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Do you want to know what happens to the human body at high altitudes? And the scientific detail behind it? NOVA followed a group of climbers to Mt. McKinley (known as Denali) and produced this highly educational film. Here’s my full review of Nova: Deadly Ascent. Are you as excited as I am about Ken Burns documentary, National Parks, America’s Best Idea, that will be on PBS starting September 27, 2009? This 12-hour, 6 part highly anticipated documentary took 10 years to make, and based on the previews I’ve seen, it will have amazing footage from many of our wonderful U.S. National Parks. The entire series on DVD: ![Image of Ken Burns: The National Parks - America's Best Idea (Blu-Ray) [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51gJRhGkLkL._SL160_.jpg "Ken Burns: The National Parks - America's Best Idea (Blu-Ray) [Blu-ray]") The book!  The episodes follow the history of the national parks, starting with Congress’ protection of Yosemite and the creation of Yellowstone, the first national park.
Check out the PBS website to see the TV schedule. The National Park Foundation is offering a free 75 page PDF guide to America’s National Parks. I just downloaded a copy and it has some great info, and definitely cool color photos and maps. There are lots of trails mentioned, so let’s get hiking! National Parks Owner’s Guide 2009  National Parks Owners Guide 2009 Amazon.com has some great deals on hiking and backpacking gear, and today they announced that they have a dedicated page to Outdoor Recreation. Amazon Outdoors What is great is that they are giving away free National Parks and Federal Recreation Lands Pass if you purchase over $299 on outdoors merchandise. Since those passes cost $80, if you need $299 worth of gear it’s worth checking out Amazon’s Outdoor store. Check out the restrictions of course to make sure you get the National Parks pass.  Amazon.com Outdoor Page  Granite Frontiers: A Century of Yosemite Climbing Generally I try to spend my weekends outside, either exploring a new hiking trail, trekking on a backpacking adventure, trail running, kayaking, biking, etc! But this weekend was different: I decided to check out the Granite Frontiers Exhibit at the Gene Autry Museum in Griffith Park (Los Angeles, CA). There has been a lot of buzz about this exhibit (Blog post about and video about the exhibit), and rightly so! Finally the underfollowed sport of rockclimbing is getting a moment in the limelight. Granite Frontiers: A Century of Yosemite Climbing is a fascinating view into the world of rockclimbing and mountaineering at Yosemite. The exhibit traces the history of climbing in the Yosemite Valley, arguably the premier climbing spot in the West. The two most famous (and most challenging) granite faces of Yosemite, El Capitan and Half Dome, get a lot of attention. The pictures are breathtaking, and it sure is fascinating to learn about the pioneers of the sport and see the images of their climbing achievements. The likes of Warren Harding, Royal Robbins, and the woman rockclimbing pioneer Lynn Hill are profiled among others. The multi-day process to attempt an El Capitan or Half Dome climb is explained, with an interactive view of camping (bivouacking) on the rock face. One of the highlights is being able to climb onto a portaledge and get a feeling of what it is like to “camp” on a multi-day rockclimb. Sleeping with a 2000 foot drop below and suspended from the side of a behemoth rock face like El Capitan clearly takes guts of steel! Another fun interactive exhibit, especially for kids and non-climbers, are small granite slabs where you can practice inserting cams (spring loaded camming device is the official term!), stoppers, and hexes, plus see up close what a piton looks like when attached to a rock face. There are video displays of climbers scaling inverted rock faces, pictures of life at Camp 4, the rockclimbing hang out spot at Yosemite, and a fascinating view of all of the climbing routes of El Capitan. The only thing that was a disappointment was that it was a small exhibit! Tip: Be sure to pick up the “Self-guided Tour” brochure when you walk into the exhibit. It is full of great info about the history of climbing, equipment, and what words like “cam” and “piton” mean for those non-climbers out there! Granite Frontiers: A Century of Yosemite Climbing will be at the Autry Museum until October 4, 2009. |
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