Wild Gear Warehouse

10/02/2019

Why do you climb?
“To enter the vertical world is to understand the land on an intimate scale—to understand its complexity, its origin, and its grandeur. I climb to see how small I am, to see my role in this great, grand, world. I climb to share moments of pure adventure and euphoria with the people I love. I climb to love the foundations of this world.” —Ranger Liam

Yosemite has been described as a climbers’ playground, where people from all over the world come to create, build, and perfect skills. Though in reality, Yosemite is so much more than a simple playground. Climbing here has been a stage for environmental and stewardship movements that have influenced people from across the world. The dedication and collaboration of climbers have led to a monumental shift of our respect of the natural world. Yosemite’s walls and crags are an integral part of a larger ecosystem, protected as Wilderness, and set aside for people to enjoy in a natural state for generations to come. People come here to not only climb our granite cliffs, but to build a community that reaches well beyond the boundaries of this park.

09/30/2019

09/25/2019

09/20/2019

The Incline was constructed under the ownership of Dr. Newton N. Brumback (1854-1923) as a funicular in 1907, for the purpose of providing access to water tanks at the top of the mountain that would provide gravity-fed water pressure to the cities of Manitou Springs and Colorado Springs. Originally, the railroad was constructed to access a hydroelectric plant and service the water pipes. The Incline operated under the Pikes Peak Cog Railway until a rock slide in 1990 washed out the rail bed and the Cog Railway decided to not repair the tracks.

Since its closure as a railway in 1990, the trail has steadily grown in popularity as a hiking trail and fitness challenge. The base of the Incline sits at 6,600 feet (2,000 m) and the trail climbs 2,011 feet (613 m) in about 0.88 miles (1.42 km). Hiking the trail should not be undertaken by the physically unfit, as there is no vehicle access to the trail and anyone injured or suffering a medical emergency will have to walk or be carried down by other hikers.

About ​2⁄3 of the way up, a Barr Trail switchback passes just a few yards from the Incline, and there is a pathway that allows those who wish to exit the Incline the opportunity to take the Barr Trail back down. Locals refer to this point as the 'Bailout' or the 'Wimpout' point. The Incline is at its steepest grade just after the bailout for about another 200 feet (61 m), when it reaches the 'false summit', a semi-crest in the trail that obscures the true summit to hikers due to its extreme grade. Those who reach the false summit are about ​3⁄4 of the way to the top, but still have several hundred feet to climb.

The incline, Manitou Springs, Colorado
Photo by Philip Reiter

09/18/2019

You have no idea the scope of size of these trees until you are up close and personal. The mammoth size just blows you away. This enchanted place needs to be seen, and hiked in, to be believed. The trees are so massive, the forest so green and dense, that you can easily imagine you have left the 21st century entirely. Nature produces shapes and postures here, both giant and miniature, that effortlessly surpass the work of any human hand. So park your car. Set off down a trail. And slowly fall into the quiet, timeless, welcoming arms of the earth itself.

It's the middle of the week, so here's a 360-photo from the middle of a redwood!

NPS Photo / G Litten [Image description: 360 degree view inside a fire-scarred tree with gaps in the trunk showing outside scenes of other trees]

09/16/2019

What does fall look like to you? This week in Glacier National Park rangers have observed leaves changing color in the maples and cottonwoods, Columbian ground squirrels heading for hibernation, swallows migrating from the park, and mountain ash berries ripening to a bright red.

As the days get shorter, chemicals that are synthesized only at night, primarily melatonin in animals and phytochrome-red in plants, will build up, triggering a flurry of physiological changes that prepare these organisms for long periods of dormancy. At the same time that this series of changes kicks off in the cells of our organisms, Glacier National Park starts to prepare for winter as well.

Fall can be a wonderful time to visit the park. However, as the forests light up with the colors of the season, visitors must also prepare for reduced and changing levels of service.

The Going-to-the-Sun Road will be closed for construction between Avalanche Creek and Logan Pass from September 16-29. Water systems are being winterized and turned off, and visitors should bring their own water to locations like Logan Pass and some campgrounds. Concession services, like boat rides and horse tours, are wrapping up as well. To keep up with all of these changes, the park newspaper is a great tool. Check out page 3 for a list of hours and dates for park services. The newspaper can be found at entrance stations, visitor centers, or on the park website: go.nps.gov/glaciervisitorguide.