NOVEMBER 2011
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SURVIVAL EDITION
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$8.00
03 ISSUE
VENTURE >> get out and explore
AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH
AMERICA’S FAVORITE SURVIOR
Bear Grylls SURVIVAL EDITION
BEST OF OUR FAVORITE PLACES TO CAMP THIS SEASON
THE GLAMOUROUS KIND OF CAMPING
“glamping”
Salt Creek
Moran Lone Fir Curlew Lake Apgar Kintla Lake
Penrose Point Cape Disappointment Hells Gate Oxbow Silver Falls Jessie M. Honeyman
VENTURE is a publication dedicated to those that ache to be outdoors and discover the world around them. Focused mainly on the beauty of nature in the west coast, VENTURE encompasses everything about camping. We delve into an array of new places to go, things to do, and fun along the way. Our goal is to get you off your couch, turn off the TV, get you out of your office and find your own adVENTURE.
Bull Prairie
Wallowa
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Strawberry Campground
Cape Blanco
China Beach
Tanner’s Flat
Dead Horse Point Arch Rock Hilltop Boulder Beach
Watchman
North Rim
Cave Springs Lynx Lake Blue Ridge
EDITOR IN CHIEF
LEAD DESIGNER
Hannah Pederson
Tracy Hughes
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
ART DIRECTOR
Jacquelyn Edwards
Annabelle Gould
SENIOR EDITORS
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Kari Davidson Laura Black
Nicole Yeo
Bonita Canyon
Wonder Lake
CONTRIBUTING DESIGNERS PUBLISHER
Ellen Peterson James Atkins
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR
PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR
Johnny Sikov
Aleta Corboy
PR MANAGER
SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
Kinsey Gross
Felix Wang
Michelle Frappier
Porcupine Campground
NOVEMBER | ISSUE 3
WHAT’S INSIDE CHOOSE YOUR ADVENTURE Jenny Lake Curtis Canyon
04 BEST OF THE: NORTHWEST, SOUTHWEST, ROCKIES YES, ROUGHING IT? NOT QUITE. 14 CAMPING? Jennifer Conlin
GEAR UP
Big Creek Lakes Moraine Park
YOUR GEAR 18 GET Kyle Andrews
The Wedge Overlook Devil’s Garden Saddlehorn Colorado Riverway
Hall Valley and Handcraft Turquoise Lake
Rosy Lane Pinyon Flats
Cottonwood
Rio Chama La Junta Twining
SPECIAL FEATURE: SURVIVAL
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INTERVIEW: BEAR GRYLLS Graham Bensinger
Jemez Falls Iron Gate
City of Rocks
Sleepy Grass
DISASTER STRIKES 30 WHEN Steve Howe
AROUND THE CAMPFIRE
48 SCARY CAMPFIRE STORIES FAVORITE CAMPING RECIPES 54 CHEF’S Chef Guy Fieri
PHOTO CORNER
62 YOUR BEST SHOTS OF 2011
THE BEST OF THE...
Wonder Lake ALASKA
northwest ALASKA
IDAHO
PORCUPINE CAMPGROUND
HELLS GATE STATE PARK
Best for: Hiking Info: $14 | 907.224.3374 | Book it: recreation.gov
Best for: Fishing and boating Info: From $12 | 208.799.5015 | Book it: parksandrecreation.idaho.gov
WONDER LAKE CAMPGROUND
CHINA BEACH CAMPGROUND
Chugach National Forest, West of Hope On a bluff on the northern part of Kenai Peninsula south of Anchorage, this campground has great ocean views. Insider tip: In late summer, watch for beluga whales.
Denali National Park Set near Wonder Lake, this is one of only a handful of campgrounds inside Denali, and it’s the one with the best views of Mt. McKinley. No cars are allowed into Denali, so take the Camper Bus from the park’s Wilderness Access Center. Insider tip: It’s beautiful but buggy, so pack insect protection. Best for: Intimate, RV-free escapes Info: $16 | 907.683.2294 | Book it: reservedenali.com
Lewiston Take in Lewis and Clark country from this grassy, shaded campground along the shores of the Snake River. Insider tip: Hike an easy 1.5 miles south to the basalt rocks, a 150-foot-tall ancient lava formation.
Boise National Forest Get a taste of the wild coastline at China Beach, situated at the western end of the Boise National Forest. Insider tip: From the campground, follow trails for wildlife sightings. Best for: Hiking Info: $11.75 | idparks.com | Book it: discovercamping.com
VENTURE | THE BEST OF THE: NORTHWEST
OREGON BULL PRAIRIE CAMPGROUND
Umatilla National Forest, South of Heppner The ultimate fishing lake abuts this campground in the Blue Mountains. Hang a hammock under ponderosas, cast a line from a dock, or ramble along the 1-mile lake trail. Insider tip: Check out the Morrow County Fair and Oregon Trail Pro Rodeo, 36 miles north in Heppner. Best for: Fishing Info: $14 | no reservations | 541.676.9187
CAPE BLANCO STATE PARK
North of Port Orford Explore the wild headlands of the Oregon coast from this campground, Surrounded by 8 miles of beach and forest trails. Or take a day trip to hike nearby Humbug Mountain State Park. Insider tip: Up to 50 people can share Cape Blanco’s private group campsite. Best for: Groups Info: From $16/$61 for group site | only group reservations | 541.332.6774
JESSIE M. HONEYMAN STATE PARK
Cape Blanco
South of Florence Feel like a desert explorer on 2 miles of sand dunes that stretch from your campsite to the Pacific. Or cool off in the park’s two freshwater lakes. Insider tip: To avoid ATV noise, stay away from H Loop. Best for: Families Info: $17 | 541.997.3641 | Book it: reserveamerica.com
OXBOW REGIONAL PARK
East of Gresham Just 20 miles east of Portland, this campground in the Sandy River Gorge is the ideal place to swim, kayak, canoe, fish, or explore the park’s 1,200 acres of old-growth forest. Insider tip: On the last Sunday of every month, check out Dirt Time, a program that teaches basic wildlife tracking. Best for: Beating the heat Info: $15 | only group reservations | 503.797.1850 oregonmetro.gov
SILVER FALLS STATE PARK
Silver Falls
Northeast of Sublimity A great base for exploring Oregon’s largest state park. Don’t miss the 7-mile Trail of Ten Falls, a misty trek among waterfalls, ferns, and wildflowers. Insider tip: Take a dip in the swimming area at Silver Creek. Best for: Families and hiking Info: $16 | 503.873.8681 | Book it: reserveamerica.com
STRAWBERRY CAMPGROUND
Malheur National Forest, South of Prairie City This tiny gem (11 campsites) is located at 5,700 feet in the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness. Insider tip: Fish at trout-stocked Little Strawberry Lake, a nice 6-mile round-trip from the campground trailhead. Best for: Hiking and fishing Info: $6 | no reservations | 541.820.3311
WALLOWA STATE PARK
Wallowa
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South of Joseph Lots to do: swimming, boating, fishing, and a gondola tramway that runs to the top of 8,150-foot Mt. Howard. Insider tip: Visit the nearby town of Joseph, famous for its bronze castings. Best for: First-timers Info: $17 | 541.432.4185 | Book it: reserveamerica.com
Curlew Lake
Cape Disappointment
Salt Creek
WASHINGTON CAPE DISAPPOINTMENT STATE PARK
MORAN STATE PARK
Best for: First-timers Info: $19 | 360.902.8844 Book it | parks.wa.gov/reserve.asp
Best for: Beating the heat Info: From $20 | 360.902.8844 | Book it: parks.wa.gov/reserve.asp
Southwest of Ilwaco The campground launches you into 1,880 pristine acres at the end of the Long Beach Peninsula. Wander 27 miles of beach, or go clamming or fishing. Insider tip: Sites 104 and 105 have great beach access.
CURLEW LAKE STATE PARK
Northeast of Republic This 5.5-mile-long lake in the state’s northeastern corner is famous for its trout fishing and swimming. Insider tip: Bring your passport and take a day trip to the historic mining and railroad town of Grand Forks, BC. Best for: Fishing and boating Info: $17 | no reservations | 360.902.8844
LONE FIR CAMPGROUND
Okanogan National Forest A wooded spot along Early Winters Creek offers a cool base for exploring the northern Methow Valley. Insider tip: On hot days, head to the swimming beach at Pearrygin Lake State Park, near Winthrop. Best for: Hiking Info: $12 | no reservations | 509.996.4003
Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands After you summit 2,400-foot Mt. Constitution or conquer the park’s bike trails, cool off by Cascade Lake at this shaded campground. Insider tip: Skip the long car-ferry lines and walk on with your gear.
PENROSE POINT STATE PARK
Southwest of Purdy On the Key Peninsula, Penrose is the best of two worlds. Northwest forest and Puget Sound beach, with a Frisbee-perfect lawn connecting the two. Insider tip: The group campsite near the playfield and beach can sleep up to 50 people. Best for: Groups Info: $19 / $40 group site | 360.902.8844 | Book it: parks.wa.gov
SALT CREEK RECREATION AREA
West of Port Angeles Awe-inspiring views over the Strait of Juan de Fuca and colorful tidepools at Tongue Point Marine Life Sanctuary make this a standout. Insider tip: Choose a spot with a view over the strait, we like site 63. Best for: Families and first-timers Info: $18 | clallam.net or 360.928.3441
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VENTURE | THE BEST OF THE: SOUTHWEST
southwest Arch Rock NEVADA
NEVADA ARCH ROCK CAMPGROUND
Valley of Fire State Park, West of Overton One of only two campgrounds in the aptly named Valley of Fire, Arch Rock has an upper loop where sandstone rocks create more privacy. Hike the 4.5-mile Pinnacle Trail loop to a “forest” of red rock pinnacles. Insider tip: A flat, bed-size rock at campsite 18 makes for perfect stargazing. Best for: First-timers Info: $14 | no reservations | 702.397.2088
BOULDER BEACH CAMPGROUND
Boulder City You’ll find more than 100 palm-studded campsites just ½ mile from Lake Mead’s shores. Insider tip: Go in October. The water’s still warm and the days are still long enough to hike. Best for: Fishing and boating Info: $10 | no reservations except for large groups | 702.293.8990
HILLTOP CAMPGROUND
Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, Northwest of Las Vegas At 8,437 feet, this campground overlooks the Mojave Desert and accesses the North Loop Trail, which takes you a rigorous 10.3 miles to the peak of Mt. Charleston. Insider tip: If you aren’t up for Mt. Charleston, stop 3 miles in at a bristlecone pine known as Raintree, thought to be Nevada’s oldest living thing. Best for: Hiking Info: $17 | 702.872.5486 | Book it: recreation.gov
Cave Springs
Bonita Canyon
Blue Ridge
Cottonwood
ARIZONA BLUE RIDGE CAMPGROUND
Coconino National Forest, North of Clints Well Blue Ridge Reservoir is just 9 miles from this cluster of 10 sites shaded by oaks and ponderosa pines. From the campground, hike the moderately difficult Arizona Trail to the recreation-packed reservoir. Insider tip: For solitude, skip the reservoir and hike a moderate 5 miles to trout-filled East Clear Creek (trail is about 6 miles from the campground). Best for: Hiking Info: $8 | no reservations | 928.477.2255
BONITA CANYON CAMPGROUND
Chiricahua National Monument, Southeast of Willcox The pine and juniper campground is near the national monument’s visitor center. Drive 6 miles up the road to access hiking trails that cut through a forest of volcanic-ash rock spires and hoodoos. Insider tip: Come in September, when you’ll have the place to yourself. Best for: Hiking Info: $12 | no reservations | 520.824.3560 ext. 501
CAVE SPRINGS CAMPGROUND
Sedona Set in shaded Oak Creek Canyon, Cave Springs is surrounded by red sandstone walls and has its own creek. Insider tip: Hit the water holes at Slide Rock State Park, about 5 miles down the road.
COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND
Near Canyon de Chelly National Monument, East of Chinle Shaded by cottonwoods, this campground is near Ancestral Puebloan petroglyphs and pueblo sites. Insider tip: Hire a private guide at the visitor center, a few steps away, to tour the park’s backcountry. Best for: Beating the heat Info: Free | no reservations | 928.674.5500
LYNX LAKE CAMPGROUND
Prescott National Forest, Prescott At 5,200 feet, the campground is just above the 55-acre, trout-stocked Lynx Lake. Try to get a campsite with a lake view. Insider tip: Try panning for gold in Lynx Creek, ½ mile north of the recreation area. Best for: Families and fishing Info: $18 | no reservations | 928.443.8000
NORTH RIM CAMPGROUND
Grand Canyon National Park Just 2 miles from Bright Angel Point, the North Rim Campground is an easy walk to the difficult 14.2-mile trail that descends into the canyon. Insider tip: Reserve as soon as you have a date in mind. Best for: Hiking Info: From $18 | 928.638.7888 | Book it: recreation.gov
Best for: First-timers Info: $20 | redrockcountry.org or 928.527.3600 | Book it: recreation.gov
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VENTURE | THE BEST OF THE: SOUTHWEST
>>
CITY OF ROCKS STATE PARK
>>Northwest of Deming
House-size volcanic ash boulders create a mini-city maze; ancient paths weave through the boulders. Insider tip: Campsites have little shade, so go in spring or fall. Best for: Families Info: From $10 | 575/536-2800 | Book it: 877.664.7787
>>
NEW MEXICO IRON GATE CAMPGROUND
RIO CHAMA CAMPGROUND
Best for: Intimate, RV-free escapes Info: $8 | no reservations | 877.276.9404
Best for: Fishing Info: Free | no reservations | 575.638.5526
JEMEZ FALLS CAMPGROUND
SLEEPY GRASS CAMPGROUND
Pecos Aspens and pines shade the 14 campsites nestled 9,400 feet up at the edge of the Pecos Wilderness. Insider tip: Go in spring when the wildflowers are at their peak.
Santa Fe National Forest, East of La Cueva Nestled in a ponderosa forest at 7,880 feet. Next to the Jemez River this site is a fly-fishing dream. Insider tip: From the campground, hike 0.25 miles to 40-foot Jemez Falls, then continue 2 miles to McCauley Warm Springs. Best for: Fishing Info: $10 | no reservations | 575.829.3535
LA JUNTA CAMPGROUND
Wild Rivers Recreation Area, West of Questa Set on a mesa above Wild Rivers’ 760-foot gorge, the campground overlooks the confluence of the Rio Grande and the Red River. Insider tip: Hike down for a waterside picnic when it gets hot. Best for: Fishing and kayaking Info: $7 | no reservations | 575.586.1150
Abiquiu Tucked into a stand of juniper along the Rio Chama Wild and Scenic River, this campsite is in the heart of sandstone cliffs and Georgia O’Keeffe country. Insider tip: Snag the fourth site on the left, it is the only site with its own boat dock..
Lincoln National Forest, Cloudcroft The grass and pine meadow feels totally secluded at 8,800 feet, but it’s just 1 mile from Cloudcroft’s shop and restaurant-dotted Burro Avenue. Insider tip: Hike or bike Trail 5661 for views across White Sands National Monument and out to Las Cruces. Best for: Beating the heat Info: $13 | no reservations | 575.682.2551
TWINING CAMPGROUND
Carson National Forest, Northeast of Arroyo Seco Set in Taos Ski Valley at 9,400 feet, the campground gives you access to New Mexico’s highest peak 13,161-foot Mt. Wheeler and the easier 6-mile Long Canyon/Gold Hill loop. Insider tip: Invite friends and camp at the uppermost site, the largest of four. Best for: Hiking Info: Free | no reservations | 575.586.0520
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Curtis Canyon WYOMING
rockies MONTANA
WYOMING
APGAR CAMPGROUND
CURTIS CANYON CAMPGROUND
Best for: First-timers Info: $20 | no reservations | 406.888.7800
Best for: Wildlife-watching Info: $12 | no reservations | 307.739.5400
KINTLA LAKE CAMPGROUND
JENNY LAKE CAMPGROUND
Glacier National Park Campsites sit in a pine forest beside glacier-fed Lake McDonald, with Continental Divide peaks at the head of the lake. Insider tip: The famously precipitous Going-to-the-Sun Road over Logan Pass isn’t open to cars until June, but a portion opens to bikes and pedestrians in May.
Glacier National Park The quiet, rarely crowded campground sits by a tree-encircled lake with gorgeous mountain views, 40 miles from the Canadian border. Insider tip: Visit nearby Polebridge Mercantile to meet locals and try homemade huckleberry macaroons. Best for: Intimate, RV-free escapes Info: $15 | no reservations | 406.888.7800
Bridger-Teton National Forest, Northeast of Jackson This little-known, bare-bones campground perches atop a 6,600-foot butte between the National Elk Refuge and the Gros Ventre Wilderness; sites look out at the snow-covered Tetons. Insider tip: Before leaving Jackson, grab a cup of locally roasted coffee at Jackson Hole Roasters .
Grand Teton National Park Pitch a tent near the lake at the base of the Teton Range and close to Yellowstone National Park. Insider tip: Take the short, shaded uphill hike to 200-foot Hidden Falls. Best for: First-timers Info: $19 | no reservations | gtlc.com or nps.gov/grte
VENTURE | THE BEST OF THE: ROCKIES
Devil’s Garden
Watchman
Dead Horse Point
The Wedge Overlook
UTAH COLORADO RIVERWAY
Moab The Colorado flows more gently just south of Arches National Park, making this area perfect for low-key kayaking or float trips. Campsites string out along State 128, with cliffs on all sides. Insider tip: At Hal Canyon Campground, nab site 2 or 11 for secluded riverfront. Best for: Rafting Info: $12 | no reservations | 435.259.2100
DEAD HORSE POINT STATE PARK
Northwest of Canyonlands National Park Perch your tent atop a mesa 2,000 feet above the Colorado River. Trails and views of Canyonlands National Park are just 20 minutes away. Insider tip: Rise early for the sunrise over the 12,721-foot La Sal Mountains. Best for: Sunrises and sunsets Info: $20 | 435.259.2614 | Book it: reserveamerica.com
DEVIL’S GARDEN CAMPGROUND
Arches National Park, North of Moab Juniper-studded, red sandstone–carpeted sites at the only campground in 76,519-acre Arches. Insider tip: Snag site 53 behind a “fin,” a slickrock boulder for privacy. Best for: Groups Info: $20 | 435.719.2299 | Book it: recreation.gov
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TANNER’S FLAT CAMPGROUND
Little Cottonwood Canyon, Southeast of Salt Lake City. It’s only 10 miles from Salt Lake City yet a world away, with thick stands of aspen and pine at a 7,250-foot elevation. Insider tip: On Sunday morning, head up the canyon to the Alta Lodge for its legendary brunch. Best for: Hiking and fishing Info: $18 | 801.236.3400 | Book it: recreation.gov
THE WEDGE OVERLOOK
San Rafael Swell Recreation Area Virtually unobstructed views of red rock country are the reward for camping above the Little Grand Canyon. Insider tip: Follow informal trails along the canyon rim for your own sunset lightshow. BYO water. Best for: Vistas Info: Free | no reservations | 435.636.3600
WATCHMAN CAMPGROUND
Zion National Park Towering sandstone formations make up this gateway to Zion Canyon. Wade in the Virgin River; watch for grazing deer at dusk and dawn. Insider tip: Bring an awning for shade in summertime. Best for: Families Info: From $16 | 435.772.3256 | Book it: recreation.gov
TURQUOISE LAKE RECREATION AREA
San Isabel National Forest, West of Leadville Thick evergreen forest, mountains, and an 1,800-acre lake surround the eight campgrounds here, all at a cool 10,000-foot elevation. Insider tip: Bike the easy 12-mile paved Mineral Belt Trail loop; it starts in downtown Leadville, 4 miles east of the lake. Best for: Beating the heat Info: From $14 | 719/486-0749 | Book it: recreation.gov
Turquoise Lake
COLORADO BIG CREEK LAKES CAMPGROUND
PINYON FLATS CAMPGROUND
Best for: Boating and fishing Info: $10 | 970.723.8204 | Book it: recreation.gov
Best for: Families Info: $14 | no reservations | 719.378.6300
HALL VALLEY AND HANDCART CAMP
ROSY LANE CAMPGROUND
Routt National Forest, Northwest of Walden This remote 9,000-foot haven near the Wyoming border boasts beyond-blue lakes and spiky summits near the Mt. Zirkel Wilderness. Insider tip: Hike the moderate Seven Lakes Trail. Two miles in, you’ll reach Big Creek Falls, where moose sightings are routine.
Pike National Forest, Northwest of Bailey These high-country campsites are tucked into a densely forested valley punctuated with wild-flowers and aspens. The North Fork of the South Platte River is within earshot. Insider tip: Walk 1.4 miles to access the super-scenic 2.4-mile Gibson Lake Trail. Best for: Hiking Info: $14 | 303.275.5610 | Book it: recreation.gov
MORAINE PARK CAMPGROUND
Rocky Mountain National Park Elk, mule deer, and coyotes often wander through the meadow near this campground, which has a backcountry feel despite its proximity to the road. The 2.3-mile Cub Lake Trail leads to a lily pad–covered pond. Insider tip: Leave your car behind; starting on Memorial Day, summer park shuttles provide easy access to trails.
Great Sand Dunes National Park In this park, sand dunes of up to 750 feet the tallest in North America are dwarfed by the 13,000-foot peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Insider tip: During May runoff, Medano Creek becomes a virtual water park, with gentle, kid-friendly flows.
Gunnison National Forest, Northeast of Almont Campsites are tucked beneath tree canopies at Taylor River’s edge. Insider tip: Whitewater-rafting outfitters run the river daily. Best for: Fishing Info: From $18 | 970.641.0471 | Book it: recreation.gov
SADDLEHORN CAMPGROUND
Colorado National Monument From your campsite, spot steep-walled canyons and crimson-colored rocks. Insider tip: Hike the Monument Canyon Trail to see awesome rock formations. Best for: Hiking Info: $10| no reservations | 970.858.3617 ext. 360
Best for: Hiking Info: $20 | Book it: recreation.gov
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VENTURE | CAMPING? YES. ROUGHING IT? NOT QUITE.
Camping? Yes. Roughing it?
Paws Up Resort
Jennifer Conlin If the eco-friendly idea of falling asleep under the stars and roasting marshmallows around a campfire appeals to you, but the reality of pitching a tent and sleeping on bumpy ground does not, glamping, the new term being used for upscale — or glamorous — camping, could be your ideal green vacation. Though dismissed by hard-core leave-no-trace campers (who don’t so much as move a rock for fear of affecting the area), glamping can still be an environmentally sound outdoor experience, even if it does include creature comforts (like not having too many creatures inside your tent). And though it is a relatively new trend in the United States
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and Europe, with its origins harking back to Africa and even Thailand, glamping sites are starting to pop up everywhere, with prepitched tents, tepees and yurts rising out of the landscape like sailboats on an ocean. “Think of it like the hip hotels of camping,” said Jonathan Knight, the author of Cool Camping, a 2006 book that rated campsites in England by their amenities, locations and facilities, and quickly became so popular, selling second only to the Good Pub Guide, that there are now editions on Wales, Scotland and France, with planned guides on Europe and Kids “I wanted to correct the misconception that camping is still about leaking tents,” Mr. Knight said.
Clayoquot Wilderness Resort
“We call it nature on a silver plate, I think glamping has really hit its stride this season as the ultimate connect with nature.”
Guests of Elizabeth Tom and Alan Berry at Cornish Tipi Holidays (www.cornishtipiholidays.co.uk) need bring only their food, a towel and bedding from home, since everything else is provided in their 40 cotton-canvas tepees — from lanterns and Turkish rugs to a camp stove, kitchen utensils and a cooler. “We are not about giving people a trowel to dig a latrine and a compass to survive,” said Ms. Tom, who with her husband runs the 16-acre campsite in Cornwall, England. “We want our guests to experience traditional camping like in the 30s, 40s and 50s, but in an accessible way,” she said. To that end, she and her husband have a stocked spring lake where campers can fish for rainbow trout and then cook it on a skillet over a fire pit. The camp has no electricity, no cellphone coverage and no Wi-Fi. It does have solar panels for hot showers, low-volume lavatories and a wind generator. The tepees come in three sizes, the largest fitting up to eight people. Prices start at $488 for two nights for a medium tent that sleeps two to three people. At Mille Étoiles, a campsite with 14 yurts in the Rhône-Alpes region of France overlooking the dramatic Ardèche River gorge, the tents are built on oak and ash platforms and furnished (four-poster beds, oriental rugs, antiques) so guests feel, said Lodewijk van den Belt, one of the owners, “like you are in an Edwardian safari tent.” Mr. van den Belt and his wife, Ruth Lawson, avid campers, founded Canvas Chic (www.canvaschic.com) looking for a change from their hectic existences in London. “We loved the idea of a barefoot luxury project,” Mr. van den Belt said of their campsite. Paths are lighted with solar-powered lanterns and candles, rainwater is collected and reused, recycling is standard, and the food served in the small restaurant (there are four communal cooking tents with equipment provided) is organically grown. A minimum three-night stay starts at £255. On the California coast an hour south of San Francisco is Costanoa (www.costanoa.com) a lodge and camp surrounded by 30,000 acres of state parks and wildlife preserves, visitors would be hard-pressed to call their 76 tented bungalows “tents.” They are like stand-alone rooms with canvas walls and ceilings, hardwood floors and made-up beds with heated mattress pads “So we can save energy by keeping the
bungalow’s heat lower,” said Trevor Bridge, Costanoa’s manager. While guests can choose to stay in the lodge or in a cabin, Mr. Bridge says the bungalows are sold out every summer and are popular even through the autumn, there are three comfort stations with bathrooms and showers. Campers can cook their own food on grilling stations throughout the campsite (picnic food and coal are available at the general store), or eat meals at the restaurant. There are an outdoor hot tub and a 24-hour dry sauna and spa. Weekend rates for a tented bungalow that can sleep three starts at $115. To get the ultimate glamping experience, consider a visit to either the Clayoquot Wilderness Resort on Vancouver Island in the Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve in British Columbia, or the Resort at Paws Up (www.pawsup.com) in Montana. Both have elegantly furnished tents, which could lure even the most squeamish camper, but the resort is also dedicated to respecting the environment. At Clayoquot, (www.wildretreat.com) which calls itself a Super Natural Adventure, tents are connected by cedar boardwalks and have remotecontrolled propane fireplaces, composting toilets, oil lamps and even antique dressers. There are also a games tent, a library tent, dining tents, lounge tents and a spa tent, if your muscles hurt after a day of fishing for coho salmon. Clayoquot also has a comprehensive recycling program, organic gardens, gravity-fed turbines that generate fuel-less electricity and hot water, a waste composting system, and a policy of nonintrusive, conservancy-driven marine and land adventures for guests —with a five-year plan to restore about 4 miles of critical salmon-spawning habitats. The minimum stay is three nights for 4,750 Canadian dollars a person. At Paws Up, a ranch resort with horseback riding, mountain biking and fly-fishing, among other activities, campers can pass up the cabins and stay in Tent City or in one of the newly built tents at River Camp on the Blackfoot River, complete with king-sized beds and art on the walls, a personal butler and private master bath. Rates start at $695 per night for two but include three meals a day.
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VENTURE | GET YOUR GEAR
GET YOUR GEAR
CENTURY 4680 MATCHLESS STOVE You can ignite this lightweight two-burner stove with the push of a button. $62 | centurycamping.com
REI QUARTER DOME T2 TENT The mesh roof on this lightweight, easy-to-assemble, two-person tent makes it perfect for stargazing. $269 | rei.com
COLEMAN PARTY STACKER COOLER
Keep like foods with like foods with a couple of these stacking coolers. Ideal for the organized camp cook. Three sizes. $18–$25 | coleman.com
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JETBOIL PERSONAL COOKING SYSTEM
REI DOUBLE SHOT PRESS MUG
This ultracompact and fuel-efficient unit is hot and fast. It boils two cups of water in two minutes.
Join an insulated mug with a built-in plunger and voilà! it’s a French press.
$100 | jetboil.com
$29 | rei.com
MSR FLEX 4 SYSTEM These pots, plates, and mugs for four are color-coded and easy to pack. $160 | msrgear.com
SOLERA +15 WOMEN’S SLEEPING BAG This comfy bag’s hourglass shape gives women extra wiggle room around the torso and hips, and piles on insulation in the hood, upper torso, and foot box. $100 | slumberjack.com for retailers
EUREKA RAPIDAIR MAT Dual valves mean you won’t have to fiddle with a cap in the race against time when inflating and deflating this luxuriously cushy pad. $70–$175 | eurekatent.com
COLEMAN LED QUAD LANTERN
FREEPLAY ENERGY INDIGO LANTERN
Four mini LED flashlights snap together to create this four-in-one lantern. So while the main lantern’s in use, you can pop out a panel to take with you to, say, the latrine.
It’s an area light, flashlight-style directional light, and with the flip of the dimmer switch a nightlight, all in one. Bonus: The crank handle’s fun to play with.
$70 | coleman.com
$42 | freeplayenergy.com
Kyle Andrews
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VENTURE | BEAR GRYLLS INTERVIEW
BEAR GRYLLS an exclusive interview with America’s favorite survivor
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Graham Bensinger By his early 20’s, Bear Grylls became the youngest Brit to summit Mount Everest after nearly dying in an army parachute accident. Not exactly the average start to a career, but then again, nothing this adventurer does is common. From the Arctic Ocean to the Himalayas, Grylls has braved some of the most challenging waters and terrains. His childhood passion is now a full-time job as the Man vs. Wild host takes Discovery Channel viewers to inhospitable worldwide locations teaching survival skills, even if that means eating the occasional scorpion or goat’s testicle.
VENTURE | BEAR GRYLLS INTERVIEW
“My parachute ripped while it was opening. I came spiraling down very very fast. I blacked out, smashed into the desert, and broke my back in three places.”
Bensinger: With your crazy schedule, did you plan to be in town for a prolonged period of time or did you just get lucky and your wife had the baby during one of the brief windows you’re home? Grylls: It has all sort of worked out good. The good thing about Man vs. Wild is that there isn’t a whole load of other people so it’s quite easy to be fluid with the plans. It happened around Christmas where I normally have a break anyway. I also busted my shoulder just before Christmas in Antarctica so I was off the show trying to get the shoulder better for a couple of months. The shoulder is getting better. The baby has appeared. I’ve got a few more weeks and then we start filming again at the end of February. Bensinger: How did you hurt yourself in Antarctica? Grylls: I was leading an expedition trying to promote the use of alternative energies and doing a whole load of stuff from exploring the continental ice shells on these bioethanol-powered jetskis to electric-powered paragliders flying into the mountains. We did a big climb on this unclimbed peak. Then, we were also using wind power for kite skiing which is when you’re on skis and using these huge parachute kites. We were basically in a blizzard steaming along on these skis at 50 mph just licking across the ice. I had just put a helmet on maybe five minutes earlier, mainly to keep my hat on because it was so windy. I went off this edge and just took off on this thing and landed on my head smashing my helmet and breaking my shoulder. I had five very painful days in a tent with
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no painkillers waiting for an evacuation from there. I was very lucky that I put my helmet on otherwise I would literally no longer have a head. Bensinger: After it happened, when you’re lying on the ice, what are you thinking? Grylls: You idiot! You’re such an idiot! But, you know, I do get quite battered in my job. It’s just kind of par for the course. I’ve had so many injuries in my life that it’s ridiculous. I did a list for a journalist the other day and it went on for five pages. I always rely on the quote from Evil Knievel who said, “Bones heal and chicks love scars.” Bensinger: You weren’t always an international television star and bestselling author. You spent three years in the British Special Air Service and it was a parachute accident that forced you out. Tell me about that. Grylls: I was in Southern Africa doing a freefall jump. We were over the desert and it was getting dark. My parachute ripped while it was opening. I came spiraling down very very fast. I blacked out, smashed into the desert, and broke my back in three places. In the UK, I spent about a year in and out of military rehabilitation trying to get my movement and confidence back. Again, I was super lucky. The doctor said I came within a millimeter of severing my spinal cord. It was a dark time for me. I think people think I must have been very positive to go from that to climbing to the top of Everest, but it was really just a long struggle of trying to rebuild everything I’d lost.
Bensinger: What did the doctor first tell you? Grylls: He called me the Miracle Kid. He said you really should not be walking. I remember getting back to this military hospital straight after the accident. They jammed a long injection into my back. I was in a wheelchair. The longer it went on, the more I realized how I must have had some angels looking after me that day. In life, sometimes it does take a good knock to make you realize what you really value. Bensinger: What did the rehab process entail? Grylls: I had unbelievable treatment because I was in the military. I was having like eight hours of physical therapy a day. I would go from physiotherapy to pool therapy to physchotherapy to movement classes. It was literally all day every day. I remember when I would try to get out of this place to go and see my girlfriend, I would climb on my motorbike in my full back brace – literally strapped up in these great big braces and plaster and everything. I look back now and think you’re such an idiot! What are you doing on a motorbike with a broken back! Bensinger: How did the idea for Man vs. Wild come about? Grylls: I did a television series in the UK about what it’s like to join the French Foreign Legion. I signed up and a camera crew filmed what happened as I went through basic training. That series did really well over here. Then, Discovery approached me and said we know your background with the military and all of the combat survival stuff. Why don’t we do a
show where we drop you into difficult places and you show us what you do to get out of there? I was quite nervous about doing it at the start. I remember saying “no” three times to the producer of it. I said that I don’t want to be a television host and it to be all smiley and slick. He kept saying it doesn’t need to be that and they just want to see me. He said you don’t have to host anything; you just have to tell the camera crew what you’re doing. We tried and it worked, but I’ve always been clear that I don’t want to present a survival show. I just want to do what I’ve been trained to do and the camera crew can follow me and I’ll talk through what I’m doing. I think that’s part of why the show has worked because you get that feel from watching it. I remember after three shows I was exhausted, and we’ve done almost 40 shows now! I never in my wildest dreams thought we’d get to this stage. It’s been a great privilege. It’s been driven so much by the small crew I’m with. It’s been the same guys for all of the shows. We’re such a tight team. They’re the unsung hero in all of this. We’re in difficult high pressure environments and we need to look out for each other. I’m really proud of those guys. Bensinger: What’s the worst thing to happen to the crew on a shoot before? Grylls: It comes down to the extremes – when you’ve got the real cold or the real heat. We’ve operated in Siberia in the middle of winter when it’s minus-45 degrees every day. Then, we’ve done the Sahara Desert, the hottest desert in the world, in the middle of summer when it’s 130 degrees. The problems we’ve had is the crew getting heatstroke or frostbite. God willing, we’ve been okay. We’ve had a lot of near scrapes with things. Vines breaking when I’ve been on them and taking big falls. Close encounters with big sharks and big crocodiles. I’ve been bitten by snakes. On a whole, we’re very acutely aware and we just need to keep getting it right and looking after each other. Bensinger: You eat everything from scorpions, to porcupine, to skunk, to camel intestines, to sheep’s eyeballs, to goat’s testicles, to tarantula, and raw sheep heart, to name a few. When did you first start being adventurous with your diet? Grylls: (laughs) I’ve been eating like that since I was a kid! I’ve always loved all that sort of stuff. My daddy took me climbing when I was young. We used to love just going outside. I see it now already with my two oldest kids ages five and two. I get back and all they want to do is go outside and find worms and eat them. A part of me is going nooo you’ve got to have a proper job! The other half is saying that’s amazing and what kids are meant to do. As the shows progress, I always end up eating pretty wacky things. It’s part of survival. Survival requires movement and movement needs energy. You do need to leave your prejudices behind a bit. Bensinger: But eating worms is a little different than goat testicles or sheep heart! Do you encourage your kids to be that open with their food choices? Grylls: No, but I did catch my oldest son drinking his own pee the other day! I’m like going no, stop! I don’t let them watch my programs because I just don’t want them to think their dad has a stupid job.
Bensinger: Tell me about eating sheep eyeballs at minus-40 degrees. Grylls: You know, they’re all bad. I had to eat bear poo the other day. It just comes down to doing whatever you need to do to get out of somewhere. You look at the great survival stories and the people who can survive are those who can put the prejudices behind and just get on with it. It’s all about having the end in mind. You’re doing it for a purpose. Biting heads off snakes isn’t fun, but you aren’t in a survival situation for fun. You’re in a survival situation for one reason and that’s to get out of it. Bensinger: There was an interesting story I recall about you trying to get honey out of a bee hive and a subsequent snake encounter. Grylls: I was trying to get honey out of this bee’s nest and just got stung by a few of them. My face swelled up and I basically couldn’t see out of my eyes. We were in the very hot salt pans in Mexico. I remember a big pit viper was there. I was trying to kill it, but I couldn’t see it properly through my eyes. The cameraman is saying it’s coming for you now and I’m trying to get this thing. I eventually get it and eat it. The problem in the salt pan is water so I use the snakeskin to store my pee because I was well
literally hit the ground like a second later. There was a tenths of a second margin. That was too close. There were a catalog of errors from the pilots and guys there, but these things happen and they’re all working under high pressure fighting against the weather and me saying come on get us in here. Bensinger: Obviously the Discovery Channel doesn’t want you dying on a shoot, so what happens in a dire situation where you’re teetering on the edge? Grylls: They tend not to know about all of those moments. We’re a small crew filming far [away]. I was climbing down some vine the other day over a big 100-foot waterfall. I was about halfway down this thing and the vine just popped and broke. I fell about 40 or 50 feet and just disappeared into this whitewater. I smashed into the thing and my head missed a rock by about six inches. Its torrential rain and you’re in the middle of the jungle and can hardly hear yourself think. We get up, ask if we’re all alright, realize we got a bit lucky, and then we get on with it. There aren’t massive debriefs about it all. It tends to happen quite fast. We try to really minimize those moments. We do hundreds and hundreds of these things and only a handful of them have been near misses. That’s definitely what
“The next day, I end up drinking the pee out of the snakeskin. That wasn’t a particularly fun one — rotting snake and pee.” hydrated and didn’t want to waste it. The next day, I end up drinking the pee out of the snakeskin. That wasn’t a particularly fun one — rotting snake and pee. Bensinger: You’ve obviously been dropped into some of the most inhospitable places in the world. You said you were quite on the edge one time in Scotland while filming an episode. How concerned were you for your life? Grylls: We had a few different things go very wrong there. I got dropped out of an airplane in really terrible weather. There was a small break in the clouds and they reckoned they could parachute me onto the top of the mountain. They just misjudged the height. I thought I was jumping at about 3000 feet which would give me five seconds to pull the chute, but actually I was dropped at half that. As soon as I was out of the plane, I knew I was way lower than I was meant to be. I pulled the chute, it deployed, and I
makes me nervous about this show — the number that we do and the fact that we film so fast. The other survival shows take about five weeks to film one program, but we film it in five days so it’s all happening very fast. Then again, that’s how I’ve chosen to do it and I work best when it’s all happening quite live. Bensinger: You’ve said the most frightening thing you’ve ever done is flying a paramotor over the Himalayas. Why? Grylls: All of these are scary at the time, but the Everest one is just because of how vulnerable we were to outside things going wrong. If the oxygen froze, we would have been unconscious in 30 seconds, dead a few minutes later, and flying a parachute at 80 mph amongst the biggest mountains in the world. These things are outside your control, it doesn’t matter how big or brave you are. That always makes me nervous.
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VENTURE | WHEN DISASTER STRIKES
WHEN
D ISAS E T R true survival stories
STRIKES 30
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HEADFIRST DOWN THE MCKINLEY Tracy Ross couldn’t have been more excited about the five-day mountaineering patrol she had just embarked on in Denali National Park. It was July 1998, and the 27-year-old had joined climbing ranger Kevin Moore, his girlfriend, Kathryn, and volunteer ranger Joel Gorden on a trip that would take them from Wonder Lake to the McKinley River bar, where the group planned to ford a mile-wide series of stream braids, and then climb 11,940-foot Mt. Brooks.
Steve Howe
chest, Ross turned feet-forward and tried to stand. Her foot caught on the river bottom, and the current dish-ragged her upper body downstream. “I needed both arms to keep my head up, but I had to keep reaching for the chest buckle,” she says. Ross started to weaken. “My head was above water, but I was heading for a swift, deep bend in the river that was definitely going to suck me under.” Convinced she was about to drown, Ross made a desperate
“I REMEMBER THINKING WTF AND INSTANTLY PANICKING” “The McKinley was running really high,” says Ross. Fed by the Muldrow Glacier, the river was a frigid 40°F. “It was also a cold, yucky day, but this was our window and we had to go,” says Ross. With a snow-and-ice climb on tap, Ross’s pack was filled with the usual backpacking gear, plus crampons, an ice axe, a rope, and a pair of plastic boots. “It must have weighed 60 pounds, and I was about 125,” she remembers. The first few channels went fine. Then they reached the deeper, faster main channel. “We linked up like a conga line,” Ross says. “Kevin went first; then Kathryn, Joel, and me.” Geisendorfer and the others undid their hipbelts and sternum straps, following safety protocol. Ross kept hers buckled because the load was so top-heavy. “I knew this was a dicey decision, but I had to choose between being unbalanced with the pack unbuckled, and buckling up, which felt more secure.” In the main channel, with water surging against their ribs, Geisendorfer stumbled, then lunged forward. “That yanked me and I stumbled, too,” Ross remembers. The current tore Geisendorfer and Ross off the end of the line. “Suddenly, I’m being dragged backward down the McKinley with a full pack on. I look back and my team’s just staring–not that there was much they could do. I remember thinking ‘WTF!’ and instantly panicking.” Geisendorfer slipped out of his pack and floated on it. He vividly remembers Ross getting tumbled through the water. “Every time her face popped up, she’d do this wild glare, then get rolled again,” he says. Floating back-ward and fighting to undo her buckles, Ross gasped from the cold and tried to breathe. “I got the hipbelt undone,” she says, “but not the chest strap. And that was disastrous.” With her pack full of water, and hanging off her
last-ditch effort. “It took me a second to realize the buckle had popped open,” she recalls. “Then I just exploded out of the water.” On the bank, Ross took an inventory: no broken bones, but the shivers lasted for three hours and the bruises for a week.
MAN VS. ROCK It was a brilliant July day when the Taylors dropped off the summit of 11,618-foot Disappointment Peak in Grand Teton National Park and headed down a rock-filled gully toward flatter ground. Disappointment was a favorite objective of Reed, daughter Britney, 22, and sons Wayne, 27, and John, 29, in part because of its neck-craning view up the Grand Teton’s towering East Ridge. But on this descent, a different vista caught Wayne’s eye, providing a photo op he couldn’t resist. “John and I saw this great shot, where you could hang off a square boulder and fake like you were hanging over a huge void,” says Wayne. “So I got above John, lined him up in the viewfinder, and had him swing his legs out.” “I wrapped myself around an eight-foot-high rock in a bear hug,” says John. “But as I shifted my weight, it slid out of the wall with me attached.” The refrigerator-size boulder landed on top of John and rolled off. Limp, he slid down the talus. Wayne saw it all. “There was no doubt in my mind that he was going to bleed to death from internal injuries,” says Wayne, who stayed with John while Reed and Britney went for help, hailing climbers as they rushed down the rock. Soon, 15 to 20 people were on the scene, including climbing rangers Renny Jackson, Helen Motter, and Alan Orem, who called for a helicopter. Within 45 minutes, a chopper landed above the gully and dropped off three rescue rangers. The team put a suction cast on John’s leg, strapped him into a wire litter, and lifted him to a plateau, where they loaded him onto the helicopter. “I remember thinking what a great view it was,” says John. “This slow, spinning panorama of the Tetons.” In the end, John suffered a broken right fibula, a crushed foot, and a foot-long, bone-deep gash on one shin. “I got off easy,” says John. “The brunt of the boulder’s weight hit six inches below my crotch.”
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VENTURE | WHEN DISASTER STRIKES
LOST IN THE OLYMPICS Mary O’Brien didn’t set out to hike Washington’s High Divide. But when a friend canceled their planned climb up Mt. Rainier, the Massachusetts PE teacher and former Seattle resident was already packed for an adventure. Besides, the 18.8-mile loop in Olympic National Park had been on her todo list for years. Now, 30 hours into what would become a five-day survival epic, the fit 45-year-old was scratched, bleeding, and hallucinating. In the dark, with whitewater frothing beneath her, she fought to focus on her umpteenth log crossing of Cat Creek. “I kept telling myself, ‘You can’t get hurt! No one’s going to find you here,’” she says. O’Brien had left her tent and sleeping bag back in the Sol Duc Campground the previous morning, setting off at 11 a.m. on an impromptu trip with food, clothing,
bivouacked briefly, then regained her route in Sol Duc Park, only to find the trail and route signs obscured by darkness and snowbanks. At dawn, she hoped to find the Appleton Pass Trail. Instead, she dropped into trailless Cat Creek. “At first, it wasn’t bad,” she recalls. “Then it turned to vertical jungle.” Hanging off branches and using her ice axe as a hook, O’Brien descended 2,000 feet to the creek, and ran into thick nettles and devils club. She kept stumbling into pits hidden by fern. “It was a nightmare,” she says. “I had so many shin-whacks. My left hand went numb from nettle stings.” O’Brien remembers the following two days as a combination of sleep-deprived hallucinations and suffering. She kept seeing people, hearing music, and spotting visitor centers. Thick vegetation and deep
“Hanging off branches and using her ice axe as a hook, O’Brien descended 2,000 feet...” ice axe, crampons, headlamp, and space blanket. A strong hiker, by 4 p.m. she had already powered up 3,800 vertical feet to the top of Bogachiel Peak, the usual halfway point on the High Divide loop. “It was summer, so I knew it wouldn’t get dark until 10 p.m.,” says O’Brien. Deep snow obscured the trail, but she kept on hiking. “The descent trail was close,” she recalls. “And I figured by nighttime I’d be hiking good trail along the Sol Duc River, following my headlamp light.” Fog, rain, and sleet moved in. Then darkness hit. O’Brien fell on steep snow, but self-arrested and climbed back to the ridge. Hiking by headlamp, she missed the left turn down to Sol Duc Park and shot east onto the Catwalk, a thready trail that eventually forks and dies. She realized her mistake and backtracked. Then backtracked again. At 1 a.m., she
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gorges forced her onto animal trails that traversed steep slopes. Crossing talus, she slid 25 feet. When she stopped to light a signal fire, she realized the hipbelt pouch containing her matches were torn off. From one high vantage, she dismissed distant houses along nearby Whiskey Bend Road as just more hallucinations. Thinking she was still in a remote location, she climbed 3,800 vertical feet up the north ridge of Mt. Fitzhenry. Near the summit, O’Brien spent two days signaling with her compass mirror and headlamp. She’d been drinking frequently; now she finished the last of her food, some freeze-dried pasta she warmed up on her space blanket. From her perch, O’Brien could see Lake Mills and the lights on Elwha Dam. When no one responded to her signal, she took a compass bearing and plunged north. Arriving at the lake, she was less than a kilometer from safety, but couldn’t cross the massive Elwha River, or, to the north, raging Boulder Creek. “I didn’t want to get killed trying to ford either,” O’Brien explains. “I’d come too far.” She walked to the lake shore to signal. Within a couple of hours, O’Brien saw a motorboat and started waving frantically. The couple piloting the boat cut the engine, but they wouldn’t land at first. “I could tell they were thinking, ‘No way, she’s psycho,’” says O’Brien. “And believe me, I looked the part.”
CAUGHT IN A COLORADO SNOWSTORM "When my water bottles froze solid before 10 p.m., I knew not to fall asleep,” says Boyd Severson, 56, of the night he spent huddled between car-size boulders a thousand feet below the summit of 13,245 foot Mummy Mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park. As frigid ridgetop winds reached 50 to 70 mph, he wormed into every piece of his clothing: a shell, fleece,
Severson rarely hiked alone, but partners had been tough to find that Monday. And the day had dawned gloriously, so he’d headed up the trail, sending periodic messages to a friend from his BlackBerry as a safeguard. Despite clouds racing in from the west, Severson didn’t yet realize how severely he’d blundered in neglecting to check the forecast. He could
“When my water bottles froze before 10p.m. I knew not to fall asleep” hat, spare socks, and trash bag for a vest. Then he wrapped Ace bandages around his ankles and neck for extra insulation. Alone, afraid, and with no help coming, he braced himself for a cold night out in a September snowstorm.
FIGHTING DEATH ON MT. FORAKER Disaster struck for Tom Walter, Ritt Kellogg, and Colby Coombs on a steep snow climb up Alaska’s 17,240-foot Mt. Foraker. Nearly finished with their new variation on the Pink Panther route, the trio topped out on a 1,000-foot cliffband just as a storm broke. With winds rising and visibility plummeting, they abandoned their summit plans. But the escape route wouldn’t be any picnic. They had to gain the spur 1,200 feet above them, traverse left, and descend the Southeast Ridge, a tough route in its own right. The ramp was easy climbing, but the porous ice was too hard for snow pickets (a kind of anchor) and too soft for ice screws. Unprotected, the men moved quickly up the 50-degree slope, tied together and climbing simultaneously. As they ascended, Coombs, who now owns Alaska Mountaineering School in Talkeetna, stared up at the line running to his friend Tom. “Then the rope suddenly went slack,” he says. Coombs looked up just as an avalanche hit him. “I remember sliding really fast and trying to self-arrest, then hitting something and going airborne. That’s when I passed out.” Coombs came to hanging from his rope, wracked with pain and deeply chilled, his pack and mittens gone. It was morning. He’d been dangling for at least six hours near the top of a rock buttress, 800 feet below where the slide had struck. Walter hung on the other end of the line, counter-weighting Coombs. The rope to Kellogg, his longtime best friend, ran limply over the brink. Walter was dead, his face a snow-covered mask. “It was a blessing in some ways, not being able to see his face,” says Coombs.
“It allowed me to separate myself a bit.” Coombs was in bad shape. His ankle and scapula were broken. His neck wouldn’t twist, and it was excruciatingly painful to recline or sit up. Dizzy from a concussion, he scrabbled to a small ledge, wormed inside Walter’s sleeping bag, and went to sleep. When he awoke, Coombs realized the helmet he was still wearing had been shattered. He rappelled to find Kellogg dead, wound up in the other rope. It took nearly 36 hours for Coombs to assemble gear, cook food, and melt snow to drink. Alone and desperate on a technical ice face, he traversed toward the Southeast Ridge, his only escape. He could barely use his fractured foot, but he had to focus on the next step. “I remember thinking ‘I don’t care if my foot falls off,’” he says. “I had to get into an unstoppable mentality.” Coombs also drew from his faith in God. “For anyone who’s religious, being able to lean on something bigger than you is helpful.” The descent took six days of dead ends, frustration, and splintered-bone agony. Coombs fell and made an excruciating self-arrest. His frayed rope kept snagging on rocks. When a steep snowfield settled beneath him, the exhausted climber inched back up and around the hair-trigger avalanche slope. Finally, reaching the Kahiltna Glacier, he zombie-walked across its crevasse fields and entered camp. Search planes spotted Tom Walter’s ice tool planted only 100 feet from the ridgetop and safety. Coombs spent three months in a wheelchair, and another three on crutches. Neither Kellogg nor Walter were ever found.
still see cairns through the decreasing visibility, so he descended swiftly. It wasn’t until he reached an unfamiliar draw that he realized he’d gone off course; he hadn’t been in the broad gully he climbed up. Severson had followed a different set of cairns, heading east rather than south, and landed in a narrow tundra bowl between Mummy and Mt. Dunraven. He laid low in the timber, but the storm kept building, so he started back up the 2,000-foot slope, hoping to retrace his steps to the trailhead by flashlight. When darkness fell, snowfall absorbed his beam. With zero visibility, he found a crevice between three boulders and hunkered down. In wind chills down to -30°F, he flexed his muscles to stay warm, wishing he could call his wife. But neither cell phone nor BlackBerry connected. “I never thought I was going to die,” he says. “But I was worried about severe frostbite.” By dawn, when Severson emerged dazed and weak, a search was in full swing, but the 50 ground searchers, several rescue dogs, and two helicopters were unable to locate him. “We began to theorize that he was hiding from the helicopters, perhaps from embarrassment,” says ranger Cindy Purcell, incident commander for the search. Severson initially waited out in the tundra because he knew his wife would call a search. But at around 1 p.m., he began moving again. “There was no way I was going to spend another night out,” he says. At one point, he spotted a helicopter and waved, but the pilot missed him. Severson gained the south ridge, found his original gully, and, just before dark, encountered searchers on the Lawn Lake Trail.
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VENTURE | SCARY STORIES
10 HOLES
SCARY STORIES
to tell around the campfire
Once in a little village not that far from here, there was a problem. Animals had started dying off, one by one. In the morning their owners would see them lying outside with 10 holes in their chest. The people thought it was the work of their neighboring town (insert name). Then, one night a man by the name of Fred was closing his store for the night. It was very late, and he was anxious to get home to his family. He shut off all the lights, then closed the door with a click. As he turned around to go to his car he saw a dark shape in the distance. He stood still trying to make out what it was. As it got closer, Fred turned to go. It was the last move he ever made. The next day they found him with 10 holes in his chest. This made the town quite worried. They were scared of more people getting killed. So, one night two brave brothers, John and Jacob went out to get rid of the problem. They each took knives, and walkie talkies. They said good-bye to their father, and kissed their grandmother on the way out. The two boys decided to split up. One would go by the site of the murder, and the other would wander the streets. If one was attacked they could use their walkie talkie to contact the other. So they set off, keeping a close eye on the shadows. Nothing seemed to be happening. It was a calm night, and it seemed like they would get home safely. But then suddenly John heard a crackling in the bushes behind him. He tried to call his brother, but it was too late. The figure leaped out of the bushes and tackled him, gouging his chest with its nails. Luckily Jacob heard the commotion, and rushed to help him. He leaped through the air and cut off the creatures right hand. The creature screamed and ran. Jacob took John to the hospital, and they bandaged him home. The doctors called them heroes, and finally they got home at 6 that morning. Only their grandmother was up, so they said good morning, then went back to bed. Neither of them noticed she was missing her hand.
NIGHTMARE HOUSE It was a dark and stormy night. Steve had just came in from having tied down anything that could possibly blow away in the wind outside. Cold seeping into his bones, he decided to go sit by the fireplace to warm up. He closed the door to the large living room of the large house he had just purchased. His wife and daughter were back at the old home, gathering up some of the last items to be moved to their new home. Steve decided to stay the night by himself to get a feel for the house. The house was probably too large for such a small family, but Steve couldn’t pass up the good buy he got on it. An old antique house, incredibly large, in a quiet, secluded area, for such a small price. Steve still couldn’t believe how lucky he was. The television was one of the items his wife was bringing the next day, so he decided to read a book to pass the time. He sipped at his hot coffee, while being warmed by the crackling fireplace. Steve couldn’t help but to look forward to many more nights like this, all snug in front of the grand fireplace, on the cold winter nights that would eventually come. He had just started to get into his book when he heard a taping sound from the upper floor. Steve brushed it off quickly, old houses like this always make sounds like that in the movies, even though I’m sure it’s had enough time to settle. He had to chuckle over his corny joke. He went back to his book, but the sound started again, it seemed to be moving across
the room upstairs. Perhaps mice, thought Steve, I should really look into that tomorrow morning, the wife would not be pleased to find mice in their new home. Tomorrow though, no use chasing mice in the dark. Then Steve heard what sounded like a door opening upstairs. The big room was starting to feel a bit less cozy. He tried to pass it off as his imagination running wild, and tried to immerse himself in his book. It did no good, because this time, the sounds didn’t go away. The tapping, footsteps...started to sound like they were coming down the stairs, down the stairs that led to the living room’s door. Thump, thump, thump, louder and louder, as the went down. Steve had put the book down now, and was staring at the door with great intensity. What if it’s a robber, he thought, or worse...no, he mustn’t let his imagination go wild. He stared at the great door, and heard the footsteps keep thumping, finally coming off the stairs, and towards the door. Thump, thump, thump... He stared at the door, his fear increasing. Thump, thump, thump...the fireplace suddenly went out. The door handle started to turn, Steve was too frightened to get up to stop it, stuck in his place by fear. Slowly, it creaked open, until it was finally completely open to Steve. A great blinding light filled the room from the door, a blood curdling scream arose from Steve... Linda pulled into the driveway in her truck. She was sure she finally had gotten every last thing and was ready to move into the new house. Her daughter
BACKSEAT MANIAC There’s a girl driving along I-70 on the way back to Colorado after visiting her relatives in Illinois. It’s about 1:00 am and it starts raining when she realizes she’s almost out of gas. She sees a sign for a gas station about 3 miles ahead and breaths a sigh of relief. But when she gets there she sees it’s one of those old run down family-owned gas stations. She’s scared to stop but she really has no other choice. As she pulls in an old man with a disfigured
After a few seconds he comes back out and tells the girl she will have to come inside, her card has been denied. Reluctantly, she walks inside. The old man grabs her and tries to tell her something but she hits him with a can of oil sitting on the counter. She runs back to her car and takes off with the old man screaming and flailing his arms at her. After driving for a few miles she turns on the radio and starts to relax. As she looks in the rear-view mirror, she sees
bounced out of the car and ran towards the house. Linda thought, not for the first time, that the house was much too big for the three of them, but Steve was too much in love with it for her to change his mind. Steve, she had told him not to spend the night in the house alone, but he had insisted. She smiled to herself, the big goof was probably going to tell their daughter all kinds of ghost stories he made up last night, and she’ll end up trying to soothe her to bed tonight. Her daughter bounded into the house,
“A great blinding light filled the room from the door, a blood curdling sream arose from Steve...” she followed closely behind. She called for Steve, no answer. Probably still asleep in that huge living room, or can’t hear us through the door. He loved the room most about this house. She told her daughter to check the living room for her father. Her daughter went off to do that. Linda started unpacking some of the food they had brought in the kitchen, when she heard a scream from her daughter. She ran to the living room to see what was the matter. She looked in, and screamed herself. Steve was sitting, in his chair, book on the floor. His hair...his hair had turned stark white, his clothes were ripped, and it looked like he had tried to claw his eyes out with all the claw marks on his face. He was dead, with a look of stark terror etched forever on his face. Linda retched, and cried, what, what could possibly have done this to her husband, what??? Then, through her sobs, and her daughter’s screaming, she thought she heard a thumping sound upstairs...
“She runs back to her car and takes off with the old man screaming and flailing his arms at her.” faces comes running through the rain. He puts the pump in the tank and asks for her credit card. She hands it to him over the top of the window and he runs back inside.
someone pop up in the back seat holding an axe above their head. It’s the last thing she ever sees. Apparently, the old man at the gas station was trying to warn her.
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VENTURE | CHEF’S FAVORITE CAMPING RECIPES
Grilled Chicken MEDIUM | 1 HOUR
Chef ’s Favorite Camping Recipes SAUCE ingredients
make
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CHICKEN
_1 1/4 cups ketchup _1 to 1 1/2 tsp. hot sauce _2 tablespoons dark molasses _2 tablespoons Dijon mustard _2 tablespoons whiskey _2 tablespoons Worcestershire _1 tablespoon cider vinegar _1 large garlic clove, minced
_6 chicken legs with thighs attached
Combine ingredients in a medium saucepan. Cover and simmer 45 minutes to blend flavors, stirring occasionally with a long spoon. Add a little water if sauce gets too thick to pour. Let cool, then transfer to a plastic container and chill up to 1 week.
Grill chicken until browned all over, about 15 minutes, turning occasionally. Turn again, generously brush tops with some of remaining sauce, and cook a few minutes; repeat turning and brushing 2 more times, until chicken is well-browned and cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes total.
(3 3/4 lbs. total)
_1 tablespoon olive oil
CAMP COOKING TIPS FROM CHEF GUY FIERI
1. Plan and prep at home If
Pinnacle’s Scramble EASY | 30 MINUTES
CHIPOTLE POTATOES _1 can (7 oz.) chipotle chiles in adobo sauce _1 tablespoon olive oil _1/4 teaspoon kosher salt _1/4 teaspoon pepper _1 pound large Yukon Gold potatoes (quartered lengthwise and sliced crosswise 1/2 in. thick)
_1 large poblano chile _4 green onions, sliced diagonally
Preheat oven to 475°. Purée chipotles and sauce in a blender. Spoon 2 tbsp. into a bowl; save the rest for other uses. Stir in oil, salt, and pepper, then potatoes. Spread potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving a corner empty; put poblano in corner. Bake, turning chile and potatoes occasionally, until chile is blackened and potatoes are well browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool. Peel, stem, seed, and coarsely chop chile. In a plastic container, combine potatoes, chile, and onions; chill until used, up to 2 days
you organize everything before you go, you’ll eat better and faster (this is important when you’ve been hiking).
2. Cross-utilize your groceries by building leftovers into your meal plans. For instance, save bacon fat from breakfast to fry potatoes for dinner. Make sure you keep the fat, and all your food, away from animals.
THE SCRAMBLE _8 large eggs _2 tablespoons milk _About 1/4 tsp. each kosher salt and pepper _2 tablespoons unsalted butter _3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese _2 tablespoons chopped cilantro _2 cups fire-roasted tomato salsa _Crème fraîche _Warm corn tortillas Whisk eggs and milk in a bowl to blend with 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper; set aside. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Melt butter, then add potato mixture and stir occasionally with a flexible spatula until hot, 2 to 3 minutes. Add egg mixture, reduce heat to medium, and cook, scrambling gently, 2 to 4 minutes; add cheese and cilantro during last minute. Serve with salsa, crème fraîche, and tortillas, plus more salt and pepper to taste.
3. Invest in a Dutch oven. You
can use it for everything from frying an egg to boiling water and, best of all, it has little legs so you can set the pot right over coals, no flat surface needed.
4. Keep things semiclean
with antibacterial wipes, hand sanitizer, or a spray. A bottle of bleach solution is helpful.
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“I see my path, b where it leads where I’m going me to tr
but I don’t know s. Not knowing is what inspires ravel it.�
VENTURE | YOUR BEST SHOTS
your best shots You explored, captivated, and voted...
These are your favorite photos of the year.
(top)
John Fleming
Grand Teton National Park (bottom)
Rob Dweck
Grand Canyon (opposite page)
Debbie Dixon
Zion National Park
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VENTURE | YOUR BEST SHOTS
(top)
Jason Ming
Yellowstone National Park (bottom)
Jerry Swanson
Canyonlands (opposite page)
Taylor Ross
Mt. Rainier National Park
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CHOOSE YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE