The Cliffs of Moher In the opening portions of 1987’s The Princess Bride the inimitable Andre the Giant carries Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, and Wallace Shawn up the Cliffs of Insanity in an attempt to lose The Man in Black (Cary Elwes), who ascends the vertical walls at an inconceivable pace. Insanity is a perfect descriptor […]
Sagarmatha – AKA Mount Everest We are often fascinated by extremes. The fastest; the hottest; the longest; the smallest. Growing up a mountain devotee the highest mountain on earth always loomed in my imagination. Everest was the pinnacle of it all, literally the roof of our planet. Pipe dreams of summiting have never really died,
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The Grand Canyon as Evolutionary Force* Certain spots on the globe are well known for their geographic isolation. The concept is easy to visualize simply by imagining an island. If an area is physically isolated from other spots very often there will be a drastic effect on the evolution of life in the region. Two
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2025 Version Original Version The Great Blue Hole The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, stretching from the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula to Honduras, is the world’s second-largest, after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. A 190-mile (300-kilometer) section eponymously takes the name of the nation whose coast it lines. Tourists and diving enthusiasts come from around the
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Father of the National Parks No self-respecting publication about nature could start anywhere other than John of the Mountains, especially when the title of the newsletter comes directly from one of his quotations. What follows is the most simplistic overview one could fit in a newsletter. These words will not do him justice, so please read more
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