The highest spots in the Category A Cross Crusade standings are filled with names like Ryan, Sean, Erik, and Ben. But one name in particular stands out near the top. Molly Cameron has always enjoyed competing with the guys. And for a time, she was one of the guys. Cameron is the only transgender athlete […]
Outside
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Friends of the Central Cascades Wilderness
Volunteer group seeks to protect the backcountry
Every week, Molly Johnson posts at least one hiking trip to the Bend Adventure Group’s online Meetup page. The trips are typically recreational, but she also leads work parties into the wilderness to install trail signs, clean backcountry camp sites, and, unfortunately, pick up human and dog waste along the trails. Johnson moved to Bend […]
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Go Here 10/21-10/28
High Desert Tree Peeping Central Oregon isn’t renowned for fall foliage, but it should be. True, we’re lacking in the big hardwood giants that makes going to New England in the fall an item on many a bucket list, but we don’t suffer a lack of autumn awesomeness around these parts either. Shevlin Park This […]
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Go Here10/14-10/21
Digging Into the Past
Digging Into the Past With the can-you-believe-we-actually-celebrate-this Columbus Day holiday just behind us, it’s a good time to learn about and reflect on the folks that inhabited this land well before ol’ Chris made a wrong turn on his way to stock spice cupboards. So how serendipitous is it that these two events are taking […]
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Naturalists Need You!
To help follow golden eagles
The Christmas Valley region has at least three Golden Eagles roaming around that are wearing radio transmitters, and one of them is from Alaska. The transmitter is difficult to see, unless you look for it. If the bird’s soaring overhead there will be several opportunities to observe that small “hump” on the eagle’s back, between […]
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Lessons From the Land
Coalition fights to save outdoor school for Oregon students
Two years ago, just one quarter of Bend-La Pine students got to attend outdoor school. By the end of the 2015-2016 school year, every student will have that opportunity. And advocates with the Oregon Outdoor Education Coalition are hoping to build on that success and expand access for students across Central Oregon and the state […]
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Death on the Highway
Speed kills wildlife, and people too
Back in the early ’60s I began placing U.S. Fish and Wildlife #9 bands on the legs of golden eagle nestlings. I had been climbing into-and-out-of eagle nests in Deschutes, Lake, and Jefferson counties from about 1953, trying to learn more about their diet, territory, mortality, and natural history. I found nestlings and adults shot […]
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Whychus? Do ‘Em Both
Whychus is sure to please
Chush Falls Chush Falls, also known as Lower Whychus Falls, is one of three proximate falls on Whychus Creek. The three have been said by some to rival Yellowstone for scenic value. I can’t stand behind that claim, but ours are something special and a much shorter trip to boot. The official trail ends at […]
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Standing on the Edge
Ski BASE jumper Matthias Giraud on taking risks
Matthias Giraud thrives on being the first to conquer an adventure. His first first was boosting off of Mt. Hood’s Mississippi Head. For some, such a feat would be the culmination of a life of daring. For Giraud, it was just the beginning. “The next thing I knew, I was getting calls from CNN and […]
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A Climb Through Time
Local icon Alan Watts talks Smith Rock sport climbing
Reaching Alan Watts on his cellphone last Friday morning found him about to hike Tumalo Mountain, something he has done 53 times this summer. A native of Madras, Watts is best known for promoting rock climbing at Smith Rock State Park, bringing its almost 1,800 climbing routes to the international stage. “My entire family, especially […]