Enjoy The Silence: Hike | Camp | Wildlife | Astronomy | Outdoors

The Trump Administration is a considering a significant hike in admission to 17  National Parks. According to the NPS, the proposed increase is needed to address a maintenance backlog. “The infrastructure of our national parks is aging and in need of renovation and restoration,” said U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke. “Targeted fee increases at some of our most-visited parks will help ensure that they are protected and preserved in perpetuity and that visitors enjoy a world-class experience that mirrors the amazing destinations they are visiting.” While park enthusiasts may applaud the idea of improving NPS infrastructure, there's serious concern about who would bear the financial burden. The Enjoy the Silence Podcast debates and has a tip on how you could save some money when/if the increase goes into effect. Kim Kardashian experiences nature at a resort that cost $2,000 a night Kardashian celebrated her 37 birthday at 5-Star resorts, and she posted a picture of her breathtaking view overlooking Canyon Point Utah. But is the resort making a mockery of nature? NASA may have identified a planet that’s very similar to Earth. New research from NASA's Kepler mission has revealed 20 promising worlds that might be able to host life. NewScientist reports that one of the most promising worlds for life on the list is called KOI-7923.01, it is 97 percent the size of Earth, but a little colder. All rights reserved. Enjoy The Silence 2017

Research confirms alligators are eating sharks A new study confirms that alligators on the Atlantic and Gulf coast of the United States are eating small sharks. The scientific documentation is the first study to establish the extensive interaction between the two species. To conduct the study the researchers captured hundreds of living alligators, pumped their stomachs to learn what they’ve been eating, and then returned the gators to their natural environment. Our next National Park may be in Indiana A 15,000-acre park stretching along the Lake Michigan Shoreline cleared its first hurdle to become a National Park. The House Committee on Natural Resources approved legislation to designate the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore as a National Park. If passed, the designation would create the first National Park in Indiana and the 60th in the United States. Momma bear and cubs break into pizza shop, feast on salami A Colorado man has a video of three bears breaking into his pizzeria to eat salami and dough. “It was really fun to come into that one,” Tony Francher, the co-owner of Antonio’s Real New York Pizza in Estes Park told CBS news. The black bears reportedly broke through the front window of the Estes Park pizzeria, but in a string of comments on Facebook, the owner isn’t blaming the bears. He’s blaming bear-proof Dumpsters installed throughout the city. NASA offers program to send your name to Mars Next spring NASA plans to launch its InSight mission to study the interior of Mars and now your name can travel to the Red Planet with the spacecraft. NASA will upload the registered names to a dime-size chip and secure it to the InSight lander deck. The InSight was originally scheduled to launch in March of 2017, but NASA suspended launch preparations in December due to a vacuum leak in its prime science instrument. The InSight is currently scheduled for a May 2018 launch and will then have a six-month journey to Mars. InSight will be carrying science instruments and hundreds of thousands of names. The rules are changing for lodging at Grand Canyon’s Phantom Ranch Effective with stays of January 2019 and beyond, Phantom Ranch will utilize a lottery system for random selection of bed space. Lottery  entries will be required between the 1st and 25th of the 15th month prior to the desired stay month. Lottery submissions will be processed, lottery winners notified and reservations guaranteed within the 14th month prior. Any unsold/unclaimed inventory will be released to general availability for reservations following the current 13-month reservation window. Translation Want to stay in Janary 2019? You enter the lottery (online) between November 1-25, 2017 The lottery will be processed and you’ll be notified in December 2017 Unsold inventory will be avilable January 2, 2018 (normally on the 1st of the month, January is on the 2nd due to the New Year’s Day holiday)  

Into the Open Air Appalachian Foot Walking and sometimes running about 48 miles a day, Joe McConaughy managed to crush the previous unsupported speed record for hiking the Appalachian Trail. But we now know that his body paid a price. Too High in England Four hikers were rescued from England’s highest mountain after smoking so much cannabisafter smoking so much cannabis they were incapable of walking. The local police were not thrilled about having to rescue them. Endangered Parrots moved to shelter as Hurricane Maria batters Puerto Rico The Puerto Rican Parrot, also known as the Puerto Rican Amazon is the only remaining native parrot in Puerto Rico. The parrot has been listed as critically endangered since 1994. In 2012, the total estimated population was 58–80 individuals in the wild and over 300 in captivity. The Dark Side Origami may be the space saving answer NASA has been looking for Origami, the Japanese tradition of paper folding may address a consistent challenge for the engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. How do you pack a significant amount of spacecraft into a tight place? Gear Tip You can dehydrate ground beef, but there’s a trick Spend a day or two lugging a 30 lb. backpack around and you’ll be wishing you had something more filling than ramen or mac and cheese by supper time. One thing I love to bring in the backcountry with me is dehydrated ground beef. You can prep it at home with a dehydrator in under 7 hours and it makes a hearty addition to any starch. All rights reserved. Enjoy The Silence 2017