Rescues, summits, weeds, other recent outdoors news

Published 4:46 pm Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Here’s a collection of recent news about the outdoors that caught my interest:

Just say no to weeds: Everett parks do battle against invasive species. Much of the effort will focus on Forest Park. Story.

An introduction to the wild: A program put together by the Wild and Scenic Institute gave more than 100 kids, teens and young adults, some of whom had never before had a wilderness experience, a chance to bump through rapids on a federally designated Wild and Scenic River. Story.

Everest climber: A Bellingham man reached the top of Mount Everest. Dave Mauro, 50, has now climbed the highest peaks on the seven continents. Story.

Oldest climber: An 80-year-old Japanese man became the oldest climber to reach the top of Mount Everest. It was his third time up the mountain. He had also climbed it when he was 70 and 75. Story.

Hike Si, get Grape-Nuts: In a rather amusing publicity stunt, a local hiker will be handing out Grape-Nuts on Mount Si on June 1. Story.

Go camping: Most campgrounds in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest are now open, although San Juan and Troublesome Creek campgrounds in the Skykomish Ranger District will not be open until Friday. Story. Also, we have a roundup of where to camp in the area here.

Hiker rescued: A woman was rescued by a helicopter crew after an injury on the Boulder River Trail near Oso. Be sure to watch the video with the story. That rescuer had a beautiful (if terrifying) view. Those rescue crews are brave. Story.

Climbers survive: A trio of climbers from Montana were lucky to survive a rough ice-climbing trip on Mount Rainier. Story.

Wildflower hikes: Here’s a nice list of hikes where you can see wildflowers, plus a photo gallery to help you ID what you do see. Story.