An anxious flyer escapes onto the wing, a body is found in the wheel well of a plane, rail-trail cycle trips to consider, helicopter tourism in US National Parks, and the biggest waterfall on the planet that you’ll never see. We’ll cover it all in this Saturday Selection!
‘Anxious’ Alaska Airlines flyer opens emergency exit and climbs onto plane wing during deboarding
It may be tempting to roll your eyes at a woman who got so anxious during deboarding at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport the other day that she opened the emergency exit and climbed out onto the wing of the plane. (Ultimately they decided she should go to the hospital for medical examination.) I’m sure I’m not alone in admitting that I’ve experienced some un-fun moments of anxiety here and there in life and occasionally in travel, and so I can only imagine how terrifying it must be to have flight anxiety in particular. While it’s an extreme story, you won’t see me rolling my eyes at this poor passenger – I really feel for anyone with flight fear and I will forever be grateful that when the universe was handing out somewhat irrational fears, I ended up with a fear of Oompa Loompas instead. (I mean c’mon – how creepy.)
Body found in wheel well of United Airlines flight from Chicago to Maui
Not to be outdone by Alaska Airlines’ strange holiday happenings, a United Airlines flight landed in Maui on Christmas Eve with a yet-un-discovered body in the wheel well. Apparently the part of the wheel well where this body was found after landing can only be accessed from the outside of the plane. That means presumably this was not a story of a very lost passenger, though it’s hard to imagine what the full story is. In a statement released a few days later, United indicated that they would investigate exactly what happened, but there aren’t any answers yet.
America’s 5 Best Rail-Trail Destinations for Cyclists
In happier news, let’s talk about rail-trail biking! This past year I celebrated my new WV home by biking the ~70 mile Greenbrier River Trail that starts not far away in Caldwell, West Virginia. I was hoping to see the Greenbrier River Trail or the neighboring Pittsburgh > DC C&O Canal Bike Trail which my dad completed last year on the list, but instead I saw the familiar Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail which is close to where I grew up. While I can’t speak for any of the trails on this list personally, I really enjoyed the Greenbrier River Trail bike trip and it peaked my interest in this kind of activity in general. For our trip, we comfortably managed ~30 miles on one day and ~40 on the second day, finding a little Airbnb within walking distance of the trail for our overnight stop. The Greenbrier River Trail offers camping spots along the way as well, so for a future trip I would potentially work out how bike-pack for camping. For anyone who enjoys a little physical activity, biking is a fabulous way to feel immersed in nature and this list includes some more exotic destinations than the ones I’ve experienced. (Though I recommend the Greenbrier River Trail for anyone interested in experiencing West Virginia!)
National park monument becomes latest to ban certain type of visitors
More and more National Parks are deciding to ban helicopter tours within their parks. The Badlands and Mount Rushmore have already started banning helicopter tours, Canyon de Chelly aims to phase them out by June 2025, and Glacier National Park intends to phase them out by 2029. In the case of Canyon de Chelly, this decision is inspired both by the impact of helicopter tourism to the local ecosystem as well as the preferences of the Navajo Nation for preserving a place of significance in their culture. While I’ve definitely enjoyed helicopter tourism before with our Party of 5 helicopter excursion over the Iguazu Falls, certainly both of these motivations are ones I can respect, and I’m happy to see places I love protected.
The Biggest Waterfall On Earth Is Visually Unimpressive And Basically Impossible To Visit
Speaking of massive waterfalls…this fun fact surprised me this week because I thought The Iguazu Falls were always referred to as the largest waterfall in the world. Apparently though, Iguazu Falls is the largest waterfall system in the world…and the “biggest waterfall” in the world is technically the Denmark Strait cataract. Don’t start booking your flights out to this thing though because frankly it’s more confusing than it is impressive as it’s actually under water. (I warned you – more confusing than impressive.) Consider this more of a fun fact than a useful bit of information for any future Denmark trips.
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FYI, Denmark Strait is between Iceland and Greenland (regarding your last joke/comment in the article).
We love Rails to Trails! Highly recommend the Katy across MO. We took our bikes 1 way on the Amtrak from st Charles to Kansas City and biked our way back to our SUV staying at BNBs. It was early oct – lots of grain & grapes being harvested as well as following history on Lewis & Clark route. Very great physical & educational week for the whole family.
Sounds lovely!
There are several ways to define “biggest” when it comes to waterfalls. Denmark Strait Cataract is the tallest under water waterfall. Khone Phapfeng Falls on the Mekong River in Laos is the widest falls in the world (over 6 miles) during the rainy season. Victoria Falls between Zambia and Zimbabwe is the largest sheet of water at over a mile wide and over 350 ft high.
My first bikepacking trip was an overnight on the Greenbriar River Trail. Very nice ride, though I did have to contend with downed trees in a few spots. Some of the horseback riders mentioned running across a couple of rattlesnakes, but I did not see any on my trip. I would love to get out to that trail again sometime in the next few years.
Awesome – we saw a black snake, a black bear, and a bald eagle during our trek!