besthike.com - the blog

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Arch in Canyonlands, originally uploaded by Rob Lee.

To get away from the crappy Canadian Spring weather, I’m considering a trip down to Moab.
Last year when I hiked out of Page, Arizona seemed every hiker I […]

Is George Bush turning GREEN?

The entire national park system is in the news this week, as President Bush has designated April 22-29 as “National Park Week.”
Some might think it’s a somewhat curious time to celebrate the parks with a week-long celebration, as school is still in session and so families […]

I read a lot of bad news regarding US National Parks on The National Parks Traveler blog and, to a lesser extent, on the Park Remark blog.
Increasing user fees, inefficient management, corrupt political manoeuvring. It can be depressing.
Here’s some good news regarding a Yellowstone National Park tourism site:

A grungy layout meant to […]

Congratulations Kerry.
The feat has taken her four years, walking a total of 710 miles and climbing 230,000ft.
Kerry followed in the footsteps of her big sister Ellen, who became the youngest person to climb them all last year when she was nine. The title then went to two boys who were a few months younger.
Now Kerry’s […]

If you travel to Canada, the BEST thing to do is get into the outdoors.
But when I travel to Florida, hiking is the LAST thing on my mind. (I’m on my way to Cirque du Soleil in Orlando.)
That’s a shame. There’s great hiking in Florida.
Guidebook author Sandy Friend recommends some of her personal […]

OK, it’s not one of the world’s great hikes.
But if you loved M*A*S*H as much as I did, …

It’s not so often that one can combine Hollywood sightseeing with a hike in the mountains. And yet, if you happen to be in Los Angeles (naturally) there is a wonderfully challenging and beautiful hike that […]

When announced April 12th, the Trimble Outdoors layer with GPS-based interactive hiking information was much ballyhooed.
The Get Outdoors blog tells it like it is (I think):

I’m gonna file this one under Google Hype! since I can tell you first hand using Google Earth for any serious outdoor planning is useless.
It doesn’t come close […]

Klaus & Sebastian are kindred spirits. Just weeks ago, they launched a terrific new site called Trekking Visions listing the world’s best hikes:
We are a team of two trekking lovers and we have a mission - to present you the best treks of the planet. Naturally it is an ongoing and never ending task […]

Researching the famous walk in Spain, I started (as usual) with Wikipedia:

The Way of St. James or St. James’ Way, often known by its Spanish name, el Camino de Santiago, is the pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where the remains of the apostle, Saint James the Great, […]

Warren Long saw the 4lb Alpacka raft (US$800+) but wants instead to try building a kayak on a wilderness trip.
(He watches Survivorman on TV.)
Warren’s looking at the Grip Clip Kayak! ($25)
You can build a kayak of green willow shoots, a blue tarp in just four hours!

You’d strap the paddle to your ultralight pack. Or […]