Rick Mc

October 15, 2010October 14, 2010

Asulkan Valley Trail, Canada

Rating – Expert
Distance – Approximately 13 kilometers one-way
Elevation Gain – 975 meters!
Duration – 10 hours round trip
When to Go – Mid-July to Mid-September. Any earlier, there’s avalanche risks.
How to get there – 4 hours from Calgary, 7 hours from Vancouver.

Another great hiking trip report from Scenic Travel Canada. This time Barry Taylor tells of his tough day hike near the Rogers Pass, in the Rockies.

It sounds spectacular.

One excerpt:

… Hoary marmots are basking in the sun on top of large boulders as they monitor my progress. Huge waterfalls are roaring straight down from the steep slopes of Abbott ridge on the other side of Asulkan Brook. The sound echoes and amplifies in the massive rock falls. I cross a removable wooden bridge over Asulkan Brook and the trail soon takes me past the junction for the Glacier Crest Trail.

As I break out of the forest again, the Asulkan Glacier comes into view far in the distance. The farther I hike, the more spectacular the views become. Roaring, rushing, milky water is everywhere. The sun is dancing on water and shadows shorten as the sun begins to fill the valley. I am feeling excited now and committed to completing the hike. …

click through to read the rest and see VIDEO – Hiking the Asulkan Valley Trail in Glacier National Park (Rogers Pass, BC)

asulkan-valley-hut-rogers-pass-bc — Asulkan Hut

Barry loved it. But bugs were still a problem there on Aug. 18th on a hot, hot day.

That’s the Canadian Glacier National Park, not that other one in Montana.
🙂

Who claimed the name first? … The Canadians established theirs in 1886. The Americans in 1910.

October 14, 2010October 13, 2010

Tuscany: hike or bike?

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

In Rome I bought Lonely Planet Hiking in Italy, difficult to find, actually.

(… later I wished I’d bought Lonely Planet Cycling in Italy, instead.)

Of the Tuscany hikes listed in LP, I chose the Tuscan Hill Crests out of gorgeous San Gimignano.

loop, 7hrs, easy, 20km (12.4mi)

Sounded great:

Low rolling hills, fields full of barley, elegant cypresses and silvery green olives, vines ripening in the late summer sun, an old ruined monastery, a priest careering downhill in a rusty Fiat 500, potted geraniums, cyclists in multi-coloured jerseys, a rustic farmhouse reborn as an agriturismo …

Not my usual wilderness adventure, … but any excuse to travel to Tuscany. Right?

Departing Porta San Giovanni:

This is a “hike”?

I love Lonely Planet trail descriptions: terse. But in a populated region like Tuscany, landmarks change often. By about half way round the circuit — entirely on roads — I was lost.

I relaxed snacking on both white and red grapes fresh off the vine …

October is grape harvest.

… I pondered my options. Should I backtrack?

Never.

Happily I stumbled upon this monk:

He’s the icon of the Via Francigena, a pilgrims path from Canterbury, UK to Rome.

… one of three great medieval pilgrims’ routes (the others were the Camino de Santiago in Northern Spain and the long route East to Jerusalem) …

The good monk led me back to San Gimignano on small footpaths over private property. This is the kind of hiking I wanted in Tuscany.

I soothed my disappointment in not finishing my intended hike with a Gorgonzola gelato in the Piazza Duomo.

Next day I rented a bike (5EU cheap) and rode about 70km on mostly paved roads between Sienna and Gaiole in Chianti, a much better way to see the gorgeous countryside.

… But I’ll do a little more research on the Via Francigena. Sections of that might certainly be one of the best hikes in Europe.

October 13, 2010October 13, 2010

2010 Jeju Olle Walking Festival, Korea

by site editor Rick McCharles

I’m booked to attend: November 9-13. Organizers are looking to add Jeju to the list of the best hikes in the world.

official website

Here are the full details if you want to join us:

World trekking festival for all of you on the most beautiful trail, Jeju Olle

Jeju Olle Walking Festival is a trekking festival for all the citizens of the world on Jeju Olle Trail, the most beautiful trail in the world.

It is a global walking festival embroidered with nature, culture and human. The festival participants can feel the nature in Jeju throughout their whole bodies while walking on Jeju Olle Trail surrounded by oreum, seas and stone walls slowly and enjoying various types of food and cultural experiences. Each village that Jeju Olle Trail passes through will enlighten the festival participants, providing them with a number of performances using diverse food and traditional culture of Jeju.

The participants will taste diverse cultural experiences as they walk a course on Jeju Olle Trail each day.

From 2010, the Jeju Olle Walking Festival will take place every November.

Place: Jeju Olle Trail route 12,3,4 and 5 (The total of 92 km, one route/day)

Pre-Festival Ceremony: Jeju Folk Village Museum in Pyoseon at 4:00 PM on November 8, 2010

Fees: Prior Application – 10,000 WON/person, 8,000 WON/person (group rate for 20 or more participants)
On-site – 15,000 WON/person

This trail, that has been and is still being made in ‘Jeju Island,’ the most representative vacation spot in Korea, leads our steps into its spectacular scenery such as the sea, oreum (lateral volcano, a type of dormant volcano appeared as a small mountain or hill), stone walls piled up with black basalt, green fields in all seasons, wild flowers in full bloom on the roadside and tangerine fields loaded with orange-colored fruit.

Jeju Olle Trail, the most beautiful and peaceful trail in the world, gives peace, happiness and healing to those walking this trail. Since its first opening in September 2007, we have made 21 courses in 339km of routes available to the Jeju Olle travelers. We are still searching for the most beautiful trail that people can walk and travel along the Jeju coast.

Jeju Island, a Beautiful Volcanic Island in Korea

Jeju Island was the first site in Korea registered as a World Heritage site by UNESCO. Harmonized with beautiful sea, falls, cliffs, caves, oreum(lateral volcano) and broad fields along with its mild weather, this island is an excellent place for walking travelers. Jeju Island has been long known for its ‘sammu (三無)’ in which there aren’t any beggars, thieves or gates. In other words, it is a safe area.

Jeju presents its unique and brilliant color in each season. In spring fields are filled with bright yellow-colored flowers whereas golden beaches and mystic and ever-changing seas in different colors are presented in summer. In autumn coffee-colored silver grass in full bloom on the field rolls gently in the wind and white snow on the branches are beautifully coming out on the Mt.Halla-san in winter.

The pastoral scenery in Jeju arouse exclamation in people. Fields surrounded by short stone walls, seas in emerald color and oreum are unique views that people can see only in Jeju. Such exquisite views have mysterious power to heal people’s spirit that see them.

Jeju Island is an epicurean paradise with the local delicacies including Jeju tangerine, tile fish soup, broiled tile fish, abalone porridge, pheasant cuisine, hairtail soup and pork rib barbecue. Cows and pigs raised on clean grass, various seafood from jade-colored ocean and a number of different types of fruit in the clear sun are produced in Jeju .

Jeju Olle Trail , the Most Beautiful and the Slowest Walking Paths

‘Olle’ comes from the old Jeju dialect, which implies a very narrow alley or path from a street to a gate of a house. It is the first route that Jeju residents take to communicate with the world in their lives. ‘Jeju Olle’ meaning trail paths(olle) in Jeju serves as a trekking route to connect Jeju to the world and the world to Jeju.

Trail Initiated by a Female Ex-reporter and Completed by Numerous Volunteers

Suh, Myung Sook, the founder and president of Jeju Olle Foundation, used to an editor of a weekly newsmagazine. Leaving her post as a reporter after 20 years of her service, she went on her own pilgrimage of 800 km known as Camino de Santiago from France to Spain. Towards the end of her pilgrimage, she met a woman from England and made a promise together to share their peace and happiness on the road with their home countries.

When she came back to her hometown, Jeju, she was determined to make a trekking route that would be widely loved by all the walking travelers all over the world. Some volunteers and she began to find and restore hidden paths, small routes inaccessible by cars and forgotten tracks. As a result, they have made new trails for the walking travelers to explore.

Jeju Olle Trail is the most beautiful and peaceful trail in the world and the slowest route in the world while keeping beautiful scenery in your heart and eyes. Those walking on this trail can unburden their mind and go back to their homes with peace, happiness and healing. Jeju Olle is the trail that provides travelers with a true sense of relaxation to their spirit since they have taken their journey of life at high speed.

Trail signs
Ganse
Jeju pony, which people can see in the green grassland on Jeju often, is smaller than a horse, but it is robust and brave. Ganse is the name of Jeju pony, the symbol of Jeju Olle Trail, and it comes from the old Jeju dialect, ‘gansedari’ meaning a slow lazybones.

In order to enjoy the Jeju Olle, you had best walk along the trail as slowly as possible like Jeju pony that strolls in the green grassland on Jeju.

Ganse is made of corn, an environment-friendly special material. It is strong enough to endure rain and winds of Jeju while it is biodegradable upon disposal.

Arrows
Blue arrows on the ground, stone wall and utility poles are the most elementary directional sign to display the directions of the Jeju Olle Trail.

Orange arrows guide people onto the reverse path of the trail. If you decide to take the trail from the end of the route to the starting point, follow the orange arrows.

Ribbons

Blue and orange ribbons are usually intertwined and hung on twigs. You may find them on mountain paths where it is hard to mark arrows. They are hung a bit higher than eye level.

Jeju Olle Trail Route Information (September 2010)
Route 1 Siheung to Gwangchigi 15.6km
Route 1-1 U-do(Island) 15.9km
Route 2 Gwangchigi to Onpyeong 18.1km
Route 3 Onpyeong to Pyoseon 20.7km
Route 4 Pyoseon to Namwon 22.9km
Route 5 Namwon to Soesokkak 14.7km
Route 6 Soesokkak to Oedolgae 14.4km
Route 7 Oedolgae to Wolpyeong 13.8km
Route 7-1 World Cup Stadium to Oedolgae 15.1km
Route 8 Wolpyeong to Daepyeong 15.2km
Route 9 Daepyeong to Hwasun 8.2km
Route 10 Hwasun to Moseulpo 14.8km
Route 10-1 Gapa-do(Island) 5km
Route 11 Moseulpo to Mureung 18km
Route 12 Mureung to Yongsu 17.5km
Route 13 Yongsu to Jeoji 16.4km
Route 14 Jeoji to Hallim 19.3km
Route 14-1 Jeoji to Mureung 18.8km
Route 15 Hallim to Gonae 19km
Route 16 Gonae to Gwangryeong 17.8km
Route 18-1 Chuja-do(Island) 17.7km

Resume of President Suh, Myung Sook
Name Ms. Suh, Myung Sook

1957 Born in Jeju Island, Korea
1980 BA in Education, Korea University, Seoul, Korea

Current The President of Jeju Olle Trail (Non-profit foundation)
19 routes, 320km long in total has been developed since 2007
2007 Returned to hometown Seogwipo-si, Jeju Island
2006 Travelled routes of Santiago de Compostella (France~Sapin, 800km)
2005-2006 Editor in Chief in
1989-2003 Political reporter/Political desk/ Editor in chief in
weekly news magazine
1987-1989 Reporter monthly magazine
1985 Reporter monthly magazine
1980-83 Editor in Christian social research center, Korea

Publication
2005
2007

Awards- Jeju Olle Trail & Suh, Myung Sook
08 Jul 2010 The star of Korean tour industry events/ Ministry of Culture,Sports and Tourism
& Korea Tourism Organization
11 Feb. 2010 Jaeam Cultural Award (Suh, Myung Sook) / Jaeam Cultural Foundation
15 Jan. 2010 The no. 1 place where people want to visit for family holiday/ Korea Tourism Organization
11. Nov. 2009 7 events of 2010~2012 Visiting Korea years / Ministry of Culture,Sports and Tourism
16 Dec. 2009 10 Hit products of the year in Korea / Samsung Economic Research Institute
09. Oct. 2009 Grand Prize for Urban reclamation / Ministry of Land,Transport and Maritime Affairs
05 Oct. 2009 Prize for Nature conservation movement of Ministry of Environment/ Ministry of Environment
29 Sep.2009 National Presidential Award of the promotion of the tourist industry
/Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
2009 Jeju Olle Trail The most beautiful and ecological trail 20/ Ministry of Culture,Sports and Tourism & Ministry of Environment
11 Dec. 2007 Suh, Myung Sook 100 people who help the world better to live /
Korea Green Foundation

How to participate….

1. Prior On-line Registration on the Jeju Olle Walking Festival Website (www.ollewalking.co.kr)
▷ You may visit the “Jeju Olle Walking Festival Website” and apply on-line by October 24, 2010.
▷ Upon completing your on-line registration, you will make a payment to Jeju Olle at your designated route on the day of your arrival in Jeju.
▷ Even after the on-line registration period, you may apply to participate in the festival on-site at the beginning points of the Jeju Olle Trail routes 1-5.

2. Jeju Olle Walking Festival Route Assignment
▷ In order to prevent the participants from flocking to one specific route and preserve each Olle routes, each participant must walk on his/her designated route.
▷ Each participant will receive his/her route assignment via e-mail by October 30, 2010.
▷ For example, if you are assigned to start from the route 3, you may enjoy the walking festival in the order of “route 3→route 4→route 5→route 1→route 2.”

3. Transportation to the Festival in Jeju Island
▷ Once your participation is confirmed, you need to reserve a plane or ferry ticket prior to the festival.
▷ When you arrive in Jeju, you may take either the festival shuttle buses or public transportation to your designated route.
▷ At your designated route (starting point), you will pick up souvenirs for the festival and start your walking festival. You can pick up souvenirs only at your designated route.

4. Jeju Olle Walking Festival
Enjoy the Festival!
▷ You may participate in the Jeju Olle Walking Festival at any time during the festival period(November 9~13)
▷ You may get the festival routes stamps from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM on the festival passport.
▷ You may enjoy the festival while walking on routes in the order of your designated route.
▷ We recommend you visit villages in each route. You may enjoy various programs prepared by local residents such as performances, food, specialty marketplace and harvest.
▷ You must complete each route in the order of your designated route. For example, you will receive a stamp for the third route in your fourth route. (Upon the completion of your third route, a stamp will not be issued if you go back to your first route.) ▷ If you complete all five routes during the festival and receive all 15 stamps, Jeju Olle will issue you a “2010 Jeju Olle Walking Festival Certificate.”

official website

October 12, 2010October 13, 2010

climbing Mt. Vesuvius

by besthike editor Rick McCharles

Almost everyone who visits Naples, Italy makes the pilgrimage to Pompei and Vesuvius.

What a view!

… Actually, that’s a photo I took of a postcard atop the volcano. Like this one.

The weather was terrible. Drizzling rain and dense cloud cover. I couldn’t see a thing from the rim.

As a hiking experience, I don’t recommend Vesuvius. It’s crowded with bus tourists and super tacky souvenir stands. Pure tourist trap.

In Italy, the best volcano to scramble is Mt Etna.

October 11, 2010October 3, 2010

Tom Mangan – Table Rock and The Chimneys, Linville Gorge Wilderness

I haven’t linked to Tom in, like, forever. … It’s as if I’m biased against trails out East, where he’s relocated.

Let’s make up for that oversight right now.

This is a can’t-miss hike if the weather cooperates. Table Rock, the stone uplift that forms the Linville Gorge’s most prominent peak, has amazing vistas at the top. About a mile and a half south, the Mountains to Sea Trail skirts the ragged ridge of The Chimneys, one of the most impressive assortments of rock formations in a gorge full of them. …

October 11, 2010October 11, 2010

Pathway of the Gods, Amalfi, Italy

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

aka Path of the Gods and Walk of the Gods

Agerola to Positano, 2 ½ to 3 hours

In Naples I couldn’t find a copy of Lonely Planet Hiking Italy. … Instead, I jotted down some trail notes from the internet. And jumped on a bus to “Amalfi”.

I jumped off the bus upon seeing a sign for “Sentiero degli Dei“ (Pathway of the Gods).

Where was I? … Piazza Paolo Capassa, the sign said. A tourist information office in that plaza gave me a crude map. I was set.

Here’s the start from that trailhead.

It wandered through vineyards.

Though the ancient trail has been improved much over the centuries, I’d still call it a “difficult” hike.

I left a Summit Stone atop this tombstone pillar, under a sign posted by the Club of Italian Alpinists.

Approaching Positano, the cliffs got steeper and steeper.

I saw about a dozen other hikers on a perfect day in October. All spoke either English or German.

SAY WHAT … !!

My legs were wobbly by the time I got to the bottom, finally arriving in Positano.

The most dangerous section of the Path of the Gods, by far, is walking narrow roadways from the Positano trailhead up to the excellent Brikette hostel.

La vita è bella.

The Path of the Gods is one of the best hikes in the world.

See the rest of my photos. Or watch a short video of the hike.

October 9, 2010

Mark Moxon – London Tube 500mi walk

Mark Moxon launched his excellent Long Distance Walks site in December 2003.

It was one of my earliest inspirations as a hiking blogger.

He’s done many amazing trips. But the most amazing yet is this one:

Mark Moxon:

In summer 2008, I spent three months walking the entire London Underground network, overground. This is the story of that walk, along with over 9700 photographs, route maps, points of interest and tips for those looking for a different way to explore London on foot. …

TubeWalker.com

Wow !!

And he loved it.

For a quick interview with Mark click over to Daniel‘s blog on CheapTents.com – Mark Moxon Long Distance Walker Interview

October 8, 2010October 3, 2010

scrambling Kelsey Peak, Utah

A new blog, HIKING SALT LAKE, has a great, modern look and feel.

The editor, Jonathan Wood, got lost in the Oquirrh Mountains, quite an ordeal.

Three weeks later he returned to the same area, to prove he’s up to the big scrambles in that area. The only one he could convince to come along was his dog, Suki.

I planned to do a few things different from last time. First, I would hit a different peak, Kelsey Peak, which is right next to the one I hit before but maybe a hundred feet higher (it’s one of the highest peaks in the Oquirrh Mountains). Second, I would park closer the trail so I didn’t waste time walking before starting the climb. And, third, I wasn’t going to get lost! …

to see if he and Suki made it down, read on … Kelsey Peak, Butterfield Canyon

October 7, 2010October 3, 2010

2010 Radical Reels trailer

The most recent ….

The Banff Mountain Festival World Tour brings Banff to audiences around the globe. Immediately after the Festival ends in November, a selection of the best films go on tour across Canada, the United States, and internationally from Scotland to South Africa to China, Japan, New Zealand, Antarctica, and points in between. Each year, the films travel to 30 countries reaching more than 210,000 people at over 550 screenings.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Check the official website to see if and when the mini film fest is coming to your town.

(via Hiking Lady)

October 6, 2010October 3, 2010

Triple Crown of Waterton, Akamina

by site editor Rick McCharles

Day 2 of my last ditch attempt to complete the Triple Crown of hikes in Waterton National Park.

(If you missed it, click back to Day 1.)

I’d have to complete Akamina Ridge first, then go back to finish Alderson-Carthew:

Akamina Ridge is a round trip hike of about 20km and the maximum elevation is 8600ft. A lollypop loop trail.

Your journey starts at the Akamina Pass trailhead about 1km from Cameron Lake along the Akamina Parkway. The trail starts out on a gentle slope. About 2km in you enter Akamina-Kishinena Provincial Park, shortly after this point and once you have taken the necessary pictures at the “Welcome to BC” sign …

… you will have the options to go to either Forum Lake or Wall Lake to continue your hike. The Ridge is accessible from both but the difficulty upwards vary. This is where the trail really begins. The choice varies from the constant but relatively steady uphill trail to and from Forum Lake or the gentle long trail to Wall lake and then the sudden steep rise all the way up to the trail. …

To save time I tented on the trail.

Like most other hikers, I chose to climb up the Forum Lake trail to access the ridge, descending to Wall Lake. That’s safer I was advised at the Park information centre.

Here’s Forum.

The ridge was signed. No problem.

… until I got to the final scree approach. The trail was covered with wind swept snow. I literally had no idea how to get on top of the ridge, having never done this hike before.

Blast!

Instead I made a frantic scramble back down the mountain to Wall Lake, thinking I would reverse direction, if possible.

That turned out to be a mistake. Time consuming and somewhat dangerous.

I was quite relieved to get to the bottom without injury.