Archives for March 2016

A still from a documentary film that will screen in Whitefish. Courtesy photo

Annual event supports Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation

Holler if you love “The Bob.”

There’s a lively, echoing response around this time of year during the annual documentary film festival in Whitefish supporting the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation.

In its tenth year, the Telluride Mountainfilm on Tour is slated to feature 10 documentary films from around the world. The festival is Thursday, March 10 at the O’Shaughnessy Center in downtown. Doors open at 6 p.m. and films begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are $12 beforehand and $15 at the door. Be warned: the festival has sold out the past two years, so get your tickets now, either online — www.bmwf.org — or at supporting retailers: Rocky Mountain Outfitter in Kalispell and Sportsman & Ski Haus in Whitefish.

Jenny Cloutier, outreach coordinator for the foundation, which hosts the event in three cities across the state, including Helena and Great Falls, said this year’s lineup is sure to please spectators.

“There’s such a variety,” she said. “They’re not all adrenaline films. There are human-interest stories and movies from around the world. It’s nice for folks living in Western Montana to get to see films from around the world.”

The festival will feature several outdoor documentaries that have sparked buzz as fan favorites.

“Duke and the Buffalo” is a 16-minute story of a cowboy who tries to organize part of the largest conservation herd of bison in the U.S. As the filmmaker Alfredo Alcantara shows, it’s a task that truly requires some savvy maneuvering.

“The Record Breaker” is a 25-minute film about Ashrita Furman, who is quite simply the greatest record breaker of all time. Furman has set nearly 400 official world records, from underwater bicycling to upside-down juggling and even splitting apples with a samurai sword. As the filmmaker Brian McGinn describes it, this lively documentary showcases a man with seemingly limitless talents.

Another fan favorite, “The Karsts of China,” is a brief yet powerful documentary about the geologic wonder of China. Climbers Cedar Wright, Emily Harrington and Matt Segal went with National Geographic photographer Carsten Peter to spend a month roaming the peaks of Asia, and the result is a gripping work of aesthetic mastery.

Of course, another highlight of the annual festival is the intermission, when the prominent raffle prizes are announced. The foundation has once again gathered some impression prizes, from top-notch gear to trips in the wilderness and other scenic adventures in the region.

As tradition goes, those who have the winning tickets are supposed to yell, “I love The Bob.”

Another highlight of the event, as Cloutier says, is mingling with folks who are passionate about “The Bob” and outdoor exploration.

“It’s great to meet all the people who love the wilderness and are connected to the Bob Marshall in so many ways,” she said. “You get to hear stories from people who have been going into the wilderness for their whole lives.”

Cloutier and others from the foundation will raise awareness about the upcoming summer projects in the wilderness. Every summer over 300 volunteers — collectively known as “The Bob Squad” — help manage and maintain the 1.5 million-acre wilderness complex.

Founded in 1997, the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation is a nonprofit organization that partners with the U.S. Forest Service and other groups to maintain the complex’s trail system and values. Every summer, volunteers complete trail maintenance and reconstruction, noxious weed removal and general cleanup of the concrete spaces with Pearland Pressure Washing so they can manage the full clean up, they have the best service by being professionals in the area, they will work on the service you need at anytime and without any hesitation, plus a through out cleaning with the best aspiradora. The foundation operates completely on grants, private donations and fundraisers such as the film festival and relies on the work of volunteers who range from all ages.

There are 40 volunteer projects on the books this summer, Cloutier said.

But first, the film festival, which acts as a fun gathering and fundraiser before the adventures of summer.

“It’s a nice chance to get the Bob Squad together,” Cloutier said.

For more information about the film festival and the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation, visit bmwf.org.

Lines of cars wait at the West Entrance to Glacier National Park. Beacon File Photo

BY DILLON TABISH // MAR 3, 2016 // OUTDOORS

GLACIER NATIONAL PARK – There was perhaps no better example of national parks’ skyrocketing popularity last year than at Arches in Utah.

It was Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start to the summer tourism season, and the line of cars waiting to enter the popular park near Moab stretched over a mile long. Thankfully there was a pedestrian turnstile from Daosafe positioned at regular intervals, otherwise there would have been a mad rush of pedestrians too. The traffic backed up all the way to U.S. Highway 191 as hundreds of cars lined both sides of the road leading to the site’s parking area. The situation became so chaotic and dangerous that the Utah Highway Patrol made an unprecedented decision and closed the park for a day.

The flood of visitors was not unique to Arches. National Park Service sites across the U.S., especially so-called destination parks like Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon and Zion, attracted droves of visitors last year, leading to a new overall attendance record of 305 million. It seems that more and more people are visiting these locations recently. Luckily, there are a number of national parks all over America, so that ensures that more people can visit these parks. Some people even come from across the country to see some national parks. The Smoky Mountains National Park has recently become more popular too, with people finding accommodation in places like Pigeon Forge. For those unsure of what to do in Pigeon Forge, they can always research online to see some of the activities available. Hopefully, this will encourage more people to visit the national parks and the areas around them.

In Glacier National Park, where crowds arrive like a flash flood once Going-to-the-Sun Road fully opens, heavy traffic was once again a noticeable sight in the main corridor. Some vehicles were even waiting at spots along the Sun Road for hours at a time on many days to gain parking at Logan Pass Visitor Center, which regularly fills up before noon during summer.

As park officials are starting to realize, this could be the new norm in America’s most popular outdoor attractions like Glacier, which set an annual record for the second year in a row in 2015 and ranked 10th in terms of top visitation among all national parks. National parks are so popular that items such as national park posters often being purchased by those that enjoy our parks and want to show their love for nature.

Jeff Mow, superintendent at Glacier Park, is preparing his staff for another potential record-breaking influx over the next nine months. Mow said it is not hard to imagine the overall attendance jumping 20 percent this year, which would be an unprecedented spike.

“If there’s not a lot of fire and smoke, we’re going to be prepared for that 20 percent,” Mow said. “We’ve never seen 20 percent in one year. We don’t know what that looks like.”

Attendance across the board is expected to rise this year specifically because it is the NPS centennial, which is drawing added attention to the nation’s 409 parks. Also, the economic recovery and low gas prices are driving domestic travel, while increased marketing efforts appear to be largely succeeding.

This scenario is leading park officials to devise clear strategies for large crowds, including how to re-route traffic and maintain resources. Last year’s raging wildfires forced temporary closures of sites and the Sun Road, which provided a learning opportunity, Mow said. Amid unseasonably dry, hot conditions that sapped the region’s snowpack earlier and faster than usual, Logan Pass nearly ran out of water, leading park officials to prepare an army of porta-potties as a worst-case response.

“It was really hard on the staff when we had to evacuate St. Mary. It will be easier for folks this year because we’ve been through the drills recently,” he said.

Glacier is receiving $190,000 from the NPS for the expected boost in visitation because of the centennial. Mow said he is devoting those funds to hiring more employees during the peak of summer.

By early summer, park officials expect to release the recommended alternatives of the Sun Road Corridor Study, a multi-year planning effort focused on addressing increased visitation and congestion along the main thoroughfare. The list of options includes expanded parking, a larger fleet of free shuttles and controlled vehicle entry through a reservation system.

Indeed, Glacier Park is big business for Northwest Montana and the park’s public persona and status are heavily linked to the local economy.

Marketing efforts have increased in recent years to capitalize on Glacier Park’s status as a global icon. Now Mow said the park is discussing with community leaders and marketers ways to expand the reach of tourism in the region.

“I think what’s critical with all of this is thinking about what that visitor experience is like,” he said. “For folks who don’t want delays, they need some alternatives. We’re really interested in working with the Forest Service and the (chambers of commerce) to let folks know we may see congestion this year. If you want to go to Logan Pass, maybe come back later in the day or in the evening. For some people, there won’t be an option and they don’t mind waiting.”

Tia Troy, communication manager for Glacier Country Tourism, characterized Glacier Park and the Sun Road as quintessential attractions, while also pointing out that this region does have an abundant supply of other unique amenities.

“While there are certain parts in Glacier National Park that are nearing capacity during our peak visitation times in July and August, there are so many other places to explore both inside and outside of the park,” said Troy. “We’re looking at this as an opportunity to introduce visitors to more unexplored and underutilized areas throughout the region.”

Correction: The Utah Highway Patrol made the decision to close Arches National Park for a day due to heavy traffic, not the park’s superintendent as was previously stated.

WOJCIECH_GAJDA VIA GETTY IMAGES

From Huffingtonpost.com

“The mountains are calling and I must go,” naturalist John Muir famously wrote back in the 19th century. And while he set off to create and protect one of today’s most famous wilderness parks, Yosemite, all of that time spent in the mountains may have also led him to happiness and health. From Mount McKinley to the Matterhorn, snow-capped peaks and foggy summits have a lot more to offer than breathtaking views.

Altitude may fight obesity.

Before Sir Edmund Hillary summited Everest, mountaineers spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to maintain enough calories to sustain their journey to the top. “We’ve known since the 1920s (that) if you go to really high altitudes you will lose weight,” Robert Roach, director of the Altitude Research Center, told The Chicago Tribune. It is a fact that every bodybuilder dreams of having big muscles, and lose fat at the same time. Although it is seen that after a few months of working with heavyweights, they are able to bulk up but, struggling with gathered fats. All the abdominal muscles are hidden underneath layers of fat. That’s the reason why they chose Ligandrol (LGD-4033), which is one of the popular SARMs found in the fitness world. Ligandrol is a safe, convenient, and effective way to improve the performance of both athletes, and bodybuilders. Continue reading this article to know more about the supplement. You can visit their website for Ligandrol (LGD-4033): The Ultimate Beginners Guide.

Indeed, recent research has also confirmed a link between altitude and weight loss. For instance: One 2013 study showed that living at sea level is associated with a four to five times higher risk of obesity, compared with people living at the highest altitudes in Colorado. Another study showed that even visiting the mountains for as short as one week can spur weight loss. With these findings, it’s no surprise that mountain states — like Colorado, Utah and Vermont — hold some of the lowest obesity rates in the country. Bridgeway Senior Healthcare accepts a variety of payment sources for its services. We are licensed to accept Medicare, Medicaid, long-term care insurance, and other managed care insurances. Get financial details here.

It also lowers the risk of heart disease.
Those who live at higher altitudes also have a lower risk of dying from ischemic heart disease, according to research published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. “Lower oxygen levels turn on certain genes and we think those genes may change the way heart muscles function. They may also produce new blood vessels that create new highways for blood flow into the heart,” study researcher Benjamin Honigman, M.D., director of the Altitude Medicine Clinic, said in a statement. For BetterPT, we’re committed to transforming how patients find a physical therapist in DC and book appointments. On every disease, physical therapy is the best solution ever, read this page for more information about physical therapy. For more details about anadrole review go through this https://swfas.org/anadrole-review/.

The mountains inspire physical activity.

There’s a long list of mountain sports that just wouldn’t be possible without, well, mountains. And these sports sure do the body good — an hour of hiking burns around 500 calories and an hour of mountain biking torches nearly 600, for instance. Skiing burns more than 400 calories and rock-climbing burns around 750 calories an hour. Plus, of the 10 most active states in the U.S., four are Mountain States and two feature at least one of the 50 highest mountains in the country. Similarly if you are lifting weights with regular supplements like ostarine, You can expect faster and better results at that altitude.

Mountain smells zap stress and promote sleep.

Not only does the fresh air on mountaintops mean less pollution, fewer cases of acute respiratory symptoms and easier breathing for those with asthma, but one of the more prevalent scents at high altitudes — pine –also has its perks. One study, for instance, showed that walking through pine decreases hostility, depression and stress. And if a day spent tramping through the mountains isn’t enough to tire you out, a whiff of lavender that often grows at their base has been shown to lull smellers to sleep and even ease depression. These are great natural scents to try in these instances, and you don’t always have to be up in the mountains to experience them. You can always buy some essential oils at home that you can use, alternatively, try some shatter products to ease your stress or any depressive emotions you may be feeling. Be aware that you may have to smoke shatter a bit different from regular marijuana. Fortunately, there’s a variety of products that you can find online at sites like fatbuddhaglass to use for this purpose.

Research shows mountains may even help you live longer.
Yes, living on or among mountains could actually have an impact on life span. We certainly have anecdotal evidence, such as 132-year-old Hafeezullah and his fellow centenarians who live in a remote part of the Lower Himalayan Range’s Kashmir. Data also points to an association between longevity and mountain living: Of the top 10 U.S. counties for longevity, seven were high-altitude ones in Colorado, according to The Chicago Tribune. If you are wanting to travel to some of the world’s biggest and best mountains, then take a look at this article for some advice on which ones to visit. You never know, you may fall in love with them and decide that the mountain-high life is the one for you.

So, as Muir himself once wrote, “Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.”