From the inspiring to the tragic, this is GearJunkie’s wrap on exploration and adventure news of the week. Here’s what you missed and a few things to look forward to.
The Grand Traverse ski race kicked off at midnight on Saturday in Crested Butte, Colo. The course pitted teams of two against 40 miles and 6,800 vertical feet in the state’s Elk Range.
Team Smith-Gaston took first in men’s and overall, arriving at the Aspen finish line with 6:13:15 on the clock. Team Keel-Berino claimed first in women’s, with 10:00:29, and Team LaRochelle-LaRochelle clinched first in the co-ed division with 7:56:25. Results, team interviews, and more are available at thegrandtraverse.org/ski.
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National Park Ranger Betty Reid Soskin made the news late last year when she turned 100 years old. Last Thursday, after dedicating 16 years of service to the Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park, Ranger Soskin announced her retirement.
In a 2014 interview, she told NPR that she’s “lived ‘lots and lots of lives,’ including writing protest songs during the civil rights movement and working for years in local politics,” experiences she drew from during her tenure at the park.
In 1995, Soskin received the Woman of the Year award from the California Legislature and later received a silver medallion from the WWII Museum in New Orleans.
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