Latest news with #backcountry
CBS News
5 hours ago
- CBS News
2 unidentified campers found dead at Isle Royale National Park, officials say
The National Park Service is investigating after two unidentified people were found dead at Isle Royale National Park. According to officials, at around 4 p.m. on June 8, two park rangers responded to a pair of separate reports of two people found dead at a remote backcountry campground that's within the park. The two rangers hiked 11 miles overnight to the campground, arriving early Monday morning. When rangers arrived at the site, they found the bodies of two unidentified people. The causes of death have not yet been determined. On Monday, additional aviation and ground resources responded to the area. The park service says more information will be released once it's available. An investigation is ongoing.
CTV News
6 days ago
- CTV News
Dog killed in Canmore elk attack: Fish and Wildlife
Alberta Fish and Wildlife says a dog was killed by a elk in Canmore last week. In a statement sent to CTV News, Fish and Wildlife said officers were called to the area at 10 a.m. on Sunday, May 25 for reports an elk had charged a dog, injuring it. Officials say the dog didn't survive the attack. The elk was gone when officers arrived. Fish and Wildlife officers are using the tragic event to illustrate the importance of being cautious when in areas where elk are commonly seen. 'Remember that all elk can be dangerous during any season,' Fish and Wildlife said in a statement. 'Female elk can be especially aggressive during calving season (mid-May to early July). Male elk can be aggressive during the autumn rut (September to November).' Signs of an agitated elk include: staring with flattened ears and raised rump hair, curled lips, grinding teeth, charging and kicking. Backcountry visitors are encouraged to stay at least 30 metres away from elk and avoid taking pets into areas where elk are calving. 'If you must take your pets, keep them on leash at all times,' Fish and Wildlife said. If you are approached by an elk, Fish and Wildlife says to:
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Travel + Leisure
28-05-2025
- Health
- Travel + Leisure
I'm a Lifelong Hiker With Mobility Issues, and I Don't Leave the House Without This Ultralight Stool
I've been a hardcore hiker my whole life. For years, the thrill I got from hitting the trail had less to do with stopping to smell the roses and more to do with racking up as many miles as I could, as fast as I could. My pace came to a screeching halt in my early 20s when I developed a medical condition that leaves me sore and fatigued if I don't keep my activity level well within my limits. As anyone who's ever had to deal with a change in mobility can attest, learning to adapt and keep doing what you love is a tough process, but finding help from the right tools is a huge relief. For me, that tool was my trusty Helinox Speed Stool. With its tiny packed size, this little stool has lived in my various hiking packs, totes, and sling bags day in and day out since I first picked it up. It's been my companion on relaxing mountain town vacations, multiday backcountry adventures, and even in quiet store corners, whenever I need a minute to sit. Before I found the Speed Stool, I struggled to find a balance of size, ease of use, and comfort that fit my needs. Many camp chairs on the market are wonderful to sit in around the campfire, but they don't fit in every bag. Even when I tried smaller options, I found that the minute or two they take to set up was enough to deter me from pulling them out unless I desperately needed a break. That's the beauty of the Speed Stool—when you pull it out of its carry pouch, a quick shake is often enough to encourage the stool's internal bungee cords to practically assemble itself. On a busy public sidewalk, it's a game-changing feature, far better than fiddling with locking mechanisms or assembling poles as people push past. When I need to sit down, I really need to sit down, and not having to devote mental energy to setup means I have more time to recover and get back to enjoying myself. I've mentioned how small this stool packs down, but it bears repeating. Hardly tipping the scale at just a pound, Helinox itself says its stool is around the size of a small baguette, and I'd say that's about right—for around the size and weight of a sub sandwich, you can sit anywhere without hassle. I haven't attempted to use a baguette as a chair before, but this stool is certainly far more comfortable. It's just the right height off the ground, and the fabric has the perfect amount of give. Helinox also designed this product with long-term use in mind—an important consideration when looking for accessibility solutions. With sturdy aluminum poles sourced from DAC, manufacturers of the tent poles in many of my favorite hiking tents on the market, and a UV-resistant, high-denier ripstop seat, this stool can take a beating (or many, many seatings). If you're shopping on a budget or are looking to test out whether a stool might be the right mobility aid for you, there are plenty of great, affordable options at Amazon worth considering. My favorite wallet-friendly pick is this portable camping stool from GCI—it packs down to just about the same size as Helinox's stool and only weighs a third of a pound more. Tripod stools like this one are incredibly easy to set up, and shock cord throughout the legs means they'll easily pop into place when you just need to pull over and take a seat. In my experience, tripod stools like this one tend to wobble on uneven ground, but GCI has solved that issue with a clever piece of fabric around the legs that stops them from splaying out. Best of all, this stool comes with a thoughtfully designed drawstring carry pouch. If you're like me, you'll be tossing this into your bag every time you leave the house, but if your bag is already jam-packed, the carry pouch comes with a carabiner to securely attach it to the outside. One reviewer wrote that, as an elderly person with mobility trouble, they appreciated how this stool 'sets up in a flash' and said, 'I can clip it onto my crossbody bag using the carabiner, and the additional weight is negligible.' Whether you need help staying on your feet all day like me, or if you're just someone who appreciates a comfy place to sit, these stools will make a big difference in the way you move through the world. Check out more great stools below that might be the perfect accessibility aid for you. Love a great deal? Sign up for our T+L Recommends newsletter and we'll send you our favorite travel products each week.
RNZ News
18-05-2025
- Climate
- RNZ News
Wānaka search and rescue responding to more avoidable accidents
Wānaka Search and Rescue chair Raewyn Calhaem (L) and alpine cliff rescue team leader Davie Robinson. Photo: RNZ / Katie Todd *The headline on this story has been corrected to clarify the proportion of callouts to avoidable accidents has increased, not the overall number. Wānaka search and rescue teams are responding to more avoidable accidents as unprepared people venture deeper into the back country, lured partly by the influence of social media and websites. Volunteers said they had observed more people "lost and out of their depth" in 22 rescue operations between October and March, including nine alpine cliff rescues, three swiftwater or canyon rescues and three sub-alpine or bush rescues. Alpine cliff rescue team leader Davie Robinson said the type of call-outs had changed in his 25 years with Wānaka Search and Rescue. "We're definitely seeing more and more accidents that generally shouldn't be happening," he said. "When you're rescuing people that don't really need rescuing, we're getting a little bit frustrated because one day we will have an accident. And it's just a matter of time and numbers." Rob Roy Glacier, Wānaka Photo: RNZ / Katie Todd Robinson highlighted the summer rescue of three women near the Brewster Glacier in Mt Aspiring National Park who were stuck in "steep, dangerous country" - one of 17 call-outs in three years on the Brewster Track. They called for help using the satellite text function on their phones and were winched to safety by helicopters in bad weather at night in "scary" conditions for rescuers, Robinson said. "As soon as we get a helicopter in bad weather, the danger increases. We start doing that stuff at night that [danger] ratchets up again," he said. "Sending out a beacon, we're going to assume it's the worst case scenario. So we're going to try really hard to get there." Robinson said people were venturing into the backcountry without learning how to read a map and compass or properly preparing for alpine hikes. "It's a combination of the Insta kind of thing - people just flashing up great photographs of an alpine lake ... but at the same time it's an alpine walk, in apline terrain, with alpine hazards," he said. "There's also a lot of ultra-light travel going on now, so if people have got better and better at doing stuff, they've tended to go lighter and lighter. It might be websites like Fastest Known Time ... Strava, all those apps that are recording stuff, advertising it. So you quite often go in the backcountry and you're rescuing people who are following some ultra runner's route." Wānaka Search and Rescue said many other rescues were the result of genuine accidents, where people had not necessarily done anything wrong. Chair Raewyn Calhaem said Australian woman Claire Frances Connell, who died while hiking the Te Araroa trail near Lake Hāwea in February, slipped and fell "in just the wrong place". Later that month, Argentinian Hector Gaston Artigau slipped on the Rob Roy Glacier track and fell into the river. His body was believed to be trapped in one of the deep Rob Roy stream canyon pools. Hector Gaston Artigau fell into a river on Waitangi Day. Photo: Givealittle screenshot Search crews spent more than 800 volunteer hours over nine days, using dog teams, underwater cameras, probes and other specialist equipment in what Calhaem said was an "extraordinarily difficult" attempt to find him. "This was unquestionably the most difficult operation we have undertaken ... we deeply regret we could not bring appropriate closure to Hector's family," she said. Calhaem said mistakes or accidents were always possible but people should prepare by starting with easy trips and visiting the Department of Conservation and Mountain Safety Council's websites for information about specific hikes, recommended equipment and weather warnings. "You can be extremely well prepared and still have an accident, but there are things that people can do to try and mitigate that risk," she said. "The thing with New Zealand back country is it's open and accessible to everybody. You can't close it off and for the majority of people, it's fine, it's just every now and then people get themselves in trouble or they accidentally put themselves somewhere that they shouldn't be." She said Wānaka Search and Rescue was fortunate to be financially well-established, with a highly-skilled team that often dropped everything to come to the aid of the lost, missing and injured. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Forbes
18-05-2025
- Forbes
4 Ways To Use ChatGPT To Plan Your Next Adventure Trip
Let's be clear: technology can never replace the benefits of spending time outside in natural settings, wild places, and public lands. Those benefits include better health outcomes, decreased stress and anxiety, and the healing aspects of feeling hope and awe. They're so powerful that doctors even prescribe time in nature for medicinal purposes. As people become increasingly connected to technology and AI, though, they're isolating more and more, increasing unhealthful feelings of loneliness and disconnection. But, surprisingly, there is a place for AI in helping people to get outside. Adventurers are turning to tools like ChatCPT to better prepare for travel and trips. Whether you're planning a backcountry trek, a solo van journey, or an eco-conscious surf retreat, ChatGPT can help with everything from logistics to mindset. Here are four ways to use it as your digital co-pilot. Tools like ChatGPT can help adventurers plan their next trip. Prompt"I want to plan a 5-day hiking and camping trip in [location] Why it works Instead of scrolling through crowdsourced reviews or SEO-heavy blog posts, ChatGPT filters your preferences into a streamlined, thoughtful route—with flexibility for those who prefer discovery over rigid scheduling. Prompt"I'm traveling to [place] Why it works Backlash against overtourism in hotspot destinations has dominated headlines in recent years, highlighting the fact that travel can often feel voyeuristic, transactional, and insensitive to locals. AI can help travelers act as guests, not consumers—surfacing sustainable options and cultural insight that can help with deepening your connection to place, not just your itinerary. Prompt"I'm going on a 3-day trek in a region with unpredictable weather. Can you help me make a gear list that covers the essentials, keeps weight light, and includes one or two comfort items I'll be glad I packed?" Why it works Pre-built packing lists are often generic. This prompt tailors essentials to your specific environment, trip length, and values—like comfort, sustainability, or ultralight travel. Prompt"I want to keep a short travel journal while I'm traveling. Can you give me a few daily prompts that help me reflect on what I see, feel, and learn each day?" Why it works Adventure travel isn't just about movement—it's about meaning, and integrating those experiences into our everyday lives back home. These prompts help travelers slow down, observe, and articulate their connection to the land, the culture they're visiting, and to themselves. ChatGPT won't replace the trail beneath your boots or the stars above your tent—but it can help you show up more prepared, more present, and more connected. When used intentionally, it can be a great travel hack.
