besthike.com - the blog

The hiking blog I most admire in terms of it’s layout and special features is trailspotting.
And I’ve been reading it closely during the last 3wks. Studying their many posts on Kauai, Hawaii, researching my own hikes.

Here’s a recap of our most viewed hikes during March 2008:
1. Big Sur - Julia Pfeiffer Burns State […]

Timex is sponsoring a contest where you and I can share our stories about why we love the outdoors.
I like the concept: Return to the Outdoors. It flies in the face of statistics I keep hearing about decreasing numbers in the outdoors.
A couple of celebrities inspire:
Conrad Anker is a world renowned mountaineer, big […]

Bad news for me.
I’ve been waiting on Bhutan to open up for independent trekking. Planning on being one of the first to get a hiking permit.
It was Rogier Gruys of BluePeak.net who first got me interested in hiking Bhutan.

original - BluePeak on flickr - more photos
Now Kira Salak penned a wonderful […]

In winter, Mt. San Jacinto looks very appealing from down in the desert.

original - flickr - bossco
I’ve always loved mountain gondolas.
Instead of slogging hours up the hill, in just a few minutes, you can get to altitude.

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is one of the premiere tourist attractions of Southern California. A great […]

Inspiring.
Warren Macdonald became trapped beneath a one tonne slab of rock while climbing Queensland’s Hinchcliffe Hinchinbrook Island. Two days later he was rescued only to have both legs were amputated. Ten months later he climbed Tasmania’s Cradle Mountain using a modified wheelchair and the seat of his pants. In 1999 he reached the summit […]

The Adventure Blogger went to Kilimanjaro, inspired by the 2002 IMAX film by David Breashears.

Kilimanjaro - To the Roof of Africa (Large Format)
I finally saw the film myself.
Fantastic.
When can I go?
There’s a terrific, funny review of the film on Amazon posted by Archimedes Tritium:
… The narrator (mountain guide Jacob Kyungai) intones that climbers of […]

My favourite travelogue over the past few months has been Erin McKittrick and Bretwood (Hig) Higman’s Journey on the Wild Coast:
“From the Puget Sound to the Bering Sea: Four thousand miles along the edge of the Pacific, by foot, raft, and skis.”

After 8 months, they are only half way finished. (The original plan was 9 […]

Any guidebook will tell you yer crazy to consider hiking the Rockies in “winter”. Too dangerous.
Of course that’s nonsense. Tough Canadians ski, snowshoe and even hike year round.
For example, from Ewen on the Outdoor Video magazine site:
Length: Approx 23km
Time: 2 Days
Elevation Gain: 900m total (excluding sidetrip)
Max Elevation: 2330m, (2500m side trip up Saddleback […]

Just kidding.
Would there be any point in a major expedition outdoors unless it was intended to cool the planet?

With the saturation media coverage of late, so many people have become “aware” of global warming that it’s tough to find anyone who doesn’t have an idea of what it is… But that doesn’t mean they’re […]

We named New Zealand the best hiking destination in the world on Christmas day.
I was expecting some heckling from the “California is the center of the Outdoor Universe” crowd. (Perhaps they’re still hung over from the holidays.)
Here’s more evidence that New Zealand is the real centre of the Outdoor Universe:
Looking across at Mt Tutuko […]