Outdoor Reads highlights five interesting blog posts, news articles, photos, or just about anything else that caught my eye on the Internet, this week. This week, I can across a post on snow sledding, a great map of our national trail system, camping at Disney World®, some great wildlife photos and an expedition to Argentina that is seeking financial backing. So grab a cup of coffee and journey with me around the World Wide Web!
Even for sledding there are safety precautions and rules that we should all pay attention to, in order to keep our kids safe. According to OutdoorParent, there are a number of actual regulations and guidelines for sledding – some of which are rather humorous.
My first thought was to credit these rules to a lawsuit or the fear of a lawsuit. On the other hand, there’s no question that sledding is an inherently hazardous activity. I’ve seen serious injuries occur during sledding activities over the years, many which could have been avoided through the application of a little common sense.
This is an Adobe® PDF file, so you will need the Adobe Reader in order to view it. Thanks to Dennis Schvejda of Sierra Activist for the link – it just goes to show how much information is available on the USFS site, because I’ve been there thousands of times and never stumbled across this. Anyway, the map is gorgeous and suitable for framing, at 23 by 16.4 inches.
Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
A few years ago, we took our kids to Disneyland® for the first time and, of course, they had a great time and are now hooked on the mouse-house. We have never been to Walt Disney World®, though, so I’m hoping the next time we make a theme park run we just might head to the space coast and check that one out. One of the great things I’ve always heard about Disney World is their Fort Wilderness Campground. Like much of Disney World, their campground has recently been updated and refurbished and this post on the MousePlanet® gives you a good overview of the new upgrades.
Beautiful Wildlife Photography
Nothing goes better with a Saturday morning coffee than browsing cute wildlife pictures and Peachy Green has 15 great shots of animals, birds and reptiles that will knock your socks off.
The Wild Image Project – Argentina
You might remember Daniel Fox from last week’s Outdoor Reads, which highlighted his four-day snowshoe adventure, Washington. Daniel’s real job is the Wild Image Project, which is a photographic journey that seeks to inspire and connect us with the outdoors. Daniel is now raising funds for the Argentinean leg of his expedition and you can actually become a part of his expedition by donating your support.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for this great list of weekend reads. I did read the sledding one right away and agree with it. At the school I work at we have a good size sledding hill for lower school kids. On a good snow day there is a line going up the hill of kids in all their gear carrying sleds that looks like gold prospectors trying to cross mountain ranges in the Alaska gold rush days. One day this week as I was walking up the hill (on a pathway)and two 3rd grade girls were coming down, bemoaning the fact that they didn’t have their snowpants so they could not sled. Serious stuff if you don’t have your snowpants! In fact if you dont have your boots and snowpants you cant go trekking in the woods tracking deer and squirrel during EnvEd class! but I digress…That sledding rule list is right on. We pad up our trees with hay bales in the fall and have never had any accidents. In the old days when they had the metal runner sleds they used to ice up the trail down through the woods to the back soccer field and have a good long run. Not so much of that any more though! Thanks for these nice lists. I really like the one a while back with the pics of the 100 days in one of the parks. Wow.
Thanks, Jenn – wow, no sledding without snowpants – that is serious! We watched a teen trying to learn to snowboard, last year, and she lost her balance and hit her head on some hard-pack snow. I’m a firm believer in wearing the proper safety gear, even on the gentle slopes.
Reading the sledding rules makes me wonder how I survived all the days of piling as many of as we could on top of the giant inter-tube and heading down the hill, launching off of jumps of course!
I could have used these before taking my own kids sledding earlier this year though. After an hour or so of watching my oldest launch himself repeatedly off of a jump we returned home, where he promptly complained to my wife that his back hurt and explained why. I was put under strict orders not to let him go off of jumps ever again. Of course, she didn’t say that I couldn’t!
Great list of reads again, as usual. The photos in particular were amazing, I’d encourage everyone to click through to that one! I also loved the map of the trail systems. I have a great big topo of Colorado hanging in my office at work, this one might look great next to it!
Yes, I wonder about that too, Marc! 3 or 4 crazy teens piled onto a truck innertube and being launched into the air at the bottom of the hill!