A wrap of the biggest stories and best writing about the outdoors from New Zealand and around the world.

On September 19, rescue personnel in Michigan received a call from a visitor who said a woman was stuck at the bottom of an outhouse and was screaming for help. 

Crews from three agencies arrived 30 minutes later and hoisted her out. She told officials that she was attempting to fetch her Apple Watch from the toilet when she lost her balance and fell in.

“She was covered in faeces,” Lieutenant Derrick Carroll of the Michigan State Police told me. “Crews rinsed her off and the EMS team checked her out but she was OK.”

Some may recall this eerily similar story from April 2022. That’s when a woman in Washington State toppled into a pit latrine while trying to save her iPhone. 

Like the 2022 story, the woman in Michigan attempted to fasten a harness system using items from her car. Instead of a dog leash, she tied a strap from a car seat to the outside of the toilet.

“She had attached it to the handicap railing, and believed she would use the strap to climb back up,” Carroll said. “She didn’t have the strength to get herself back up.” Read the full story from Outside.

Book to walk the Tongariro Alpine Crossing

The Department of Conservation has opened its booking system for the Tongariro Alpine Crossing and is encouraging all visitors to book in advance.

The system is now live for bookings from October 14 onwards. There is no cost associated with booking the track.

In a press release, DOC said: ‘Ngāti Hikairo ki Tongariro and DOC want to ensure the experience of walking the Crossing protects the fragile environment, respects the cultural significance of the area, and is safe and sustainable.’

“Bookings from the season will inform the management of the Crossing and visitor information and feedback will help us shape future improvements.”

Visitors who have a Tongariro Northern Circuit hut or campsite booking are exempt from booking through the new system. Read more from Wilderness.

New Zealand explorers set to embark on adventure to cusp of the Antarctic Circle

A group of New Zealand explorers will embark on an adventure to the remote island of South Georgia at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. They’re hoping to become just the second group – and the first from New Zealand – to summit a mountain named after another Kiwi explorer.

Lydia Bradey and partner Dean Staples will lead 22 young explorers to South Georgia supported by the Antarctic Heritage Trust. They’re marking the centenary year of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s final expedition.

“Some of the 22 inspiring explorers are going to be based on the boat but doing outreach science, some are going to be doing outreach film,” Bradey said.

A team of four will attempt to climb Mt Worsley, named after Kiwi explorer Frank Worsley. They would be the first New Zealanders and just the second-ever group to summit.

“To climb a mountain that has been climbed but no one from your country has been on before you know is a certain amount of pride for sure,” Staples said. Read the full article at Newshub.

Walking more than five flights of stairs a day can cut risk of heart disease by 20 percent

Forget walking 10,000 steps a day. Taking at least 50 steps climbing stairs each day could significantly slash your risk of heart disease, according to a new study from Tulane University.

The study, published in Atherosclerosis, found that climbing more than five flights of stairs daily could reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by 20%.

“Short bursts of high-intensity stair climbing are a time-efficient way to improve cardiorespiratory fitness and lipid profile, especially among those unable to achieve the current physical activity recommendations,” said co-corresponding author Dr. Lu Qi, HCA Regents Distinguished Chair and professor at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. 

Using UK Biobank data collected from 450,000 adults, the study calculated participants’ susceptibility to cardiovascular disease based on family history, established risk factors and genetic risk factors and surveyed participants about their lifestyle habits and frequency of stair climbing. Read the full study at Science Daily.

Grizzly kills husband, wife and pet dog in Canadian wilderness

Park rangers received a GPS alert indicating a bear attack in the Red Deer River Valley in Banff National Park. “They were outdoors people who were very used to going out into the backcountry,” said Kim Titchener, a friend of the family.

A spokesperson for Parks Canada, Natalie Fay, said a special unit was mobilised immediately after the GPS alert, but poor weather had hampered their efforts to reach the area, which has no nearby roads and is only accessible by track or from the air.

“Weather conditions at the time did not allow for helicopter use, and the response team travelled through the night to the location by the ground,” Fay said. “The response team arrived on-site at 1am and discovered two deceased individuals.”

Fay said the team encountered an aggressive grizzly bear and that they killed it for public safety. Read the full story at 9News.