Enjoy the view

The Charlotte Observer has a review of some of the lookout towers and observation decks atop mountains in the Southeast, like Mt. Cammerer (pictured here from a hike I made last May).

What’s missing from the list are mountaintops with balds, which I find afford some of the best panoramic views.

The article is brief but useful. And it reminded me of something about Mt. Mitchell that I had forgotten:

“If you’ve never climbed Mitchell’s tower, better do it soon. The N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation plans to tear down the 47-year-old structure this fall and replace it with a shorter but handicapped-accessible tower at a cost of $1.2 million.”

Guess I better get over there. Though I’ve been in the vicinity of Mt. Mitchell a couple times, I’ve not yet been to the top.

Is BackpackingLight.com now offering podcasts?

Among BackpackingLight.com’s many reports from this year’s 2006 Outdoor Retailer Summer Market is an audio program (paid subscription required) that reviews trends in integrated canister stove systems. The program discusses new products that have been introduced to compete with the JetBoil.

If this is a podcast, it’s not evident from the site. There’s no feed for subscribing or loading into a portable player.

And if this is the beginning of a podcast series, then I hope future episodes are a little more polished.

This one was, well, dull.

No, let me be more to the point. It was unlistenable.

It begins with Ryan Jordan reading from a script, then goes to a product demo at the show. Neither one of these activities makes for a good podcast.

I like the BackpackingLight.com site and respect the opinions of Ryan and the other contributors. But he sure missed the mark on this one.