Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 8/31/20

Northwest:

--An injured climber was airlifted this week from Mt. Townsend in the Olympic Mountains of Washington State. To read more, click here.

--A climber was injured in a fall in Index late last week. Little information is available about the accident. There have been reports that this was a 20-year-old woman and that there were head and spinal injuries, but these have not been confirmed. A bit more can be found, here. A video of the helicopter hoist of the victim can be found, here.

--A climber near Cutthroat Peak in the Cascades recently found a duffle bag with a mysterious white substance in it in a densely wooded area. It is believed that the duffle was ejected from a plane being chased by the Border Patrol in November. The bag does appear to have been dropped from a plane, but the substance was not drugs. To read more, click here.

A new via ferrata route has been installed in Smith Rock State Park in Oregon.

--There is some serious controversy over a new via ferrata route at Smith Rock State Park. To read about it, click here.

--Mount Rainier National Park is studying transportation and visitor use in the Nisqually to Paradise corridor. To share your input on this, click here.

Sierra:

--Here are some updates on the SQF Complex Fire in the Sierra. 

--And here is some road construction info on the road (South Lake Road) and trailhead to Bishop Pass.

--Also, bears in Tahoe have figured out automatic doors:



Desert Southwest:

--The Deseret Sun is reporting that, "Joshua Tree National Park officials announced on Friday that a body was found a day earlier within the park near a sedan along Black Eagle Mine Road." To read more, click here.

Colorado and Utah:

--Salt Lake Magazine is reporting that, "in an attempt to enhance skier safety during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Vail Resorts, owners of Park City Mountain, will require all guests to utilize an online reservation system in order to ski at their resorts during the upcoming 2020/2021 winter season. The reservation requirement applies to all skiers and snowboarders, including Epic Pass holders, in an attempt to make sure resorts do not exceed daily capacity to operate resorts safely during the pandemic. The move is sure to ruffle some feathers among locals and pass holders who are used to showing up to ski the country’s largest resort whenever and however they please, but executives at Vail feel it’s the only way to keep the mountain open while coronavirus still impacts everyday life." To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--Gail Bates, the very first employee of the American Alpine Club, died recently at the age of 103. To read an obituary on this pioneer, click here.

--Travel and Leisure is reporting that, "An American tourist who violated Canada’s coronavirus travel restrictions at least twice to sneak a visit to Banff National Park in June is now facing a six-figure fine and up to six months in jail." To read more, click here.

--A new thru-hike is being proposed in Alaska. The Alaska Long Trail will cover 500-miles and will go from Seward to Fairbanks. To read about it, click here.

--Outside has published an article about changing mountain names back to their native names: "Giving Mountains Back Their Indigenous Names. Navajo climber Len Necefer is using social media to remind us of our wild places' indigenous histories." To read the article, click here.

The aftermath of a recent forest fire in Washington State.

--We've long understood what leads to the types of insane wildfires that we've seen in California. But there's little political will to change. Check out this article on the subject from Mother Jones.

--And finally, if you haven't had the opportunity to watch Patagonia's phenomenal feature film about climbing and how it impacts our lives, check out Stone Locals, for free.