K. Annabelle Smith Archives - ϳԹ Online /byline/k-annabelle-smith/ Live Bravely Thu, 12 May 2022 14:49:54 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://cdn.outsideonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/favicon-194x194-1.png K. Annabelle Smith Archives - ϳԹ Online /byline/k-annabelle-smith/ 32 32 A Fix for Summit-Time Sadness /adventure-travel/destinations/fix-summit-time-sadness/ Tue, 19 Aug 2014 00:00:00 +0000 /uncategorized/fix-summit-time-sadness/ A Fix for Summit-Time Sadness

Summer in the Rockys, particularly at Keystone Resort, might just be better than ski season. For folks who don’t take snow for an answer, Keystone's customizable, wellness-inspired summer offerings are perfect for a weekend getaway.

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A Fix for Summit-Time Sadness

Summer in the Rockys, particularly at Keystone Resort, might just be better than ski season. For folks who don’t take snow for an answer, Keystone’s customizable, wellness-inspired summer offerings are perfect for a weekend getaway.

Keystone North North Peak Peak Scenics summer ski basin ski slopes summer ski resort off-season outside magazine outside online base camp keystone resort vail resorts north peak
| (Courtesy of Vail Resorts)

The resort is made up of three traditional ski villages (a la Vail or Aspen) and stretches seven miles along the Snake River, crossing three mountains and 3,148 acres of terrain. as a tiny, family-owned place to hang some skis, the resort has expanded to include two world-class golf courses, horse stables, spas, restaurants, and shops. There’s even a mini golf course. With so much to do, it’s easy to lose yourself in the mountain town—a ski town “snowglobe effect” of sorts—but isn’t that what vacation is for?

Keystone’s condos vary in size, but for you and a partner, the one-to-two bedroom suite will do. Because the condos are individual timeshares, each has custom decor, from the bear sign by the door that reads “wipe your paws,” to the VHS and romantic novel collection (our room had one DVD: St. Elmo’s Fire). With ski slope views and rustic—but comfy—furniture, it can be hard to get going in the morning. Stock your fridge with bacon and eggs from one of several grocery stores within walking distance, and you can enjoy a lazy breakfast on the balcony.

Before you tackle any of the 100 miles of singletrack mountain bike trails or try your luck on a stand-up paddleboard on the lake, rejuvenate your body—12,408 feet up the mountain. Take the scenic gondola up the hillside for every Saturday morning, followed by lunch at the Bighorn Bistro. Then, continue the self care with a 50-minute massage complete with a fuzzy bathrobe and apres-rubdown sorbet by the fire.

Activities Day In the Life Family Keystone Lake Lakeside Village Paddle Boat Passport Summer outside magazine outside online Keystone Resort
| (Courtesy of Jack Affleck/Vail Resorts)

If going man-powered up the mountain is more your style, sign up for a guided hike from the basin. Ask for Yanna—a former Olympic skier from Prague—if you’re really interested in getting a workout.She’ll take you past panoramas of neighboring Dillon Lake and abandoned mining cabins from the 1800s.

Save the two-hour, through the national forest for your last morning; you won’t want to be saddle sore for any of the other activities you’ve planned.

Action Activities Bike Biking Cycling Downhill Keystone Mountain Biking Summer Keystone keystone resort base camp Scenics ski basin ski slopes summer ski resort vail resorts outside magazine outside online
| (Courtesy of Aaron Dodds/Vail Resorts)

It’s a good thing there are so many fitness activities available because you will eat well and in great quantities. Two dining experiences in particular are worth your time: the historic Ski Tip Lodge and The Ranch. Both offer gourmet plates and multiple-course meals that will keep you full and happy, but their history is the selling point. When you duck into the hobbit-like front door of the Ski Tip, remember that in the 1860s, the building was a regular stopping point on the Argentine Pass stagecoach route between Georgetown and Montezuma. Notice the vintage ski equipment used for door handles. Order the Lodge’s signature hot chocolate with Bailey’s and fresh whipped cream. At The Ranch, go with the five-course meal and make your reservations for sunset. You’ll want to devour the chocolate mousse plate just after the sun dips behind the mountain.

The details: Rooms from $119 a night.

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Andy Potts Escapes from Alcatraz /outdoor-adventure/andy-potts-escapes-alcatraz/ Tue, 03 Jun 2014 00:00:00 +0000 /uncategorized/andy-potts-escapes-alcatraz/ Andy Potts Escapes from Alcatraz

San Francisco Bay's water is 58 degrees and breezy, but that didn't stop 2,000-plus athletes from diving in this past Sunday for the 34th Annual Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon.And it certainly didn't hinder Olympian Andy Potts, who swam 1.5 miles, cycled 18 miles, and ran 8 miles in 2:04:21 for the win—his sixth at that race.

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Andy Potts Escapes from Alcatraz

San Francisco Bay’s water is 58 degrees and breezy, but that didn’t stop 2,000-plus athletes from diving in this past Sunday for the 34th Annual Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon.

And it certainly didn’t hinder Olympian Andy Potts, who swam 1.5 miles, cycled 18 miles, and ran 8 miles in 2:04:21 for the win—his sixth at that race.

“My race day started with an awesome swim. I was first out of the water, and I never looked back until the finish line,” Potts . “Escape from Alcatraz is my favorite race in the world, and to return after being out due to an injury last year, and win it for the sixth time, is the best feeling ever.”

Potts might seem superhuman, but that doesn’t mean the rest of us can’t do it.Check out our training guide on how to escape from Alcatraz—no Olympic credentials required. Plus, once you get your head out of the water and embark on that hilly ride, the view ain’t so bad.

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Stuck Teen Plucked from Peak /outdoor-adventure/stuck-teen-plucked-peak/ Thu, 29 May 2014 00:00:00 +0000 /uncategorized/stuck-teen-plucked-peak/ Stuck Teen Plucked from Peak

A 19-year-old Canadian climber got stuck 13,000 feet up the side of Longs Peak. He was rescued Wednesday evening.

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Stuck Teen Plucked from Peak

Samuel Frappier, a 19-year-old Canadian climber, got himself into a bit of trouble late Tuesday while trekking up the side of 14,259-foot Longs Peak, located in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). He was wearing nothing but cotton clothes and tennis shoes. Without any technical climbing equipment and zero experience, he and another hiker were separated.

That’s when Frappier got stuck 13,000 feet up in an “extremely precarious” place, RMNP spokesperson Kyle Patterson told the . Climbers and hikers often get into trouble on Longs, a popular peak about 75 miles from Denver.

The teen was able to call for help using his cellphone, and a search team arrived just before 6 p.m. on Wednesday. The rescue wasn’t without some risk—warm temperatures and melting conditions caused ice- and rockfalls during the operation.

By the time the boy was flown to safety at Upper Beaver Meadows in RMNP, 28 team members and several helicopters were involved.

“I imagine people saying I’m stupid,” , “and they’re right.”

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13-Year-Old Girl Climbs Everest /outdoor-adventure/13-year-old-girl-climbs-everest/ Wed, 28 May 2014 00:00:00 +0000 /uncategorized/13-year-old-girl-climbs-everest/ 13-Year-Old Girl Climbs Everest

Early Sunday morning, 13-year-old Malavath Poorna, the daughter of a tribal farm laborer, summited Mount Everest. She and her 16-year-old friend S. Anand Kumar climbed the Tibetan side of the mountain with a team of 10 Nepalese guides.

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13-Year-Old Girl Climbs Everest

Early Sunday morning, 13-year-old Malavath Poorna, the daughter of farm laborers in a small tribal village in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, summited Mount Everest.

“I was initially afraid, but the training I received helped me overcome my fear. I never thought of giving up,” Poorna  from a satellite phone at Everest Base Camp Wednesday morning.

She and her 16-year-old friend S. Anand Kumar climbed the Tibetan side of the mountain with a team of 10 Nepalese guides. Almost all climbing on the south side, in Nepal, shut down after the devastating avalanche in April that killed 16 Sherpas.

“She was strong and determined to climb Everest. We are very proud,” technical guide . “She wanted to take the risk. She said that her community will gain recognition if they succeed.”

Both Poorna and Kumar are impoverished—Kumar is a member of the lowest Dalit caste previously known as “untouchables.” The climb was sponsored by a government-run social welfare organization in southern India.

Before Poorna took the title of youngest to summit the peak, Nepal’s Nima Chemji Sherpa claimed to be the youngest woman to summit the mountain at the age of 16 in 2012. Teens on Everest have been a growing trend, and growing concern, for years.

She later described the view from the top to the BBC: “All around me were mountains. It was very beautiful.”

You go, girl.

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Where Do Baby Turtles Go? /outdoor-adventure/where-do-baby-turtles-go/ Tue, 27 May 2014 00:00:00 +0000 /uncategorized/where-do-baby-turtles-go/ Where Do Baby Turtles Go?

Baby sea turtles have it rough.We've all witnessed the little green creatures trekking across the sands of despair toward the "safety" of the big blue, and it doesn't look easy. But where do the survivors go once they make it to the ocean? Scientists have called this juvenile period the "lost years" because tracking the little tykes is nearly impossible—the radios and tracking tags used in the past were bigger than the turtles' bodies and hindered their ability to move.

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Where Do Baby Turtles Go?

Baby sea turtles have it rough.We’ve all witnessed the little green creatures trekking across the sands of despair toward the “safety” of the big blue, and it doesn’t look easy. But where do the survivors go once they make it to the ocean? Scientists have called this juvenile period the “lost years” because tracking the little tykes is nearly impossible—the radios and tracking tags used in the past were bigger than the turtles’ bodies and hindered their ability to move.

Kate Mansfield, a marine biologist at the , came up with something that might change everything: solar panels, .

The panels are small in comparison to just the batteries of the radios and won’t weigh the tiny turtles down. For the first test, Mansfield tagged 17 turtles off the coast of Florida and put them into the Gulf Stream. During a few months of tracking the turtles, scientists discovered that they did not follow the expected path toward Portugal’s Azores using outer gyre currents. Instead, many of the turtles swam to the center of the North Atlantic Gyre, where seaweed gathers. The reason? They use the green plants for shelter and food.

This research was originally published in and is to be a “seminal paper in sea turtle biology.”

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Elephant Seals Are Full of Carbon Monoxide /outdoor-adventure/elephant-seals-are-full-carbon-monoxide/ Fri, 16 May 2014 00:00:00 +0000 /uncategorized/elephant-seals-are-full-carbon-monoxide/ Elephant Seals Are Full of Carbon Monoxide

Believe it or not, most animals' blood contains a small amount of carbon monoxide—the odorless, colorless, deadly-in-high-concentrations gas—which is released as a by-product of the breakdown of hemoglobin. In healthy humans, about 1 percent of hemoglobin is bound to carbon monoxide. But elephant seals? Their blood contains roughly the same amount of the gas as a person who smokes 40-plus cigarettes a day, new research says.

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Elephant Seals Are Full of Carbon Monoxide

Believe it or not, most animals’ blood contains a small amount of carbon monoxide—the odorless, colorless, deadly-in-high-concentrations gas—which is released as a by-product of the breakdown of hemoglobin. In healthy humans, about 1 percent of hemoglobin is bound to carbon monoxide. But elephant seals? Their blood contains roughly the same amount of the gas as a person who smokes 40-plus cigarettes a day, new research says.

If our flippery friends aren’t smoking cigarettes by the sea, how the heck do their gas levels get so high? Scientists aren’t positive, but conjecture in the study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology this week leads some to believe that high amounts of carbon monoxide might protect the mammals from injury when they dive deep for their meals.

“Elephant seals are known to have the highest blood volume of any mammal, so we knew there was the potential for producing a lot of carbon monoxide,” the study’s leader, Michael Tift, a comparative physiologist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego told Live Science.“We can’t say for sure that the carbon monoxide is therapeutic for elephant seals, but it definitely has the potential.”

The next step is to study the gas levels in nondiving animals such as penguins and sea lions. Scientists hope to find out whether high carbon monoxide levels are found in all marine mammals.

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Chipotle Cups to Feature Famous Literature /outdoor-adventure/chipotle-cups-feature-famous-literature/ Thu, 15 May 2014 00:00:00 +0000 /uncategorized/chipotle-cups-feature-famous-literature/ Chipotle Cups to Feature Famous Literature

What do Sarah Silverman, Malcolm Gladwell, and Jonathan Safran Foer have in common? Their words all appear on Chipotle's new line of packaging, which, starting today, has taken a literary turn.

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Chipotle Cups to Feature Famous Literature

What do Sarah Silverman, Malcolm Gladwell, and Jonathan Safran Foer have in common? Their words all appear on Chipotle’s new line of packaging, which, starting today, has taken a literary turn.

Foer, author of Eating Animals, a book about factory farming, told  he was eating a Chipotle lunch by himself in the not-too-distant past when an idea came to him. Perhaps his time would be better spent reading something of import while he nommed his burrito. He wrote an email to Steve Ells, Chipotle’s CEO:

“I said, ‘I bet a shitload of people go into your restaurants every day, and I bet some of them have very similar experiences, and even if they didn’t have that negative experience, they could have a positive experience if they had access to some kind of interesting text.'”

The cups and bags your in which your meal is delivered offer thought-provoking sentiments from well-known authors and poets about everything from making the world a better place to opening your mind. Not your typical fast food message.

“We’ve never used our packaging in the traditional sense that fast food uses them—to promote things like Coca-Cola,” Chipotle’s Mark Crumpacker told .“This takes people out of their daily routine a little bit, maybe gets them to think about their world in a different way.”

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Yellowstone Geysers Predict Volcanic Eruptions /outdoor-adventure/yellowstone-geysers-predict-volcanic-eruptions/ Thu, 08 May 2014 00:00:00 +0000 /uncategorized/yellowstone-geysers-predict-volcanic-eruptions/ Yellowstone Geysers Predict Volcanic Eruptions

A new study published by Dr. Shaul Hurwitz and his team of researchers in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth has found that the intervals between geyser eruptions depend on a delicate balance of underground factors. Some of these variables include heat, water supply, and interactions with surrounding thermal springs.

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Yellowstone Geysers Predict Volcanic Eruptions

Yellowstone’s Old Faithful has been known to be one of the most predictable geographical features on earth, erupting every 91 minutes, like clockwork.

But a new study published by Dr. Shaul Hurwitz and his team of researchers in the  has found that the intervals between geyser eruptions depend on a delicate balance of underground factors. Some of these variables include heat, water supply, and interactions with surrounding thermal springs.

Scientists can use this analysis for more than just predicting hot springs. The findings might also help us predict when volcanoes will erupt.

Hurwitz and his team focused their analysis on possible correlations between the geysers’ in-between eruptions (IBEs) and outside forces such as the weather, earth tides, and earthquakes.

What they found: There is no link between weather and Old Faithful’s IBEs, but  IBEs correlated with cold temperatures and high winds. In addition, Daisy’s IBEs were significantly shortened following the 7.9 magnitude earthquake that hit Alaska in 2002.

Scientists hope continued research in this field will allow them to accurately predict the formerly unpredictable eruptions of cone geysers and volcanoes, thereby helping us avoid .

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“Pinocchio Rex” Dino Discovered /outdoor-adventure/pinocchio-rex-dino-discovered/ Wed, 07 May 2014 00:00:00 +0000 /uncategorized/pinocchio-rex-dino-discovered/

Sixty-six million years ago, T. rex had a goofy-looking cousin. Its nose, in particular, was so funny looking that scientists at Scotland's Edinburgh University nicknamed the skeleton "Pinocchio" when they dug it up in a construction site near Ganzhou in southern China.

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Sixty-six million years ago, T. rex had a goofy-looking cousin. Its nose, in particular, was so funny looking that scientists at Scotland’s Edinburgh University nicknamed the skeleton “Pinocchio” when they dug it up in a construction site near Ganzhou in southern China.

ճQianzhousaurus sinensis—the dino’s official title—shared many characteristics with T. rex, but had several very distinct characteristics. Pinocchio’s snout was 35 percent longer than that of other dinosaurs its size, and the creature had a leaner muscle build.

“It had the familiar toothy grin of T. rex, but its snout was long and slender, with a row of horns on top,” Edinburgh University’s Steve Brusatte . “It might have looked a little comical, but it would have been as deadly as any other tyrannosaur, and maybe even a little faster and stealthier.”

What can Pinocchio tell us about the tyrannosaur? Researchers believe there were many subgroups of the famous T. rex with longer snouts that hunted together. 

“The new discovery is very important,” says . “Along with Alioramus from Mongolia, it shows that the long-snouted tyrannosaurids were widely distributed in Asia.”

Scientists expect more  to be added to the group as excavations in Asia continue to identify new species.

“This is the slam dunk we needed: The long-snouted tyrannosaurs were real,” Brusatte says. 

That is, if Pinocchio rex’s skeleton is telling the truth.

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Unfit Adults Are More Forgetful /outdoor-adventure/unfit-adults-are-more-forgetful/ Tue, 06 May 2014 00:00:00 +0000 /uncategorized/unfit-adults-are-more-forgetful/ Unfit Adults Are More Forgetful

Want to remember more when you get older? Hit the gym. According to a new study out of Michigan State University, the less fit you are over time, the less you remember, the .

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Unfit Adults Are More Forgetful

Want to remember more when you get older? Hit the gym. According to a new study out of Michigan State University, the less fit you are over time, the less you remember, the .

The study, published online in the journal Cognitive, Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience, is the first to test young, healthy adults. It followed 75 students over two days and found that those who were less fit had a more difficult time retaining information.

“The findings show that lower-fit individuals lose more memory across time,” Assistant professor of psychology Kimberly Fenn told the Telegraph.

Fenn and others found that fitter individuals carry more oxygen to the brain and maintain homeostasis, which helps improve higher brain functions. More oxygen in the brain, more memories—there’s incentive to do some cardio.

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