National Geographic ADVENTURE

July 4, 1845: The Birth of the American Environmental Movement

Text by Andrew Burmon

Photograph by wereldmuis, via Flickr

The Declaration of Independence endowed us with the right to pursue our own happiness. And on July 4th most Americans do exactly that. Barbeques, fireworks, “Stars and Stripes Forever."

July 4th, 1845 was no exception to this rule. In Concord, Massachusetts, men and women were enjoying what Governor Charles Sumner had declared a “national sabbath.” Stores were closed and plows leaned up against white barns. But one citizen was not enjoying the arcadian siesta. Henry David Thoreau, who lived just off Concord’s flag-wrapped main street, had just finished packing.

It was certainly no coincidence that Thoreau chose Independence Day to move to the cabin he had built for himself on the shore of Walden Pond.

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Lost Outward Bound Kids Found in California Backcounty

Text by Editor John Rasmus

Update:  The Associated Press just reported that the nine kids and two guides lost in the Sierra Nevada have been found! Details of what exactly happened are unknown at this point.

This case of the missing Outward Bound group in California is baffling. I can't remember an instance when such a large group—nearly a dozen teenage kids and their two guides—simply disappeared in the backcountry. By the time you read this they will probably be safe and sound, with some simple explanation along the lines of "we got really, really lost."  But in the meantime, there are a lot of kids wandering around somewhere in the Sierra Nevada backcountry. 

There are two ways of looking at the fact of such a large group being lost. On the one hand, whatever happened—bad falls, extreme conditions, etc.—they have each other to help, and they will be more visible to search parties. On the other hand, when things go bad in such large numbers, they can go really bad—the kind of "accident cascade" that our Deep Survival columnist, Laurence Gonzales, writes about: someone gets lost; others go out to find them, and they get lost. Before long, if good judgement doesn't prevail quickly, things are spiraling downward. If you add in things like hypothermia, dehydration, or other conditions that can affect the judgement of more than one person, it can be a huge challenge for the leaders in charge.

I'm not going to speculate—I have no idea what really happened. I may just feel a little jittery because 1) we ran a story, "A Death at Outward Bound," about what can go wrong in just such situations in Adventure last year. And 2) my 15-year-old daughter is about to embark on a backpacking trip with a dozen kids and fairly young leaders in the Colorado Rockies in a couple of weeks.

The Adventure Life with Steve Casimiro The Five Best Things About Returning to Civilization CELEBRITY EDITION!

Nothing says home like a plate of steaming haggis.
—Adventurer Colin Angus

It only takes a couple weeks in the backcountry to make you—well, me—miss steamed milk, unmelted chocolate, and pillows. But what about hard-core adventurers? Maybe they’re so core, they don’t miss a thing. Maybe they make us look like the big, fat wussies we really are ... or do they?

Read on and see what these seasoned vets miss when they're out there.

Featuring: Adventurers Julie and Colin Angus; ice climber Will Gadd; climber Mike Libecki; surfer Kassia Meador; long-distance hiker Andrew Skurka

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The Adventure Life With Steve Casimiro Gear Review: Garmin Colorado 400t

Text by West Coast Editor Steve Casimiro

Evolution sometimes makes huge leaps, and the introduction of the new Garmin Colorado 400t ($640) is the equivalent of fish growing feet overnight.

Far superior to its predecessors—both from Garmin and competing brands—the Colorado is a different species of GPS altogether. The biggest changes are in mapping and controls. Maps have traditionally been Garmin’s weakness—pricey, a pain to load, and sorely lacking in detail. The Colorado comes with the entire United States preloaded (both topographical and road maps). Its topos are colorful and enhanced by contour shading to give the illusion of three dimensions; a separate 3-D function further illuminates the lay of the land. The unit’s scroll wheel controls almost everything, from switching menus to enlarging maps, meaning I could ride my mountain bike with one hand and check the screen with the other. No more fumbling with five separate buttons or a joystick.

As with any evolving species, there’s still room for improvement: For all their utility, the Colorado’s topos only have contours down to 150 feet—I’d like to see them get down to the 40-foot intervals of competitors’ models. Darwinism being what it is, maybe evolutionary pressure will make that change—and fast.

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The Adventure Life With Steve Casimiro: The 10 Worst Hiking Songs

You’ve been there, you know the pain. For social, weight, or practical issues, the iPod stays home, not in the backpack. And despite one last listen of a really cool tune before you lock your vehicle and head into the backcountry, it happens: The worst song in the world gets stuck in your head. Over and over and over....

10. “We Built This City,” by Starship
9. “Achy Breaky Heart,” by Billy Ray Cyrus
8. “Tom’s Diner” by Suzanne Vega
7. “Whoomp! There It Is,” by Tag Team
6. “Who Let the Dogs Out,” by Baha Men
5. “Copacabana,” by Barry Manilow
4. “Ants Go Marching,” by artist unknown
3. “Tie a Yellow Ribbon,” by Tony Orlando
2. “My Sharona,” by The Knack
1. “My Humps,” by Black Eyed Peas

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The Adventure Life With Steve Casimiro: Into the Wild Flowers

Text and photographs by West Coast Editor Steve Casimiro

The desert in bloom is a terrestrial Milky Way, the bright blossoms standing in sharp contrast to the dry vacuum surrounding them. Across the Southwest, last winter’s consistent rains have created one of the best wild flower seasons in years. And while flower sniffing has always seemed a soft pursuit to me, it makes one heck of a good reason to throw on a backpack and get out there. So, last weekend, we did.

See more photos and discover seven great places to see springtime flowers in California and Arizona >>

Deep Survival: Brain Vs. Gadget

On a solo backpacking trip this winter, reader Nate Freund was stranded high on California's Ontario Peak during a snowstorm. Read his story, then see Deep Survival author Laurence Gonzales's analysis of the situation.

Submitted by Reader Nate Freund
After reading your article "Folk Wisdom" in National Geographic ADVENTURE [April 2008], I was inspired to write to the author whose concepts played a critical role in my survival.

On January 22, 2008, I set out for a solo backpacking trip to summit Ontario Peak of the Cucamonga Wilderness. I was rescued by Search and Rescue forces from the San Bernardino Mountains after a U.S. Air Force satellite detected my distress signal from my Personal Locator Beacon. It was the first successful rescue of this kind in California--one initiated from a legitimate activation of a personal EPIRP carried by a recreational hiker.

I had spent months staring into the snow-capped mountain range from the Claremont roads as I drove to school everyday. My third attempt to summit this season began on a clear Sunday morning. After hiking a mile above the city, I set up camp on top of Big Horn Peak. I woke up the next morning to see clouds covered everything below me.

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What's Your Favorite Hike?

Do you have an all-time favorite trail? Whether it's a backcountry epic or an urban escape, your pick could be included with April's America's Best Hikes cover story. Tell us where the hike is and why it's your tops on your list. Please post your picks in the comment area below.