RPahre
LightNews LightNews
rpahre.bsky.social
RPahre
@rpahre.bsky.social
140 followers 130 following 780 posts
Professing parks, politics, and photography.
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
rpahre.bsky.social
RPahre @rpahre.bsky.social · Dec 11
On matters of public policy, I like to do my own research. That's why I conduct my own vaccine trials, built a climate model, and wrote books on tariffs.

Wait . . . I really used to do that last one. Now I write about #nationalparks.

#Photography from #Yellowstone #backpacking
flic.kr/p/XUNc4V
Entering the Thorofare
This is where Yellowstone Lake's Southeast Arm ends and the Thorofare region ends. That's the mouth of the Yellowstone River behind me, with Two Ocean Plateau behind that. And, yeah, I hike with 4.5 ...
flic.kr
rpahre.bsky.social
A #video version of my arrival at the #UpperGroup of the #HeartLake #GeyserBasin in #Yellowstone. I'm a bit out of breath before my light meal (elevenses); next post will show me rested.

#backpacking #nationalparks #thermal #geothermal #hydrothermal #hotspring
www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2SI...
Arriving at Paycheck Pass
YouTube video by Robert Pahre
www.youtube.com
November 22, 2025 at 4:59 PM
rpahre.bsky.social
Yes to this thread.

I'd add:

This is why "I am your #retribution" is attractive to about two-thirds of the #Republican Party #GOP (per Economist poll).
volts.wtf David Roberts @volts.wtf · 2d
When they say Trump calling a reporter "piggy" is "just being honest," they are revealing a key feature of the reactionary mind: it believes, at a deep brainstem level, that *everyone* is awful & selfish & ugly on the inside. Everyone just suppresses it out of fear of social disapproval. Not Trump!
November 20, 2025 at 9:39 PM
rpahre.bsky.social
Another #video from my latest #Yellowstone #backpacking playlist. This has 360 views; hold down your mouse (etc.) to look around as I hike down the trail.

View on YouTube for the links to the next videos.
#virtualreality #VR #pano360 #nationalparks
youtu.be/WpAQcrhQSIE?...
3 Lodgepole forest
YouTube video by Robert Pahre
youtu.be
November 20, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Reposted by RPahre
nytpitchbot.bsky.social
If we determine that Donald Trump's involvement in sex trafficking was part of an official act as a future president, then the Constitution demands that he face no consequences.

by John Roberts (joined by Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, Barrett, and Kavanaugh)
November 14, 2025 at 3:19 PM
rpahre.bsky.social
Though this spot is in the world's most-famous #nationalpark, few ever see this view of the sun setting behind #MountSheridan. East #HeartLake campsite.

The six popular sites lie below Sheridan on the other side of the lake.
#backpacking #Yellowstone #photography
www.flickr.com/photos/rpahre/
R Pahre
Explore R Pahre’s 13,196 photos on Flickr!
www.flickr.com
November 12, 2025 at 1:00 PM
rpahre.bsky.social
My first foray into the weird world of #backpacking videos. This is the start of my trip, and I discuss some decisions I had to make.

Spot the blooper!
#Yellowstone #backpacking #SnakeRiver #Headwaters #outdoors
youtu.be/05i3igxbeaQ?...
Heart Lake Trailhead
YouTube video by Robert Pahre
youtu.be
November 11, 2025 at 9:52 PM
rpahre.bsky.social
Tomorrow (the 10th) is the 50th anniversary.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuzT...
Gordon Lightfoot - Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald (Official Audio)
YouTube video by Gordon Lightfoot
www.youtube.com
November 10, 2025 at 1:18 AM
Reposted by RPahre
highcountrynews.org
A heavy music festival in Blackfeet Nation this summer was abut more than just music – it was a protective ceremony to shelter Indigenous youth from suicidal distress.

buff.ly/aQQC7EX
Heavy metal is healing teens on the Blackfeet Nation - High Country News
In response to youth suicides, teachers show students the power of headbanging at Fire in the Mountains festival.
www.hcn.org
November 7, 2025 at 2:00 PM
rpahre.bsky.social
#Pope Leo XIV sides with religious observance and against #Caesar. Does your pastor side with #Caesar?

I'd love to see this case go to the #SupremeCourt.

#FirstAmendment #religion #dissent #interfaith
www.thelettersfromleo.com/p/white-hous...
White House Doubles Down, Accuses Pope Leo of Lying About ICE's Eucharist Ban
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin is claiming Pope Leo XIV got it wrong on migrants denied Communion — a claim that’s easily disproven by the facts on the ground.
www.thelettersfromleo.com
November 8, 2025 at 4:21 PM
rpahre.bsky.social
#Trump administration opposes religious observances.

Unless your church supports #Caesar, I suppose.

In a just world, this would get fasttracked onto the #shadowdocket and the justices who talk a #religiousfreedom game would rule against Trump. #FirstAmendment #religion #dissent #interfaith
November 8, 2025 at 4:06 PM
rpahre.bsky.social
A 360 still of the #Beaverdam Creek campsite in #Yellowstone. View of the creek below, then #TwoOcean Plateau across the delta of #UpperYellowstone River; #TheTrident upstream to my left.

#backpacking #VR #virtualreality #outdoors
youtu.be/RVBTe_JpcKk?...
Sunrise at Beaverdam Creek Campsite
YouTube video by Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning
youtu.be
November 8, 2025 at 3:52 PM
rpahre.bsky.social
As a recovering scholar of #trade policy and #tariffs, I was most struck by #ChiefJustic #JohnRoberts questions about the economics of the tariff yesterday.

1. Who pays the tariffs is a matter of #economics, not #law. He shouldn't be asking about it at all.
November 6, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Reposted by RPahre
editorialboard.bsky.social
15. But the intensity of the blue wave suggests something else. Many voters seem to be reacting as if they were scammed. Every single county in Virginia shifted left, even the whitest, western-most ones. In New Jersey, the Democratic candidate wiped out gains Trump made with Black & Hispanic voters.
November 6, 2025 at 2:25 PM
rpahre.bsky.social
The preceding post shows #HeartLake and #RusticGroup from above. At upper right you can see the #ranger station (aka #patrolcabin).

Here's a ground-level #video in 360.

#backpacking #VR #virtualreality #Yellowstone #nationalparks
youtu.be/c4W0_BoefRY?...
16 Heart Lake Patrol Cabin
YouTube video by Robert Pahre
youtu.be
November 2, 2025 at 10:00 PM
rpahre.bsky.social
Yesterday's #video took you along the shore of #HeartLake, with views of #RusticGroup #geyser to the left. Here's what that scene looks like from above - I was at the basin's outlet at right.

Photo from #MountSheridan summit.

#Yellowstone #nationalparks #photography #backpacking
flic.kr/p/2iMK5Ju
Rustic Geyser and Witch Creek
Rustic Geyser is visible in the thermal area at foreground, to the left of Columbia Spring (the blue pool). There are eight geysers in the Rustic Group. You can see Witch Creek entering Heart Lake fr...
flic.kr
November 2, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Reposted by RPahre
christopherjhale.bsky.social
Pope Leo XIV is reminding America and the world that “Blessed are the peacemakers” is more than sweet nothings — it’s Christ’s summons that can topple tyrants, whether they wear a hammer-and-sickle or a MAGA cap.
Pope Leo vs. the Empire of Lies: The Long Game to Defeat Trumpism
He’s already rebuked immigration crackdowns and blasted the “logic of exclusion” fueling rising nationalism. Now, as the youngest pope in 35 years, Leo is poised to help defeat Trumpism for good.
www.thelettersfromleo.com
November 1, 2025 at 5:09 PM
rpahre.bsky.social
A #video walk along #HeartLake in #Yellowstone, with #RusticGeyser visible in the distance. I saw some anglers along the lake a couple of miles before this but otherwise had the place to myself - #wilderness in fact if not in law.

#VR #virtualreality #backpacking
youtu.be/GHdQgtUOnAQ?...
15 Walk along Heart Lake with Rustic Group
YouTube video by Robert Pahre
youtu.be
October 31, 2025 at 7:22 PM
rpahre.bsky.social
The coverage in last week's issue is entirely consistent with the morning headlines of a "truce." China will continue to win the trade war.

Back in the day, I wrote articles and one or two books on the politics of #tariff agreements. Implications in thread below.

www.economist.com/weeklyeditio...
Winning the trade war | Oct 25th 2025 | The Economist
Winning the trade war – Weekly edition of The Economist for Oct 25th 2025. You've seen the news, now discover the story.
www.economist.com
October 31, 2025 at 2:15 PM
rpahre.bsky.social
From the south, the #HeartLake Trail ascends gently, providing some space between the trail and the six campsites along the lake. On my first visit, my son and I spent two nights in the trees at center right - a beautiful site.

#backpacking #photography #Yellowstone
flic.kr/p/2rAhzG9
Heart Lake Campsite
There's a lovely backcountry campsite hiding in the trees at center right.
flic.kr
October 30, 2025 at 9:24 PM
rpahre.bsky.social
From #BasinCreek, the #HeartLake Trail goes gently uphill through woods with only occasional views of #SheridanLake or #RedMountains. Then you arrive.

View as regular #video or as #VR #virtualreality.

#Yellowstone #backpacking #nationalparks
youtu.be/jYKYIH3BzmM?...
14 Arrival at Heart Lake
YouTube video by Robert Pahre
youtu.be
October 29, 2025 at 3:14 PM
rpahre.bsky.social
I didn't stay here this year, but the #BasinCreek campsite does offer some great views of #OverlookMountain and the highlands around #SnakeRiverHeadwaters.

It's not officially #wilderness, but it feels like it.

#backpacking #Yellowstone #nationalpark #photography #outdoors
flic.kr/p/2ogxT9z
Tent at Basin Creek
Our second morning of our five-day trip. The park had recently moved the Basin Creek site when we were there in 2016, and there was no spur to the camp. One you ascended a small hill to this large mea...
flic.kr
October 28, 2025 at 9:32 PM
rpahre.bsky.social
#BasinCreek Cutoff #Trail has some scenery but it's mostly nondescript. This was the best view of the creek, for example.

When the trail reaches open meadows, the views improve.
#Yellowstone #backpacking #outdoors #photography #Wyoming
flic.kr/p/2rA2mb6
Basin Creek
The Basin Creek Cutoff connects the middle of the Heart Lake Trail with the middle of the Fox Creek Trail - Snake River Trail system, making for a shorter loop. The cutoff has three horse camps, all r...
flic.kr
October 28, 2025 at 5:09 PM
rpahre.bsky.social
I used #BasinCreek #Cutoff to turn around, leaving the #SnakeRiver #Headwaters for Heart Lake Trail. It's mostly a stock trail through the woods, but the #Cutoff goes through some open country, views of #MountSheridan.
#backpacking #Yellowstone #nationalparks #VR #virtualreality
youtu.be/5jKszF_vqhw
13 Basin Creek Cutoff
YouTube video by Robert Pahre
youtu.be
October 27, 2025 at 2:33 PM
rpahre.bsky.social
My final ford of the #SnakeRiver, a little after another #grizzly encounter. This was an easy ford in September.

#SnakeRiverHeadwaters #NWSR #Yellowstone #nationalparks #backpacking #photography #outdoors
flic.kr/p/2rzUsvR
Final Ford of the Snake River
This would be my last ford of the Snake River. I had just met a large boar grizzly on the other side; fortunately he decided to move downstream without crossing the river.
flic.kr
October 26, 2025 at 3:52 PM
rpahre.bsky.social
Yes, yes, yes, and yes.

Also, yes.
gregsargent.bsky.social Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · Oct 23
Dems should push a bill banning such administrative claim payments to presidents even if claims predated their service. Republicans will block vote on it. Let them. Then hammer away at that to voters. Push media to cover GOP complicity in Trump's theft of taxpayer $.

newrepublic.com/article/2021...
October 23, 2025 at 1:37 PM