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The Colorado climber criticized for abandoning his injured dog on a mountain has agreed to give up custody of the dog to one of its rescuers. Anthony Ortolani, 29, originally said he wanted custody of his dog Missy when she was rescued by a team of hikers after surviving eight days on the mountain. Since then, Ortolani has received intense criticism and even death threats over his decision.

Gun and Rifle manufacturers, I want your attention. I've been looking for a rifle/shotgun to take on a long hike, and there's not many choices. Take a look at Henry's U.S. Survival AR-7. It's a good product for backpacking, but too small on caliber. The fact that when it's packed inside its waterproof stock, it can float if dropped into water, and can be retrieved and will still work, is a great deciding factor. But being a .22LR is a detractor. Now take a look at the Rossi Circuit Judge and their many different variations. I like the 3-inch Magnum...

My brother and I are taking our first steps on the Appalachian Trail in 2015. We will start in Georgia and complete the trail in Maine. Any Freepers ever done a thru-hike? Would like any advice/stories anyone may have.

An afternoon hike turned into an overnight ordeal when a couple, whose 80-pound dog joined them for the trek, couldn’t make it back down the trail.

Our state flower is the California poppy, a perennial wildflower that begins to bloom in late winter with April being the usual height of its blooming season. The best spot to see it in all its glory is in Los Angeles County, at the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve where the elevation and climate are ideal for the flowers, which bloom spectacularly in the spring. With the right balance of rainfall and sunshine, there are years when all 1,745 acres of the Reserve are ablaze in orange poppy blossoms.

HUNTERS AND FARMERS AND THOSE WHO LIVE IN THE COUNTRY.....TAKE HEED.... My fellow friends and family, We have killed 57 rattlesnakes on two separate ranches this year. 24 @South bend & 33 @ Murray, since mid May. Not one has buzzed! We provoked one fair sized boy with a stick and he coiled & struck at the stick a couple of times before he buzzed up and rattled. The purpose of this explanation is that I have been hearing the same from fellow ranchers and hunters in regards to the lack of warning with rattlesnakes. I had lunch with a...

Hiker Joseph Bohlig dies after falling into volcano NewsCore February 17, 2010 12:19PM Hiker dead after rescue efforts delayedBelieved to be alive after initial fallFell 457 metres into volcano's crater Mount St Helens looms over Spirit Lake, still full of debrisfrom the volcano's 1980 eruption A MAN who fell into the crater of north-west America's Mount St Helens volcano died after rescuers were forced to abandon their bid to save him overnight, it emerged today. The 53-year-old's body was recovered by a US Navy helicopter after rescue attempts began again this morning. He was named as Joseph Bohlig, KPTV reported....

Something doesn’t smell right. Democrat Gov. Bill Ritter gave his press conference yesterday announcing his withdrawal from his re-election bid. By his own admission, his fund-raising had been going swimmingly. The decision took his staff by complete surprise. And the idea that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar wanted to return from the Beltway swamp to take over the governor’s mansion just doesn’t wash. He’s an incurable Washington creature who loves where he is. So, let’s examine Ritter’s did-it-for-the-children card. While one Denver Post columnist lavished praise on Ritter’s ostensible sacrifice for family, other veteran observers point out that it doesn’t add...

FRESNO, Calif. — Last month two men and their teenage sons tackled one of the world's most unforgiving summertime hikes: the Grand Canyon's parched and searing Royal Arch Loop. Along with bedrolls and freeze-dried food, the inexperienced backpackers carried a personal locator beacon - just in case. In the span of three days, the group pushed the panic button three times, mobilizing helicopters for dangerous, lifesaving rescues inside the steep canyon walls. What was that emergency? The water they had found to quench their thirst "tasted salty."

Tired from a hike? Rescuers fear Yuppie 911 Hikers are increasingly relying on personal locator beacons, just in case Ted S. Warren / AP updated 2:00 p.m. ET Oct. 25, 2009 FRESNO, Calif. - Last month two men and their teenage sons tackled one of the world's most unforgiving summertime hikes: the Grand Canyon's parched and searing Royal Arch Loop. Along with bedrolls and freeze-dried food, the inexperienced backpackers carried a personal locator beacon — just in case. In the span of three days, the group pushed the panic button three times, mobilizing helicopters for dangerous, lifesaving rescues inside the...

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) -- Last month two men and their teenage sons tackled one of the world's most unforgiving summertime hikes: the Grand Canyon's parched and searing Royal Arch Loop. Along with bedrolls and freeze-dried food, the inexperienced backpackers carried a personal locator beacon -- just in case. In the span of three days, the group pushed the panic button three times, mobilizing helicopters for dangerous, lifesaving rescues inside the steep canyon walls. What was that emergency? The water they had found to quench their thirst ''tasted salty.'' If they had not been toting the device that works like Onstar...

Several weeks into Tom Lange's attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail, some fellow hikers voted him "Least Likely to Succeed." It was hard to blame them. Lange, an Ohio State graduate and longtime Columbus resident, was older (50) than the average trail hiker, overweight, and limping along on a badly injured foot. But while appearances justified the doubts, nobody knew the depth of Lange's inner fire. "I wanted to prove to myself I could do something really, really hard," he said. "I had quit things before, and I wasn't going to quit this." He didn't quit, despite the foot, stomach...

British backpacker Jamie Neale has been found alive after going missing in the Australian bush for nearly two weeks, the Foreign Office said today. Mr Neale, 19, had not been seen since July 3 when he left his hostel in the town of Katoomba, New South Wales, for a walk in the Blue Mountains. The Briton was discovered by two hikers exhausted and dehydrated. Speaking from his hospital bed, he said: 'I really thought I was going to die. I could see the helicopters flying overhead but they couldn't see me.' Miracle: Richard Cass (left) with his son Jamie Neale...

We’re not suggesting that the formerly missing Governor of South Carolina specifically ditched his family and security detail to go hiking on Naked Hiking Day. It’s just that one of the days he hit the trail also happened to be the aforementioned holiday. [Editor’s note: This paragraph was changed to make clear that the governor’s timing was a coincidence.] Until late yesterday, no one would say publicly where he was. Poof. He just disappeared. The story started to resemble a John Grisham novel. A southern conservative governor and very vocal critic of a popular liberal president eluded his security detail...

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has been hiking the Appalachian Trail, a spokesman said Monday, explaining a dayslong absence that perplexed fellow state leaders. Sanford hadn't been at work for several days and his office hadn't been in touch with him. Lawmakers and his wife said Monday they didn't know where he was, leading critics to question who was in charge of South Carolina. ... Sanford spokesman Joel Sawyer said Sanford left town on Thursday with plans to hike the Appalachian Trail. .. "He's just up there to kind of clear his head after the legislative session,"...

(edit)Knight, a production editor for Backpacking Light magazine, set a brush fire to attract the attention of firefighters, said Ryan Jordan, the magazine's chief executive officer who had helped in the search.(edit) Because of his visual impairment, Knight often hiked alone and would meet up with friends at scheduled stops to camp.The National Park Service's small search for Knight expanded greatly on Friday to include more than 100 people combing a 385-square-mile area throughout the night.That area was whittled down to 20 square miles that were the focus of Saturday's search by about 130 emergency workers, hikers, trackers, canine and...

Detailed Backcountry Map Is a Must for Every Hiking EnthusiastBryan Conant knows the Santa Barbara backcountry like few others, having personally hiked every trail, most of them many times. “I got the backcountry bug in the 1990s when I was attending UCSB,” Conant remembers. “Surfing was everything in those days, but one weekend a few friends invited me to go with them to the swimming holes at Red Rock. I’d been in Santa Barbara almost three years before I’d even gone over the mountains that day and I was amazed what was out there. “For some reason, the mountains called...

It used to be that marijuana came to the Bay Area from the legendary back country of Humboldt County or the desert fields beyond Tijuana. Now the fields are in the Bay Area, and everywhere else in the state. Marijuana is one of the top cash crops in California, NBC Bay Area's Mike Luery reported. Many of the fields are located next to popular trails and in the middle of state parks. A fierce battle is being waged in our own back yard to remove the pot groves. They are hidden in brush so thick that specially trained officers must...

Have any of you ever bicycled or walked across America? It is something I've been thinking about for several years. If you have done this, would be interested in reading about your experiences. Routes you took (or avoided), mistakes made, lessons learned, planning, did you carry a firearm, memorable experiences, how long did it take, etc. ..... any aspect that you'd like to comment on.

A Giles County man paroled from prison after serving 14 years for killing two hikers on the Appalachian Trail in 1981 now is suspected of shooting two campers just off the trail in Giles on Tuesday. Randall Lee Smith, 54, was in a Roanoke hospital yesterday after crashing a pickup truck in Giles, Sgt. Michael Conroy of the Virginia State Police said.