50 Fun Facts About The Outdoors

Which fastener did George de Mestral devise after burrs stuck to his dog on an Alpine hunting trip?

Velcro copies the hundreds of tiny hooks de Mestral saw when he put the burrs under a microscope. Its name blends the French words velours and crochet, meaning velvet and hook.

Which US president protected about 230 million acres and inspired the teddy bear on a hunting trip?

Theodore Roosevelt refused to shoot a black bear that his guides had tied to a tree in Mississippi in 1902, and a newspaper cartoon of the scene inspired the toy.

Which youth organization's campers were recorded making s'mores, then called Some Mores, in the mid-1920s?

The Girl Scouts were toasting Some Mores at camp by the mid-1920s, sandwiching chocolate and marshmallow between graham crackers. The name only shrank to s'more in the 1930s.

Which reserve, signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1872, is widely seen as the world's first national park?

Yellowstone holds well over half of the world's geysers, including Old Faithful, which an early expedition named for erupting so regularly.

According to the survival rule of threes, a person can last roughly three weeks without which necessity?

Food comes last in the rule of threes: about three minutes without air, three hours without shelter in harsh weather and three days without water all run out first.

Which treasure-hunting hobby began in May 2000, a day after civilian GPS signals became far more accurate?

Geocaching began when Dave Ulmer part-buried a black plastic bucket near Beavercreek, Oregon, and posted its coordinates online. Its contents included a can of beans and a slingshot.

Which winter sport grew out of the Snurfer, a toy Sherman Poppen made in 1965 by fastening two skis together?

Snowboarding began as a toy for Poppen's daughters. His wife Nancy named it the Snurfer, from snow and surfer, and about a million were sold over the next decade.

Which US Forest Service mascot has fronted America's longest-running public service ad campaign since 1944?

Smokey Bear has no "the" in his official name. The writers of a 1952 hit song about him added the word only to keep the rhythm, and the mistake stuck.

Which pungent crop supplies the active ingredient in the deterrent spray hikers carry in grizzly country?

Chili peppers likely make capsaicin to deter mammals from eating them, and the same irritant halted unwanted bear behavior in 92% of the Alaskan cases in a 2008 review.

Which extreme sport was inspired by Vanuatu islanders who leap from wooden towers with vines tied to their ankles?

Bungee jumping began on 1 April 1979, when members of Oxford's Dangerous Sports Club leapt from Bristol's Clifton Suspension Bridge after discussing the Vanuatu ritual.

Which footpath runs almost 2,200 miles from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine?

The Appalachian Trail passes through 14 states and was completed in 1937. Thru-hikers set out to walk the whole route within twelve months.

Which New Zealand beekeeper reached the summit of Mount Everest with Tenzing Norgay on 29 May 1953?

Edmund Hillary kept bees in summer and climbed in winter. From 1960 he devoted himself to the Sherpa people of Nepal, and his trust built many schools and hospitals there.

Which star do stargazers find by extending a line through the two pointer stars of the Big Dipper's bowl?

Polaris lies less than one degree from the north celestial pole, which is why travelers have long used it to find north. It is actually a triple star system.

Which plant, identified by clusters of three leaflets, causes an itchy rash through an oil called urushiol?

Poison ivy causes a rash in most people who touch it, yet its fruits are a favorite winter meal for turkeys and some other birds.

Which pocket tool did Karl Elsener's firm, later named Victorinox, begin making for soldiers in 1891?

The Swiss Army knife got its English name from American soldiers after World War II, who used it in place of the German word Offiziersmesser, meaning officer's knife.

Which Scottish-born naturalist, called the Father of the National Parks, co-founded the Sierra Club in 1892?

John Muir once walked about 1,000 miles from Kentucky to Florida, a trek he described in a book. His later writing helped persuade Congress to create Yosemite National Park in 1890.

Which cold-weather condition can make victims remove their own clothes, a symptom known as paradoxical undressing?

Hypothermia sets in when core body temperature falls below 35 °C (95 °F). Shivering stops and confusion deepens as it worsens, and in severe cases victims may undress.

Which tick-borne illness, a risk for woodland hikers, is named after a town in Connecticut?

Lyme disease was first diagnosed as a separate condition in Lyme, Connecticut, in 1975. About 80% of infections begin with a rash at the site of the tick bite.

Which hiking snack of nuts, dried fruit and sometimes chocolate do North American backpackers nickname gorp?

Trail mix dates at least to the 1910s, when outdoorsman Horace Kephart recommended nuts, raisins and chocolate in his popular guide Camping and Woodcraft.

Which slim paddling boat was first built by Inuit, Yupik and Aleut hunters from seal skins stretched over a frame?

Each kayak was traditionally a personal craft, built by the man who would use it and shaped closely to fit his own body for maximum maneuverability.

Which angling method uses a heavy line to cast an almost weightless lure tied from feathers, fur or yarn?

Fly fishing lures imitate the insects and other small prey that fish feed on. A dry fly is made to float on the surface like the real thing.

Which bony headgear do male white-tailed deer shed and regrow every year, covered in velvet while it grows?

Antlers are shed and regrown each year, unlike horns, which usually stay for life. Reindeer are the only deer whose females grow them too.

Which compound is the chalk that rock climbers and gymnasts rub on their hands to keep a firm grip?

Magnesium carbonate acts as a drying agent on the hands, soaking up sweat. Climbers can also buy it in a liquid form.

In campfire building, what name is given to the small sticks that catch from tinder and ignite larger logs?

Kindling covers anything bigger than tinder but smaller than fuel wood, from sticks thinner than a finger to ones as thick as a wrist.

Which Yosemite granite monolith did Alex Honnold climb alone without ropes in June 2017, as filmed for Free Solo?

El Capitan rises about 3,000 feet from base to summit. The film of Honnold's ropeless ascent won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

Which US state is home to five national parks: Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Zion?

Utah has the third most national parks of any state, behind only Alaska and California. Canyons, arches, pinnacles and mesas dominate its southern landscape.

Which Alaskan sled dog race, first run in 1973, normally takes mushers from Anchorage to Nome each March?

The Iditarod takes mushers and their teams of 12 to 16 dogs anywhere from 8 to 15 days or more, crossing the Alaska Range before following the Bering Sea coast.

Which hiking route runs 2,653 miles from the Mexican border to Canada through California, Oregon and Washington?

The Pacific Crest Trail climbs to 13,153 feet at Forester Pass. The trail's association recognizes Eric Ryback, an 18-year-old student, as its first thru-hiker, in 1970.

Which outdoor ethics program condenses low-impact camping into seven principles, such as disposing of waste properly?

Leave No Trace once had as many as 75 guidelines. A nonprofit formed in 1994 organized them into the seven principles taught today.

Which spring-gated climbing loop is named after a hook soldiers used to hang guns from their belts?

Carabiner is short for the German Karabinerhaken, the hook that carabiniers used to clip their carbines to their belts. Climbing models are typically rated to 20 kN or more.

What French-derived word describes carrying a canoe and gear overland between two lakes or around rapids?

Portage comes from the French porter, to carry. Small canoes are carried upside down on the shoulders, and North America's Methye Portage runs for 12 miles.

Which map-and-compass racing sport began as military land-navigation training in Sweden in the late 19th century?

Orienteering takes its name from the Swedish word orientering, first used at the Military Academy Karlberg in 1886. Racers navigate between control points marked on a detailed map.

Which outdoor clothing company did rock climber Yvon Chouinard found in 1973 and hand to a trust in 2022?

Patagonia grew out of the business Chouinard started in 1957 to sell climbing hardware he forged by hand. In 2022 he moved its voting stock into the Patagonia Purpose Trust.

Which outdoor retailer began in Freeport, Maine, in 1912 as a one-room operation selling a single hunting shoe?

L.L.Bean nearly failed at the start, when defects led to 90 percent of its first boots being returned. Its founder honored his money-back guarantee and fixed the design.

Which Jon Krakauer book follows Chris McCandless, who died in 1992 after sheltering in an abandoned bus in Alaska?

Into the Wild grew out of a 9,000-word magazine article that Krakauer published in January 1993. Sean Penn directed the film version in 2007.

Which waterproof, breathable membrane was created in 1969 by stretching heated rods of the plastic PTFE?

Gore-Tex blocks liquid water but lets water vapor pass, so sweat escapes while rain stays out. Its inventor hit on the right stretching conditions by happy accident.

Which high-visibility color must hunters wear in most US states, a shade that deer distinguish poorly?

Blaze orange stands out to people but not to deer, whose two-color vision is built on blue and yellow. It is the same shade as the safety orange seen on construction sites.

Which parasite causes beaver fever, the illness backpackers catch by drinking untreated stream water?

Giardia infects many animals, beavers included, but the nickname misleads: only about 15% of infected people actually run a fever.

What name do hunters and biologists give the mating season of deer, when males fight and herd females together?

The rut takes its name from the Latin rugire, to roar. In many species it is triggered by shorter day lengths.

Steelhead, prized by anglers on North America's west coast, are the sea-going form of which popular game fish?

Rainbow trout that run to sea usually spend two to three years in the ocean before returning to fresh water to spawn, and can reach 20 pounds.

Which peak, the highest in the contiguous United States, has a trailhead where a 135-mile race from Death Valley ends?

Mount Whitney rises to 14,505 feet in California's Sierra Nevada, yet the Badwater Ultramarathon that finishes at its trailhead starts 282 feet below sea level.

Which knot, sometimes called the king of the knots, forms a fixed loop at the end of a rope?

Bowline is a name from the Age of Sail, when a bow line was the rope that held the edge of a square sail toward the bow and into the wind.

What term describes the angle between magnetic north on a hiker's compass and true north on a map?

Declination depends on where you stand, and it shifts over time as the magnetic pole wanders, so navigators need a current figure before correcting a compass reading.

What word do New Zealanders use for hiking over rough country, often on multi-day trips between backcountry huts?

Tramping owes much of its track and hut network to hunters: from the 1950s, routes were built so they could cull introduced deer that threatened New Zealand's biodiversity.

Which conservation group runs the Christmas Bird Count, begun in 1900 to replace holiday bird-shooting contests?

The Audubon Society count is one of the world's longest-running citizen science projects. Just 27 observers took part in the first one, on Christmas Day 1900.

Which Alpine peak was first climbed in 1865 by Edward Whymper's party, four of whom died on the descent?

The Matterhorn has four faces, each roughly facing one of the cardinal points. Three lie in Switzerland, and the south face is on the Italian side of the border.

What name is given to Scottish mountains over 3,000 feet, first listed in 1891 and collected by keen hillwalkers?

Munros are named after Sir Hugh Munro, whose 1891 tables are usually seen as the starting point of modern peak bagging. The Scottish Mountaineering Club keeps the official list.

Which Hawaiian swimmer, a five-time Olympic medalist, is remembered as the great popularizer of surfing?

Duke Kahanamoku grew up on the outskirts of Waikiki and held the world record for the 100-meter freestyle. He favored a traditional board built like the ancient Hawaiian olo.

Which Italian brand of rubber lug boot soles was developed after six climbers died in the Alps in 1935?

Vibram takes its name from founder Vitale Bramani, who lost six friends in the accident. An Italian expedition wore his soles on the first ascent of K2 in 1954.

The Federal Duck Stamp, which American waterfowl hunters have had to buy since 1934, mainly pays for what?

Wildlife refuge land gets nearly all the money: 98 percent of each stamp's price goes to buy or protect wetland habitat for the refuge system. The first stamp, issued in 1934, had a face value of $1.