Author: Rick Mc

Career gymnastics coach who loves the outdoors, and the internet.
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first time hiking Norway

I’m brainstorming a trip for summer 2018.

I could rent a car and do this loop. Vehicle and fuel would be expensive, but I’d camp most nights.

That gets me to Skjeggedal, Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock), Rondane National Park, Hardangervidda National Park … as well as the scenic Atlantic Road driving tour.

Leave a comment if you have advice.

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Trekking for Tips

As I travel around the world I join many FREE city tours. If you enjoy the experience, you tip the guide.

One such company, for example – tours4tips.com

Because the guides only survive if they make good tips, the tours are (usually) excellent.

For the first time I saw offered in Valparaíso, Chile Trekking for Tips.

A minimum charge is fixed at the beginning, depending on the number of people in the group.

After that you can tip the guide additionally if you like the experience.

GREAT IDEA.

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day hike Parque Nacional Chiloe in Chile

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

Most hikers bypass the island of Chiloe en route to bigger adventure destinations in Patagonia.

Click PLAY or get a glimpse of my hike on YouTube.

That’s the Chiloé National Park. The southern section near the village of Cucao. Entrance fee $3 in 2018.

It includes zones of dunes, Valdivian temperate rain forests, swamps, and peat bogs. The huge beach was easily my favourite part.

No need to make a trip only to hike. But if you get close, it’s definitely worth a day.

On the same trip hike nearby Tantauco Park.

Learn more about Parque Nacional Chiloe on YouTube.

 

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BEST pit toilets – Ecodomeo

  • toilets work completely without water
  • do not require any additional material (chemicals, saw dust, etc.)
  • less odour than traditional pit toilets
  • far less maintenance

I learned about this system from the Outside magazine podcast –

Ep. 19: An Amazingly Crappy Story

Canadian researcher Geoff Hill is now putting the French design into National Parks in North America.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

ecodomeo.com/english/

related – Williams, Brennan – Risks And Benefits of the Use of Urine-Diverting Vermicomposting Toilet Systems

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walking Vina del Mar to Valparaíso, Chile

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

People from the BIG CITY of Santiago love to escape to Valparaíso on the coast.

Valpo is popular with tourists who enjoy the city’s labyrinth of cobbled alleys and colorful buildings.

It has a a mild Mediterranean climate.

In 1996, the World Monuments Fund declared Valparaíso’s unusual system of funicular lifts (steeply inclined carriages) one of the world’s 100 most endangered historical treasures.

Valparaíso is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

I decided to walk to Valpo along the coast from Viña del Mar, an upscale suburb to the north famed for great beaches.

Having walked the beaches the previous evening, I started near the castle.

There were plenty of runners and cyclists, but not many walkers.

Birds are always a highlight in Chile. Pelicans have always been some of my favourites.

Originally a port and fishing centre, much of the coast has not been improved for pedestrians.

Some has.

Fishermen use mobile phones now.

There’s a lot of traffic on the coastal road. At one point you are pushed inland by train tracks.

Parts of this 3 hour walk I did enjoy.

Other sections I found annoying. Graffiti EVERYWHERE was starting to bother me.

A real highlight near Valpo is watching sea lions close up on this abandoned concrete structure. It’s amazing they can get up there. It’s entertaining to watch them negotiate who gets the prime real estate. And who gets pushed off back into the sea.

The best part was arriving in Valparaíso and joining a free (for tips) walking tour. The daughter of one of the gentlemen in our group had tons of fun sliding down a cement ramp.

All in all I wished I’d — instead — spent my time hiking out at Parque Nacional La Campana.

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hike Santuario El Cañi, Pucón, Chile

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

Pucón is the adventure capital of the Chilean lake district. Climbing, cycling, hiking, skiing. You name it.

A super popular day hike is the private nature reserve El Cañi Sanctuary. It’s about an 8 hour day Pucón to Pucón for most people.

1240 metres (4068 feet) ascent.

Click PLAY or watch my trip on YouTube.

A highlight is the unique Araucaria (monkey-puzzle) forrest. Perhaps my favourite tree.

If weather is clear from the summit mirador, you see many volcanoes: Volcán Llaima, Volcán Villarrica, Volcán Quetrupillan and Volcán Lanin.

Almost everyone does this as a day hike. But it’s possible to tent at Laguna Negra or or at the Aserradero hut for about $13 if you prefer.

Another highlight is the add-on Lagunas del Cañi (lake circuit). Some trails are narrow and overgrown.

I reached the summit mirador with two trail runners from France. We took photos of one another.

It’s a long way down. Then back to town … or to one of many hotsprings near the trailhead, Termas Los Pozones was recommended. I rushed back to catch a 12 hour night bus.

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Most people do this hike independently taking the local bus 13 miles (20 km) themselves. But you can hire a guide in Pucón for about $100.

I got my information from ¡école! Hosteria and Restaurant in Pucón.

Click PLAY or watch Ernest Aymerich’s trip on YouTube.