NOTES FROM ABOVE THE TREE LINE
ROCK PTARMIGAN
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FROM THE FIELD
Man Who Bought $600 Tent Reports Conditions “Pretty Primitive”
A man sleeping inside a $600 lightweight tent approximately 40 yards from a flush toilet described conditions at a developed campground Saturday as “pretty…
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FROM THE FIELD
8 Bear-Resistant Food Containers Bears Will Never Appreciate
A bear canister is an expensive plastic or composite cylinder you carry into the backcountry so a bear cannot eat your tortillas.
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FROM THE FIELD
10 Animals That Could Absolutely Ruin Your Weekend
Most animals do not want to ruin your weekend. This is important. The moose is not monitoring your vacation calendar. The rattlesnake has not…
Latest Stories
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Campground Dad Awakens at 5:47 A.M. to Begin Making Everyone Else Awake
A campground father began operations at 5:47 a.m. Sunday with a coordinated sequence of cooler latches, tent zippers,…
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11 Animals That Are Much Larger Than You Thought They Were
Animal names are poor units of measurement. “Pelican” sounds manageable. “Salamander” sounds small. “Turtle” does not prepare you…
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The Pika Is Running Out of Mountain
A pika looks like a hamster designed by someone who had recently seen a rabbit. It is small.…
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Counting the National Park Parking Lot
The first number is 146: the cars ahead of us when we reach the entrance. The second is…
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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…
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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…
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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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