Idaho Seven Devils mts, little known gem

Idaho Statesman reports on Idaho's hidden gem of the Seven Devils mountains.

Many people don't know this majestic mountain range is [just off the US-95 near Riggins], or don't take the trouble to find it because Seven Devils is farther off the beaten path than the Sawtooths.

But if you love Idaho's scenic backcountry, it's a place you should visit at least once. If you're the adventurous type, it's someplace you can explore for years and still find new surprises.

"This is an absolutely fascinating place," said fire lookout Michael Oliver, whose tower has some of the best views in Idaho.

Oliver gets visits from folks ranging from locals to European tourists, from hardcore hikers and horsepackers who delve deep into the backcountry to families taking a scenic drive.

Read the full story: Seven Devils: these rugged mountains area little slice of heaven

Photo from Idaho Statesman

Five California Bay Area outdoor escapes

San Jose Mercury News reports on five outdoor experts' local escapes.

Kayaking, biking, horse back riding, hiking and star-gazing are covered.

Read the full story: Wanderlust

Photo from ROMP

Hiking Florida

The Miami Herald reports on hiking the Florida Trail.

Reporter Dave Griswold recounts his winter trip:

I had decided a couple months earlier to start exploring more of South Florida's wilderness. The Florida Trail, started in 1969 by volunteers, winds up from Big Cypress National Preserve to the Panhandle. In South Florida, it's just about the only trail for overnight hiking.

Winter and spring in Big Cypress are when the wildlife is most concentrated around shrinking water sources, with ranks swelled by migrating birds. You avoid the hazards of the summer and fall seasons, which include myriad biting insects, water in places to your waist, torrential downpours, heat and humidity.

Read the full story: Away from the beaches

Photo Florida Trail Association Big Cypress Chapter

Climate change awareness atop Mt. Everest

The Salt Lake Tribune reports on the 19th successful ascent of resident Apa Sherpa to the top of Mount Everest, but this time under the agenda of climate change.

Apa Sherpa reached the top of the infamous mountain where he laid a sacred vase called a Bhumpa and unfurled a banner with the words: "Stop Climate Change, Let the Himalayas Live!"

"With the Bhumpa at the top of Mount Everest, Mother Goddess of the World, we will once again enhance her protective powers over mankind. The same powers that were diminished by man's selfish and greedy actions," said Dawa Steven Sherpa, who organized the Eco Everest Expedition and asked Apa to become a member for the past two climbing seasons.

Apa Sherpa, 49, has been a resident of Salt Lake since 2006; his hometown is the Sherpa village of Thame. He has summited Everest 19 times in the past 20 years.

Read the full story: Utahn Apa Sherpa tops Everest for 19th time

Camping = recession travel

CNN reports that camping is now fashionable as a recession-travel alternative.

"Outdoor camping's popularity jumped 7.4 percent between 2007 and 2008, according to a report from the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. Overnight backpacking is up 18.5 percent, the report said."

Read the full story: In a slump, camping comes into vogue

Port-a-eco-potty Everest climbers

Reuters reports on a Nepali mountain climber who advocates for more eco-friendly climbing, starting with portable toilets.

There are no toilet facilities at the Everest Base Camp, where hundreds of climbers visit every year; the usual modus operandi is to squat behind a rock.

"Dawa Steven Sherpa, who led an eco-Everest expedition in May to collect trash dumped by previous climbers, said his team used a plastic bucket as well as a gas-impervious bag designed to safely contain and neutralize human waste and keep in odor.

'It is portable and very secure,' Sherpa, 25, told Reuters.

'I want to promote anything that manages human waste on the mountain.'

'To date, no other container designed for human waste exists in this size, weight or strength,' Sherpa said of the U.S.-designed bucket, which is 11 inches tall and weighs 2.4 pounds, and has an opening that is eight inches in diameter."

Read the full story: Climber plumps for portable toilets for Everest

Adventure fall foliage

MSNBC reports on alternative and adventurous ways to enjoy the fall foliage this Autumn.

Most of these include nature-appreciating activities such as hiking, rafting, kayaking, and rock climbing.

Zip-lining through the tree tops in Colorado is represented in the picture above.

Read the full story: Alternative Autumn: foliage for active travelers

Fishing, hiking and camping along California's Kern River

Hugo Martin of the Los Angeles Times compiled a list of great fishing, camping and hiking spots along the non-crowded Kern River.

Martin, a "spring fever" trout fisher, says fishing should not be a "contact sport" like it is at popular angler spots along the Owens River Valley.

So he set off to find less-crowded spots to enjoy his pastime as well as other outdoor activities.

The Kern is located about 150 miles northeast of Los Angeles and just east of Bakersfield.

Read the full story: The fishing's fine along California's Kern River

Houston tops U.S. air pollution emission study

Reuters via the Environmental News Network unveiled the findings of a carbon dioxide emission study and named the top 20 worst offending U.S. cities.

Unsurprisingly cities with major traffic and/or oil business were the largest offenders.

The Vulcan report, funded by NASA and the Department of Energy (DOE), named the Houston area number one with CO2 emission at 18.6 million tons and Los Angeles area a close second with 18.59.

Chicago, Cleveland and Detroit complete the top 5.

Read the full story: Houston, LA named top CO2 polluters

Contradictions in Costa Rica's ecotourism trade

Costa Rica is often touted as an ecotourist paradise.

But although many tourists visit this Central American country to enjoy nature, the tourist outfits aren't always thinking about keeping the environment as pristine as one would think.

The Christian Science Monitor explored this dark issue in a recent article:

"Statistics revealed that 97 percent of Costa Rica's sewage flows untreated into rivers, streams, or the ocean, and that more than 300,000 tons of garbage was left uncollected on streets in 2006. And a flurry of illegal well-drilling is running aquifers dry, ironic in a country where as much as 20 feet of rain falls annually.

Despite the chaos, less than a quarter of coastal towns have zoning plans to balance tourism development with natural resources and government services such as sewage treatment and public water supply."

Read the full story: Costa Rica sees tourism's environmental dark side

British Columbia's eco-campaign

The Seattle Post Intelligencer reports on the new eco-campaign "Be Wild in BC" by neighboring British Columbia.

It's a new publication dropping today that "will help you connect with eco-friendly vacations in British Columbia."

Sounds good to us.

Read the full story: Be wild and green in B.C.