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National Geographic
a day ago
- Science
- National Geographic
When climbing the world's tallest mountains, what counts as cheating?
To reach the highest point on Earth, average climbers need around three to four weeks to let their bodies acclimatize on the ascent and descent. To cut that time to only seven days, mountain climber Lucas Furtenbach is offering a chemical boost with xenon, an inert gas that is mainly used as an anesthetic. Photograph by Cory Richards, Nat Geo Image Collection In 1978, Austrian physician and mountaineer Oswald Oelz was a team doctor on an expedition to Mount Everest when climbers Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler became the first people to reach its summit without supplemental oxygen. Before then, it was unthinkable that humans, unassisted, could climb 29,032 feet, the height of Everest, where due to drop in atmospheric pressure we inhale only about 30 percent of the oxygen we breath at sea level. Almost half a century later, Oelz's grand-nephew, Austrian climbing guide Lukas Furtenbach, was the architect of a new feat atop Mount Everest. This May, four of his clients, along with five Sherpas, summited the world's tallest mountain only five days after they left London. Usually, it takes an average of 40 days of slow acclimatisation to adjust to the high altitude and scarce oxygen on Everest. The secret to the team's lightning-fast ascent: About two weeks before the expedition, Furtenbach's clients were given xenon through a medical mask. The noble gas is sometimes used as an anaesthetic but is also thought to boost the production of erythropoietin, a hormone that stimulates red blood cell production. The idea, suggested to Furtenbach by German anaesthesiologist Michael Fries, was to artificially accelerate the acclimatisation process. The strategy, however, immediately caused controversy in the mountaineering community. Experts on high-altitude research who spoke to National Geographic mainly questioned whether xenon could actually produce an effect strong enough to mimic acclimatisation. And earlier this year, the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation issued a statement warning about the absence of scientific studies to prove the safety and efficacy of xenon at high altitude. Then there's the question of whether xenon, banned in professional sport by the World Anti-Doping Agency, makes the climb up Everest so easy that it obscures the line between sportsmanship and tourism. Around 7,000 people climb Everest every year with the help of supplemental oxygen. For others, using supplemental oxygen is considered a cheap shortcut akin to utilizing sherpas and fixed-ropes. Left, a climber scales Mount Everest with the aid of supplemental oxygen. Right, oxygen tanks are seen along a section of Everest called "the Balcony" near the summit. Photograph by Matthew Irving, Nat Geo Image Collection (Top) (Left) and Photograph by Mark Fisher, Nat Geo Image Collection (Bottom) (Right) In the world of mountaineering, there's no regulatory body governing monitoring performance-enhancing drugs, but the style of a climber's ascent still holds reputational cache. Ever since Messner and Habeler's 1978 expedition proved that even the highest mountain on Earth could be climbed without supplemental oxygen, not using it has become an essential part of pushing the limits of the human body in high altitude. Called alpine style, this form of mountaineering—embraced by elite climbers—prizes climbs done without medical aids, fixed lines, or large support teams. In contrast, a 30-year boom in commercial expeditions has focused on making the mountains more accessible to less experienced climbers, with hundreds of feet of fixed ropes, large amounts of supplemental oxygen, and the support of Sherpas. Some tour guides who lead these large groups say the controversy ignited by xenon places unfair scrutiny on what's simply the latest of many tools making mountain climbing more accessible and safer. American climber Adrian Ballinger, owner of Alpenglow Expeditions, thinks climbers should just be honest about the style they choose. 'Professional athletes don't use supplemental oxygen when climbing in the mountains because it makes things easier. But for recreational and non-professional climbers who hire guiding companies, it's different,' he says. However, he draws the line at the use of xenon in mountaineering—even in commercial expeditions. 'I don't see any reason,' he says, 'to use a substance banned as doping.' Doing drugs, 29,032 feet high Climbers have a long history of employing different drugs to survive the cold and dangerous conditions of Earth's highest peaks. In 1953, mountaineering legend Hermann Buhl took methamphetamine pills, then known by the brand name Pervitin, to stay awake during a perilous descent after summiting the Himalayan mountain Nanga Parbat in Pakistan. (Buhl made his climb without supplementary oxygen and became the first and only person to achieve a solo first ascent of an 8,000-meter peak, famously surviving the night at 26,000 feet by standing on a tiny ledge.) In the following decades, mountaineers experimented with both banned and legal substances, from amphetamine to Viagra. Two well-known prescription drugs, diuretic acetazolamide (commonly known as Diamox) and corticosteroid dexamethasone (Decadron) are often used to treat high-altitude conditions like acute mountain sickness or cerebral edema—but against expert recommendations, some climbers take them preventatively. Nothing, however, works better to fight hypoxia and enhance performance at high altitude than a steady flow of supplemental oxygen. Hermann Buhl in 1953, after summiting Nanga Parba, the ninth highest mountain in world, located in Pakistan. Under the influence of the drug pervitin, a stimulant similar to methamphetamine, Buhl was able to push on to the summit after the rest of his team was forced to return to camp, making Buhl the first and only person to make a solo-ascent of an 8,000 meter peak. Photograph by Touring Club Italiano/Marka/UniversalA view of Nanga Parbat as seen from Jammu & Kashmir, 1933. Photograph by Royal Air Force/Royal'If you use supplemental oxygen continuously, oxygen delivery to tissues is maintained. You will not develop altitude illness, and exercise performance will not be affected,' explains Martin Burtscher, a long-time researcher in the field of high-altitude medicine and retired professor at the University of Innsbruck in Austria. This is why some climbers, still devoted to purist alpine style, refrain from using supplemental oxygen, since they consider it a form of high-altitude doping. Furtenbach adhered to this minimalist climbing style when he was younger, but over time opted for climbing aids that he says made ascents safer for him and his clients. He doesn't think new techniques should be looked down on if they make climbing in the Himalaya safer. 'If you want to climb at this altitude, you can do it in either an extremely dangerous way and risk your life, or you can try to climb as safely as possible,' says Furtenbach. 'And that means you need to use all the medical aids that are available.' He argues that singling out xenon is hypocritical: 'If someone wants to ban xenon from mountaineering, then it needs to be consistent and ban everything—from oxygen to dexamethasone.' The tinkling of bells accompanies yaks hauling propane and other supplies to Advanced Base Camp. Photograph by Renan Ozturk, Nat Geo Image Collection Before he became an advocate of xenon, Furtenbach had experimented with having clients sleep at home in tents with reduced oxygen and training with limited oxygen to help simulate the acclimatization process. That shortened the ascent time to three weeks. Knowing this, Fries, the anaesthesiologist, approached Furtenbach back in 2019 with the idea of using xenon and its erythropoietin production ability to accelerate acclimatisation even further. When confronted with limited oxygen at high altitude, the human body gradually releases erythropoietin after several weeks of acclimatisation, as a climber makes rounds up and down the mountain, slowly gaining altitude. Fries, who spent 15 years researching different effects of xenon while working at Aachen University's hospital in Germany, theorized that a one-time low-dose administration of the gas could produce the same results in a matter of days. Fries also contends that xenon can prevent high-altitude sickness due, in part, to its positive effect on the blood vessels that connect the heart and lungs. Furtenbach first tested xenon on himself in 2020 while climbing Argentina's 22,831-foot Aconcagua and, two years later, on Everest. Both times, he says, he felt strong and fast, and didn't experience any negative side effects. Then he crafted a plan for including xenon in the expeditions offered by his self-titled company, Furtenbach Adventures, which facilitates climbs up Everest and other famous mountains. The decision to offer xenon to clients, he says, was done to make climbing safer. 'The fewer rotations you have to do on the mountain, the safer the expedition becomes,' he argues. (Furtenbach also thinks shorter trips could help curtail the large amounts of garbage long expeditions leave behind.) For the first-ever xenon 'powered' expedition, he chose four British clients, who boasted a combination of high-altitude climbing experience and military training. After ten weeks of pre-acclimatisation at home, sleeping and training with limited oxygen, they received a low dose of xenon in a German hospital and two weeks later embarked from London on their five-day-long ascent. No immediate serious side effects from the xenon treatment were observed by Furtenbach or the members of the expedition. The price of the climb was 150,000 euros a person. Furtenbach declined to specify how much xenon, an expensive gas, added to this total. Climbing rope is a ubiquitous tool amongst mountaineers, and learning how to safely build anchors and belay are essential skills. However, on some mountains, ropes may be pre-anchored and left in place for the entirety of the season to aid less experienced climbers. Left, the first Nepali female to climb Manaslu studies ice anchors in a climbing class. Right, a mountaineer descends to camp III during an attempt to summit Hkakabo Razi, said to be Southeast Asia's tallest mountain. Photograph by Aaron Huey, Nat Geo Image Collection (Top) (Left) and Photograph by Renan Ozturk, Nat Geo Image Collection (Bottom) (Right) Not everyone with high-altitude expertise is convinced that xenon is the best way to quickly climb Everest. Some experts argued that a one-week ascent might be possible without a miracle drug like xenon, if only the climbers would use a high enough flow of oxygen right from the bottom. 'If you have a big flow of oxygen, you don't need to work as hard to acclimatise. From an oxygen perspective, you're not going to the summit of Everest, but much lower,' says Mike Grocott, professor of anaesthesia and critical care at the University of Southampton in England and expert on the physiology of hypoxia. This theory, too, was tested this May when Ukraine-born Andrew Ushakov stated that he climbed to the top of Everest in a little less than four days after leaving New York. To achieve this, he used supplemental oxygen and trained in low-oxygen conditions. A team from the Elite Exped company guided Ushakov to the top. He says he used oxygen as soon as he started his ascent from the base camp, starting with a flow of 0.5 liters per minute and slowly increasing it to three to four liters per minute, which he used on the summit day. The xenon team, Furtenbach says, didn't start using oxygen until they reached 19,700 feet, continuing from there with a usual flow of 1 to 2 litres per minute. Higher flow was used only above 26,000 feet. This theoretically means xenon could indeed have some effect on the acclimatisation process, beyond supplemental oxygen. Still, without peer-reviewed studies, it's hard to conclude that the xenon made a difference, warns Peter Hackett, a high-altitude researcher and professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. 'My question is—why the big rush,' he says. 'These ascents reveal that Everest's challenge is now all about dealing with hypoxia and not really climbing.' For some climbers, no extra help wanted Climbers who abstain from performance-boosting drugs and supplemental oxygen see xenon as just another departure from the purest, and thereby most elite, form of climbing. The Piolet d'Or, the most coveted mountaineering award, perhaps best exemplifies the most prestigious climbing styles. The award currently doesn't consider ascents done with supplemental oxygen or fixed lines, giving the spotlight to imaginative and innovative new routes, doing more with less, and building on experience. One of the winning teams of last year's Piolet d'Or, American climbers Matt Cornell, Jackson Marvell, and Alan Rousseau, spent seven days charting a new route up the steep north face of Jannu in Nepal. To pack lightly, they shared a single sleeping bag. 'Alpinism without the factor of the unknown is only the plain physical activity,' says Slovenian climbing legend Marko Prezelj, four-time winner of Piolet d'Or. 'If somebody prepares the mountain for you by putting in fixed lines and you climb together with 500 people, there is nothing unknown.' The Everest massif from Camp I on Pumori. Photograph by Cory Richards, Nat Geo Image Collection Famous American alpinist Steve House, best known for his bold 'alpine style' first ascent on the Rupal face of Nanga Parbat in 2005, sees alpinism as a process of stripping away excesses to get closer to the experience. 'There is nothing inherently wrong with the ascents done with supplemental oxygen and xenon, but we need to understand these climbs as tourism, not alpinism,' says House. And Mingma Gyalje Sherpa, the first Nepali to climb all 14 of the world's 8,000-meter peaks without supplemental oxygen and founder of the Nepal-based guiding company Imagine Nepal, says there should be a limit to what tour companies offer. He thinks that the traditional way of doing proper acclimatisation is more valuable. 'I would always suggest to clients to do at least one rotation on the mountain up to Camp 2, before the summit push, so they can understand their body at high altitude. We also don't take clients without previous experience,' he says. But even if assisted climbs and medical aids become more common, Alpenglow Expeditions' Ballinger thinks there will always be an interest in unassisted alpine climbing. 'There are endless new route opportunities for alpinism in the Himalaya. And I don't think the fact that we have commercial guiding on a handful of routes on the world's most popular mountains gets in the way of the cutting-edge side of the sport,' says Ballinger. Peter Hackett, the high-altitude researcher, is less optimistic. 'The improved access, safety, and success on Everest have led to a new 'generation' of high-altitude tourists with high ambition but little climbing experience, and more money than time,' he says. 'It's all about— how I can bag this summit and miss as little work as possible.'
National Geographic
3 days ago
- Health
- National Geographic
When is it too dangerous to be outside? New wearable tech could tell you.
Illnesses caused by heat—dehydration, cramps, and even strokes—can come on quickly and quietly. New, wearable technology could help alert wearers to lurking danger. Two people pick grapes in a vineyard near Fresno, California. Outdoor farm workers are on average 35 times more likely to experience heat-related illnesses than the general population. Photograph by Karla Gachet, Nat Geo Image Collection Globally, health experts anticipate a 370 percent rise in yearly heat-related deaths and a 50 percent increase in hours of labor lost due to heat exposure. Heat is one of the most dangerous forms of extreme weather, but symptoms can develop slowly, leading to delays in recognizing the signs of a more serious illness. That's why scientists are also developing technologies that could help save lives by telling device wearers precisely when they're overheating. Some of these same technologies are also being developed for the public, in the form of wearable watches or sweat patches that warn when dangerous outdoor conditions are present. A worker on a farm looks out at the hot summer sun from a tractor. Greenhouse gas emissions have made extremely hot days more common. Photograph by Brian L. Frank, Nat Geo Image Collection Farm laborers are facing record high temperatures while working in unshaded fields. Above, an unplanted cotton field in Brownfield, Texas, is damaged by erosion during a heat wave. Photograph by Robb Kendrick, Nat Geo Image Collection Long before recent heatwaves, scientists have been researching ways to measure heat stress in the body, without relying on an individual's perception of their own risk. What you put in your body can have a big impact on what you keep in your head. The U.S. military uses an algorithm developed by scientists in 2013 that estimates the chances of heat stroke, heat exhaustion, and debilitating heat cramps by measuring changes in heart rate, skin temperature, and gait. "This is the future," said Emma Atkinson, a biomedical researcher for the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, in a 2024 press release announcing a device worn around the chest that resulted from testing the algorithms on 14,000 soldiers. "This is a life-saving device." The army's core body temperature algorithm is the most advanced to date and is being integrated into products for the general public, said Zachary Schlader , a University of Iowa Bloomington associate professor who studies the implications of heat stress. He acknowledges there is 'no gold standard' technology for combating heat stress in work settings, but says the most promising are algorithms to estimate internal body temperature. A construction worker covered up from the sun as morning temperatures reached 92 degrees Fahrenheit at a housing development in Marana, Arizona on Friday, July 12, 2024. Photograph by Cassidy Araiza, The New York Times/Redux 'In a clinical setting or lab, to measure the internal temperature of the body requires the measurement of rectal temperature or esophageal temperature, or different blood temperatures,' he said. 'Those aren't feasible in a work setting and in a bigger population setting. But how hot you get it, hot the inside of the body gets, is largely what determines the health risks of heat, as well as the productivity risk.' For the public, Apple Watch, Galaxy Watch 5, and the Garmin watch can all detect skin temperature, primarily to track menstrual cycles. But to determine if someone is at risk of heat stress, wearable devices need to measure core body temperature, a capability they lack. Core body temperature measures the temperature of internal organs — like your heart, liver and brain, whereas skin temperature only captures your temperature on the surface. Epicore , a digital health company, has created sweat-sensing patches that let wearers see their electrolyte loss, body temperature, and body movement to inform how much they need to drink to prevent dehydration. Sony released the REON Pocket Pro , a wearable that sits between your shoulder blades and cools your body via a metal plate, in June . A separate sensor clips to your shirt to measure temperature and humidity. Testing new devices In real-world work settings, it's unclear how effectively these devices prevent serious heat-related illnesses, according to a 2024 review of research studies of devices . Early tests have shown some promise. In May, a startup called VigiLife released a heat stress sensor, costing between $100 and $300, that attaches to a bicep or forearm. It measures heart rate, along with core body and skin temperatures. It then gathers information from the wearable and environmental sensors to formulate health and safety insights. For now, the technology is only available to commercial entities. Texas-based construction firm Rogers-O'Brien adopted VigiLife's technology across its sites in mid-June. The firm saw zero heat-related illnesses and over $200,000 in savings when it piloted VigiLife's technology from May to September 2023. During a typical summer like 2023, the company might see five or six heat-related incidents that require basic on-site first aid, according to a spokesperson. Yet, for now, most smartwatches also can't run core body temperature software without draining their batteries, CEO Zachary Kiehl noted. To reduce exposure during the hottest parts of the day, many farms hire harvesters to work overnight or in the early morning hours. Left: Workers pick tomatoes in a field in the early morning in Los Baños, California. Right: Laborers in the Western Cape province of South Africa harvest Pinot Noir wine grapes overnight. Photograph by Karla Gachet, Nat Geo Image Collection (Top) (Left) and Photograph by David Silverman, Getty Images (Bottom) (Right) Some aren't sold on a wearable-only solution. One skeptic is Jason Glaser, the CEO of La Isla Network , a company that advocates for worker safety. The network pairs weather and health data to model heat strain on workers and recommend the best hours for avoiding outside work. 'A wearable is only an alarm system,' he said, adding that most farm workers can't afford it. It's also unclear if, given access to wearable technology, workers would be incentivized to listen to its alerts. Intense manual labor and piece-rate payment systems, based on the quantity of produce they harvest, encourage workers to work beyond their limits without adequate access to water, shade, and breaks. One preliminary study looking at the link between high temperatures and chronic kidney disease also found that implementing a heat safety program—added rest periods, improved access to shade and fluids, placing bathroom facilities nearby and more, at a sugar mill in Nicaragua, decreased kidney injury in workers. Some argue these company-mandated solutions might be more effective than using wearable technology. Glaser would like to integrate wearables into his research, but that is on hold until the nonprofit receives more funding. To save money and avoid pushback from workers who don't want to wear devices to avoid lost wages if the device indicates they need to be pulled off the job, Schlader of University of Iowa Bloomington recommends, based on his research , that only the highest risk workers wear devices. Traffic warden Rai Rogers mans his street corner during an 8-hour shift under the hot sun in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 12, 2023, where temperatures reached 106 degrees Fahrenheit amid an ongoing heatwave. Photograph by Frederic J. Brown, AFP/Getty Images In addition to telling individuals about their own heat risk, wearable technology can also help scientists create algorithms that model the risk of working outside on a given day. One ongoing project provides wearable biosensors that collect vital signs, measure skin hydration, and analyzes movement data from farm workers in Florida. Researchers from Emory University in Atlanta and Georgia Tech, using a National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences grant, feed this information to an AI algorithm that may someday accurately predict when a worker could be struck by heat illness. Experts like Schlader say it's hard to know when these heat-stress technologies will have a true impact on working conditions. It's also difficult to predict when core body temperature measurements will be easily integrated into your Apple Watch or Garmin watch by default, he said. 'To my knowledge, this is a ways off,' he said. For now, those interested in monitoring their health during periods of intense heat can look for well-documented symptoms, such as cramps, dizziness, nausea, or headaches. Go to the CDC's website for more information on staying safe.
National Geographic
18-06-2025
- National Geographic
Forget the road trip—these national parks are best visited by train
Driving to and through the most popular U.S. national parks can be a hassle—from parking to long lines at the entrance gates. For many parks, train travel may be the stress-free answer for parkgoers who don't want to drive. Locomotives can move hundreds of people along a rail bed less than 5 feet wide, which can drastically reduce traffic woes. Riders can enter these parks without a coveted vehicle reservation while enjoying vistas often inaccessible by road. Beyond logistics, there's an enduring romance to riding the rails, and while Amtrak may not be a perfect option, riding the national train system has far more fans than many realize. In 2024, a historic 32.8 million people rode Amtrak. While many are commuters, others appreciate the ability to haul up to 125 pounds of luggage per person for free, eat meals in a dining car, sip a coffee in the observation lounge, and avoid arguing about who is driving. "It's the rejection of hustle culture," says Sojourner White, train travel expert and educator, "You can relax and take a digital detox." Parkgoers can now slow it down and see "America's Best Idea" with a ride on the rails to these popular parks. (A practical guide to riding the rails in the US, from train passes to delays.) Glacier National Park, Montana Spring is a perfect time to see fields of wildflowers in bloom as far as the eye can see at Glacier National Park, Mont. Photograph by Ben Horton, Nat Geo Image Collection Encompassing the Rocky Mountains of northern Montana, Glacier National Park protects some of the nation's most dramatic alpine terrain, including crenulated peaks, deep valleys, rare inland temperate rainforests, and the namesake glaciers. Over three million annual visitors come to the "Crown of the Continent" to travel the stunning Going-to-the-Sun Road, a less than 50-mile stretch over the Continental Divide that is only passable from late June to October. The park introduced a highly competitive vehicle reservation program in 2021, alleviating debilitating congestion while leaving several disappointed without options. Trains have brought tourists to Glacier National Park since 1892, with the Great Northern Railway playing a significant role in the park's designation in 1910. Today's train riders have a loophole: via shuttle, they can enter without a vehicle reservation. Getting there and around: The Empire Builder, Amtrak's daily route traveling between Chicago and Seattle, makes several stops. The complimentary lodge van connects to the park's East Side Shuttle and St. Mary Visitor Center from East Glacier Park Station. A similar shuttle system connects guests at the West Glacier Park Station to the Apgar Visitor Center. Glacier's free shuttles take hikers and sightseers from the center along Going-to-the-Sun road, the only east-west traverse in the park. Tour companies, like Red Bus Tours and Sun Tours, will also pick up visitors. (See America's parks with the Indigenous peoples who first called them home.) Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona A mule train ascends South Kaibab Trail in Grand Canyon National Park. Photograph by Eric Kruszewski, Nat Geo Image Collection Grand Canyon National Park, a gaping geological time capsule, spans over 1.2 million acres and features miles of rugged trails, river rafting, and surprisingly diverse climates. Despite its vastness, most of the nearly 5 million annual visitors funnel through a single entrance on the South Rim. The park has avoided timed entry reservations, yet those stuck in two-hour waits at the gates crave another solution. The answer arrives with a fanfare of train whistles in the park's village: the Grand Canyon Railway. The staged robbery at the train's start in Williams, Ariz., adds a bit of whimsy, but this traverse is no gimmick—the route has connected visitors to the canyon since 1901. Those aboard this 65-mile railway roll through high desert ravines and stands of ponderosa pines before the engine pulls up near the South Rim. Getting there and around: Amtrak's Southwest Chief stops at Williams on daily runs between Los Angeles and Chicago. Travelers can also make the 45-minute drive to Williams from Flagstaff, skipping the entrance lines they'd hit if they drove straight to the Grand Canyon. Once in the Grand Canyon, the park's shuttles provide access to the trailheads and vistas along the rim's 7-mile circuit. (How to take amazing photos of the Grand Canyon.) Yosemite National Park, California This photo captures an incredible view of Starlink satellites streaking over Bridalveil Fall and Cathedral Rock in Yosemite National Park. Photograph by Babak Tafreshi, Nat Geo Image Collection Any route into Yosemite National Park climbs up through the Sierra Nevada foothills before reaching the landscapes that inspired Ansel Adams' photography and conservation. Yet as the anticipation rises along with elevation, so does the traffic, with hours of waiting after the parking lots fill early on summer mornings. Cut the headaches, as Yosemite offers one of the most exceptional park shuttle services in the country, accessible via a combination of rail and bus tickets. Even though the Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS) bus can't avoid the wait at the gate, dedicated bus-only lanes within the park cut out the standing traffic. You will be gazing up at El Capitan or camping in Tuolumne Meadows with far less stress. Getting there and around: Amtrak's San Joaquins routes from San Francisco, Sacramento, or Los Angeles drop rail passengers in Merced, California. From there, catch a reserved spot on the YARTS bus line. The train ticket includes bus and park entry. (10 places to stay while you're at Yosemite National Park.) New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia Parkgoers may consider a fall train trip to witness the bursts of fall colors found along the banks of the New River Gorge in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, W. Va. Photograph by Daniel Wilson, Alamy Designated in 2020, West Virginia's national park is one of the nation's newest additions. Yet, just 300 miles from Washington D.C., New River Gorge National Park has seen a surge of visitors at a rate even higher than the park system's. With hiking, rock climbing, and river rafting opportunities ranging from mild to wild, the New River Gorge is known for a jolt of approachable yet adrenaline-fueled adventure in the eastern United States. The park's ties to the railway run deep; still-active stations like Thurmond were booming communities during the area's coal mining days. Today, Amtrak riders get a view no one else does. "There is no road that goes all the way through the gorge," says Eve West, the park's Chief of Interpretation and Education. "You'll get a great view of the New River Gorge Bridge and feel what it was like to live down in these smaller villages that are still visible from the train." Getting there and around: Amtrak's Cardinal runs between Washington D.C. and Chicago three times a week. Stops in the park include the small towns of Thurmond, Hinton, and Prince. Local whitewater outfitters run previously scheduled shuttle pickups. (The essential guide to visiting West Virginia.) Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Goose Beaver Marsh is one of Cuyahoga Valley National Park's most popular destinations for birdwatching and spotting wildlife like turtles, beavers, and northern cardinals. Photograph by Prisma/Heeb Christian, Alamy While Cuyahoga Valley National Park may not be as recognizable as some of its older park peers, this greenway sandwiched between Cleveland and Akron, Ohio, is quietly becoming one of the most popular in the country. It's a day-trippers' delight with waterfalls shielded by dense forests, pock-marked sandstone outcrops, and placid wetlands that feel hours away from the adjacent metropolis. The Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail is the park's backbone along the Cuyahoga River. No longer a transportation system for goods, hikers, and bikers enjoy the juxtaposition of historic river locks and industrial mill remnants within the revitalized forest. The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad (CVSR) transports riders in vintage railcars from the 1940s to the 1960s along the path, allowing recreationists to take a scenic ride on the non-profit railway to their trailheads. Getting there and around: Amtrak's Floridian stops daily in Cleveland on the route between Miami and Chicago. Once in Cleveland, the CVSR has eight stations through the park and allows bikes. (It was a toxic wasteland. Now it's a national park.) Denali National Park, Alaska Caribou graze amongst the fall foliage on a ridge in Denali National Park, Ala. Photograph by Barrett Hedges, Nat Geo Image Collection The state-run Alaska Railroad connects Anchorage to North America's highest peak, Denali National Park, in less than a day's ride from Anchorage. Domed observation cars leave no angle ignored as the train hurtles through the protected wilderness towards Fairbanks, Alaska. Denali restricts vehicles from the park's 90-mile single road year-round, protecting the subarctic wilderness. The park's shuttles are the most reliable way to journey into the backcountry, stopping for a hike or offering a chance to see the often-hidden mountain. For those who prefer to take their chances spotting Denali by air, the train stops in Talkeetna, where small planes offer quick tours, weather permitting. Getting there and around: The Alaska Railroad runs most routes, including the Denali Star, daily from May through September. For a bonus park, travel south from Anchorage on the Coastal Classic to the port of Seward. From there, catch the wildlife-spotting day cruise to Kenai Fjords National Park, one of the continent's largest ice fields. (Go with Nat Geo: Alaska: Denali to Kenai Fjords Expedition.) Rebecca Toy is a Kansas City-based writer who covers travel, history, and culture. Find her on Instagram.
National Geographic
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- National Geographic
The Golden Records tell the story of Earth. Will alien worlds ever find them?
In 1977, NASA launched two 12-inch gold-plated copper disks filled with the sounds of children's laughter, heartbeats, and bird calls. Is their time in space running out? The Golden Record carried by Voyager 1 and 2. Photographs of Jupiter by Voyager 1 on March 24, 1979 and Uranus by Voyager 2 on January 24, 1986. Photo Illustration by Jesse Barber, National Geographic; Image Sources from Nat Geo Image Collection, NASA/JPL In 1977, NASA launched Voyagers 1 and 2 from Cape Canaveral, Florida into space to embark on a grand tour of the far reaches of our solar system. Mounted on board each probe was a 12-inch gold-plated copper disk—a cosmic 'message in a bottle' engraved with sights, sounds, and depictions of life on Earth, collectively known as the Golden Records—on the slim chance some far-off alien civilization might discover them. And in Disney and Pixar's animated film Elio, in theaters June 20, that's exactly what happens when main character Elio encounters aliens who believe he is Earth's leader. 'It's meant to be a sort of a letter of introduction to any culture who might find the probe,' says Bethany Ehlmann, a planetary scientist at the California Institute of Technology and a 2013 National Geographic Emerging Explorer, of the real-life Golden Records. Though these gilded greetings were partly intended for an alien audience, they mostly served as a message to humans and our tiny blue marble planet. 'It's a love letter to Earth and all that we have come through to get to the point where we could send these probes to understand our solar system.' But where are the Golden Records now—and how much longer are they intended to last in space? We spoke to the experts, including Ehlmann, to find out. When tasked with figuring out what to include in the intergalactic mixtape aboard the Voyager probes, renowned astronomer Carl Sagan assembled a team of scientists, artists, and engineers. For a true depiction of life on Earth aboard humankind's most distant physical emissary, the team included a variety of sounds associated with daily life and nature, like bird calls, humpback whale songs, children's laughter, footsteps, heartbeats, brain wave scans, and a kiss. There are also 90 minutes of music contained on the disk, including Western classical compositions from Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, and Stravinsky, Senegalese percussion music, Australian Aboriginal songs, and Chuck Berry's 'Johnny B. Goode.' (The close of cosmos, and golden voices in the stars.) The carefully thought-out record, designed to endure space travel for billions of years, also consists of spoken greetings in 55 modern and ancient languages, as well as 115 analog-encoded photographs of Earth and its inhabitants. Engraved on the cover of these records is a map to help find one's way to Earth relative to nearby known, flashing, dense cores of stars called pulsars. There are etched diagrams of a hydrogen atom—the most common element in the universe—and instructions for playing each record. Each disk is enclosed in a protective, gold-plated aluminum jacket, together with a cartridge and a needle to play it. "The spacecraft will be encountered and the record played only if there are advanced space-faring civilizations in interstellar space," Sagan, leader of the Voyager Golden Record project, wrote. "But the launching of this 'bottle' into the cosmic 'ocean' says something very hopeful about life on this planet." (Dear Voyagers: How your billion-year journey carries true love.) A far-out cosmic road trip Over the years, the Voyager probes flew by the solar system's most distant four planets at a rate of 35,000 miles per hour, sending back detailed views of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and their moons. Voyager 2 flying by Uranus and Neptune is the only time humanity has seen these worlds up close. After completing their primary missions to collectively fly by all four outer planets in 1989, the twin probes kept chugging along through the vast outer reaches of the solar system. Voyager 1 and 2 exited the solar system and entered interstellar space in 2012 and 2018, respectively. At more than 15 billion miles from Earth, Voyager 1 has become the most distant human-made object in space. Voyager 2, in second place, is now about 13 billion miles away. The interstellar environment they're in contains a stew of cosmic gas, dust, and rays. The twin Voyager probes are equipped with radiation-resistant parts, but the onslaught of charged particles in their current neck of the woods still pose a threat to their aging electronics. Both Voyager spacecrafts are still collecting and sending back data, updating humans on their intergalactic adventures, albeit slowly—it takes nearly 20 hours for these signals to reach Earth, given the immense distance they need to travel. We're now reaching the end of the Voyager missions, as the twin probes' plutonium power supplies are running out of juice. The Voyager team is attempting to extend their lifetime for as long as they can by shutting down non-essential instruments like heaters to conserve power. 'More than 47 years into the mission, there's very little power left,' says Suzanne "Suzy" Dodd, the current project manager for the Voyager missions. 'The goal of the mission is to get it to 50 years.' Even after the probe's science mission ends, though, the Golden Records will keep quietly drifting further and further into the cosmic abyss, likely for millions and even billions of years.'Long after we've lost communications with the spacecraft, it'll still be traveling with this record—a time capsule,' Dodd says. She remarks that it's exciting 'to think about a little piece of us, a little piece of what Earth and humanity is all about, traveling around the center of our galaxy to be found by whatever being might be out there.' But, as Dodd points out, there are enormous physical and chronological distances involved. It's going to take around 40,000 years for the probes to drift into the vicinity of any other star system, when Voyager 1 will pass within 1.6 light-years of the star Gliese 445. Around the same time, Voyager 2 will be within 1.7 light-years of the star Ross 248. The legacy of the Golden Records The Golden Records have left a huge cosmic impact. According to Ehlmann, most spacecrafts that followed the Voyager mission included some sort of message from our Earthly abode. 'People sometimes think of science as a cold and calculating endeavor, but really it's the expression of curiosity and awe,' she says. 'It's an ability to leave your mark in the universe.' And almost fifty years after they first took flight, our pair of plucky robot emissaries to the stars continues embarking on the deepest journey ever into space. 'Who knows? The Voyager probes, a million years from now, may end up in some alien museum,' Ehlmann says. 'It's exciting to imagine.' Disney and Pixar's "Elio" is in theaters June 20, 2025. Get tickets now.
National Geographic
13-06-2025
- Business
- National Geographic
China is building the world's largest national parks system
China plans to overtake the United States by building the world's largest national park system, a network of wilderness bigger than Texas. Although China only created its first national park four years ago—some 149 years after the US did the same—it claims that by 2035 it will have 49 parks covering 272 million acres, triple the size of the U.S. National Park System. China has already opened five national parks, totaling 57 million acres. Collectively, the parks span alpine peaks, tropical rainforests, remote glaciers, vast deserts, and high-altitude wetlands. They also protect rare animals like the Giant Panda, Siberian Tiger, and Asian Elephant. According to the Chinese Government, these parks are also preserving cultural heritage, boosting local economies, and enticing tourists to experience the country's diverse landscapes. While domestic tourists flock to China's wilderness destinations, few foreigners follow suit, says Jun Wen, associate professor of tourism at Macau University of Science and Technology. Instead, most international visitors focus on China's giant, historic cities, like Beijing, Shanghai, and Xi'an. However, Wen believes that will change as China expands its park system; the country will become world-renowned for nature-based tourism. (Our ancestors walked these trails hundreds of years ago. Now you can too.) China aims to upstage the U.S. China's national park system will eclipse the US version, says Mei Zhang, CEO of Wild China, one of the country's biggest tour companies. Being launched so recently gives it the advantage of learning from the mistakes of other park systems. 'While the United States pioneered the Yellowstone model—preserving vast wilderness areas—it also made significant missteps,' Zhang says. 'Such as enclosing land and forcefully displacing Indigenous communities to create an image of 'pristine' wilderness. In contrast, China has the chance to chart its own course. By fostering a symbiotic relationship between local communities and wildlife conservation, China can create a national park system that integrates cultural vitality with ecological stewardship.' That is a lofty goal, but then again, so is building the world's biggest national park system, from scratch in 14 years. China has a history of record-breaking mega-projects, from the world's largest dam to the planet's longest bridge, and an unrivalled high-speed rail network. Now China is channeling its vast wealth, ambition, and capability into protecting and showcasing its extraordinary, yet overlooked natural scenery. Here's a look at five national parks in China worth visiting now. 5 must-see national parks in China 1. Giant Panda National Park: China's iconic Giant Panda has a park Kindergarten children visit a Giant Panda cub at the Dujiangyan Panda Base. Photograph by Ami Vitale, Nat Geo Image Collection Wen recommends visiting Giant Panda National Park, which covers 6.6 million acres of mountainous land in Central China's Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu Provinces. It protects the habitats of most of the country's 1,900 wild Giant Pandas; a species found only in China. The best time to see this park is between April and October when the weather is warmest, vegetation is thickest, and Giant Pandas are most active. All year round, parkgoers can see pandas and learn about these unique creatures at the park's panda research centers at Wolong and Dujiangyan. 'Visitors have the opportunity to explore panda habitats on foot and even volunteer to assist panda caretakers,' Wen says. 'They can observe the daily activities of pandas, including climbing trees, playing, eating, and tumbling.' Good to know: Giant Panda National Park can be reached by flying into Chengdu and then heading two hours north by bus. The park is quite isolated; so, it is most easily explored on a guided tour booked with a Chinese tour company. 2. Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park: Saving big cats from extinction In addition to Giant Pandas, China's national parks aim to save rare animal species from extinction. Zhou says the endangered Amur leopards and Amur tigers are now protected in the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park. Located in northeast China, this national park covers 3.5 million acres along the borders with Russia and North Korea, and it eclipses the size of any national park in the lower 48 States of the U.S. 'Through removing fencing in forest zones, reconnecting fragmented habitats, and implementing ecological translocation, the park has restored essential migration and reproduction corridors for these species,' Zhou says. Good to know: Visitors can observe some of these scientific projects up close by booking guided tours of this national park with Chinese tour operators like Benchmark. The isolated park can be reached by flying from Beijing or Shanghai into Yanji, followed by a three-to-four-hour bus ride. (China just had a museum building spree. Here are 6 of the best.) 3. Sanjiangyuan National Park: A national park bigger than Florida In northwest China's Qinghai Province, Sanjiangyuan National Park is 47 million acres and larger than Florida, making it China's largest park. The editor of Travel China Guide tour company, Catherine He says Sanjiangyuan is very diverse geographically. Dramatic mountains loom above glaciers, high-altitude wetlands, grassland meadows, desert plateaus, and mirrored lakes. Sanjiangyuan is called 'China's Water Tower' because it is the source region of the Yangtze, Mekong, and Yellow rivers, says He. While exploring its pristine wilderness, visitors may spot unique snow leopards and Tibetan antelopes. According to the Chinese Government, this new park is why the antelope's population has soared to 70,000. Good to know: Enter this vast park by flying into Xining or Golmud from big Chinese cities Xi'an, Shanghai, or Chengdu, and then take a relatively short bus or taxi ride. By visiting during the warmer months from May to September, visitors can hike its many trails in comfort, witness the park's grasslands in bloom, and increase their chances of seeing wildlife. 4. Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park: China's version of Hawaii The Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone is known for its lush rainforest, waterfalls, and cultural experiences. It is part of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park on Hainan Island, China. Photograph by Dmitrii Melnikov, Alamy The new Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park is also impressive, according to Aliana Leong, Hospitality Professor from Macau University of Science and Technology. It envelops 1 million acres of Hainan, China's southernmost province. Sometimes called the 'Hawaii of China', Hainan is a picturesque island fringed by pretty beaches and with a hilly, verdant interior. Forest rangers patrol the Bawangling area of Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park in south China's Hainan Province. Photograph by Zhang Liyun, Xinhua/Alamy 'This new national park has China's most diverse, best preserved, and largest contiguous area of tropical rainforest,' Leong says. Within its lush expanse lives 33 percent of China's reptile species, 38 percent of its bird species, 20 percent of its mammal species, and more than 3,500 plant species. Leong adds, 'It is the only habitat for the Hainan gibbon and a treasure trove of tropical biodiversity.' Good to know: This park is quickly reached by bus or taxi from either of Hainan's two international airports. Embrace its untamed vibe by joining a whitewater rafting tour through the commanding Wuzhishan Grand Canyon. (China's other great wall is impressive, too—and steeped in history.) 5. Wuyi Mountain National Park: Insta-worthy landscapes Researchers walk through Zhongshan meadow in Wuyishan National Park, southeast China's Fujian Province. Wuyi Mountain has a comprehensive forest ecosystem representative of the mid-subtropical zone. It boasts diverse groups of plants due to its varying altitudes. Photograph by Jiang Kehong, Xinhua/Alamy If you're on social media, then you may have seen eye-catching images and videos of Wuyi Mountain National Park. Covering 316,000 acres of mountainous terrain in Fujian and Jiangxi Provinces, it is known for its unusual Danxia landscapes, where red stone cliffs, gorges, and peaks contrast sharply against dense, green forests. This park encompasses the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Mount Wuyi, one of China's prettiest and most revered mountains, says Catherine He. Good to know: Visitors can follow spectacular hiking trails, go bamboo rafting on Jiuqu Stream, wander splendid tea tree groves, or admire historic mountainside temples and monasteries, she recommends. China's new environmental focus China already has thousands of protected nature reserves, says Ralf Buckley, emeritus professor of ecotourism at Australia's Griffith University. However, unlike most of the world's top national parks, those reserves don't qualify as national parks under the stringent system of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). So China designed its new national parks to meet the IUCN criteria by making them 'mainly for conservation, with limited tourism under strict regulation, and no residential housing'. China's national park system is already improving wildlife preservation, says Bin Zhou, a tourism professor at China's Ningbo University. 'China is among the most biodiverse countries in the world, while also facing significant threats to its ecosystems,' Zhou says. Wearing a panda suit as camouflage, a panda keeper does a health check on a panda cub in Wolong, home to the Wolong National Nature Reserve and part of the Giant Panda National Park in China. Photograph by Ami Vitale, Nat Geo Image Collection 'The (park system) enables the designation of high-level protection zones in key ecological function areas, critical habitats, and ecological security barriers. Ensuring the long-term survival of flagship species such as the giant panda, Amur tiger and leopard, and Asian elephant, along with their habitats.' The new parks have helped increase China's populations of 200 species of rare animals and about 100 endangered plant species, announced in May 2025. (21 photos of China's best UNESCO World Heritage sites.) Cultural and social benefits of national parks China's national park system is also motivated by cultural heritage preservation, economic development, and public education, says Aliana Leong, a tourism professor at Macau University of Science and Technology. 'Many of China's national parks are rich in cultural and historical significance, so expanding the national park system helps protect ancient villages, traditional cultures, and historical sites,' she says. 'National parks also drive local economic growth through tourism. They create job opportunities, increase revenue, and promote sustainable development in rural and remote areas. (Finally) they serve as outdoor classrooms, raising public awareness of environmental protection and cultural heritage.' Andrew Nelson is the author of National Geographic's recently published travel book Here Not There. Follow him on Instagram.
