Greetings, outdoorspeople!
- Weekend forecast: Saturday; high 85, scattered thunderstorms / Sunday; high 85, p.m. thunderstorms
- Recommended adventure: Follow ultra runner Randy Whorton as he embarks on a 550-mile journey on Aug. 31, speed-hiking part of the Cumberland Trail then paddling back to Chattanooga via the Powell, Clinch and Tennessee rivers. You can track his progress here. Or, you can join him en route. Just remember, Randy says, he will keep a fast pace, averaging 25 miles per day on land and 40 miles per day on water.
- Most interesting thing we’ve learned about nature this week: China owns and leases all giant pandas in U.S. zoos. The pair kept at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., for example, cost $10 million for 10 years. And speaking of that pair – they just gave birth to a cub.
– Sunny Montgomery, smontgomery@timesfreepress.com