For the past four years, since Last Child in the Woods hit bookstores, there has been a greatly heightened concern over how society connects with nature. Across the United States there has been hew and cry from many corners that society is losing not just its comfort in the outdoors, but also its concern for it. A new study indicates that while there should be reason for concern, perhaps the solution is as simple as a walk in the woods.

Wouldn't it be great to make a living as a photographer who focuses primarily on national parks? That's Ian Shive's life these days. If you recall, he recently published a book of some of his park images. This short video provides more insight into his work in the parks. It definitely makes one envious.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park lures visitors with its rumpled, mist-cloaked mountains, its leaping streams, dense forests, and Appalachian history. The thrill of hearing a bull elk's bugle echoing off the mountainsides also is becoming a powerful lure, thanks to an elk recovery program that's developed a healthy herd of the iconic ungulates in the Cataloochee Valley and Oconaluftee areas.

A "short-haul" operation, in which individuals are hooked onto a rope dangled beneath a helicopter, was used to rescue three backpackers from a ledge in Kings Canyon National Park.