In today’s newsletter,

• New marine sanctuary

• Fat Bear queen

• Mount Waterman sold

Battle of the Bulge: Fat Bear Week crowns a new champ

This is my favorite bracket of the year - the fattest bear in the land. Fat Bear Week is an annual online competition celebrating the success of brown bears at Alaska’s Katmai National Park as they fatten up for winter hibernation.

Fans vote on their favorite chubby contenders in a bracket-style tournament each fall in early October. This year, 128 Grazer, a well-fed mother bear, bested 32 Grazer, a much-nourished male, in the final. “The gutsy girl grounded the guy with a gut," the Alaska Katmai National Park & Preserve tweeted.

When there’s sun at Brooks Falls in the park, you can watch the bears feeding via a live webcam.

Mt. Waterman, closest mountain resort to LA, under new ownership

Mt. Waterman, a small ski area about an hour outside Los Angeles, has a new owner and some changes on the horizon. One interesting twist is that they will offer an exclusive membership to limit the number of people riding on powder days.

REI Encinitas moving to Carlsbad and Kearny Mesa expanding

REI Co-op has announced that it will relocate its Encinitas store to Carlsbad in 2025 as part of a larger expansion plan. The new 28,000-square-foot store will open in La Costa Town Square, offering a more spacious location. The Kearny Mesa location will also expand.

Hunting season for quail and chukar looks promising

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is for quail and chukar in 2024-25, thanks to favorable environmental conditions following a year of above-average rainfall.

Online oddities

Yosemite: The website Thrillist put together a collection of funny reviews from visitors to Yosemite, including such gems as: “The only downside was that there was no shuttle service from the top, so we had to hike all the way back down, which was quite boring.” –Google reviews, August 2024

Colorado: A sect of fundamentalist Mormon polygamists has fenced off a parcel of National Forest land in Colorado, claiming rights to the land under the Homestead Act of 1862

Gear Deals:

Jackery is offering steep discounts on its solar generator setups.

Filson, maker of classic outdoors wear and gear, has a fall sale going on, with items up to 70% off

Gobi Racks is offering $200 off its vehicle racks. Not sure how long the sale lasts, but it's a good deal if you are in the market. I’ve owned one of the racks for my Jeep and they are worth a look. The promo code is 200KGND.

REI is offering up to 50% off select gear.