Recommendation for COVID-19 Hikers

For your physical and mental health, get outdoors as much as you can.

TIPS for hiking legally and ethically.

June 4, 2020June 2, 2020

Dientes Circuit, Patagonia

Last year I tried and failed to complete the Dientes Circuit on Isla Navarino, Chile.

The trail was covered over with snow, and I had no guide to lead the way. I only tented one night. Then turned back.

AT A GLANCE

world’s most southerly major hike?
circumambulate the jagged spires of Cordon de los Dientes
out of Puerto Williams, Chile, on Isla Navarino (pop. 2,262 last time we counted)
recommended 5 days, 4 nights in the past. Most hikers are doing it in 4 days, 3 nights now as the route is better cairned and signed.

This guided group had far worse weather than me. And still made it.

Click PLAY or watch it on Vimeo.

To find out how to do this trip yourself, click over to our Dientes Circuit information page.

June 3, 2020June 2, 2020

#BlackLivesMatter

This campaign is against violence and systemic racism towards black people.

And broader issues such as racial profiling, police brutality, and racial inequality.

Those are part of the bigger issue – human rights regardless of age, ethnic origin, location, language, religion, ethnicity, or any other status.

Out in the wilds it’s easy to see we are all created equal.

View this post on Instagram

Hello, friends. Hello, white people. Hello, everyone. We have issues. Just because many of you (myself included) enjoy extended periods of time in the mountains – away from "the world" – doesn't mean that we are absolved of societal obligations. The United States has never been great. Slavery was around until 1865. Women couldn't vote until 1920. Race-based discrimination was legal until 1964. Same-sex marriage could be outlawed until 2015. Unarmed black people are killed in the streets and in their homes with virtual immunity to this day. The US is plagued by systemic racism. Police who commit murder and beat protesters need to be held accountable. Police are (supposedly) trained professionals whose job it is to protect and serve their communities. There's no excuse. Have you ever seen a report of some corrupt and dysfunctional-looking country and thought to yourself, "I sure am glad I don't have to live there."? Guess what – that's us. The world is looking at the US and thanking whatever god they pray to that they weren't born here – that they don't have to worry about being killed or beaten in the streets by their police. This is far from the greatest country on Earth. The delusion you're immune to these issues (yes, even those of us who choose to occupy outdoor spaces – seemingly untouched by society) only allows this cancer to grow into a larger problem. Just as COVID-19 managed to infiltrate every societal crevasse, so too will failure to address the need for policy and police reform. This is on you. You can help make this country better. Don’t know where to start? Start by saying you care and that you aren’t okay with the state of this country. We don't just vote for the President and Congress. We vote for judges, mayors, governors, district attorneys, and sheriffs. Local authorities hold a lot of power (e.g. the current pandemic) – it's not just about Washington DC. So support Black Lives Matter, support the National Police Accountability Project, educate those who are choosing to focus on looting and rioting instead of why these things are happening in the first place. Much love, friends. -Mac #blacklivesmatter

A post shared by Mac | Halfway Anywhere (@halfwayanywhere) on Jun 1, 2020 at 12:33pm PDT

June 2, 2020June 2, 2020

Hubba NX, UberLite & Corus Down Quilt

by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

I updated my sleeping system for summer 2020.

Therm-a-Rest Corus 0C Down Quilt CAD $260 (US $186)
Therm-a-Rest NeoAir UberLite WV Sleeping Pad – Unisex CAD $254 (US $181.50)
Hubba NX 2020 tent CAD $479 (US $342)
Nemo Switchback Foam Sleeping Pad – Unisex CAD $49.95 (US $35.70)

I bought everything from Mountain Equipment Co-op in Canada, trying to support companies other than Amazon during COVID-19.

I’ve spent hundreds of nights in Hubba and Hubba NX tents. Never a complaint aside from pole failures.

Happily, the latest edition has new composite poles. They look stronger. Especially the hubs.

NX weight is listed at 1.29 kg (about 2.84 lbs).

My pillow is a partially inflated Therm-a-Rest NeoAir® XLite (small) wrapped in a shirt — which I love.

In fact the XLite is the sleeping pad I normally use so it is also my back-up in case the somewhat fragile UberLite gets punctured.

When I want to carry the extra weight (415 gm) and bulk, I’m bringing along the orange Nemo foam pad to protect the UberLite from the ground. And to keep my tent a little cleaner.

For bikepacking I’m also using the Nemo folded as a flat platform across my rear panniers. Happy to have it.

The Therm-a-Rest Corus is my first quilt.

Read the cleverhiker review.

I actually am happy with sleeping bags, never feeling claustrophobic in the past. On my recent 6 day bikepacking trip I carried both the Corus as well as a down bag. Both were fine for me. In fact, after the test I used both — not for warmth, but for coziness.

I’ll carry the Corus for hikes and bikepacking where weight and volume is an important factor.

Here I am setting up my previous system earlier in the spring.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

June 1, 2020

Ursack Quick Release Knot

I recall being reluctant to buy an Ursack to protect my food from bears and other critters — but finally got one in 2011.

This was the first time I used it, on the Howe Sound Crest Trail out of Vancouver.

I was won over instantly.

Though I own two Bear Vaults, I always carry the Ursack instead if it’s allowed where I’m hiking.

It’s much less bulky.

Though my old white one is going strong, Ursack has newer models in black . And a quicker way of tying the bag to the tree.

I’ll probably get the larger capacity URSACK MAJOR XL when I eventually have to replace my old white one.

On my recent cycling / hiking trip through Vancouver Island I tented 6 nights.

There are PLENTY of black bears. I’d never seen so much scat anywhere as on the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail, for example.

You absolutely MUST PROTECT YOUR SMELLIES in this part of the world.

For the first time I used the new recommended quick release knot to attach the Ursack to a tree. It is a big improvement.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

May 28, 2020May 24, 2020

Flørli stairs – 4444 steps

The Flørli Power Station is a hydroelectric power station located on the shores of Lysefjord in the municipality Forsand in Rogaland, Norway.

Though decommissioned in 1999, you can still climb the wooden stairway with 4,444 steps. The longest wooden staircase in the world.

Some call this adventure Flørli 4444.

There are longer staircases in the world. Highest is the service stairway for the Niesenbahn funicular railway near Spiez, Switzerland, with 11,674 steps. But that one is only open to the public one day a year.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.