In the Eastern United States, National Forests are almost myths. People have heard of National Forests, but they don’t really know where they are or how they work. Until not too long ago, I was one such person. Growing up in Michigan, my family went on maybe a dozen camping trips with our pop-up camper at state campgrounds. I had never camped in a tent in the middle of the wilderness. I never doubted that I could, I just never had the opportunity to prove it to myself. This... (Read more…)

Summer 2011 will be remembered by most of the country as one of the hottest on record. While politicians and pundits may debate the underlying cause (or lack thereof) of rising temperatures, it’s hard to care about why it’s so darn hot when it is so darn hot. With temps pushing triple digits across the country, our thoughts have shifted to water - the magical, life-giving molecule that makes even the hottest temperature tolerable. Before we get into the fun stuff, it’s... (Read more…)