I had a chance to try one on. And was impressed.
But who’d want to hike in a white jacket? A polar bear researcher? Those who HATE PFCs?
21 recycled plastic bottles are used in manufacture.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Epic Grand Canyon Hike
Have you been following Peter McBride & Kevin Fedarko?
Epic Grand Canyon Hike: A 650-Mile Challenge (Part 1)
Epic Grand Canyon Hike: Frozen Shoes and Low on Food (Part 2)
I liked the 3rd and final instalment best.
Click PLAY or watch Thirst and Threats in the Godscape on YouTube.
Barber Loop Trail, Mojave CA
trip report by site editor Rick McCharles
I love Mojave National Preserve about an hour away from Las Vegas.
But I’d already done most of the popular hikes on previous trips.
Happily this time I discovered the Barber Loop Trail apparently the newest of the established trails.
Ideal for those sleeping at Hole-in-the-Wall Campground.
It’s a loop so you can hike in either direction.
Best is to start off into the desert, return via the Rings Loop Trail
I was a bit disappointed. Standard flat desert.
I’d hoped the trail would loop up on top of Barber Mountain. It doesn’t.
There are a few things to see in the desert, of course.
The best part is the section you could do separately as the Rings Loop Trail.
If you want to know more, Bird and Hike posted an excellent trip report.
hike Wind Cave, Phoenix AZ
trip report by site editor Rick McCharles
- 3 miles return
- 812 feet elevation gain
My old friend Francis Tally took me to one of his favourite hikes out of Usery Mountains Regional Park near his winter home in Mesa, AZ.
Huge Saguaro cactus are the highlight. And the brazen chipmunks. 🙂
Francis told me an awful story of a hiker who fell into one of the OTHER types of cactus. It took paramedics 3 hours to remove enough spines just to transport him by ambulance!
We arrived on a Sunday morning to learn that weekend mornings are a zoo on this popular trail. It was difficult to find parking .
The trail itself is not all that difficult. Many children hike it.
The Wind Cave isn’t really a “cave” but rather an indent to shelter from the wind.
Almost everyone stops here. Francis and I scrambled on to the top of the mountain.
Finding some pink ribbons we decided to follow that off-trail route.
Here we be. The sprawl of greater Phoenix at our feet.
This is a terrific area for day hikes.
Thanks Francis. … I assume the name tag on your hat is to help authorities return you to your retirement park if you get lost. 🙂
Exiting the Park Francis took me over to a nearby gun range just below the Phoenix sign. I’d never seen one before.
They are LOUD.
related – Roads Less Traveled trip report
Patagonia boycotts Outdoor Retailer
Patagonia has just become the first retailer to pull out of a big industry trade show in Utah to protest state leaders’ efforts to strip federal protection of public land. …
The company’s announcement Tuesday came after its founder, Yvon Chouinard, wrote an open letter last month urging Utah governor Gary Herbert to stop trying to undo the decision by former president Obama to create the Bears Ears National Monument. …
It’s time for Outdoor Retailer shows to move out of Utah. Utah governor Gary Herbert @HerbertForUtah and most of his Republican colleagues hate Outdoor Recreation.
scramble Siphon Draw to Flatiron, Phoenix
trip report by site editor Rick McCharles
- Length: 6 miles (round trip)
- Trailhead Elevation: 2,080 ft.
- Gain/Loss: +2,900 ft.
- Difficulty: Difficult
Flatiron, aka Siphon Draw, is one of the most popular and exhilarating hikes in the Superstition Wilderness. This trail puts you on top of one of the most prominent rock features of the range called Flatiron due to the fact it looks like an upside down iron. …
The Flatiron trail begins at the westernmost side of the Superstition Wilderness at the Lost Dutchman’s State Park.
Lost Dutchman’s is a lovely Park and campground. Up and up.
It doesn’t take long to reach the big cliffs.
The Siphon Draw Trail is not much of a trail. It’s mostly a scramble up the rocky chute.
As you can see, it’s very popular on a nice January day. A number of these folks were challenged by the physical demands. A few had poor footwear.
The crux of the scramble is at the very top. No doubt a few turn back there. 😦
Top of Flatiron. Here’s the view over the Phoenix sprawl.
I continued up into these weird eroded towers.
I left a Summit Stone atop a cairn. Then made my way down as rapidly as possible.
The descent is much more dangerous than the climb. I fell once. Most people fall more than once.
The sun was dropping rapidly by the time I reached the trailhead. Beautiful light.
We’ve added Siphon Draw to Flatiron to our list of the best hikes in North America. It’s highly memorable and unique.
Peralta Trail #102 to Fremont Saddle, Phoenix
trip report by site editor Rick McCharles
I had a half day free to hike. Not sure where to go, I drove up to Peralta trailhead close to Mesa, AZ. Of the many options from the trailhead, this looked best to me.
- Level: Easy/ Moderate
- Length: 5 miles
- Elevation: approx 1300 ft. gain
- Type: Out and Back
It was a beautiful day climbing up and along a creek. Here’s the vista on one side.
And the other side.
At the Fremont Saddle kids were scrambling the boulders. Moms tried to avert their eyes.
The most spectacular feature on the other side … Weaver’s Needle. Some people climb it.
If you have two vehicles, you might want to continue past Fremont Saddle.
Hunter Trail to Picacho Peak, Arizona
trip report by site editor Rick McCharles
Like many others driving between Phoenix and Tuscon, I’d always wanted to climb this unique volcanic plug.
It looks challenging, but I found it not too bad.
It’s not via ferrata, but there are cables and other assistance everywhere needed.
Bring gloves.
As a former gymnast, I was certainly overconfident on arrival at the trailhead.
I’d already embarrassed myself pronouncing the name of the peak as Pikachu. That’s wrong.
Though one hiker cried 4 times getting up and down, I found it fun.
I love the giant, individually unique saguaro cactus.
On the way up it’s difficult to imagine there’s actually a hiking route.
This beautiful day attracted many to the peak. Everyone made it to the top so far as I could see. Myself included.
Certain birds and animals make a good living waiting on lunch crumbs here.
The vista from the top is not all that spectacular.
I made a sidetrip to a smaller peak. Here’s the vista looking back to the summit.
Still, Hunter Trail to Picacho Peak is unique and interesting enough to be added to our list of best hikes in North America.
If you have two vehicles consider climbing up via Hunter Trail, returning via Sunset Trail.
hiking the Gila Wilderness, New Mexico
trip report by site editor Rick McCharles
You’ve heard of Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument.
It’s adjacent to the Gila Wilderness.
Gila Wilderness was designated the world’s first wilderness area on June 3, 1924. … part of New Mexico’s Gila National Forest. …
The Mogollon Mountains traverse an arc across the wilderness. The tallest peak within this range, Whitewater Baldy at 10,895 ft (3,321 m) …
I headed for the most popular Baldy trailhead – Crest Trail #182.
I never made it due to mountain road improvements January 2017. ROAD CLOSED.
So I read some of the Peakbagger trip reports instead.
The consensus was not good: bad roads, snow into July, forest fire recovery sections, hunters. It will not go on our list of the best hikes in North America.
The most popular hike in Gila Wilderness is the Catwalk – “… a one-mile trail suspended above a rushing stream in a gorge only a few feet wide.”
It had been rebuilt over a period of 2 years costing over $4.4 million dollars. And opened again in 2016.
I’d been advised by a Ranger that only the catwalk part of the trail was open. Hikers often continue on to #207. I would have wild camped if it had been open.
Sadly, that Ranger was wrong. It was all closed due to flooding.
Still, the Catwalk does look very cool.
The 1.1-mile Catwalk National Recreation Trail winds through the canyon’s steep, pink walls of volcanic rock, following the path of a pipeline built in the early 1890s to provide water and electricity for the mining town of Graham. …
LESSON LEARNED — Before driving out to hike the Gila Wilderness, phone first to be sure your trail is open.
Thru-Hiking Will Break Your Heart …
An Adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail by Carrot Quinn
I’ve read a number of books on the PCT. I believe this is my favourite.
Carrot Quinn was raised in Alaska on welfare by a schizophrenic single mother. A rough life. In fact, she became a hobo riding the rails.
This book reads as a blog. That’s because it started as blog posts from the trail.
If you are one of those who disliked Cheryl Strayed’s memoir Wild … because it had too little actual hiking … know that this extended trip report is all about the hiking. 🙂
It’s funny. It’s real. It’s surprising. Carrot makes no apologies.She’s a big advocate of trail romance. Even sex.
I’ll certainly buy any of her other books that get released on audio.
related – Carrot did not love the Continental Divide Trail. She did love the Hayduke Route.
besthike.com 