Sorry, but it's been quite a few years since I've brushed up on my high school French, but you really don't need to know the language to know how frightening this had to have been for these four hikers in New Zealand. The video was published a few days ago by Adrien Whistle, presumably from France. Based on the Google translation, the video essentially states that one of the main cables of the suspension bridge broke as the four hikers were crossing it, at which point they fell 8 meters (26 feet) into the river. Fortunately there were no serious injuries. It's pretty crazy that the whole episode was caught on film:
Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikingintheSmokys.com
Friday, October 9, 2015
Annual Visitation to Yellowstone Already Surpasses Previous Record
With three months left to go, visitation to Yellowstone National Park this year has now surpassed the previous record for total annual visitation set in 2010. The park has thus far seen more than 3.8 million visits in 2015, which exceeds the total visits recorded in the previous busiest year of 2010, when the park tallied just over 3.6 million visits.
Yellowstone hosted a total of 680,213 recreational visits in September, an increase of 18.97 % compared to September 2014 numbers. This month's numbers bring the total up to 3, 814,178 recreational visits in the first nine months of 2015, which is 15.97% over 2014 levels. Each of the park's five entrances showed an increase in vehicles for the month of September compared to 2014 levels. The west entrance recorded the largest increase in September visits, at 16,384 more than September 2014.
"This is certainly a noteworthy event," said Dan Wenk, Yellowstone National Park Superintendent. "We are delighted to see that more and more visitors are making their way to Yellowstone to experience the park. However, it creates additional challenges for our staff who work hard to protect this amazing place while providing top-notch services for visitors. We want to do everything we can to make sure that park visitors have a safe and enjoyable trip, while at the same time protecting the special resources that Yellowstone was set aside to preserve."
While many factors are at play, park managers point to the National Park Service's "Find Your Park" public awareness campaign, marketing and tourism promotions by the states of Montana and Wyoming, and lower gas prices as possible influences in the record number of visits to Yellowstone this year.
Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikingintheSmokys.com
"This is certainly a noteworthy event," said Dan Wenk, Yellowstone National Park Superintendent. "We are delighted to see that more and more visitors are making their way to Yellowstone to experience the park. However, it creates additional challenges for our staff who work hard to protect this amazing place while providing top-notch services for visitors. We want to do everything we can to make sure that park visitors have a safe and enjoyable trip, while at the same time protecting the special resources that Yellowstone was set aside to preserve."
While many factors are at play, park managers point to the National Park Service's "Find Your Park" public awareness campaign, marketing and tourism promotions by the states of Montana and Wyoming, and lower gas prices as possible influences in the record number of visits to Yellowstone this year.
Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikingintheSmokys.com
Thursday, October 8, 2015
Grand Teton Presentation: Braided Channels History of Snake River Recreation
Dr. Yolonda Youngs, Assistant Professor of History at Idaho State University, will present her preliminary research on the history of recreation on the Snake River in Grand Teton National Park on Friday, October 9 from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Her late afternoon talk titled "Braided Channels" will take place at the Teton County Library Auditorium in Jackson, Wyoming.
Grand Teton has a rich and complex history of outdoor recreation, commercial guiding, and tourism. This history includes pioneering contributions to climbing, mountaineering, hiking, dude ranching, and river rafting that are part of larger trends seen across the United States during the post-World War II recreation boom. Despite this rich history and its impacts on the field of national park recreation management and the outdoor recreation industry, very few scholarly projects have explored these aspects of the park's past.
During her talk, Dr. Youngs will share images, stories, and the fascinating history of the Snake River community. To date her exploration of the topic has included archival research, field work, and oral histories of pioneer guides, commercial concessionaire operators, and river rangers. Through this examination, she has uncovered a fascinating and scarcely told past and is expanding the scope of her study of the river.
Dr. Youngs specializes in environmental historical geography, historical Geographic Information Systems (GIS), cultural landscapes, tourism, outdoor recreation, field methods, national parks and protected areas, and the western United States. She earned a Ph.D. in Geography from Arizona State University and a M.S. in Geography at Montana State University. She teaches courses in the Historical Geography of National Parks, World Regional Geography, Digital History, GIS, and U.S. Environmental History.
If you've never had the opportunity to take a float trip down the Snake River through the Grand Tetons, I highly recommend it. The trip offers the chance to see a variety of wildlife, in addition to seeing the mountains from a different perspective. Several months ago I posted about our float trip last summer.
Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikingintheSmokys.com
During her talk, Dr. Youngs will share images, stories, and the fascinating history of the Snake River community. To date her exploration of the topic has included archival research, field work, and oral histories of pioneer guides, commercial concessionaire operators, and river rangers. Through this examination, she has uncovered a fascinating and scarcely told past and is expanding the scope of her study of the river.
Dr. Youngs specializes in environmental historical geography, historical Geographic Information Systems (GIS), cultural landscapes, tourism, outdoor recreation, field methods, national parks and protected areas, and the western United States. She earned a Ph.D. in Geography from Arizona State University and a M.S. in Geography at Montana State University. She teaches courses in the Historical Geography of National Parks, World Regional Geography, Digital History, GIS, and U.S. Environmental History.
If you've never had the opportunity to take a float trip down the Snake River through the Grand Tetons, I highly recommend it. The trip offers the chance to see a variety of wildlife, in addition to seeing the mountains from a different perspective. Several months ago I posted about our float trip last summer.
Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikingintheSmokys.com
Temporary Closures Scheduled for Jenny Lake Area
Starting Tuesday, October 13, a temporary area closure will be in effect for several trails and walkways within the Jenny Lake area of Grand Teton National Park. The temporary public closures are necessary to ensure public safety during construction activities involving helicopter transport of heavy material to the Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point areas on the west side of Jenny Lake as well as the paved walking paths on the east shore of the lake. The public closure will last from October 13 through October 15, and possibly longer.
For safety during the staging and hauling of several loads of rock and construction materials, trails leading from the Jenny Lake east shore boat dock area and the Moose Ponds Trailhead to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point will be closed to all public access. There will also be intermittent closures of the walking paths in the vicinity of the Jenny Lake Visitor Center. Lake access from the public boat launch will not be allowed.
All visitor services in the Jenny Lake area, including the visitor center, are closed for the season. Signs will be posted throughout this closure area, and park staff will be positioned to provide suggestions for alternate routes for anyone visiting this area of the park. Areas not affected by this temporary public closure include: the Teton Park Road; Jenny Lake scenic loop road; access to Cascade Canyon via the Horse Trail; access to Jenny Lake via the String Lake parking lot and trailhead; and access to the Lupine Meadows Trailhead.
This slight and temporary inconvenience will be short-term in nature. Park managers appreciate the public's cooperation in observing all posted closure notices in the Jenny Lake area.
This rehabilitation and construction work is part of the Jenny Lake Renewal project. Work on the backcountry trail system on the west shore of Jenny Lake will continue next summer, while work on the front country visitor area on the east shore of the lake is beginning this fall and will continue next summer. The project is funded through a public-private partnership initiative with the Grand Teton National Park Foundation.
Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikingintheSmokys.com
For safety during the staging and hauling of several loads of rock and construction materials, trails leading from the Jenny Lake east shore boat dock area and the Moose Ponds Trailhead to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point will be closed to all public access. There will also be intermittent closures of the walking paths in the vicinity of the Jenny Lake Visitor Center. Lake access from the public boat launch will not be allowed.
This slight and temporary inconvenience will be short-term in nature. Park managers appreciate the public's cooperation in observing all posted closure notices in the Jenny Lake area.
This rehabilitation and construction work is part of the Jenny Lake Renewal project. Work on the backcountry trail system on the west shore of Jenny Lake will continue next summer, while work on the front country visitor area on the east shore of the lake is beginning this fall and will continue next summer. The project is funded through a public-private partnership initiative with the Grand Teton National Park Foundation.
Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikingintheSmokys.com
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Yellowstone Canyon Rim Overlooks and Trails Rehabilitation Plan Approved
The National Park Service has issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) to update and repair many of the overlooks and trails located along the rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River. NPS Intermountain Regional Director Sue Masica approved the FONSI on September 24, 2015 based on the Environmental Assessment (EA) recommended by Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Dan Wenk in mid-August. The Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office concurred with the finding that historic and cultural resources in the area will not be adversely affected by the undertaking as planned.
The approved action will address aging and deteriorating infrastructure, provide improved accessibility to visitors, improve pedestrian flow, address safety issues, and improve the visitor experience in the area, all while retaining the historic integrity of this extraordinary portion of the park. Areas to be addressed in the plan include: the Brink of the Upper Falls, the Brink of Lower Falls, Uncle Tom's, Inspiration Point, Red Rocks Point, Crystal Falls, and their associated connecting trails.
With the EA and associated compliance completed, improvements to the overlooks, trails, and some associated parking for the first phase is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2016. Construction would occur in at least two phases with the first phase including Inspiration Point, the Brink of the Upper Falls, and Uncle Tom's Point dependent upon available funding.
Copies of the EA and the FONSI, and more information about this project, are available on the National Park Service Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) website, www.parkplanning.nps.gov/CanyonOverlooks, or by writing to: Compliance Office, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 82190.
Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikingintheSmokys.com
The approved action will address aging and deteriorating infrastructure, provide improved accessibility to visitors, improve pedestrian flow, address safety issues, and improve the visitor experience in the area, all while retaining the historic integrity of this extraordinary portion of the park. Areas to be addressed in the plan include: the Brink of the Upper Falls, the Brink of Lower Falls, Uncle Tom's, Inspiration Point, Red Rocks Point, Crystal Falls, and their associated connecting trails.
With the EA and associated compliance completed, improvements to the overlooks, trails, and some associated parking for the first phase is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2016. Construction would occur in at least two phases with the first phase including Inspiration Point, the Brink of the Upper Falls, and Uncle Tom's Point dependent upon available funding.
Copies of the EA and the FONSI, and more information about this project, are available on the National Park Service Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) website, www.parkplanning.nps.gov/CanyonOverlooks, or by writing to: Compliance Office, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 82190.
Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikingintheSmokys.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)