A famed German biathlete, , perished on Monday, July 28, while scaling a remote mountain in Pakistan.

Dahlmeier was climbing Laila Peak (20,000 feet), a tooth-like summit in the remote Hushe Valley, along with her frequent climbing partner, Marina Krauss, also from Germany. The women were at an elevation of around 18,700 feet when they were struck by rockfall.

According to a statement from Dahlmeier鈥檚 team, published on , the pair were rappelling down the mountain when a rope maneuver dislodged rocks that hit Dahlmeier, knocking her off the wall. Krauss was unharmed, and immediately sent out an SOS with her satellite messenger. She then tried, for several hours, to reach her fallen partner, but the difficulty of the terrain and the risk of further rockfall stymied her attempts. As night fell, Krauss descended to her base camp.

Efforts to rescue Dahlmeier by helicopter were initially hampered by rain, wind, and poor visibility. By Tuesday morning, rescuers in search helicopters had managed to spot the fallen climber, but they saw no signs of life and could not descend to the ground because of the poor weather. A ground team reached Dahlmeier鈥檚 body later that day, and confirmed that she was deceased. 鈥淏ased on the severity of her injuries, her death is 鈥減resumed to have occurred immediately.鈥� It appears that, due to the dangerous nature of the terrain around the accident site, no body recovery will take place. According to Dahlmeier鈥檚 team, it was her 鈥渆xpress and written will that in a case like this, no one should risk their life to rescue her. Her wish was to leave her body on the mountain.鈥�

In a subsequent memorial post on her Instagram, her team said that, 鈥淟aura enriched the lives of many, including our own, with her warm and straightforward manner. She showed us that it鈥檚 worth standing up for your dreams and goals and always staying true to yourself. We are deeply grateful, dear Laura, that we were allowed to share our lives with you. Our shared moments and memories give us the strength and courage to continue on our path.鈥�

Laura Dahlmeier was 31 years old. She held two gold medals from the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics鈥攂ecoming the first female biathlete in history to win both the sprint and pursuit events at the same Games. She also won 15 World Championships medals over the course of her career, including seven golds. She won five of these gold medals at a single Championships, in 2017, becoming the first women to ever do so.

Dahlmeier retired from the biathlon in 2019, at age 25, to devote herself to alpine climbing full-time. Among other climbing accolades, she holds the on Nepal鈥檚 Ama Dablam. She scaled and descended the 22,349-foot mountain in just 12 hours. Since 2023, Dahlmeier had worked as a mountain and ski guide, and was a volunteer for the mountain rescue team in her hometown of Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

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Those summer trail runs getting a bit too hot? I logged a ten-miler last week in Alabama, where I live, and it was so muggy I may have performed better if I鈥檇 been on a treadmill inside of a sauna.

This time of year, the thought of competing in a cool, underground race has its appeal.

That鈥檚 the idea proposed by BecomingX, a learning and development company co-founded by adventurer Bear Grylls. The organization, in partnership with the International Council for Mining and Metals, is hosting the world鈥檚 deepest marathon in the tunnels of a Swedish zinc mine called Garpenberg.

The marathon will be held on October 26, approximately 4,300 feet below the Earth鈥檚 surface. Sixty runners will don climbing helmets, safety glasses, hi-vis clothes, and headlamps as they take laps around a sprawling mine tunnel, all in complete silence and darkness. In addition to setting a Guinness World Record, the events’ organizers hope to raise at least $1 million for two charities: canine charity 聽and the , which, according to its website, “helps disadvantaged students in underserved communities across Africa.鈥�

“We’re incredibly proud to host this historic event at our Garpenberg mine,鈥� said Mikael Staffas, President and CEO of Boliden, the company that owns the mine, on July 18. 鈥淎s one of the safest and most technologically advanced mines in the world, it’s the perfect setting to show that mining can be both cutting-edge and purpose-driven. We look forward to welcoming the intrepid runners and shining a light on an industry that’s critical to a sustainable future.鈥�

Garpenberg is one of the most productive mines in Sweden, and the source of around one percent of the entire world鈥檚 zinc concentrate. Annually, the mine extracts nearly 4 million tons of ores containing zinc, silver, lead, gold, and copper. Historical records show mining has been conducted on the site since at least 350 B.C.E.

Underground marathons have been around for quite a while. From 2002 to 2014, a marathon called the Untertage Sparkassen was held in a German salt mine, 1,640 feet below sea level. And last December, some 100 runners ran laps around a World War II-era bunker in the United Kingdom, in the .

Other runners have covered long distances at far greater depths, though not as part of an official event. According to the , the deepest underground half-marathon distance was run at a staggering depth of 11,676 feet, by Ecuadorian Mill谩n Lude帽a inside of a mine in South Africa in 2017.

The Garpenberg race technically isn鈥檛 open to the public. The 60 runners are already confirmed, and all will be what the event’s released called 鈥渞epresentatives from the mining and metals industry and civil society,鈥� hailing from at least 17 different countries. , 鈥渢he majority will not have run a marathon before.鈥� However, organizers at BecomingX say that if any registered runners cancel, a few slots may open up. The catch? You have to raise $30,000 in charity sponsorship to enter to help get them to their $1 million goal.

Even if you can drum up the cash and secure a slot, you’ll have other challenges to overcome. Organizers estimate that, depending on the weather above ground, temperatures inside the mine will range from 75 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit. There are also possible health risks when running underground, primarily due to the reduced ventilation, and a subsequent buildup of pollutants like particulate matter in the air, which can be hard on the lungs. A 2020 study in the journal notes that underground spaces, in general, are prone to 鈥渄ecreased oxygen concentrations and increased carbon dioxide concentrations, elevated humidity and temperature, increased toxic particle concentrations, and accumulation of radioactive radon.鈥�

I鈥檒l take my chances running in the sauna!

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The Sunshine State is in the process of approving a proposal that would create an annual hunt to cull black bear populations. The three-week hunt, to take place in December, would be the first such event in a decade. A chaotic 2015 hunt was stopped early after over 300 bears were killed in just two days. More than half of the killed bears were females, and a fifth of those were lactating, meaning they likely had cubs depending on them for survival.

The proposal to reintroduce bear hunting this year was given preliminary approval by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) in a May hearing, and is set to be voted on during a final hearing in August. The hunt would take place from December 6 to 28, and hunters would participate via a lottery-style permitting process. The permits would allow for a total of 187 bears to be 鈥渉arvested鈥� in four hunting zones around the state. Under the , up to six dogs could be used in each hunt, and bears could also be hunted at game feeding stations.

According to the FWC鈥檚 , the state鈥檚 black bear population currently sits at approximately 4,050, up from near-extinction in the 1970s. Bear hunting was legal in Florida from the 1930s until 1994, but in the past three decades, the only hunt held was the truncated one in 2015. Currently, Florida is one of only six states in the U.S. that has a resident black bear population but does not allow hunting to manage the population. Of those six states鈥攚hich also include Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Ohio, and Connecticut鈥擣lorida鈥檚 bear population is by far the largest.

鈥淲hen we look at game species across North America, there’s not a single game species that has gone extinct or come close through regulated hunting,鈥� George Warthen, the agency’s chief conservation officer, . 鈥淚nstead, we see more money, more attention and a lot more benefits for that animal. And this can be a tough conversation to have. And so the why, for Florida, becomes we’re one of the only states that is not participating in regulated bear hunting in states that have abundant bear populations.鈥�

The timing of the hunt, in December, when most females are in their dens, is reportedly intended to reduce the killing of females and prevent orphaned cubs this time around. The funds that are generated from application and permit sales鈥攁 permit will cost $100 for Florida residents and $300 for non-residents鈥攁re to be sent to the State Game Trust Fund and used for wildlife conservation.

In an exhaustive on the FWC website, the agency addresses a number of concerns about the upcoming potential bear hunt, noting that, although there is no cap on the number of female bears that can be hunted under the provision, the total allotment of 187 bears was specifically chosen because that is the maximum number of female bears that could be killed without resulting in a negative population growth rate. Therefore, even if every single bear killed in the proposed hunt was a female, populations would remain stable, according to the FWC site.

The FWC also addressed the controversial results of the hunt ten years ago, noting changes in the structure this time around. In the previous hunt, 3,776 permits were sold, but the 鈥渉arvest objective鈥� was only 320 bears. The FWC explained that this system, while still allowing them to keep hunting rates within their target range, inadvertently 鈥減ut pressure on hunters to harvest the first bear they encountered in the field.鈥� Essentially, 3,776 hunters were all competing to kill bears as quickly as possible, because they all knew that there were only 320 bears that could be hunted before the hunt was closed.

Under the new proposal, the FWC would only sell 187 permits in the first place, so everyone who received a permit could be selective over the three-week period.鈥� This is also the train of thought behind allowing the use of hunting dogs and the killing of bears at game feeding stations. Both tactics, although controversial, would 鈥渁llow hunters time to be more selective about which bear they take鈥� and avoid targeting females who could be raising cubs.

Black bears were protected under Florida state law until 2012, when scientists determined their populations had recovered enough from the 1970s lows to no longer be threatened by extinction. However bear hunting remains a controversial subject in Florida, particularly after the 2015 cull. A survey the following year鈥攖he results of which were included in the FWC proposal鈥攆ound that residents were in close contention about the issue. Roughly 47 percent of those surveyed supported the idea, and 43 percent opposed it. When the same respondents were asked if they would support bear hunting if it were compatible with maintaining healthy bear numbers, however, those in favor increased to 62 percent.

Still, the FWC website received over 13,000 comments about the potential 2025 bear hunt, and around three-quarters of them were opposed to the idea. The agency’s position is that, sooner or later, the growing bear population is going to have to be checked. 鈥淲hile all wildlife species, theoretically, will reach some population level that triggers a decline, black bear populations have not reached levels where self-regulation has been exhibited anywhere in North America,鈥� the FWC says. 鈥淩ather, as bear numbers reach high enough levels, human presence can begin to influence [them].鈥�

Florida reports an average of 191 bears are already killed each year as a result of human interaction鈥攕uch as vehicle strikes, required euthanization due to habituation, and illegal hunting. 鈥淥nce there are enough bears in suitable habitats, bear presence will increase in marginal habitats (e.g., neighborhoods), which increases the likelihood of human-bear conflicts and the subsequent risk to public safety, as well as safety for the bears.鈥�

The number of bear-human interactions in Florida has increased dramatically since the turn of the century, as both bear and human populations have climbed. The first fatal bear attack in state history occurred last year. (An 89-year-old man and his dog were killed near Naples.)

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Last fall, scientists from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revealed that a popular lake in Wyoming鈥檚 Wind River Range is contaminated with human feces. And not just contaminated, but the most heavily contaminated lake out of nearly 1,000 lakes surveyed across the United States.

Look up a picture of Lonesome Lake, and you may be surprised. It doesn鈥檛 look like a biohazard. At first glance, it seems like paradise. The alpine lake sits at around 10,000 feet in elevation, and is ringed by the 鈥攁 picturesque semi-circle of 12,000-foot granite spires that has long enchanted rock climbers and trekkers alike. It鈥檚 also a stone鈥檚 throw from the Continental Divide Trail聽and a common stopping point for long-distance hikers. As a result, it is among the most heavily-trafficked backpacking destinations in the region. During peak season in August, as many as 400 hikers may visit the Cirque of the Towers each week.

In the spring of 2022, as part of the EPA鈥檚 , the agency collected samples of water from 981 lakes around the country, including Lonesome. The results, published last fall, show that Lonesome Lake contains 490,895 calibrator cell equivalents of the bacteria genus Enterococci for every 100 milliliters of water, the highest of any lake tested. The EPA鈥檚 safe limit for swimming鈥攏ot just drinking, mind you, but swimming鈥攊s 1,280 per 100 milliliters, meaning the contamination in Lonesome Lake is a jaw-dropping 384 times higher than the recommended limit.

As noted by local nonprofit news outlet , 鈥淎rguably, Lonesome Lake was the most spectacular, remote waterbody in the broad study examining lake health all around the United States 鈥� and yet the data also suggested that Lonesome Lake鈥檚 water was the most polluted by poop. That鈥檚 especially remarkable given that the assessment also looked at lakes and ponds in urban areas and agricultural regions more typically associated with feces-related pollution.鈥�

It鈥檚 worth noting that high concentrations of Enterococci do not necessarily equate one-to-one to high concentrations of feces. Researchers say more work still needs to be done. 鈥淎 single datapoint doesn鈥檛 necessarily tell us much of anything,鈥� the DEQ鈥檚 Ron Steg told WyoFile. 鈥淲e need to get some real data to understand if there is a problem. If there is, we鈥檒l react to the results of the data.鈥�

Enterococci is intestinal bacteria, and thus its presence in a water supply is a strong indicator of fecal contamination. The sampling at Lonesome was conducted through the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), and when the results came in last fall, researchers from the DEQ and U.S. Forest Service went out to take additional samples at the lake, this time searching for another indicator of fecal contamination, Escherichia coli, but came up with nothing. Over the next two months, at Lonesome Lake and nearby Big Sandy Lake, another popular trekking destination, to get a more definitive picture of the degree of contamination.

But to those in the know, the study results come as no surprise. 鈥淚 tell people definitely do not swim in there, I tell people definitely do not drink the water,鈥� Brian Cromack, a local outdoor gear shop employee, told WyoFile. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been heavily contaminated for a long time, just via the negligence of outdoor recreation enthusiasts over the years.鈥�

Although they may look pristine, alpine lakes surrounded by granite peaks like the Winds can face higher levels of contamination, because the non-porous granite and thin soil create a 鈥渂athtub effect,鈥� offering no natural filtration for water. This, combined with the steep gradients, means that rain and snowmelt quickly wash fecal matter鈥攏ot just from humans, but from dogs and natural wildlife鈥攆rom the surrounding slopes down into the low-lying lakes. This problem peaks during spring thaw, when months of waste frozen in snowpack are often flushed into the water all at once, coinciding with peak visitation periods in the summer. At high elevations, cold water temperatures also allow dangerous pathogens like Giardia and E. coli to survive for longer periods.

It remains to be seen what the follow-up studies will reveal at Lonesome Lake, or what is to be done about it. Other high-traffic wilderness locales, like California鈥檚 Mount Whitney Zone, now require all visitors to pack their waste out in a 鈥渨ag bag.鈥� Currently there is no specific stipulation on how to dispose of bodily waste in the Cirque of the Towers, aside from following basic Leave No Trace principles鈥攂ury waste in a hole six inches deep, 200 feet from trails and water sources. But research is increasingly indicating that, taking into account the growing number of people recreating in the wilderness, these practices actually are no longer enough to prevent fecal contamination.

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The newest attraction at Yellowstone National Park is ice-blue, steaming hot, and about the size of a Jacuzzi.

According to the a new hot spring has appeared in Yellowstone. First discovered in April by a satellite, the pool is believed to have formed on Christmas Day, 2024, and steadily grown throughout 2025.

The new pool, which has yet to be named, is around 13 feet wide and a foot deep, with a water temperature of 109 degrees Fahrenheit. It is located in the park鈥檚 Porcelain Basin, a subregion of the larger Norris Geyser Basin鈥攖he hottest, oldest, and most active of Yellowstone’s thermal areas.

The scientists who discovered the new pool on April 10 noticed that it was 鈥渟urrounded by numerous small rocks up to one foot across,鈥� and that these rocks were 鈥渃overed by light-gray, fine-grained, sandy mud.鈥� Together, this is strong evidence that the pool formed as a result of a hydrothermal explosion.

But when did the event take place? According to satellite imagery, the pool was definitely not present before December 19, 2024, and it had appeared by January 6, 2025. With this date range, using an infrasound monitoring station鈥攚hich can detect low frequency acoustic energy, essentially 鈥渉earing鈥� explosions鈥攕cientists were able to determine that the pool was formed on December 25, Christmas Day.

Judging by the acoustic energy picked up by the monitoring station, they believe the thermal explosion that birthed the pool was relatively small, and that the pool grew to the size it is now over time. 鈥淚t appears that the feature formed via multiple small events that initially threw rocks and later threw silica mud a short distance, creating a small pit that became filled with silica-rich water,鈥� explained the USGS.

Yellowstone National Park is home to over 10,000 such hydrothermal features鈥攊ncluding geysers, hot springs, steam vents, and mudpots鈥攂ut although the park’s geysers erupt daily, hydrothermal explosions in hot springs are far less common, occurring only a few times per year. These explosions occur when water is superheated鈥攁bove its natural boiling point鈥攁nd then rapidly depressurized, converting from liquid to steam.

Although rare, such explosions can be dangerous. Last year, , Biscuit Basin, sent debris hundreds of feet into the air, destroying a boardwalk and closing a significant section of the park. The same pool erupted again earlier this summer.

As is the case with all hot springs, boiling pools, and geysers in Yellowstone, you don’t ever want to touch the water. The park’s rules forbid touching the pools or runoff, and swimming or soaking yourself is absolutely forbidden.

Even when they aren鈥檛 exploding, hot springs are a threat to the unwary鈥�. The temperatures in these pools routinely approach boiling. Coming into contact with water at this temperature can result in severe burns in seconds.

FYI: into one is also ill-advised.

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A fallen hiker in the mountains of Washington found himself in dire straits: badly injured, alone, and approaching hypothermia this past Monday, July 14.

According to a from the U.S. Navy鈥檚 air station on Whidbey Island, the hiker, 31-year-old Ryan Polkinghorn, was climbing the Chickamin Glacier on the northern slopes of 8,440-foot Sinister Peak, a remote, rugged mountain in the North Cascades. That鈥檚 when he lost his footing and tumbled roughly 200 feet down the steep ice field.

Luckily for Polkinghorn, he didn鈥檛 lose consciousness during the fall. And when he came to a stop, Polkinghorn began screaming for help.

The yelling likely saved his life.

Hikers across the canyon heard his cries, and although they could not see or reach Polkinghorn, they sent out a distress call using their Garmin inReach. Emergency responders received this SOS at 1:38 P.M. according to a .

Once they鈥檇 called for help, the other hikers navigated tricky terrain to reach Polkinghorn. 鈥淎fter traversing glacial and rocky terrain鈥� they finally located the fallen climber, and saw that he 鈥渉ad sustained head, neck, and shoulder injuries 鈥� and was showing signs of early-stage hypothermia.鈥�

After reporting this to the sheriff鈥檚 office, Chelan County contacted the Naval Air Station at Whidbey for a hoist-capable helicopter, which airlifted Polkinghorn off the mountain that afternoon. The injured hiker was then taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for further treatment.

The rescue highlights the importance of carrying a satellite emergency device or a phone equipped with off-grid SOS functionality when adventuring solo in the backcountry. It’s also proof that, when all else fails, a powerful scream or loud noise can save one’s life in a backcountry emergency.

In its published guide聽,听the Colorado-based Mountain Rescue Aspen advises readers to blow a whistle and yell “HELP,” and not to give up if you do not hear a response. “Rock walls and valleys play strange tricks with echoes and you may lose your potential rescuers by attempting to locate them,” MRA writes.

“No matter how faint his or her yell may be, stay put and keep yelling,” the group adds.

The rescue on Sinister Peak has also ignited the debate about who should foot the bill for search and rescue operations: the victim, local taxpayers, or nonprofit rescue outfits. On the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office Facebook post that reported the Sinister Peak rescue, one of the top comments was, 鈥淪end him a BILL!鈥�

Earlier this summer, another Washington sheriff鈥檚 office considered an ordinance that would charge hikers fines for rescue, if they鈥檙e found to have behaved recklessly, such as venturing off trail to take a photo on the edge of a slippery gorge. In late June, five separate distress calls on the same trail in a single week prompted the responding rescue organization, a volunteer group, to encourage hikers to use more caution when recreating outside.

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Billionaire Elon Musk was recently spotted touring Utah’s Arches National Park.

Well, kinda.

On Saturday, July 12, visitors to the park were greeted by a 12-foot tall sculpture of the tech kingpin鈥檚 head, his expression chiseled into a self-satisfied smirk. The massive effigy was towed around the park in a trailer behind a white pickup truck.

The sculpture was accompanied by a sign emblazoned with 鈥淢AKE AMERICA WAIT AGAIN鈥� and below that 鈥淣ow With Longer Lines Thanks To DOGE Cuts!鈥�

The stunt appears to be an act of protest against Musk鈥檚 work as the head of the newly-formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk has since left his role in the federal government, but under his tenure, DOGE was responsible for significant cuts to staff and budget, including the Department of the Interior (DOI) and its National Park Service (NPS), as well as other DOI agencies responsible for the management of public lands.

The federal government’s gutting of public land management has sparked widespread protest. According to the National Parks Conservation Association (NCPA), a nonprofit, the NPS has lost 24 percent of its staff since January as a result of the cuts. President Trump鈥檚 鈥淥ne Big, Beautiful Bill Act,鈥� which was signed into law on July 4, cuts an additional $267 million from the park service鈥檚 budget. This all comes as park visitation has risen year-on-year, to a record-setting 331.9 million in 2024.

So, who made the giant Musk head? The phrasing on the sign is similar to that used in a series of billboards placed outside many U.S. national parks earlier this summer by a labor advocacy group, More Perfect Union. More Perfect Union鈥檚 founder, Faiz Shakir, told 国产吃瓜黑料 that although the Elon Musk head was a 鈥渃reative鈥� idea, his organization had nothing to do with the project.

A Family Vacation Interrupted by Elon鈥檚 Head

Nancy Carmichael, a mother of two from Florida, was touring Arches National Park with her family when the trip was interrupted by the giant head. Carmichael told聽翱耻迟蝉颈诲别听she was “excited” by the sighting, and that she and her husband decided to follow the sculpture for a few minutes as it was towed by the truck.

“We saw the big Elon head driving around鈥攖hat’s something you don’t see everyday,” she said. “I personally think it was a creative way to protest, and to people to think about the things that are going on at a higher level and how they trickle down to the park.”

Carmichael toured Arches National Park over the weekend and said that, despite waiting in a line to enter the park, she did not encounter queues or interruptions in service.聽Carmichael said that onlookers seemed curious when the head drove by, and sight of it elicited questions and laughs.

“People seemed receptive to it,” she said. “It was a protest but not your typical protest.”

Frederick Dreier contributed to this report.聽

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Lightning-sparked wildfires have ravaged two national parks in the western United States in recent days, and firefighters are struggling to gain a foothold on either blaze.

A Grand Canyon Landmark Is Destroyed

In Arizona, the Dragon Bravo Fire prompted the closure of the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, and the shuttering multiple popular trails, as well as Phantom Ranch. And on Sunday, July 13, the fire consumed the historic Grand Canyon Lodge, an 88-year-old structure that was the only hotel on the canyon’s North Rim.

According to , a federal website that monitors wildfires, the fire sparked on July 4 and was initially managed using a 鈥渃onfine and contain鈥� strategy. But heavy winds, which gusted up to 40 miles per hour, whipped the fire into an uncontrollable blaze. The fire ballooned from July 12-13, jumping multiple containment barriers and surging to an estimated size of 5,716 acres. 鈥淔ire behavior is very active, driven by hot temperatures, low relative humidity, and continued strong wind gusts,鈥� said the InciWeb report, adding that containment is currently at zero percent.

Firefighters were hindered by another wrinkle: , the fire damaged a water treatment facility, which resulted in a leak of highly toxic chlorine gas. The release turned聽the disaster into a hazmat incident, and many firefighters had to be evacuated from the surrounding area.

Although there have been no injuries as a result of the Dragon Bravo Fire, as of Monday, July 14, the NPS reported that more than 70 structures have been destroyed.

As a result of the Dragon Bravo Fire, the North Rim will be closed entirely for the rest of the season, and all inner canyon trails and campgrounds have been closed until further notice as firefighters worked to establish containment.

Already, Arizona Governor Katie Hobb on Sunday night, criticizing the 鈥渃onfine and contain鈥� strategy, arguing that firefighters should have been more aggressive in their response. 鈥淎n incident of this magnitude demands intense oversight and scrutiny into the federal government鈥檚 emergency response,鈥� Hobbs wrote. 鈥淭hey must first take aggressive action to end the wildfire and prevent further damage. But Arizonans deserve answers for how this fire was allowed to decimate the Grand Canyon National Park.鈥�

A Colorado Park Is Evacuated

Another lightning-sparked fire began in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, in Colorado, on July 10. Called the South Rim Fire, the blaze is also currently zero percent contained.

According to , the fire has spread to over 3,600 acres. The park is currently being evacuated of all personnel, and on July 10 its superintendent, Stuart West, closed the park to all visitors. State officials have closed Colorado State Highway 347, which goes through the park.

The South Rim fire joins a growing collection of blazes in Western Colorado, which has seen high temperatures and dry conditions in recent weeks.

On Sunday, July 13, Colorado Governor Jared Polis for fires in Montrose, Delta, and Mesa Counties.

The fires in Grand Canyon and Black Canyon are just two of over a hundred wildfires currently raging in the United States. Around 35 miles north of the Grand Canyon fire, a much larger blaze, the , has surged to a staggering 50,000 acres, decimating Kaibab National Forest. According to the , this year 37,672 wildfires have burned 2.5 million acres across the country.

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Mount Rainier has the shakes.

, the 14,410-foot mountain endured approximately 391 individual earthquakes between July 8 and July 11, marking the most seismically active period in the peak’s recorded history.

But don’t worry鈥攕cientists don’t think it’s a sign of anything bad. The USGS noted that not only are the quakes too small to feel underfoot, but 鈥渢he shaking from these is too small to trigger any additional activity from cliff faces or glaciers,鈥� such as rockfall or avalanches.

The earthquakes were first picked up by the seismographs at the Cascades Volcano Observatory in the early morning hours of Tuesday, July 8, and have continued for the past three days. Seismologists said the earthquakes are occurring in the earth’s crust, between two and four miles beneath the mountain. During it’s peak, the earthquakes were occurring 30 times an hour.

But these earthquakes are so minor that people cannot feel them. According to the USGS, the most violent one had a magnitude measurement of 2.3. Earthquakes below 2.5 are usually not even felt by human beings, though they can be picked up by seismographs.

Mount Rainier is the most heavily glaciated peak in the United States, and an active stratovolcano. Though it has not fully erupted in roughly 1,000 years, it is considered among the most dangerous volcanoes in the world due to its proximity to the densely populated urban area of Seattle. Rainier is one of just 16 volcanoes in the world to be on the 鈥淒ecade Volcanoes鈥� list, a classification created by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth鈥檚 Interior (IAVCEI) to highlight volcanoes worthy of close monitoring because of the catastrophic effects of their potential eruption.

Earthquake swarms typically occur once or twice per year around Rainier; though these annual swarms usually involve far fewer overall quakes. Before this week鈥檚 swarm, the largest swarm recorded at Rainier occurred in 2009. It reached a magnitude of M2.5, but did not consist of as many individual quakes, or as much energy released.

Alex Iezzi of the USGS that the recent swarm 鈥渋s the most significant event since we have been having monitoring equipment at Mount Rainier,鈥� although, 鈥渨e have to remember Mount Rainier is really old. We’ve only been monitoring it for 40, maybe 50 years now. So just because it’s the most significant one we’ve seen on equipment doesn’t mean this hasn’t happened in the past, prior to 2009.鈥�

They also confirmed that this week鈥檚 swarm, which is likely caused by 鈥渨ater moving around the crust above the magma chamber,鈥� does not indicate an increase in volcanic activity or raise threat levels. 鈥淩ight now, this swarm is still within what we consider normal background levels of activity at Mount Rainier,鈥� said the USGS. 鈥淭he volcano is not 鈥榙ue鈥� for an eruption, and we do not see any signs of a potential eruption at this time.鈥�

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A group of tourists was involved in a dramatic rescue operation in Montana鈥檚 Glacier National Park on Sunday, July 6.

According to a press release from the National Park Service, four visitors from Florida were attempting to take a photo together on a cliff above Avalanche Creek, one of the park鈥檚 most famous natural features.

Avalanche Creek through a narrow, rugged gorge, surrounded by mossy rock walls around 30 feet high.

The release stated that 鈥渙ne individual slipped and fell into the water, a second and third person trying to help also fell in.” One of the fallen tourists was able to grab onto tree branches near the water, but the other two were sucked downstream, through the jagged gorge. By the time these two came out at the far end, they were in cardiac arrest鈥攖hey had technically drowned.

A bystander, Mike Skidmore, who was visiting with his family, told local news station KPAX that he helped rescue the visitors.

鈥淚 saw up above my brother talking to a young gal, and could tell he suddenly had a look of fear or like something needed to happen right away,鈥� Skidmore said. 鈥淗e yelled down and said, 鈥楬ey, there鈥檚 people in the water down there, let鈥檚 go help them.鈥欌��

Skidmore told the outlet that he and two family members jumped into the frigid, chest-high water to try to find the two individuals and pull them out. After a bit of searching, they found both completely submerged beneath the water.

Skidmore, a dentist, and his brother, a doctor, are both certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). They were able to pull the bodies鈥攁 husband and wife鈥攖o shore with help from the nephew and other bystanders, and began chest compressions, saving the lives of both victims.

鈥淭he wife responded to CPR probably within the first minute, started coughing and some you know kind of guttural breaths, so she was almost partly revived by the time we got her husband up on the shore,鈥� Skidmore said. 鈥淚t took a few minutes, probably three to five minutes of CPR to get him going.鈥�

By the time first responders arrived, Skidmore and his brother had already succeeded in reviving both individuals, but the third person, who had grabbed onto the tree branches to avoid being sucked downstream, was still trapped in the gorge. A ranger rappelled down the cliff to the individual to secure him, before a 鈥渢echnical rescue team was assembled and retrieved both the individual and the ranger.鈥�

According to NPS, the three patients were then transported to a nearby hospital, by a combination of several local first responder teams: ALERT, Three Rivers Ambulance, and the Whitefish Fire Department. According to the park service, all are in stable condition.

In the release, the park service reminded visitors to 鈥渨atch their surroundings near water. Swift, cold glacial streams and rivers, slick rocks or slippery logs all present dangers. Never walk, play, or climb on slippery rocks and logs, especially around waterfalls. Drowning is the number one cause of death among tourists visiting Glacier National Park. Since the park opened in 1910, at least five people have been killed after falling into the Avalanche Creek gorge.

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