From the Facebook album: Hiking 2010 by Anna Glaser
This is Lake O’Hara in the Canadian Rockies.
hiking Crater Lake, Colorado
trip report by besthike editor Rick McCharles
This is Crater Lake Trail #623 in the San Juan National Forest between Silverton and Durango. … Not the more famous (but far less appealing) Crater Lake in the Maroon Bells.
The Crater Lake Trail is an excellent long day hike or overnight that begins at Andrews Lake. Crater Lake is nestled in a basin at the foot of Twilight Peak. This peak and Snowdon Peak are both accessible from the Crater Lake Trail. …
• 5.5mi (8.8km)
• trailhead at 10,800ft
• Crater Lake at 11,600
I had planned to climb Twilight or Snowdon early morning after the night I tented at Crater. But it rained steadily all night. Both peaks were cloud shrouded in the morn. I marched directly out.
another June Tour de Mont Blanc
Richard Tulloch’s amusing summary of his early season trek on one of the very best hikes in the world.
The full circuit of Europe’s highest range is some 170km long and takes about 60 hours of walking. Most people do it in 8-12 days. ….
It’s staggeringly beautiful terrain – or is that my pack making me stagger? …
Doing it in June is risky:
… We’re in a bit of trouble on our hike, high on Switzerland’s Col d’Emaney. It’s blowing a gale and there’s frozen snow on a treacherously steep slope. My Dutch companions are carrying ice axes, but I’m not roping myself to anyone who learned their mountaineering below sea level in Amsterdam. …
Click through to see how they got out of this situation …
TOUR DE MONT BLANC – the Swiss section
And while you’re there, click through on HIKING for Richard’s adventures in New Zealand, Australia, Europe and more.
→ besthike TMB information page
Lava Flow Trail, Sunset Crater Volcano, Arizona
report by besthike editor Rick McCharles
I was a bit disappointed that you cannot hike to the “crater” of Sunset Crater near Flagstaff. It’s been off limits for decades due to erosion. The 1mi easy loop takes you only to the base.
Signage is interesting, though.
Sunset Crater Volcano was born in a series of eruptions sometime between 1040 and 1100. Powerful explosions profoundly affected the lives of local people and forever changed the landscape and ecology of the area. Lava flows and cinders still look as fresh and rugged as the day they formed. But among dramatic geologic features, you’ll find trees, wildflowers, and signs of wildlife – life returns.
NPS – Lava Flow Trail
I was first visitor early morning, keen to test my new camera / camcorder (Canon FS300). In sunlight and shade.
OK. … But not superb focus. … It’s still on all default settings.
slogging Great Sand Dunes, Colorado
trip report by besthike editor Rick McCharles
I couldn’t resist America’s Newest National Park (2004): The Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in Colorado.
Explore any part of the 30 square mile dunefield you wish; there are no designated trails in the sand. …
… The “High Dune” is neither the highest in elevation nor the tallest in the park, but it looks that way from the main parking lot. It is about 650 feet (198 m) high. Cross the flats and zigzag up the ridgelines to reach it. The 360 degree view is inspirational. From High Dune, the largest dune you see to the west is the Star Dune, rising 750 feet (229 m). It is the tallest dune in North America, and is most dramatic when viewed from the park entrance. To reach it from High Dune, journey another mile and a half up and down across the dunes to its summit. …
I couldn’t tell which dune I climbed. … It looked to be the highest.
A few young people brought their own sand boards. Here’s one guy trying to get back up the steepest slope.
… My camera died on this adventure. Perhaps the blowing sand got into the moving parts.
See the last batch of photos ever (from that camera).
trekking the Tour de Mont Blanc
Another great Photodiary of a Nomad trip report from June 2010:
… A 170 km circumnavigation of the highest mountain in the European Alps, it is truly one of the classic treks, not only for its splendid scenery and demanding geography, but for its history.
For thousands of years, people have been passing through this region for trade or conquest, Celts, Romans and others. The common historic and franco-provencal linguistic origins of the region and its people are implanted in the valleys of Savoie, Valdôtain and Valais, coloured by their relatively recent associations with France, Italy and Switzerland, respectively – three countries, but one overarching culture. …
There’s a LOT of snow this early in the summer. The photos look very dramatic, the trail much less crowded than it will be later in the season.
But, of course, it was wildflower season:
read it all – Tour de Mont Blanc
And check our besthike information page on the TMB
best hikes Rocky Mountain National Park
Lonely Planet Hiking in the USA recommends:
• Odessa Lake
• Flattop Mountain
• Glacier Gorge & Loch Vale
• Longs Peak
All those are easily accessible out of Estes Park, Colorado.
Buzz recommends making a loop from Bear Lake over the Divide to Grand Lake, returning by a second trail. Or making a loop over Stormy and Mummy passes.
There are many options. The real attraction of Rocky Mountain National Park is that it is so high:
… The park is split by the Continental Divide, which gives the eastern and western portions of the park a different character. The east side of the park tends to be drier, with heavily glaciated peaks and cirques. The west side of the park is wetter and more lush, with deep forests dominating.
The park contains 359 miles (578 km) of trails, 150 lakes, and 450 miles (720 km) of streams. The park contains over 60 named peaks higher than 12,000 feet (3,700 m), and over one fourth of the park resides above tree line. …
I started the short Tundra Communities Trail at 12,050ft (3672m). That’s off the scenic summer Trail Ridge Road the highest continuous highway in the USA.
more interesting photos tagged Rocky Mountain National Park Colorado
climbing Longs Peak, Colorado
People get hit by lightning here all the time. Brendan Baker was struck Aug. 4th.
13.6mi (21.9km) – Longs Peak ranger station trailhead
Longs Peak is the most climbed 14,000er in the Rockies. … I’m surprised to hear that. The ascent of almost 5000ft (1500m) is tougher than expected.
Recommended is a 4AM start with headlamp. The goal is to flee the summit by Noon, as afternoon lightning storms are frequent. … I did not start until after 6AM. …
It took me 5hrs to get to the top moving as quickly as I could. Weather was perfect.
Here’s the first view of the summit from the trail:
There are a few backcountry campgrounds en route, but they’re heavily booked. Most people do it as a long day hike, as I did.
If you’ve a weak bladder, know that there are many pit toilets en route. Here’s the Goblin’s campsite toilet throne:
And modern solar composting toilets higher up:
Many hikers turn back at the Keyhole.
They vist the Agnes Vaille Memorial Hut there.
After you climb through the Keyhole it gets tough. Here’s the view into Glacier Gorge, still cold as the sun has not yet reached the trail.
It gets hairy, quickly. Exposure. Potential rockfall. … Many have been killed on this mountain.
I slipped badly on black ice here, the rock still frozen.
The Narrows. The Homestretch. All challenging.
I never did find the register book. This photo is all the evidence I have that I was there.
I left a Summit Stone in this cairn.
Climbing Longs Peak is only recommended for hardy adventurers, agile with no fear of heights.
see all my photos from this scramble
Cirque of the Towers, Wyoming
trip report by besthike editor Rick McCharles
First off, I declare this the second best hike I’ve done in the American Rockies. (Only the North Circle in Glacier National Park ranks higher.)
The Cirque of the Towers is located in the Wind River Range Wyoming …
… the cirque is a very popular destination for technical rock climbers. Climber Orrin Bonney gave the area its current name in 1941 after his survey of the cirque. Prior to this, few if any visitors had ventured into the cirque due to the remote location. The cirque is an almost circular hole or valley carved by a glacier that retreated over 8,000 years ago. As is true with the rest of the Winds, the mountains are composed almost entirely of granite. The Continental Divide spans the crest of the main peaks. …
From Pinedale, Wyoming it’s a long, pretty 55mi (88km) drive, partly paved and partly gravel, to the Big Sandy trailhead.
After being near bugged to death on my previous hike, I was worried about mosquitoes. … Happily, in early August, they were not bad. Not an issue.
Many complain that this hike is crowded. It wasn’t while I was there.
Lunch at the Cirque was a hiker’s paradise. Surreal.
I spotted this waterfall from the top of Jackass Pass 10,800ft (3,290m) and couldn’t resist the sidetrip.
Most hikers finish at Lonesome Lake in the Cirque, then backtrack.
Instead I climbed over Texas Pass:
I placed a Summit Stone atop this spire to the west of Texas Pass.
The vista over to the far side of Texas:
I saw only 2 other hikers cross the pass on this day, peak season.
It’s actually quite pretty from the backside.
At my campsite near Shadow Lake, I jammed my bear canister between a tree and a boulder so no critters could roll it away down the hill.
It’s a long, mellow walk out if you do the full circuit.
The only downside to this hike is that you must share the trail with tourist cowboys.
Horses really muddy the trail.
more photos from my Circuit of the Towers
If you’re interested in planning for this hike yourself check Lonely Planet Hiking in the USA. It lays out the Circuit (sometimes called “Circle Route”) … though it was obvious to me that the authors had turned back before Texas Pass. (They got the map wrong.)
And check out our besthike information page – CIRQUE OF THE TOWERS
Anglers will love it.
lightweight collapsible hiking poles
I find hiking canes too inconvenient. My hands need to be free to take a photo … or blow my nose.
But if I had poles that retracted mechanically whenever I wished, … I’d consider them.
Technology is getting closer. Shannon Davis reporting from the Outdoor Retailer show 2010:
Black Diamond’s Ultra Distance Z-pole. These things are unreal–eight-ounce carbon-fiber poles. They will be pricey ($149), and they will come in four fixed-length sizes. The poles fold like a tent pole with a protected inner bungie cord, and they snap to rigidity like an avalanche probe. The Distance model will be $20 cheaper, adjustable, and about and ounce heavier. …
Update: Similar technology in a walking stick. Thanks Daniel.
besthike.com 