When we’re not outdoors, we get our adventure fix by exploring social media and the web. Here are some of the best adventure links we’ve discovered this week.
In Alaska’s Warming Arctic, an Indigenous Elder Passes Down Hunting Traditions: Climate change and the approval of a new mining road through Kotzebue, Alaska are having a huge impact on traditional indigenous life. Inupiaq hunter and fisher Roswell Schaeffer teaches his great-grandson how to hunt in a landscape that is changing beyond repair.
Giant Rock, Landers, California. Is there any unusual natural object that aliens didn’t have a hand in? Photo: Shutterstock
The Story of California’s Mythic Giant Rock: Giant Rock is a colossal freestanding boulder near Landers, California. It is one of the Mojave Desert’s most surreal attractions and among the largest rocks on Earth. For decades, the roughly seven-story-tall, 30,000-ton rock has spawned questions: Was it deposited in the desert during the last Ice Age, as a jumbo erratic? Or was it created by erosion, or, ahem, left by aliens?
The future of search and rescue?
The Rescue Robot Dog: Engineering students at Texas A&M University have built an AI-powered robotic dog that could be the future of search-and-rescue missions. The robotic canine “sees, remembers, and thinks.” Using a memory-driven navigation system and voice-command recognition to plan paths and avoid obstacles, the practical — but admittedly creepy-looking creature — could transform search-and-rescue operations in remote terrain.
The Wall of Walls: Veteran climber Will Gadd chronicles his multi-year quest in Canada’s Kootenay mountains to find hidden ice routes to climb. Over the last three years, with partner Kirk Mauthner, Gadd has established multiple lines, including Enduro, Relentless, Infinite Gratitude, and 118. All these routes are on an immense face they call the “Wall of Walls.”
Will Gadd and Kirk Mauthner. Photo: Will Gadd
Astronauts rank spaceships
The Best Fictional Spaceships According to Astronauts: Space travel is a cornerstone of the sci-fi genre, and real astronauts love it. Four European Space Agency astronauts discuss the sci-fi spacecrafts they would most like to command. They single out iconic vessels like the USS Enterprise-D from Star Trek: The Next Generation, Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon from Star Wars, and the Rocinante from The Expanse.
I’ve Been Guiding Mount Everest For a Decade: A veteran mountain guide pulls back the curtain on what it is like to work on the world’s highest mountain. Guiding on Everest blends adventure with the constant pressure to keep demanding clients alive and content. The days are long, it strains personal relationships, and you are thrown into life-and-death situations. However, for many guides, the upside outweighs the challenges. For example, the average guide earns $20,000 per Everest climb, and if you own your own business, it can be double that.
The South Nahanni River in Canada’s Northwest Territories. Photo: Scott MacGregor
Canadian whitewater
A New Generation is Shaping the Future of the Nahanni River: Paddling Magazine’s founder Scott MacGregor recounts a two-week journey down the legendary 337km South Nahanni River in Canada’s Northwest Territories. The lead guide is his 19-year-old son. The route includes a floatplane flight, Class I and II whitewater — the guided section of the river is pretty easy — and stunning views of Virginia Falls. He highlights how a new generation of outfitters and indigenous partnerships is shaping the future of paddling on the river.
Over 30 Years After Climbers Were Banned, A Historic Bouldering Area Reopens: With hundreds of bouldering problems, the Howard Knob site above Boone, North Carolina, was once popular with climbing icons. However, in 1993, a developer bought the land and banned climbing. Now, 32 years later, the Blue Ridge Conservancy, with long-time support from the Access Fund and the Carolina Climbers’ Coalition, officially purchased 73 acres of the historic Black Gneiss bouldering field.
