Freeclimbing Mountain Goats don't give a Dam

Ever thought about who invented sport climbing and/or free climbing?

Well, you can read about it in Wikipedias 'History of Rock Climbing'.

However, the original 'free climbers' are a the mountain goats, chamois and ibexes.

Check out this video, were you see a group of goats climbing around the almost vertical wall of a dam in Gran Paradiso National Park in Northern Italy.

Alpine Ibexes Scale Near Vertical Dam In Gran Paradiso Nat'l Park Italy

It's familiar territory for the wild alpine goats who live in steep rocky terrain at high altitudes. Fortunately for us some people caught the moment when a ...

Mountaineering Death on K2

Mountaineering death on K2 are not exactly something new.

Based in northern Pakistan, the K2 is the second largest mountain on earth after Mount Everest.

K2 is notorious for being dangerous and more difficult to climb than Everest. The mountain is also notorious for claiming the lives of many climbers trying to reach the summit.

This climbing season was the worst so far and claimed more lives of mountaineers than ever before. More in the video below.

--- Unfortunately, the video mentioned above has been removed by the respective creator. As a replacement I've posted an interesting documentation about K2! ---

Hiking Blind

Trevor Thomas hiking the entire 936 miles of the MST.

Imagine going hiking blind.

Here's the amazing story of  Trevor Thomas, the blind hiker from Charlotte, North Carolina.

Trevor was the first blind person to finish the entire length of North Carolina's Mountains to Sea Trail, a 935-mile hiking trail that runs from Klingman's Dome in the western end of the state to Jockey's Ridge on the Outer Banks.

Read the full story by Jeff Eason here.

Hiking the MST isn't Trevor's first achievement. Back in 2012 he was the first blind person to climb Mt. Whitney in the Sierra Nevada, CA.

Here's a short 1 minute video from that trip:

And here's another one from a hike on Pacific Crest Trail, which runs from the Mexican Border up to Canada:

Hiking blind is a special adventure and must take a lot of courage. Congratulations Trevor to your successful hikes and hopefully many more amazing trips.

Resources:

Friends of the Mountains to Sea Trail

Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) on Wikipedia

Pacific Crest Trail on Amazon

Mountains to Sea Trail on Amazon

Canoeing in Quttinirpaaq National Park

High up in Canada's north, just about 750 km (about 466 miles) from the North Pole, is the Quttinirpaaq National Park. The park located in Nunavut is Canada's most northern park.

I found this video about canoeing through the icy channels and pools on the surface of the ice during the summer melting on Ward Hunt ice shelf.

Here's the video provided by Parks Canada:

Would you too like to go to Quttinirpaaq National Park for an icy canoeing trip? Let me know and comment below.

Resources:
Quttinirpaaq National Park on Wikipedia
Quttinirpaaq National Park on Amazon

Hiker Shot in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park as seen from a hill
above Gatlinburg, TN (Photo: James Hawkins)

A 29-year old man hiking in a remote area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park has been shot twice. Luckily, he survived and has already been released from the University of Tennessee Medical Center, where he had been transported for treatment.

Of course, many hikers are raising now the question: Is hiking in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park still safe?

Park officials say a 911 call was made to Cocke County Dispatch just after 5 p.m. from a man who said he had been shot while hiking in the Laurel Springs Road area near Cosby.
Emergency Medical Services arrived on scene to find that the individual, a 29-year-old male, did indeed have two gunshot wounds to his lower leg. He was flown to University of Tennessee Medical Center for treatment.
"The man claimed to have not seen his assailant, but did hear two gun shots just before he realized he had been struck," park officials said. (Source: National Parks Traveler)

The investigation continues...

National Park Service rangers and special agents are continue to investigate a reported shooting in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
It happened around 5 p.m. Friday near Laurel Springs Road in the Cosby area.
Sanford Lethco, 29, of Sevier County, reported he was shot twice in the leg while hiking in the park, off the trail.

 Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the park's tip line at 436-1580.

Rangers are working with the Cocke County (Tenn.) Sheriff's Office to secure the area along Laurel Springs Road, the closest road to where the shooting reportedly occurred.
"We do not perceive any threat to visitors inside the park as this incident occurred in a remote area well off established trails," said Chief Park Ranger Clay Jordan. (Source).

Here's a list of guide books and hiking trails (from Amazon) in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.


What do you think? Will this incident effect how many outdoor enthusiasts will go hiking in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in the future? Please share your thoughts below and leave a comment.