Annecy 08 - Page 1
Wild Air
NW Environmental, recreation, and gear news
Annecy Area Photo Gallery
22 Jul, 2008 | DanN | Leave comment (0)
French Connections
Nearing the end of two weeks of flying, hiking, eating and drinking in the French country side. I absolutely love the stunning world of the Haute Savoie area around Annecy, Chamonix, Mont Blanc and the Rhone River Valley.
Paragliding here is a routine adventure. There are actual retail shops every catering to paraglider pilots, and launch sites in every valley, facing every direction and suitable for every level of pilot. And the hiking is absolutely brilliant! Hike all morning on a long, tiring climb, and suddenly, at the top of the bluff, amidst phenominal Alpine meadows, and perched on the edge of the sheer cliff, is a small rustic lodge, or refuge, serving steaming hot chocolate, cold beer, fragrant cheese and refreshing wine. Absolutely glorious.
Paragliding here is a routine adventure. There are actual retail shops every catering to paraglider pilots, and launch sites in every valley, facing every direction and suitable for every level of pilot. And the hiking is absolutely brilliant! Hike all morning on a long, tiring climb, and suddenly, at the top of the bluff, amidst phenominal Alpine meadows, and perched on the edge of the sheer cliff, is a small rustic lodge, or refuge, serving steaming hot chocolate, cold beer, fragrant cheese and refreshing wine. Absolutely glorious.
12 Jul, 2008 | DanN | Leave comment (0)
Is it Safe Now to Admit Jimmy Carter Was Right?
"It turns out that Carter was right after all. He was right in seeking to raise the fleet auto mileage standard to 48 miles per gallon by 1995. (Even U.S. automakers admitted at the time that they could easily achieve 30 mph by 1985.) Jimmy Carter was right in exhorting Americans to turn down their thermostats, even if he did look nerdy in a cardigan while urging us to do so. In his July 1979 speech, he was right when he said, %u201CI am tonight setting a clear goal for the energy policy of the United States. Beginning this moment, this nation will never use more foreign oil than we did in 1977 %u2014 never.%u201D That worthy goal quickly went by the board. He was right to encourage fuel conservation by proposing a 50-cents-per-gallon tax on gasoline and a fee on imported oil %u2014 in effect, a floor for fuel prices. Invoking the pioneering spirit of the 1960s%u2019 moon mission, he was right to recommend a tax on windfall oil profits to finance a crash program to develop affordable synthetic fuels."
Is it Safe Now to Admit Jimmy Carter Was Right?
06 Jul, 2008 | DanN | Leave comment (0)
Peary could have just waited for a boat....
Robert Peary struggled for years, with several unsuccessful attempts, before reaching the North Pole in April 1909 on foot.
Now, a century later, it appears artic explorers may be able to sail to the pole in luxury. For the first time ever (or rather first time in human history), the arctic sea ice could disappear all the way up to 90 Degrees North.
According to one report, "Seasoned polar scientists believe the chances of a totally icefreeNorth Pole this summer are greater than 50:50 because the normally thick ice formed over many years at the Pole has been blown away and replaced by hugeswathes of thinner ice formed over a single year."
Doubters of Climate Change activities need to wake up. The Earth is not Flat. The Sun does not revolve around the Earth. And human activity IS changing global climate conditions!
Exclusive: No ice at the North Pole - Climate Change, Environment - The Independent
Now, a century later, it appears artic explorers may be able to sail to the pole in luxury. For the first time ever (or rather first time in human history), the arctic sea ice could disappear all the way up to 90 Degrees North.
According to one report, "Seasoned polar scientists believe the chances of a totally icefreeNorth Pole this summer are greater than 50:50 because the normally thick ice formed over many years at the Pole has been blown away and replaced by hugeswathes of thinner ice formed over a single year."
Doubters of Climate Change activities need to wake up. The Earth is not Flat. The Sun does not revolve around the Earth. And human activity IS changing global climate conditions!
Exclusive: No ice at the North Pole - Climate Change, Environment - The Independent
27 Jun, 2008 | DanN | Leave comment (0)
Illegal angling could put dent in fragile rockfish population | Seattle Times Newspaper
Damn, people are stupid!
Poaching threatens the Puget Sound rockfish population, yet greedy anglers continue to take record numbers, even AFTER WDFW officers cite them!
Other Sports | Outdoors Notebook | Illegal angling could put dent in fragile rockfish population | Seattle Times Newspaper
Even worse for those of us who cast a fly, the Cedar River in King County seems to be facing a rapidly declining trout population just a few years after the state re-opened it to anglers. The river really needs a Catch-and-Release rule, and selective gear regulations (i.e. barbless, artificial flies and lures only). The native cutthroat population is down, and the average fish size has dropped to below 10 inches.
Poaching threatens the Puget Sound rockfish population, yet greedy anglers continue to take record numbers, even AFTER WDFW officers cite them!
Other Sports | Outdoors Notebook | Illegal angling could put dent in fragile rockfish population | Seattle Times Newspaper
Even worse for those of us who cast a fly, the Cedar River in King County seems to be facing a rapidly declining trout population just a few years after the state re-opened it to anglers. The river really needs a Catch-and-Release rule, and selective gear regulations (i.e. barbless, artificial flies and lures only). The native cutthroat population is down, and the average fish size has dropped to below 10 inches.
22 Jun, 2008 | DanN | Leave comment (0)
Christmas in June
Okay, not really. But definitely Winter in June!
In the last week, more than 3 feet of fresh snow has blanketed the upper mountain, with more than 16 inches covering the Paradise Area on Tuesday alone! That's on top of a snow pack that is still more than 10 feet deep in places around the Paradise area (5,600 feet elevation).
In the last week, more than 3 feet of fresh snow has blanketed the upper mountain, with more than 16 inches covering the Paradise Area on Tuesday alone! That's on top of a snow pack that is still more than 10 feet deep in places around the Paradise area (5,600 feet elevation).
12 Jun, 2008 | DanN | Leave comment (0)