When we’re not outdoors, we get our adventure fix by exploring social media and the web. Sometimes we’re a little too plugged in and browsing adventure reads can turn from minutes to hours. To nourish your own adventure fix, here are some of the best adventure links we’ve discovered this week.
These Four Men Were Experienced Athletes in the Outdoors. Why Did None Survive Hikes in California? The men came from different backgrounds, with varying ages, professions and hometowns, but all were either from California or visiting the state when they ventured — alone — into the outdoors. All were experienced in the wilderness ,and several were good athletes. But none returned alive.
The Ice Inferno: Spending a season at a scientific outpost in Antarctica many years ago, a scientist recalls gradually realizing that Antarctica “did not offer a unique experience so much as the experience of having the familiar world removed.”
Forrest Fenn, finally reunited with his treasure. Photo: Jack Stuef
The fight over buried treasure
Revealed: Forrest Fenn’s Treasure Was Hidden in This National Park: In 1988, Forrest Fenn, an American art dealer and author, hid a bounty of gold and jewels somewhere in the mountains north of Santa Fe. In June 2020, someone finally found the treasure. An affidavit filed as part of an ongoing lawsuit confirms that it was buried in an iconic American park. Officials are now scrambling to keep the exact location secret.
Searching For Superman — The Strange Disappearance Of Fritz Stammberger: He was an Ubermensch — born in war-torn Germany, handsome and charismatic, the first person to climb and ski an 8,000m peak without supplemental oxygen. But he also had a shadowy side, one that involved betrayal, intrigue, maybe even manslaughter.
Outdoor Poop Etiquette Is Changing (You’re Probably Not Going to Like It): While out on a wild camp in some local mountains in the UK last night, I wasn’t surprised to find the usual lazily discarded toilet paper with stones stacked on top. Even if the miscreants had dug a ‘cat hole’, it’s apparently no longer a sustainable way to bury our waste in the wilderness.
The effervescent Junior Bounous. Photo: Snowbird.com
96-Year-Old Junior Bounous Has Just Completed 96 Days of Skiing in a Season: People call him a pioneer, a legend, and the godfather of skiing. Valid descriptions, but insufficient. Former Snowbird Mountain School Director Maggie Loring says, “I’m not sure there’s any good way to describe Junior.” In fact, he was born without a name: his birth certificate says only “Boy Bounous”. It is as if labeling him, even then, was too great a task.
Is it true bears can’t run downhill?
13 Myths About Bears That No One Should Believe: Should you climb a tree to get away from a bruin? Do bear bells really attract bears? Is it dangerous to go into bear country when menstruating? Backpacker Magazine tackle these questions and more.
Harriet Chalmers Adams: The Original Adventure Celebrity: Harriet Chalmers Adams was living the dream. In the early 20th century, she figured out what millions of people on social media and crowdsourcing sites are fussing over today: How do you make a living from your adventures?
