Island of Misfit Stories #5

A shadowy company buys a ghost town, Mysterious rocks in the Sierra Nevada, Sherpas say goodbye to the mountains, Birds using smartphones, and More

Hello, friends!

It’s time for another Island of Misfit Stories roundup to ease you into the next month (how is it July already, by the way?).

For those of you new to this bonus newsletter, welcome. I save a LOT of stories for the main newsletters, and not all of them get used. Sometimes they just don’t fit the theme enough, or they’re a little too oddball, or maybe I’ve already covered an issue already, but the stories themselves are still good. When I reach the end of the month, I do a little house-cleaning and still want to share some of the more interesting goodies that didn’t make the cut.

This month we’ve got a little grab-bag of fascinating for you: an internet sleuth halfway around the world discovered strange stone formations in the Sierra Nevada backcountry and thinks they might be connected to a serial killer! A mysterious company steps in to buy a ghost town surrounded by a national park! Why are Sherpas leaving the mountains they’ve called home for generations? Birds are using smartphones and tablets to make video calls to other birds! (And yes, there’s video!).

These are the stories that kicked around in my head long after I read them. I hope you’ll enjoy them, too.

Oh also, have a great weekend and 4th of July holiday—and I know I don’t need to tell you this, but don’t set off fireworks in the woods, OK?