Mountains and Desire and The Third Pole happened to land in my reading pile together and have given me rich food for thought about mountains, mountaineering, and “the end of the world.” One takes work to understand and one captivates with mystery and adventure, but they are complementary and both are well worth the effort required to glean insights into some of our often inexplicable desires.

A search for a Virginia woman thought to be missing in Shenandoah National Park stretched into its sixth day Thursday, with little for searchers to go on beyond her wrecked Lexus sedan.

Pecos National Historical Park rangers will lead two hikes into the park's backcountry in August to visit ruins of long-ago pueblos.

There's been a lot of national media attention on the National Park System lately, but, unfortunately, it's not the kind we'd like to see.