The lawless early days at our first national park tell us where a gutted National Park System could be heading. Read the story at www.outsideonline.com!
Is Yellowstone National Park (Back) In Its Wild West Era?
The Newest Presidential Library Teaches Vital Lessons About Public Lands. It’s First Visitor Didn’t Get the Message.
My wife and I were invited to preview the new Teddy Roosevelt Presidential Library in the North Dakota Badlands. This impressive museum is dedicated to the father of American conservation. A few days later, the TRPL’s first official visitor was President Donald Trump, whose administration has been dismantling public lands protections. (photo credit: TRPL) Here’s my take on the ironic grand opening for Outside Magazine.
Meet the Indigenous explorer who walked across America before Lewis and Clark
From Oregon Public Broadcasting: “Lewis and Clark are often thought of as some of the earliest explorers of the western U.S. But more than a century before, Moncacht-Apé, a Yazoo explorer, reached the Pacific Ocean mainly by foot. The Indigenous explorer’s accounts were documented by French colonists, but were often dismissed as being untrue. But as featured in an article in Outside Magazine, historians and explorers may have been looking at the accounts all wrong.” Listen to this 20-minute podcast interview with Think Out Loud!
The Mysterious Journey of Moncacht-Apé, the Native Explorer Who Walked Across America
Follow the thrilling search for Moncacht-Apé! In this feature for Outside Magazine, the author tracks the mysterious journey from the Mississippi River bluffs of French Louisiana to the ancestral paths of the Rocky Mountains and the rain forests of the Olympic Peninsula. Along the way, Native authorities help reveal stunning new evidence about this forgotten explorer who reached the Pacific a century before Lewis & Clark. Now available at www.OutsideOnline.com!
Searching for Moncacht-Apé
Discover the Mysterious Journey of a Forgotten Native Explorer: Over 300 years ago, an adventurous Yazoo man from the Mississippi Valley crossed the entire North American continent and reached the Pacific Coast, about a century before Lewis & Clark. But Moncacht-Apé’s story was unfairly dismissed and forgotten. Now, a collaborative investigation, combining interdisciplinary practices and Indigenous knowledge, reveals stunning new evidence that helps unravel a dramatic true journey. Learn more at the project website!
Adventures on the 2,170-mile Oregon Trail
An adventurous road trip along the Oregon National Historic Trail reveals treeless plains, remote mountains, river gorges, national park units, and eye-opening lessons about Indigenous and Western history. Check out the Oregon Trail road trip guide at Outside Online!
Was This the First Reported UFO?
A private pilot named Kenneth Arnold kicked off a worldwide craze when he claimed he saw a string of shiny saucers fly over Mount Rainier National Park in 1947. Read this excerpt from Chapter 1 of my recent book Mysteries of the National Parks online at American Heritage Magazine!
5 Space Adventures You Can Have Right Here on Earth
You don’t have to leave our planet to explore space. From hidden Moon-like craters to forgotten astronaut training grounds, these terrestrial sites offer a chance to have your own Space Age adventures right here on Earth. Check out the story at outsideonline.com!
Don’t Knock ‘Em Till You Ski ‘Em.
Once you get past the stigma, the Southern Appalachians are an unexpected ski region that deserves a closer look. Check out the story and pics at Ski Magazine!
True North
Scandal and Subterfuge in the Race to Reach the North Pole? The two men who claimed to have reached the North Pole first would stop at nothing to hold the coveted title. Please check out the story, excerpted and adapted from my book Mysteries of the National Parks, in the Saturday Evening Post!