Ever wonder why rime ice mushrooms form? I’m chuffed to see Enduring Patagonia cited in this scholarly article in the Journal of the American Meteorological Society about rime mushrooms by C. David Whiteman and Rolando Garibotti that explains the science of rime. It’s fascinating stuff.
Here’s an interesting “then and now” story about Chinese airports by Alex Davies published this morning on Business Insider. I helped Alex locate the “then” photos that illustrate the story and connect him with the photos original owners.
All the “then” stuff is deeply tied into China’s Wings and the China National Aviation Corporation, and the contrasts to the “now” are pretty phenomenal.
Click over and enjoy!
Here’s a run of photos from my recent trip to Seattle, and the China’s Wings presentations I made at Seattle’s Museum of Flight and the nearby Historic Flight Foundation. At both events, I was honored to appear alongside CNAC pilot Moon Chin and Nancy Allison Wright, daughter of CNAC Operations Manager Ernie Allison, and delighted to have been able to take my son Ryan along for the weekend.
Thanks to everybody at the Museum of Flight and the Historic Flight Foundation who helped make it happen.
In honor of the National Park shutdown, here’s a Camp 4 Collective video of my friend Jenn Fleming climbing at Devils Tower.
If I could pick one American rock, put it on wheels, and roll it into my backyard, I think I’d pick Devils Tower. One of the first articles I ever wrote was about the rescue of George Hopkins, a parachutist who’d landed atop the Tower to win a bet in the autumn of 1941. Producer Tyler Young took me out there in 2003 or 2004 to help him make a brief NG documentary about the rescue, which was tons of fun.
Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s available online.
Lately, Tyler has been doing a series of superb documentary/dramas about the Civil War in the Western Theater.
[EDIT: I’ve just corresponded with Tyler, and hopefully I’ll be able to post links to that Hopkins Rescue piece in the next week or two.]
Here’s “An Easy Day for a Lady,” my review of The Mountain: My Time on Everest by Ed Viesturs and David Roberts, which appeared in The Wall Street Journal on October 5 & 6, 2013.
Here’s the complete list of book reviews I’ve done for The WSJ, The Washington Post, NPR Books, and others.
Here’s an old school video of a 1994 ascent of Cerro Torre’s west face by David Authemann, Patrick Pessi and Fred Valet of France, the route’s fourth ascent according to Rolo’s list at Pataclimb.
David Autheman also appears in the Piergorgio film I linked to a few weeks ago.
Also, in more current news from the extreme south, Argentinean Natalia Martinez and Chilean Camilo Rada climbed Tierra del Fuego’s Monte Sarmiento via a new route in winter. Here’s the Alpinist report on their climb, with a summary of the mountain’s climbing history.
I’ve seen Monte Sarmiento a few times–from the north side of Bahia Inutil while walking and hitchhiking across Tierra del Fuego in 1994, once from the Punta Arenas vicinity, and once while acting as an “area expert” for the National Geographic Expeditions trips I used to help lead–and it’s spectacular. Someday, I’d like to do some climbing and exploring in the Cordierra Darwin.
Here’s a run of good photos from German climbers Ralf Gantzhorn, Joern Heller and Robert Jasper, who made a trip to the mountain in 2010
And here’s a link to an Alpinist report on a French expedition that traversed the range in 2012.
Thanks to Charlie Downs for bringing this to my attention this morning, from Thought Catalog:
“21 Harsh But Eye-Opening Writing Tips from Great Authors”
I especially appreciate points one, six, and nine.
A climber in France found $330,000 worth of precious stones!
“Climber finds treasure trove off Mount Blanc”
Two big China’s Wings events this weekend in the Seattle Area.
Priceless opportunities to get your copy of China’s Wings signed by 100-year old Moon Chin!
I hope to see you there!
Moon Chin might be the most amazing World War II pilot you’ve never heard of… learn more about him by perusing my “Moon Chin” category.
See a great collection of China’s Wings related photos on the China’s Wings Pinterest board.
War by Sebastian Junger
Riveting. I couldn’t put the damn thing down. Kept me awake into the wee hours of Sunday morning.
Story of hardcore combat that follows an infantry platoon through its 15-month deployment to the Korengal Valley in eastern Afghanistan. Junger’s walk-off left me wanting a bit more conclusion, but besides that reservation, a superb war story.