Hello and happy Friday... and July!

I hope you take some time this weekend to celebrate the holiday.

Weekly thought...

This country is far from perfect.

History has documented this.

The news will remind you of it daily.

It's still the best damn place on earth to pursue opportunity.

To make positive change, to make things better, and to live freely - if that's what you choose.

This fact alone is something to celebrate.

Don't take it for granted.

Also, don't watch or read the news.

Now, on to what I've got for you this week:

1. How to stay safe while hiking during wildfire season

Those of us who live in the West are well aware that every year wildfires seem to be more frequent and more intense. 

Once a relatively minor threat, wildfires are now something that people need to be actively watching out for while out hiking or backpacking.

Stories of hikers getting trapped on mountainsides by fast-moving wildfires are becoming more and more common in the news.

Now is the time to learn what to do if you see fire on the trail. 

This article will teach you how to avoid and even escape a threatening wildfire, as well as some tools and resources that will help you stay safe.

Some important takeaways:

• A fire moves in the direction that its smoke column bends and it travels fastest uphill
• If you see smoke, pay attention to what direction it is moving so you know which direction to escape
• Try to evacuate to the trailhead. If you can’t, move in the opposite direction or in an area where lighter fuels are burning (e.g. where you see white smoke rather than black smoke)

2. Secrets to visiting the national parks this summer without a reservation‍

Another new reality that outdoor adventurers have to deal with this summer is the new reservation system now in place at many national parks. 

Timed entry and capped visitation mostly started during Covid and have continued due to dramatically increased visitation to the parks.

If you don’t have a reservation (which you can get at recreation.gov) to enter a timed entry park, you will not be able to just drive up and to the entrance station and enter the park like you once did. Some of the parks doing this include Rocky Mountain, Zion, and Arches.

The idea behind it is to reduce overcrowding and protect natural resources. This is important, but those who regularly visit our national parks will have to get used to the new rules and systems. 

To avoid this inconvenience, I found this guide with some useful tips that will help you enter a timed entry park without a reservation.

I highly recommend reading it if you plan on visiting a national park this summer.

3. When to leave a tripod at home‍

Tripods are one of the most useful (essential, really) tools for landscape photography.

They can, however, be a pain to hike as they add lot of weight and bulk to your pack.

Depending on the conditions you plan on shooting in, there are times when you can get away with not using a tripod and potentially leave it at home.

‍Here are some tips that will help you get good photos without using a tripod.

Key tip here: when shooting handheld, your shutter speed should be no slower than 1 divided by the focal length of your lens. So, for example, if you are shooting at 200mm, you should aim for a shutter speed of 1/200 or faster.

Friday Nature Fact:

Did you know? The pronghorn is the fastest land mammal in North America and can run at speeds close to 60 miles per hour! It can even maintain speeds of around 30 mph for over 20 miles, making it capable of outrunning a cheetah. Keep an eye out for these odd looking ungulates (hoofed mammals) if you are traveling throughout the West, as you will often find them roaming the open prairies and deserts. Learn more…

Talk to you next week, friends.

Meredith