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 the Yukon -35˚ is the Perfect Weather: Most travelers visit the Yukon in northwestern Canada during summer, but winter has something special to offer. At a chilly -35°C, the temperature might put some people off, but this is when the Yukon comes to life.
This year marks the 60th Yukon Rendezvous. It runs from Feb. 9 to Feb. 25 and celebrates the return of the sun. Locals celebrate with hair-freezing competitions, chainsaw chucking, dog sledding, and flour packing.
Barefoot Walking: Many people wax lyrical about the benefits of barefoot running, but what about barefoot walking? Fliss Freeborn talks to people about their love of barefoot walking, or walking in minimalist shoes. Intrigued, she invests in some minimalist shoes and shares her thoughts.
Will walking barefoot become a new trend? Photo: Barefoot Backpacker
Missing hikers
Woman Missing After Hiking in Atmospheric Storm: A 22-year-old woman, Lifei Huang, has gone missing in California. She did not return after hiking in the Mount Baldy area of the San Gabriel Mountains.
While Huang was hiking, a storm hit the region. The weather was so bad that the search-and-rescue team had to pause their work on Tuesday because of deep snow and avalanche risk. It is the same mountain on which actor Julian Sands died last year.
The Burgeoning Science of Search and Rescue: In May 2023, Matthew Read disappeared in Glacier National Park. The hiker had not returned after two days and a 30-strong search team set out to find him using the science of “lost person behavior.”
Robert Koester, dubbed “the king of search and rescue,” has been working on the science behind how different people behave when they get lost in the wilderness. Knowing a person’s profile can help search efforts dramatically.
Ceruti excavating Inca mummies. Photo: María Constanza Ceruti
A scientist and an artist
High Altitude Archaeology: In 1998, Constanza Ceruti was excavating Inca ruins on Mount Misti. That was when she knew high-altitude archaeology was her calling.
Ceruti has carried out excavations in Egypt, the Himalaya, Peru, and Greenland, all on peaks over 5,900m. Unlike most climbers, she often spends weeks at the top of prominent peaks. Ceruti talks about her experience in the mountains.
Robert Bateman on Life, Art, and Mice: Robert Bateman had always loved nature and the outdoors. By the age of 12, he had painted every hawk and owl in North America. Now he has painted landscapes and wildlife from every corner of the world.
Now aged 94, the renowned wildlife artist speaks to Canadian Geographic about his life. He ponders if painting counts as work, where his love of art came from, and whether mice will be the reason he is remembered.
Robert Bateman. Photo: Canadian Geographic
Problems in climbing communities
A Conversation on Climbing’s Diversity Problem: Only 1.5% of U.S. climbers are African American and just 4.7% are mixed race. This is a huge discrepancy compared with national figures: 36% of the population are non-white.
Indigo Johnson started researching diversity in climbing after a friend told her, “If you want to be part of our community on campus, you should stop spending so much time with the climbers.”
How Did He Get Away With So Much: Charles Barrett was a big part of the North California climbing community. Now he is on trial for sexual assault. While climbing and writing a series of bouldering guidebooks, he was also allegedly leaving a trail of victims in his wake.
Over 14 years, people took out nine protective/restraining orders against him, and four women accused him of sexual assault. Previous girlfriends have shared stories of violence. In 2022, he was arrested for sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman. He now faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
