Photo by Traveler100

A bear plowed through a tent at a campground near Aspen and then ransacked the campsite prompting officials to close the campground. Luckily no one was in the tent at the time. The campground is sold out for the next week, likely because it’s right alongside the course for a big upcoming bike race. They’ll be piling the people into the hotel rooms. Though you can’t really get too mad at people when you make reservations at a place called Difficult Campground.

A camper in Canada woke up in the middle of the night to a bear peeing in the woods next to his tent. He did what anyone in a dead panic who happened to be holding a gun and had no firearms training would do - he shot at the noise. Turned out just to be a woman peeing. He hit her in the torso. She survived, and he was arrested but later released. The woman has said she won’t press charges, though Canadian police have said they’ll investigate anyway. She’s a pretty forgiving person, eh?

via Wend

The political machine running through Florida is making moves to privatize more than 50 state parks allowing corporations to develop the camping areas and add RV sites, allegedly. If it goes through, you can count on it happening in other states with similarly inclined governments — this is a new theory I’ve developed that I’m calling “The Domino Theory.” Of the 50 state parks that would be affected, The Times gives an example of one plan that calls for the construction of 45 new campsites on 17.5 acres at Honeymoon Island. According to the same article, most of the moves in this push for park privatization have been conducted outside the public’s view. I can’t wait to get new window stickers for all 50 of what were formerly state parks.

I’ve seen a few of these water boilers floating around the interwebs that run on twigs, paper and trail junk, but this is the first guy who thought to put it up on Kickstarter. The Backcountry Boiler’s already picked up nearly $30k in sales, and it looks like there are plenty more available. For about $80 you can get outfitted with a water boiler to make as much oatmeal, tea, and instant soup as your heart desires.

The Gear Junkie has an interview with the phenomenal photographer and all-around mountain man Jimmy Chin, who shot this month’s cover of National Geographic. If you haven’t seen his cover shot it’s remarkable - Alex Honnold ropeless and standing on a small ledge on Half Dome. Check out the Gear Junkie’s interview with Chin, and then take a look at his work at National Geographic.