{"id":597600,"date":"2023-04-15T20:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-16T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/?p=597600"},"modified":"2024-08-06T14:25:31","modified_gmt":"2024-08-06T18:25:31","slug":"the-quest-for-the-best-the-switchback-mishap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/all\/the-quest-for-the-best-the-switchback-mishap\/","title":{"rendered":"The Quest for the Best: The Switchback Mishap"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/PageTitle-TSM.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-597605\" width=\"800\" height=\"143\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/PageTitle-TSM.png 800w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/PageTitle-TSM-300x54.png 300w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/PageTitle-TSM-768x137.png 768w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/PageTitle-TSM-150x27.png 150w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/PageTitle-TSM-696x124.png 696w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">The race continues! Emma finds herself on her next assignment: Exploring one of America\u2019s famous hiking trails. Which one did our intrepid hero pick? The Appalachian Trail! With much ground to cover, and help from a chance encounter with a certain self-proclaimed \u201cgrossologist\u201d, will Emma catch up to Ryan?<br>Let\u2019s tune in and find out.<\/p>\n\n\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/playlist.megaphone.fm\/?e=EDEUA8537681648&#038;sharing=false\" width=\"100%\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Nat-Icon-min-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-597184\" width=\"237\" height=\"237\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Nat-Icon-min-1.png 947w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Nat-Icon-min-1-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Nat-Icon-min-1-768x767.png 768w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Nat-Icon-min-1-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Nat-Icon-min-1-696x695.png 696w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Nat-Icon-min-1-420x420.png 420w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 237px) 100vw, 237px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Hooray! We\u2019re finally getting somewhere, and it\u2019s all thanks to you guys and your awesome suggestions.<br>Thank you Earth Rangers Bea, Ben, Emma, Luke and Ingrid for this idea!<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Emma-Icon-min.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-597172\" width=\"237\" height=\"237\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Emma-Icon-min.png 947w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Emma-Icon-min-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Emma-Icon-min-768x767.png 768w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Emma-Icon-min-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Emma-Icon-min-696x695.png 696w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Emma-Icon-min-420x420.png 420w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 237px) 100vw, 237px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Emma\u2019s adventures never end! On today\u2019s trail, she very nearly got lost! But thankfully, she was able to make a new friend who helped her find her way. Who is that?<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Meet-the-Expert-Ms-Mallory-min.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-597609\" width=\"405\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Meet-the-Expert-Ms-Mallory-min.png 809w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Meet-the-Expert-Ms-Mallory-min-243x300.png 243w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Meet-the-Expert-Ms-Mallory-min-768x949.png 768w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Meet-the-Expert-Ms-Mallory-min-150x185.png 150w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Meet-the-Expert-Ms-Mallory-min-300x371.png 300w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Meet-the-Expert-Ms-Mallory-min-324x400.png 324w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Meet-the-Expert-Ms-Mallory-min-696x860.png 696w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Meet-the-Expert-Ms-Mallory-min-340x420.png 340w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 405px) 100vw, 405px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">It was Ms. Mallory! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Whether deep in the jungle or in her very own backyard, Ms. Mallory loves learning about the natural world around her. She travels near and far to share the stories of wild and weird creatures, highlights community-science wildlife projects, and help others make a difference for wildlife too! Did you also know she likes eating bugs for snacks? Forget chocolate and candies! Her podcast \u201c8 Minutes of eww\u201d can turn one\u2019s fear into a fascination for animals and much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thanks to Ms. Mallory\u2019s help, Emma learned a lot about various creepy crawlies. With this information, she was able to impress Number 1 with her super-duper millipede facts. Did you know about the Nannaria swiftae? I for one had no idea that bug was named after Taylor Swift! I wonder\u2026 Are there any other cool animals named after musicians?<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/OpposumSpiderMillipede-min-1-1024x573.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-597603\" width=\"768\" height=\"430\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/OpposumSpiderMillipede-min-1-1024x573.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/OpposumSpiderMillipede-min-1-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/OpposumSpiderMillipede-min-1-768x430.png 768w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/OpposumSpiderMillipede-min-1-1536x859.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/OpposumSpiderMillipede-min-1-2048x1146.png 2048w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/OpposumSpiderMillipede-min-1-150x84.png 150w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/OpposumSpiderMillipede-min-1-696x389.png 696w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/OpposumSpiderMillipede-min-1-1068x597.png 1068w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/OpposumSpiderMillipede-min-1-1920x1074.png 1920w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/OpposumSpiderMillipede-min-1-751x420.png 751w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Besides millipedes, Emma was able to learn a lot about spiders and opossums from her new friends! And before bumping into Ms. Mallory, Emma came across yet another fascinating creature: The Wood Frog. Here is the video she was talking about. Check it out:<\/p>\n\n\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/818864389?h=be258cd6b5&amp;title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Now\u2026We can\u2019t forget about Ryan, especially now that Emma has finally caught up to him!<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Ryan-Icon-min.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-597173\" width=\"237\" height=\"237\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Ryan-Icon-min.png 947w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Ryan-Icon-min-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Ryan-Icon-min-768x767.png 768w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Ryan-Icon-min-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Ryan-Icon-min-696x695.png 696w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Ryan-Icon-min-420x420.png 420w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 237px) 100vw, 237px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Ryan went to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1016\" height=\"678\" src=\"\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Smoky-Mountains-National-Park-min.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-597604\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Smoky-Mountains-National-Park-min.jpg 1016w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Smoky-Mountains-National-Park-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Smoky-Mountains-National-Park-min-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Smoky-Mountains-National-Park-min-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Smoky-Mountains-National-Park-min-696x464.jpg 696w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Smoky-Mountains-National-Park-min-629x420.jpg 629w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1016px) 100vw, 1016px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Thanks to the different elevations at the park, many animals and plants call that place home. In fact, there are SO many different species of insects, plants, trees, birds, and mammals that it was hard to narrow down the ones Ryan sent my way. But one stood out: The Red Salamander.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Red-Salamander.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-597601\" width=\"256\" height=\"256\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Red-Salamander.jpg 746w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Red-Salamander-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Red-Salamander-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Red-Salamander-696x695.jpg 696w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Red-Salamander-421x420.jpg 421w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 256px) 100vw, 256px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>This tiny critter connects Emma and Ryan\u2019s chosen locations completely. The Appalachian Mountains, where Emma went hiking, is known as a salamander \u201chotspot\u201d. More than 77 different salamander species can be found there! The Great Smoky Mountains, that Ryan picked, is known as the \u201cSalamander Capital of the World\u201d. What does this mean? Well for one thing: When hiking in both those areas, be careful not to move any rocks as they are important to protect the different species who live under there!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But wait! This is only the beginning. Emma has won her first point in the Quest for the Best, but she\u2019s got still ways to go before she can save her role as host of the podcast. Let\u2019s keep it up! Emma\u2019s next assignment is \u201c<em>to go underground<\/em>\u201d \u2013 so what nearby cave system can she explore? Have any of you gone underground? Drop a comment with some suggestions, and I\u2019ll pass them on to her!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And here is this episode\u2019s listener competition: The first person to type the correct answer to this Trivia question into the comments will win a \u201ckeep on ranging\u201d podcast T-shirt for their avatar:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>\u201cWhat class of animals do frogs and salamanders belong to?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Be the first to guess the correct answer!<br>Like before, the winner will be announced next episode, after Emma has had a chance to go spelunking!<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-842493890-min-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-597607\" width=\"256\" height=\"256\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-842493890-min-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-842493890-min-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-842493890-min-768x769.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-842493890-min-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-842493890-min-696x697.jpg 696w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-842493890-min-1068x1069.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-842493890-min-420x420.jpg 420w, https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-842493890-min.jpg 1373w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 256px) 100vw, 256px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">&#x1f3ba; Congratulations to Earth Ranger Harry for being the first to comment on the correct answer in the last episode!!&nbsp; &#x1f3ba;<br>The solution to the quiz question <em>\u201cWhat animal is the symbol of the New York State?\u201d <\/em>is the beaver.<br>Be sure to check your inbox for the aware code to receive your special t-shirt.<br><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"270\" height=\"88\" src=\"\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Save-A-Message.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-50049\" style=\"width:225px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Do <\/strong><span><ins style=\"\"><b>you have a great recommendation for a cave that Emma could visit? Let us know in the comments! <\/b><\/ins><\/span><br><span><ins style=\"\"><b>Careful \u2013 Don\u2019t forget the no airplane rule!<\/b><\/ins><\/span> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><ins>Want to instead try your best with the trivia question? If you don\u2019t have any ideas for either of those, I\u2019m sure Emma would love to hear some cool animal facts to help inspire her! She needs all the trivia she can get to help her win the competition!<\/ins><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The race continues! Emma finds herself on her next assignment: Exploring one of America\u2019s famous hiking trails. Which one did our intrepid hero pick? The Appalachian Trail! With much ground to cover, and help from a chance encounter with a certain self-proclaimed \u201cgrossologist\u201d, will Emma catch up to Ryan?Let\u2019s tune in and find out. Hooray! [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":597611,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1631,1187,931],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-597600","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ww-adoptions","8":"category-podcast","9":"category-all"},"pp_force_visibility":null,"pp_subpost_visibility":null,"pp_inherited_force_visibility":null,"pp_inherited_subpost_visibility":null,"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/597600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=597600"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/597600\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/597611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=597600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=597600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=597600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}