NOTES FROM ABOVE THE TREE LINE
ROCK PTARMIGAN
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NEWS IN BRIEF
Ten Birds to Notice in the Canadian Rockies
The Canadian Rockies are large enough to make a bird list feel ridiculous. A mountain can hold forests, rivers, cliffs, and alpine slopes in one view, while the birds move through each place on their own…
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FROM THE FIELD
Counting the National Park Parking Lot
The first number is 146: the cars ahead of us when we reach the entrance. The second is 12: minutes spent wondering whether there…
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FROM THE FIELD
An Interview With a Bird That Declined Identification
Rock Ptarmigan: Thank you for joining us. What species are you? Bird: That seems like your concern. The bird arrived in a hedge just…
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FROM THE FIELD
The Overlanding Rig at the Grocery Store
The truck has recovery boards, a roof tent, extra lights, and a shovel attached where everyone can see it. On Saturday morning it travels…
Latest Stories
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A Hiker’s Five-Hour Route to the Couch
The hike begins at 8:15 a.m. with a map open on the kitchen table. By nine, the hiker…
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The Volunteer Who Could See the Whole Trail
At a trail workday, the tallest volunteer is asked whether he can see a missing sign from where…
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The Tent-Placement Summit
At the campground, four friends spend forty minutes selecting a site for one tent. One wants morning sun.…
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The Case for Ordinary Legs
Every hiking photograph seems to feature someone at the top of a ridge, legs positioned as though they…
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One Rare Bird, a Very Small Internet
A rare bird appears near a pond. By lunch, the person who spotted it has seen seventeen photographs,…
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An Investor Misses the First Forest
After reading that some trees live for thousands of years, a man becomes convinced he should have bought…
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A Bear Locker Full of Questions
The new food-storage container at the campsite is a rutabaga nearly as wide as a picnic table. Nobody…
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A Shorter Line to “The Real Grand Canyon”
Near a national park entrance, a man in a folding chair offers visitors a shortcut to “the real…
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The Trail Dog Encounters a Gear Founder
The dog recognized him before her owner did. Ten years earlier, he had shared half a sandwich at…
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Thirty Minutes of Unscheduled Woods
At 2:00 p.m., the camp counselors were told they had half an hour with no assigned activity. They…
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The Friend Who Learned One Birdsong
Last spring, the group’s bird expert identified everything by sound. This spring, his friend learned the call of…
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Ice Cube on Finding a Quiet Trail
Fictional satirical interview. This conversation did not take place. Rock Ptarmigan: What brings you out before sunrise? Ice…
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