73-year-old Japanese woman scales Mount Everest, breaks her own record 

Posted on May 19, 2012 by Howard Meyerson

73-year-old Japanese woman scales Mount Everest, breaks her own record  - NY Daily News

A feel good story if ever there was one. It gives this aging outdoor writer hope.

Tamae Watanabe reached Everest’s 8,850-meter-high (29,035-foot-high) summit from the northern side of the mountain in Tibet on Saturday morning, the New York Daily News reports today. She was with four other team members.

“Watanabe had climbed Everest in 2002 at the age of 63 to become the oldest woman to scale the mountain. She had retained the title until she topped herself a decade later.”

The oldest person to climb Everest is a Nepalese man, Min Bahadur Sherchan, who climbed Everest in 2008 at the age of 76, the story reports. Read more: Everest record.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Michigan adding rustic campgrounds to online reservation system

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Howard Meyerson

By Howard Meyerson

Eighteen of Michigan’s more popular state forest campgrounds are being added to the state campground reservation system this season.

That’s a first for the remote and rustic campgrounds that have always operated on a first-come, first-serve basis.

“It made sense to allow those sites to be reserved,” said Tim Schreiner, manager of Traverse City State Park and the man appointed within the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to usher the state forest campground program into a new era. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Everest Expedition Calls Off Risky West Ridge Climb

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Howard Meyerson

Dry and windy conditions that transformed a normally snowy route into an icy one has forced a  National Geographic team to call off their attempt to climb the rarely climbed West Ridge of Mount Everest. National Geographic reports today that its team planned to climb the West Ridge and Southeast Ridge as part of a joint expedition with North Face to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first US ascent of the highest mountain in the world. The Southeast ridge will be attempted later this month. Read More:  First ascent.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

One foot up: Army Bans Five Fingers Shoes

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Howard Meyerson

I tried them on at a store one time. I liked them, but I didn’t buy. It took too long to get my toes in place.

But Five Fingers footwear has become the rage all across the country with runners and hikers who like the natural bare-foot approach.

Enter the US Army which doesn’t think they are appropriate for the guys and gals overseas. This is a photo of a paratrooper from the US Army’s 10th Special Forces leaping out of the back of a plane.

If you ask me, the camouflage style is kind of cool. And if the shoe fits…..well then. A piece today on the Trailblazer Hub Blog takes a look at this move by the army, which is floating a policy change that requires traditional footwear.  More at: Five Fingers

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Wild Swine, the DNR and a Solution

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Howard Meyerson

Much has been said about Michigan’s feral swine problem in recent weeks, particularly now that the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is enforcing a ban on those species that are considered an invasive species.

Angry pig-hunt farm operators have alleged all sorts of wrong-doing by the agency. Fortunately cooler heads have prevailed in the courts and elsewhere.

The Michigan Land Use Institute, a highly reputable conservation organization, came out today with a thorough review of what led up to the ruckus. It highlights how the Michigan legislature failed to act when they should have and where a solution might exist for the conundrum Michigan now faces.  For an intelligent read take a look at: Wild Swine, the DNR and a Solution.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

One Special Bird: The ruby-throated hummingbird

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Howard Meyerson

If I could pump my arms 55 times a second the way these birds flap their wings, I still wouldn’t be able to fly, let alone backwards. It’s amazing to think that they might fly 500 miles, non-stop over the Gulf of Mexico, when they migrate between North America and Mexico or Central America.  Found on Facebook at: Sungazing 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Pushback: UP brook trout proposal faces stiff opposition

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Howard Meyerson

By Howard Meyerson

Marquette, Mich – State fisheries officials may be swimming upstream on the issue of brook trout regulations for the Upper Peninsula. A Michigan Department of Natural Resources proposal to double the daily creel limit from 5 fish per day to 10 fish per day has run into a stiff current of opposition in the U.P.

Of approximately 100 people who attended eight public meetings this spring, half were opposed, according to state officials, who initially believed most Upper Peninsula anglers supported the idea.

“I was surprised by that,” said Steve Scott, the DNR fisheries supervisor for the Newberry and Baraga districts. I thought there would be more support for the regulation.” Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

New Vision: State forest campgrounds repositioned

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Howard Meyerson

Fox River State Forest Campground

Campers can look forward to paying less at most state forest campgrounds from now on. Fees were lowered in April by $2 to $3 per night after Michigan Department of Natural Resources director, Rodney Stokes, approved the change looking to bring the price in line with rustic campgrounds at state parks. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Michigan tick problem growing, tips to avoid bites, Lyme disease

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Howard Meyerson

The Black-legged tick is the species that carries Lyme Disease

By Howard Meyerson

Hikers and campers need to be careful on trails these days, particularly on the west side of Michigan. Warmer spring temperatures not only brought out the wildflowers, they also brought out ticks.

A good friend of mine told me last week of his recent nightmare hike at the Kalamazoo Nature Center. The trails there are delightful. He regularly walks them. But on this trip, he came away thick with ticks. Most were on his clothing, but he found one on his chin under his beard.

“I thought I had a growth,” he said, laughing about scratching his chin after getting home and feeling something there.

He pulled it out quickly without a problem. He was lucky. State health officials say ticks, particularly black-legged ticks that carry Lyme disease, are no laughing matter. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Blame Cows for Los Angeles Smog?

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Howard Meyerson

I don’t know how far I want to go with this topic, but it did catch my eye this morning.

“A study just published in the Geophysical Research Letters estimates that ammonia emissions due to dairy cattle in the Southern California air basin (SoCAB) could be almost triple the tonnage of ammonia emissions from automobiles. Ammonia serves as a key ingredient in the recipe for smog.

Are drivers off the hook, while smog fighters refocus on the Los Angeles milk suppliers?,” asks the story on Tree Hugger today. Read more:  Cow Farts

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment