Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - Fourth of July Edition!

Northwest:

--The Squamish Access Society is reporting that, "The BC provincial government is in the process of transferring several crown land parcels to Squamish Nation as part of the Squamish Nation’s agreement with Woodfibre LNG. An agreement between the parties was reached in March 2019. In May 2019, SAS learned that one of the land parcels (the “Watts Point parcel”) includes approximately half of the climbing routes and hiking trails at Murrin. The land parcel includes Petrifying (“Pet”) Wall, which is one of North America’s finest single-pitch cliffs." To read more, click here.

--Last week there was a spate of car break-ins at the Heliotrope Trailhead for Mt. Baker. Be careful with your valuables at all trailheads...!

--So a guy in BC was attacked by a bear. The bear is dead. The guy survived. All thanks to a hatchet that he was carrying in his vest... To read the harrowing tale, click here.

Sierra:

--Apparently June 21st was Hike Naked Day...

Desert Southwest:

--KSL.com is reporting that, "Federal land managers are considering several ways to address overcrowding at a scenic natural area about a 30-minute drive from the Las Vegas Strip. Entrance fee station upgrades, a dedicated entrance and exit for taxis and ride-hailing services and a cutoff road to return motorists to the visitor center without driving an entire 13-mile (21-kilometer) one-way loop are among options being studied, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported." To read more, click here.

Colorado and Utah:

--The Denver Post is reporting that, "The Boulder County Coroner’s Office has identified the climber who died at Boulder Falls on Friday as Charlie Liebman, 21, of Poway, Calif. An emergency call for a fallen climber was reported to the sheriff’s office around 6:25 p.m. Friday at Boulder Falls off of Boulder Canyon Drive, according to release." To read more, click here.

--Arapahoe Basin is open today!

--Speaking of skiing, it's possible that a year-round ski area will open 30-minutes from Denver. Check out the video below for more:



Notes from All Over:

--Rock and Ice is reporting that, "Austin Howell, widely known in the climbing community through his Instagram account “Freesoloist,” died after a fall while free soloing at Shortoff Mountain, Linville Gorge, North Carolina, on June 30." To read more, click here.

--A climber was killed in the Mendenhall Towers near Juneau last week. To read more, click here.

--There are some ticks that we don't know that much about. It's especially scary that some of these are coming from far off lands. Here's an interesting piece about an invasive tick species in the Northeast.

--The weather modeling system that is used throughout the United States is getting an upgrade. To read more, click here. But the move to 5g might screw it up anyway. For that story, go here.

--Bloomberg is reporting that, "the Trump administration wants to clear 11,000 miles of fire fuel breaks across public lands in six Western states as a way to control giant wildfires. But wildfire experts are mixed on the viability of the plan, the government’s own scientific agency calls it a “grand experiment,” and environment groups are strongly opposed." To read more, click here.

--Some yahoo is upset that people are wearing backpacks to the office.