Author: Rick Mc

Career gymnastics coach who loves the outdoors, and the internet.
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Wonderland Trail in 63hrs

Dr. Jeni McNeal and Dave Adlard, founding members of Team Adventure Sports Week, along with an unofficial support crew of Rick McCharles of BestHike.com completed the 94 mile/47,000 feet elevation Wonderland Trail in 63:03, June 25 – 28.

The two carried their own gear, and took only a few hours sleep time in completing what some have said is one of the fastest unsupported, July circumnavigations yet. Almost 10% of the trail was still snowed in, requiring route finding and snow travel. Most hikers completing the trail require 8 – 12 days to finish.

They climbed and descended more than 20 peaks on the famously difficult trail, with elevation changes equivalent to climbing and descending Mt. Rainier from Paradise Visitor Center almost three times. They also encountered bears along the trail.

The two burned almost 33,000 calories each, and drank more than 50 liters of fluid total in temperatures ranging from 33 – 89 degrees.

Their journey began at Reflection Lake on July 25 at 10:40 am, and finished at 1:43 am on July 28.

“This was one of the most psychologically and physically demanding tests I have done since starting Adventure Racing,” said Adlard. “This is a really tough trail that demands a lot from all participants.”

The trail is notoriously uneven, with steep, overgrown and narrow sections that make forward progress difficult in many places.

Team Adventure Sports Week is training for the five day Desert Winds Expedition race in Lake Mead, Nevada, Sept 18 – 25.

Read Dave’s detailed trip report & gear list (PDF)

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best hikes Rainier – Burroughs Mountain

trip report by best hike editor Rick McCharles

Mt. Rainier is an outdoor playground scary close to Seattle.

… Although Mount Rainier is an active volcano, as of 2010 there was no evidence of an imminent eruption. However, an eruption could be devastating for all areas surrounding the volcano …

… a mudflow might also reach down the Duwamish estuary and destroy parts of downtown Seattle, and cause tsunamis in Puget Sound and Lake Washington. According to USGS, about 150,000 people live on top of old lahar deposits of Rainier …

Of all Mt. Rainier day hikes, I like Burroughs Mountain best, 7mi (11.3km) return.

You start high at Sunrise trailhead. This is 6400ft (1,950m), the highest point in the park accessible by vehicle.

Mt Rainier (Sunrise - Burrough's Peaks - Granite)

Mt Rainier (Sunrise - Burrough's Peaks - Granite)

The approach is via a gorgeous ridge walk. … We LOVE ridge walks.

Mt Rainier (Sunrise - Burrough's Peaks - Granite)

Mt Rainier (Sunrise - Burrough's Peaks - Granite)

If conditions allow, you can side trip up one, two or three Burroughs Peaks. Here’s the start:

Mt Rainier (Sunrise - Burrough's Peaks - Granite)

Check with Rangers at Sunrise (not open until 10AM) on local conditions. The day I was there, many turned back at this point:

Mt Rainier (Sunrise - Burrough's Peaks - Granite)

Mt Rainier (Sunrise - Burrough's Peaks - Granite)

Rainier looks awesome from the top of Second Burroughs (7402ft).

Mt Rainier (Sunrise - Burrough's Peaks - Granite)

Of course if the weather is terrible, as it normally is, don’t bother. You won’t see a thing.

more photos of this day hike on Burrough’s Peaks

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best hikes Rainier – Camp Muir

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

Mount Rainier is a large active stratovolcano, Washington, USA, located 54 miles (87 km) southeast of Seattle. It towers over the Cascade Range as the most prominent mountain in the contiguous United States …

The mountain and the surrounding area are protected within Mount Rainier National Park. With 26 major glaciers and 36 square miles (93 km2) of permanent snowfields and glaciers, Mount Rainier is the most heavily glaciated peak in the lower 48 states. …

This quote greets the hiker at Paradise trailhead, Mt. Rainier, Washington:

hike to Muir Camp, Mt. Rainier

hike to Muir Camp, Mt. Rainier

hike to Muir Camp, Mt. Rainier

Wild flowers are terrific on Rainier. But …, I’d love to take John Muir to Waterton/Glacier and the Canadian Rockies during wildflower season. … To compare.

Wildlife is another highlight of the Rainier alpine meadows:

hairy varmint, Mt. Rainier

hike to Muir Camp, Mt. Rainier

The 5000+ft climb to Camp Muir (10,080′) begins on the excellent Skyline Trail 5.5mi (8.9km), a good alternative to Muir if conditions are not safe for the snowy ascent up high on the volcano.

We find it troublesome to recommend Skyline, however, as it’s so busy. It’s ideal, though, for children and visitors who have not seem much snow. Rainier is one of the snowiest places in the USA!

The maze of trails out of Paradise are confusing. Get advice and a free map from the Ranger’s desk.

If the weather is GREAT, as it was the day I was there, best hike is to scramble up to the historic base camp, the most popular for those climbing Rainier.

hike to Muir Camp, Mt. Rainier

You’ll often need an ice axe for this scramble. But not in ideal conditions.

It’s hard to imagine a better place to be than Camp Muir on a sunny day like this.

Rick at Muir Camp, Mt. Rainier

hike to Muir Camp, Mt. Rainier

Here are some climbers, prepping for the ascent:

hike to Muir Camp, Mt. Rainier

I descended 2mi in 40min on a plastic bag toboggan like this. Great FUN.

hike to Muir Camp, Mt. Rainier

more photos from this hike to Camp Muir

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another great U.K. coastal hike

Daniel linked to a number of awesome options:

The South West Coast Path
The Cleveland Way
The Norfolk Coast Path
Fife Coastal Path
Arran Coastal Way
Ayrshire Coastal Path
Causeway Coast Way
Lecale Way

But his personal pick for best U.K. coastal hike is the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path.

Andy’s added another on CheapTents.com:

Anglesey Coastal Path Walk

The Anglesey Coastal walk measures in at around 125 miles in total, though handily there are 20 towns/villages located directly on the route. This means taking on just part of the walk is easily done, making this walk accessible to most levels of walker at some point. Overall it took us 8 days walking to complete the full distance, plus one more day we spent in one of the villages on the route – from the information I can find it can take anywhere from 5 days to 2 weeks to complete the full distance.

We started walking from the Roman Fort (which encircles St Cybi’s Church in Holyhead), this is also the end point of the full circular walk. On the walk we saw some spectacular scenery, there is some really quite cool wildlife including; puffins, guillemots, seals and even the odd dolphin! as well as beautiful Anglesey coast line.

… read more

Telford Suspension Bridge joining Anglesey with Wales
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speed hiking the Wonderland Trail

UPDATE:

Dave and Jeni completed near 100mi of Wonderlandness at 1:47AM, Wednesday, July 28th. Mission accomplished!

I’ll post Dave’s detailed trip report and photos as soon as available.

=== original post:

by site editor Rick McCharles

I’m support team for Dave and Jeni in their attempt to complete the 95mi circuit of Mt Rainier in 3 days.

It started well. They ran the first 6.1mi in record time. Here they are staging for the remote west side of the mountain, the last time I saw them in the past 24hrs.

Wonderland Trail speed hike

I rendezvous with them tonight. … It could be ugly.

I’ll be posting photos from this adventure on flickr.

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Salcantay Trek to Machu Picchu

by site editor Rick McCharles

I did Salcantay in 2004. It’s well covered on our Salcantay information page.

Now there’s an even better resource for those considering using that route to get to Machu Picchu. salkantay trek is a blog, trip report and photo journal all-in-one.

Check it out for yourself – salkantay trek

Salcantay is a back door route to Machu Picchu. One of the alternatives to the oft criticized Inca Trail.

The main advantage is that Salcantay can still be done independently. The Inca Trail must be done with guides.

The main reasons to take the train to Machu Picchu and hike elsewhere in Peru … ??

Tiny biting flies. They can be horrendous, even at the ruins.

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10 Priorities for an Outdoor Vacation

I’ve subscribed to the The Suburban Mountaineer, editor Andrew Szalay.

Here’s one sample post:

1. Go somewhere the Blackerry and cell phone gets no signal.
2. Get up early at least once and watch the mist rise off the lake.
3. Stay up late to watch the stars, and then sleep in.
4. Hike, climb or paddle hard and finish the day with an ice cold beer.
5. Find a great vantage point, lay out the map and match each point within view to its name.
6. Cook something over an open fire.
7. Use a pocket knife for something other than opening a beer bottle.
8. Play cards with friends on a rainy day.
9. Upon reaching your destination you see a peak not too far off, look it up on your map and say “what the heck,” and go exploring.
10. In-country, cook a meal you thought you would only find in a restaurant.

source

Check out The Suburban Mountaineer.

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best day hike Grand Tetons

Some outdoor adventurer currently living in a van recommends Glacier Gulch to Delta Lake (3-6hrs) off-trail:

… If you want to get away from the crowds and truly experience the rugged majesty of Wyoming’s Teton Range, you’ve gotta get off the beaten path. This is easier to do than one would think: several canyons leading into the mountains do not have established trails, and countless beautiful alpine lakes and dramatic summits are rarely visited. …

… The route ascends approximately 2300 vertical feet over the course of 1.5 miles (as the crow flies). It involves a little bushwhacking and a steep off-trail hike that’s a little too rugged for the typical tourist. Since there’s no trail up Glacier Gulch, you may come across, at most, a few groups of like-minded adventurers throughout your excursion.

Park at the Lupine Meadows Trailhead and take the main path towards Garnet Canyon. …

get the skinny on Cleansnipe – Shhhhh!… The Best Day Hike In Grand Teton National Park