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Watch The Guide and read on for an exclusive interview with Nat Hab Expedition Leader Colby Brokvist! “What’s the difference between a national forest and a national park?” “Is this plant edible?” “What kind of animal made this scat?”
Iceland’s landscapes have been described with many superlative adjectives, commonly including words such as “amazing,” “elemental,” “natural,” “spectacular” or “stunning”—even “otherworldly.” It’s that last description that’s now intriguing me. That’s because some new scientific research is showing that the closest correlation between rocks found on Mars and anything similar on Earth is in Iceland.
My maternal grandmother was born in Norway. She came to the United States when she was a small child and didn’t speak English. But she was smart and an avid learner—and possessed the pliable brains of the young—so, she soon adopted the dominant culture and language of her new home.
During the drought conditions in the summer of 2021, wildfires raged throughout the western U.S. For example, as of September 12, 2021, the Dixie Fire is the second-largest wildfire in California history. It might seem ironic, then, to choose this time to talk about wildfires in a positive light.
Small but strong, with a thick tail and a gorgeous, flowing mane, an Icelandic horse always inspires dreams of gracefully galloping over an ice- and snow-encrusted landscape on the back of a beautiful and spirited steed. One of my most cherished dreams has always been to ride an Icelandic horse—in Iceland.
We’re all familiar with this movie scene: a bald eagle soars overhead in a wild, Western-type, wide-open landscape, and we hear the iconic, piercing, strong screech of America’s most majestic bird.
Waves that thunder against granite cliffs and break apart on kelp-slick rocks. Bullfrogs that croak among the grasslike rushes that rim ponds and line lakeshores. Woodpeckers that rat-a-tat-tat on tree bark. Great black-backed gulls filling the breeze-clearing air with their deep, hoarse calls. These are the sounds of Maine’s Acadia National Park.
The story of Glacier National Park begins in a desire for preservation and ends in a display of peace. From the evidence that scientists have been able to gather so far, it’s believed that humans have been present in the area that is now Glacier National Park for more than 10,000 years.
I have never been to Africa. Yet, I like to imagine being there: I picture myself on a safari in Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa or Tanzania.
A polar vortex over the Midwestern states has kept me cold and inside for most of this month. I’ve had to stop my daily walks with my dog, because her paws get too cold.
Let’s just go to Grand Teton National Park. I mean it. After so many weeks of economic hardships, pandemic worries and political chaos, I need to shut down for a while and get away. I bet you do, too.
After almost a year of isolation, lockdowns, mask-wearing, and strained relationships with family and friends, you might think that there’s not much good to say about 2020 as we come to its end.
