Two fiercely competitive speed-climbers have regained the Nose Route record the Huber brothers wrested from them on El Capitan last October. The new record for the Nose, a big-wall climb that normally takes three or more days to complete, is two hours, 43 minutes, and 33 seconds. While admirers rave, critics grumble.

How's that saying go, the more things change, the more they stay the same? That certainly seems to be the truth in the case of national parks jammed with automobiles.

The American Marten is a rare North Woods animal that you'll probably never see, save for paw prints in the snow. This brown, bushy-tailed little critter, which looks something like a cross between a mink and a house-cat, was prized for its luxurious fur and darn near trapped to extinction in the United States during the 19th century. Today, despite habitat losses and related problems, the American Marten still inhabits much of its historical range.