When Leon Smith stepped outside his St. Mary's County home in mid-July and found his bird feeder knocked over, he probably wasn't expecting to come face-to-face with a black bear. The rural Maryland county along the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay is not an established part of the black bear's range, and the animals…Read more Black Bears Are Back: Southern Maryland Sightings Signal Expanding Territory
Summer Sunflowers
https://youtu.be/4iJyvVMHBKw It's high summer. Haze, high humidity, intense heat, and the threat of thunderstorms have become a daily routine. Last week, as the temperature briefly dipped into the mid-80s (F), and the forecast included thunderstorms for the next five days, we took a quick opportunity to get out to the local produce farm with a…Read more Summer Sunflowers
Noctilucent Clouds – Ethereal Indicators of a Changing Atmosphere
If you're in high latitudes, step outside on a clear summer night around twilight and look up. If you're lucky – and increasingly, you might be – you'll witness one of nature's most ethereal displays: noctilucent clouds. These delicate, ghostly streaks of silver and blue seem to shimmer against the darkening sky, appearing almost otherworldly…Read more Noctilucent Clouds – Ethereal Indicators of a Changing Atmosphere
Chattanooga, TN: A New National Park City
On April 3, 2025, Chattanooga, Tennessee was recognized by the National Park City Foundation as the first National Park City in the United States. But if you're like me, you probably didn't hear about this, and probably don't know what it means - so let's dive in. What is a National Park City? The National…Read more Chattanooga, TN: A New National Park City
Another Visitor From Outer Space!
This week, astronomers confirmed the discovery of a new interstellar object zipping through our solar system from points unknown! It's only the third such object we've ever discovered, but it seems these types of encounters are turning out to be far more common than we thought. The object is designated 3I/ATLAS (That's 3-"eye", not the…Read more Another Visitor From Outer Space!
Smithsonian Udvar-Hazy Center
Today I'm going to prioritize the "Flying" part of my persona - it's been extremely hot this week (over 100 deg F for 4 consecutive days), the humidity is up, it's just not comfortable. So in lieu of an outdoor trip the family and I decided to go visit the Udvar-Hazy Center, an extension of…Read more Smithsonian Udvar-Hazy Center
Public Lands Are A Public Good
Mountains aren't less steep if you have a higher income. Rain doesn't preferentially fall on those with certain ethnic backgrounds. A higher level of education does not correlate to ability to hike more miles in a day. Time spent in the outdoors is time spent exploring the core of what it means to be a…Read more Public Lands Are A Public Good
Lower Your Expectations
I'm going to jump right to the conclusion here - if you want to have a better time outdoors (or perhaps, really anywhere), learn to enjoy the easy trips and take things as they come. Not everything has to be an epic journey. I have long been guilty of looking for bigger, better, longer hikes,…Read more Lower Your Expectations
Astronomy Tidbits and Summer Solstice
Before I start discussing the upcoming solstice (Friday, June 20, 2025), there are a couple other little tidbits of interest I wanted to highlight this week. It's been tough to do any stargazing at home this week, as it's been raining non-stop for days, but that can't last forever! 1) Mars and Regulus Mars has…Read more Astronomy Tidbits and Summer Solstice
Little Bennett Regional Park, Montgomery County, MD – NuCamp T@G
A couple weeks back I wrote about some modifications I was making to our little NuCamp T@G teardrop camper. This weekend, we took it out to spend some time with some good friends and fellow empty-nester couples. Our destination was new to us, but it came recommended as a place requiring a reasonably short drive,…Read more Little Bennett Regional Park, Montgomery County, MD – NuCamp T@G
Armadillos: Ancient, Strangely Cute, and Coming To A State Near You!
Armadillos are... unique. The ones that live in the United States, the nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) are smallish mammals, around 30 inches long (about the size of a raccoon, groundhog, or skunk) but they are covered with leathery armored overlapping plates that wrap from left to right across their bodies. From underneath this "shell" emerge…Read more Armadillos: Ancient, Strangely Cute, and Coming To A State Near You!
A Tale Of Two Hunters
Reflecting on hunting as a wildlife management tool - Two different experiences with hunting white-tailed deer.
Navigating Unpredictable Weather on Hiking Trips
We focus on the challenges of elevation, distance, the unconquerable mountain peak - but weather can be an overlooked antagonist on backcountry trips.
Backpacking: Mt. Sterling, Pretty Hollow, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, NC
A 26-mile, 2 night loop in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Are Genetically Modified Wolves a License to Let Species Die?
Recent claims of dire wolf de-extinction are being used as an excuse to reduce protections on endangered species. Can we let animals go extinct, based on the expectation we can just bring them back when we want?
Flying Squirrel Outdoors 