Smithsonian Magazine on MSN

The race is on to save the Alps' famous huts and trails as melting permafrost threatens to destroy them

In 1779, Englishman Charles Blair built the first primitive shelter for hikers to view France’s Mer de Glace glacier, in the ...
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Dome-shaped hut designed and built entirely with primitive methods

I built a thatched dome hut on a mountain ridge using only primitive tools and natural materials, including saplings, palm fronds, and vine. The hut features a rain-shedding, smoke-funneling dome, a ...