Hiking, Backpacking Seminars Set for 5 Rivers In Alabama
August 8, 2008
Author and renowned outdoors enthusiast Joe Cuhaj of the Alabama Hiking Trail Society will conduct a series of hiking and backpacking seminars at 5 Rivers – Alabama’s Delta Resource Center in Spanish Fort.
Daphne’s Cuhaj, who penned “Hiking Alabama” and co-authored “Paddling Alabama,” will offer advice and discuss hiking opportunities in Alabama for beginners and enthusiasts alike.
The series begins on August 23 at scenic 5 Rivers. Admission is free and registration is not required. The workshops, which begin at 1 p.m., are one-hour long with the exception of Backpacking 101, which will last two hours.
The seminar schedule is:
August 23 - Hiking in Alabama: Spectacular Destinations
September 13 - Essentials of Day Hiking
October 11 - Backpacking 101
November 15 - Backpack Cooking
January 10, 2009 - Hiking with Children (and the Dog)
February 7, 2009 - Trail Safety
The Alabama Hiking Trail Society will hold its annual convention March 6-7, 2009 at 5 Rivers. Visit www.Alabama5Rivers.com
for more information on scenic 5 Rivers.
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources promotes wise stewardship, management and enjoyment of Alabama’s natural resources through five divisions: Marine Police, Marine Resources, State Parks, State Lands, and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. To learn more about ADCNR visit www.outdooralabama.com.
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Washington Monument State Park To Re-Open Friday
June 18, 2008
Heavy Thunderstorms Caused Extensive Damage Two Weeks Ago
BOONSBORO, Md. — Washington Monument State Park will re-open at noon on Friday, June 20 and will resume normal operating hours on Saturday.
The 147-acre park in western Maryland was closed for repairs on June 5, a day after a series of heavy thunderstorms swept through the region, causing extensive damage.
“The park will re-open with all services restored except the museum,” Park Manager Dan Spedden said. “Repairs to the museum building continue and will be accomplished without disrupting other park facilities. Camping and picnic shelter reservation holders who had been on standby for the weekend of June 20 have been notified that the park facilities will be open for their use.”
Named for the stone tower erected by Boonsboro in 1827, Washington Monument State Park is believed to be home to the country’s first completed monument to President George Washington, who explored the Upper Potomac and the western Maryland mountains as a young surveyor. The rustic locale features youth group campsites, picnic shelters and playing fields. It’s a favorite of bird watchers because it lies within a migratory bird flyway
The park’s popular youth camp ground was empty when the storm struck on June 4 and there were no injuries to visitors or park personnel. But fierce winds and driving rain knocked out phone, electricity, and water service. Fallen trees and branches blocked the main road and the hiking trail to the monument in several places. The museum and water treatment buildings were severely damaged.
The park’s normal operating hours, which go into effect on Saturday, are from 8 a.m. to sunset.
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Storm Forces Washington Monument State Park Closure
June 5, 2008
Wind and Rain Cause Heavy Damage
BOONSBORO, Md. — Washington Monument State Park is closed until further notice after a series of heavy thunderstorms swept through the region Wednesday.
“The storm caused extensive damage,” Park Manager Dan Spedden said Thursday.
There were no injuries to visitors or park personnel, but fierce winds and driving rain knocked out phone, electricity, and water service. Fallen trees and branches blocked the main road and the hiking trail to the monument in several places and the museum and water treatment buildings were severely damaged. The park’s youth camp ground was vacant when the storm struck on Wednesday.
The 147-acre park just east of Boonsboro is named for the stone tower erected by the town in 1827, believed to be the country’s first completed monument to President George Washington, who explored the Upper Potomac and the Western Maryland mountains as a young surveyor. The rustic locale features youth group campsites, picnic shelters and playing fields. It’s a favorite of bird watchers because it lies within a migratory bird flyway.
Spedden said camping reservations for the weekend have been cancelled and the park will remain closed while staff assesses the damage.
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Na Ala Hele Trails Program Marks National Trails Day With Boardwalk Installation at Manoa Cliff Trail
June 5, 2008
HONOLULU – The Department of Land and Natural Resources’ (DLNR) Na Ala Hele Trails and Access Program will mark National Trails Day, on Saturday, June 7, with a project to install a board walk in the first half-mile section of the Manoa Cliff hiking trail.
“National Trails Day is a nationwide celebration and recognizes the value and significance of outdoor recreational trails to our community and wellbeing,” adds Laura H. Thielen, DLNR chairperson. “I encourage the public to take advantage of the summer weather to ‘take a hike’ on DLNR’s diverse selection of trails across the state.”
Starting at 9 a.m. Na Ala Hele program staff, assisted by community volunteers and members of the Hawaiian Ultra Running Team will install a board walk made of recycled plastic lumber mounted on steel posts along several hundred feet of erosion prone trail. Work will finish by about 5 p.m.
“This project supports our trail program’s restoration goals and will really improve a seasonally muddy and poorly draining section of one of the most popular forest hiking trails on O‘ahu,” said Curt Cottrell, Na Ala Hele program manager. “Hikers are usually forced to walk through the mud or widen the trail by trying to walking around the mud puddles. Thanks to our volunteers, we will make a nice board walk to keep everybody above and out of the mud,” he said.
“Even though we are working on the start of the trail, it will remain open and hikers will be able to get past,” Cottrell said.
Trail crew and volunteers will carry in the materials, help pound in anchor posts, attach all sections of boardwalk, bolt stringers and screw down decking, and apply a slip proof metal surface on top.
The Manoa Cliff Trail, part of the Honolulu Mauka trails system, is 2.3 miles long, and at an elevation of 500 feet, traverses the Ko‘olau mountains through thick, partly native forest.
For information about this trail, and other state-maintained forest trails under the Na Ala Hele trails system, and important safety guidelines, go to www.hawaiitrails.org.
DLNR reminds hikers that statewide weather forecasts predict a dry summer and vegetation may be dry. Hikers, campers and hunters should exercise caution to prevent wildfires on trails and in camping or hunting areas.
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DLNR, Maui Land & Pineapple Company To Celebrate National Trails Day on June 7 With Hike at Mahana Ridge
May 22, 2008
KAHULUI, MAUI – In observance of National Trails Day, Na Ala Hele, the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife’s trails and access program, will sponsor a hike to celebrate this important day and to thank the many volunteers who have helped construct and maintain the trails within the state’s Na Ala Hele (NAH) trails system.
On Saturday, June 7, 2008, Na Ala Hele will partner with Maui Land and Pineapple Co, Inc. to offer a guided hike on Mahana Ridge in Kapalua Resort. Registration is required and limited to the first 60 participants.
This hike, rated at an intermediate level of difficulty, will be approximately 2.5 miles long, starting at 1,200 feet above sea level and finishing up at 320 feet above sea level. Participants need to wear sturdy shoes and bring water, a hat, and sunscreen.
National Trails Day was created to promote public awareness of and appreciation for America’s trails and the people who build and maintain them, to promote health benefits of trail walking, encourage partnerships between land managers, and encourage cooperative efforts among various trail users.
“By partnering with private land owners, we are able to accomplish much more than we could on our own. Maui Land and Pineapple Company is a leader in the area of public access and we are proud to work with them on several different ventures,” said Laura Thielen, DLNR director.
To register to attend the June 7 event, contact Torrie Nohara at (808) 873-3508.
Information about the state’s island-wide hiking trail network and important safe hiking tips can be found online at www.hawaiitrails.org
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Successful Search for Lost Hikers in White Mountains
May 21, 2008
HART’S LOCATION, N.H. - On Thursday, May 15, 2008 at approximately 8:30 p.m., two distressed hikers from Pennsylvania emerged early from a planned multi-day traverse of the Presidential Range in New Hampshire’s White Mountains.
According to Sgt. James Juneau of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, a search and rescue mission for the hikers began Thursday morning. The search was prompted when one of the hikers made a cell phone call for help to the Appalachian Mountain Club.
Limited information provided by the call indicated the hikers’ location to be in the upper reaches of the Dry River Wilderness. The hikers reported they were wet and cold, and off the hiking trail. Deep snow conditions hampered the hikers’ efforts. It was later determined that one of the hikers lost a sneaker while trudging through snow depths of 3-5 feet.
The hikers were identified as Gregory Pine, age 19 of Newtown, PA and Robert Hogan, age 20, of Langhorne, PA. Pine and Langhorne eventually walked themselves out to Route 302 and were relayed to the AMC Highland Center in Crawford Notch. Both hikers were in fairly good condition, although Pine sustained significant superficial wounds to both feet. Sgt. Juneau stated that lack of snowshoes and appropriate footwear were significant factors leading to Pine and Langhorne calling for help.
In addition to Fish and Game Conservation Officers, personnel from the Appalachian Mountain Club participated in the search.
Fish and Game reminds hikers that winter conditions still exist in parts of the White Mountains and they must be prepared with the right knowledge and gear for extreme changing conditions. Though it may feel like summer where you live, the weather in the Whites is highly unpredictable. Some trails are clear, but many are muddy or icy, and others still have snow.
For information on safe hiking, www.hikeSafe.com.
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Trailhead Closed, Investigation Continues in Possible Wild Animal Attack in Sandia Mountains
May 19, 2008
SANDIA PARK — The U.S. Forest Service has closed the Balsam Glade Nature Trail and campground in the Sandia Mountains while Department of Game and Fish officers continue to investigate Saturday’s apparent attack of a 5-year-old boy by a wild animal.
The attack occurred approximately 7:30 p.m. Saturday on a hiking trail. An animal grabbed the young hiker by the head and carried him off the trail into the forest. The child’s father followed the animal into the brush, jumped on it and the animal dropped the child and ran away.
The young hiker was airlifted to UNM hospital where he remained in satisfactory condition Monday morning. The young hiker and his father identified the animal as a mountain lion from pictures shown to them by the investigating officer.
Monday, Department officers and wildlife biologists were searching the area for evidence that would identify the animal involved in the attack. Tracking dogs specifically trained to find mountain lions were unable to find a scent Sunday, despite near ideal tracking conditions. The dogs were in the area again Monday morning. Animals known to use the area include mountain lions, bobcats, bears, coyotes and feral dogs.
Attacks by bears and cougars on humans are extremely rare in New Mexico, but have resulted in deaths. A mountain lion attacked and killed an 8-year-old boy in 1974 in Espanola. An elderly woman was killed and partially eaten by a black bear in August of 2001.
Last week, a mountain lion killed a poodle in Las Cruces. Game Department officers set a trap for the lion but abandoned the trapping efforts when no trace of the lion was found several days after the attack.
The Department of Game and Fish urges any individual attacked by a bear or lion to fight back, using any available objects. Victims are encouraged to strike back by hitting the animal in the nose or eyes.
More information about how to behave when encountering wild animals is on the Department of Game and Fish website, www.wildlife.state.nm.us.
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