Rick Mc

September 22, 2008

climb Mount Batur in Bali

Jari Arkko posted a trip report of his one day guided hike up the active Mount Batur volcano on the Indonesian island of Bali.

… as a climbing mountain it was rather mellow. I was still exhausted from the climb and got painful blisters on both of my feet. But it was clearly a mountain still full of volcanic potential, and the apes, local culture, and great views added to the interest. The guide agency that I used was Santa Bali …

trip report – Hiking to Mt. Batur, Bali, Indonesia

It costs around $65 if you take a guide.

September 20, 2008

hiking Grand Gulch in Utah

Legendary alpinist Greg Child is a hiker too. Guided 5 days in a raft, 5 days on foot, his trip report posted by Backpacker magazine begins like this:

It’s a sunburned September day in southeast Utah, and I’m following 10 parched hikers through a jumble of burnished boulders and sparsely spaced cottonwood trees on the floor of a sinuous canyon called Grand Gulch. Amber-tinted sunbeams filter into the 700-foot-deep chasm and light up our lanky, long-haired, bird-legged backpacking guide, Vaughn Hadenfeldt. He’s hunting for potable water, but the only pools we’ve found so far are a speckled latte brown. “A flash flood ripped through here two weeks ago,” he tells us, “and these pools still aren’t settled. If we don’t find one that is, we’ll be pickin’ grit out of our teeth all night.” …

… read the rest of this article

See more gorgeous photos of Grand Gulch posted by Jack Brauer from his 4-day hike of Grand Gulch.

more photos

We’ve added Grand Gulch to our list of the best hikes in North America.

September 20, 2008

Backpacker magazine awards 2009

Backpacker magazine has their annual Readers’ Choice 2009 survey up online.

A sample: Which of the … mountain photos is your favorite?

screenshot

Click through to register your votes: Readers’ Choice 2009 Survey

September 20, 2008

top 50 walks on Earth

The world’s 50 best walks is a terrific article posted by The Times Online from the U.K.

Most of the “world’s __ best walks” lists we see are cliche, if not laughable. But this one is well researched with many interesting, original choices. Links are included to recommended guiding companies.

Their 5 most difficult treks are all excellent choices:

Bright Angel Trail, Grand Canyon

Choquequirao, Peru (the â€œnewâ€ Inca Trail) – info page

Fish River Canyon, Namibia

Tour du Mont Blanc – info page

Snowman Trek, Bhutan

The world’s 50 best walks – page 8 – Times Online

Read the entire list from the beginning.

(via The Adventure Blog)

September 19, 2008

first bear attack on Vancouver Island

Hikers of the West Coast Trail and other great walks on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, take comfort that there are no Grizzly Bears on the island. And that the Black Bears are famously non-aggressive.

Until this attack on fisherman Blain Pharis:

… A black bear swam across Gordon River and climbed up onto the wharf as Pharis neared his vessel, said Hitchcock. The bear followed Pharis onto his boat and mauled him.

Four men armed with fishing gear including a filleting knife, gaff and hammer swarmed the bear and killed it.

The animal’s internal organs were examined in a necropsy and it was found to be elderly, at more than 10 years of age, and in poor health. …

Bear attack a first for the Island, expert says – Vancouver Sun

This was at Port Renfrew, the trailhead for the WCT.

Since 1986, eight people in B.C. have been killed by black bears and 75 have been injured.

September 18, 2008

paddle hiking in Alaska

The Backcountry Blog inspires me to plan future paddle / hike adventures.

I recently did the Sanctuary River loop with my friend Sherrie. We took 3 days so we could hang out in the high country and explore. The route is from Cantwell to Denali Park, where you catch the bus back to the park entrance. It’s about equal parts hiking and floating . . . enjoy the view! …

more photos – The Sanctuary River . . . an Alaskan packraft classic!

I’d prefer an inflatable kayak over a packraft, however.

September 17, 2008

Top 10 U.S. Hikes

Click through for details on these great walks selected by TrailsTV.com.

Glacier Gorge – Estes Park Colorado

The Bright Angel Trail – Grand Canyon, Arizona

The Tahoe Rim Trail – Lake Tahoe, California and Nevada

Half Dome – Yosemite, California

Enchantment Traverse – Seattle, Washington

Chimney Pond Trail – Baxter State Park, Maine

Kalalau Trail – Kauai, Hawaii

Denali National Park – Denali National Park, Alaska

Breakneck Ridge Trail – Beacon, New York

Furnace Mountain – Waynesboro, Virgina

Top 10 U.S. Hikes – TrailsTV.com

Breakneck Ridge Trail – larger original – flickr – Pianoman75

September 15, 2008January 15, 2010

GPS for (hiking) Dummies

Trailspotting has a superb post for the GPS illiterate like myself:

Your new handheld GPS might seem complex, but in truth it’s very simple to use. This quick article will show you how easy it is to get started, by using the Trailspotting recommended Garmin eTrex Venture HC GPS as an example. In next to no time you’ll be showing off your latest expedition on Google Earth. …

… click through to read the entire article: First Steps with your new GPS – Trailspotting

I’m convinced. It takes 2 AA batteries.

I assume the MapSource Trip & Waypoint Manager software is Windoze only. (I am a Mac guy.)

But posting my hikes to EveryTrail.com looks to be very easy.

September 15, 2008January 15, 2010

Garmin eTrex H Handheld GPS

Fred Theilig of Rhode Hikes would not buy the minimalist Bushnell BackTrack GPS.

For only a few dollars more â€” $89.00 right now on Amazon â€”Â he’d recommend a Garmin eTrex. This one is waterproof. And gets up to 17hrs on 2AA batteries. Editors of Trailspotting and Take a Load Off agree.