the tourism infrastructure at Pacific Rim National Park and the Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Sites. Hoping [...]

Updated SPOT Messengers available soon

2010-03-05T05:40:31Z

A few months ago (mid-December, to be exact) SPOT LLC issued a voluntary recall of all SPOT 2 Messenger beacons. Problems with battery life and messaging were detected and SPOT has been working hard to fix the problem. Those who applied for the exchange program back in December have been waiting for the new units to [...]

Multiple false alarms lead S&R on 2-month hunt for the culprit

2010-03-04T06:25:57Z

We stumbled across this bit of news via Alan Arnette’s Twitter feed and had to share it, as it provides a valuable lesson for any gear and gadget enthusiast. According to the Denver Post, the mystery surrounding multiple false alarms triggered by a personal locator beacon (PLB) over the course of the last two months [...]

Reservations for Yosemite Half Dome climbs now available

2010-03-03T06:30:01Z

After a years of overcrowding and potentially dangerous situations on the Half Dome cables in Yosemite National Park, a new system has been put in place. To reduce the amount of people on the cables at one time, you’ll need to reserve your climb in advance. On Monday, March 1 the online registration system went live [...]

Update on proposed National Monuments

2010-03-02T05:23:17Z

Early last week a list of fourteen areas under consideration for National Monument status was leaked to the press. This leak caused quite a bit of commotion on Capitol Hill. Shortly after the news broke, two senior House Republicans started accusing the administration (specifically, the Interior Department) of trying to take over vast areas of [...]

Review: Patagonia Nano Puff

2010-03-01T04:27:52Z

When Patagonia introduced the Nano Puff last year at the 2009 Outdoor Retailer Winter Market, everyone was talking about it. This summer they'll be expanding the Nano Puff jacket into a line with a few more styles (full zip, full zip hoody, and shelled version). We had a chance to test the current style, the half-zip pullover on a few recent excursions. Read more for our full review.

Review: Primus Power Lighter

2010-02-26T06:19:49Z

Ever had a nearly spent fuel canister? One that’s too far gone to bother taking camping with you, but not empty so you can’t throw it away? I’ve had a few over the years and I’ve always wondered what to do with them. Thankfully, Primus has solved that problem with a feisty little lighter. The Primus [...]

New York State Parks on the chopping block due to budget cuts

2010-02-25T06:59:41Z

If you’ve been following our Twitter feed, you’ve probably seen some of the links about New York’s latest solution to their budget woes. Late last week it was released that the state legislators are considering closing or reducing hours of operations and programs at a laundry list of state parks in order to trim the [...]

Fourteen wilderness areas to be considered for National Monument status

2010-02-24T06:34:23Z

The Obama Administration is considering adding up to fourteen locations across the western part of the United States to the list of National Monuments. In a memo that was leaked to the press, the wilderness areas are outlined and described as “good candidates” for consideration. Though I’m quite a fan of keeping wild spaces protected through [...]