Author: Rick Mc

Career gymnastics coach who loves the outdoors, and the internet.
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damn the torpedoes – Farragut State Park, Idaho

Admiral David Glasgow Farragut (July 5, 1801 – August 14, 1870) was the first senior officer of the U.S. Navy during the American Civil War. He was the first rear admiral, vice admiral, and full admiral of the Navy. He is remembered in popular culture for his possibly apocryphal order at the Battle of Mobile Bay, usually paraphrased: “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!”.

Wikipedia

Farragut must have been some sort of prodigy. When only 12-years-old, he was given command of a prize ship taken by USS Essex and brought her safely to port.

Many places and things are named in remembrance of the Admiral including a number of Starfleet ships on Star Trek the TV show.

Over the past couple of weeks we have been exploring Farragut State Park close to Athol, north Idaho. The Park’s a sprawling place beloved by trail runners, hikers, and mountain bikers.

The park hosted the 1965 National Girl Scout Senior Roundup, 12th World Scout Jamboree in 1967, and the 1969 and 1973 National Scout Jamboree of the Boy Scouts of America. The park still serves as the winter training “Klondyke” site for the scout troops of the Inland Northwest Council.

Farragut State Park – Wikipedia

Last Sunday we jog/hiked (“jiked”) the Highline Trail to Scout Trail, then backtracked to the Shoreline Trail. That was 90mins of jog / hiking.

Dave jumped in Lake Pend Oreille on finishing. Jeni announced she wanted to have her (future) wedding in the Park.

It is gorgeous.

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Farragut State Park – official website

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2007 Banff Mountain Photo Competition

In this year’s competition, seventeen winning images were selected from over 2100 submitted by photographers in 27 countries.
Get Outdoors – 2007 Banff Mountain Photo Competition Winners – Getoutdoors.com Outdoor Blog

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All winning photos are posted on the 2007 Banff Mountain Photo page.

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Outdoorzy.com top 10 outdoors blogs

Ah, fame at last.

We’ve been chosen one of Outdoorzy’s top 10:

Outdoorzy.com…blog

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Thanks Wade.

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4WheelBob’s ascent of White Mtn – VIDEO

Previously I Iinked to photos by Tom Mangan and myself from the historic ascent by 4WheelBob Coomber to the summit of 14,246ft (4342m) White Mountain in California by wheelchair.

This was the culmination of a 5-year dream of Bob’s, his third attempt.

But photos cannot convey the difficulty of this feat. You need to see video to understand just how slowly one can progress on loose scree, even one as well-trained and dogged as 4WheelBob.

Click PLAY or watch Bob’s triumph on YouTube. (8min)

Incidentally, 4WheelBob has added a blog to his website.

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Nepalese Government In Turmoil

BAD NEWS

… the Maoist faction has withdrawn from the provisional government in Nepal

Last year, the Maoist Rebels gave up their 10 year struggle, which was at times bloody, in order to take part in the process of forming a new government. They were one of eight factions that were trying to create a new system that moved away from the monarchy that has long been a part of Nepal’s history. Apparently, the discussions broke down when the Maoists accused King Gyanendra of attempting to influence and sabotage the elections, scheduled for November, in his favor. …

With the Fall climbing season upon us, any unrest now could be disastrous. In years past, trekkers and climbers were often beset by the rebels in remote areas and shook down for cash. With the signing of the peace accords last Fall, it looked like Nepal was finally going to have stability, allowing for safe travel once more. It also meant a likely end to the general strikes that plagued the country each year as the tourists and climbers arrived. Thankfully, most of the climbers have already left Kathmandu and are either on their respective mountains or at least en route.

Details – The Adventure Blog: Nepalese Government In Turmoil!

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Superior Hiking Trail, Minnesota

The Superior Hiking Trail is a 235-mile long distance hiking trail along the rocky ridgeline above Lake Superior in northeastern Minnesota. The trail is located within the Superior National Forest on both public and private lands, and is privately maintained. The trail currently begins near Two Harbors, Minnesota, extends along Lake Superior through seven state parks, including Split Rock and Tettegouche state parks. …

Ultimately the trail will begin on the Wisconsin border near Jay Cooke State Park, and will end by connecting to the Border Route Trail, which passes through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The SHT is a proposed segment of the 4,000-mile North Country Trail.

The Superior Hiking Trail Association (SHTA) is currently building 40 miles of trail through the forests and ridges of Duluth, MN. 22 miles of trail have been completed in and around Jay Cooke State Park and Duluth, MN. Future plans are to complete a segment of trail between Duluth and Two Harbors. When completed the trail will measure approximately 300 miles in length.

Considered one of the best hiking trails in the country, Backpacker Magazine named the Superior Hiking Trail the trail with the “Best Trail/Camp/Shelter conditions”, the trail with the “Best Signage” in the country, and one of the most scenic trails in the nation …

Wikipedia

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If interested, get the guidebook:

Complete and up to date maps, info on campsites, and mile-by-mile description of the trail. The Guide can be used for both day hikes and backpacking.

Day hikes from trailhead to trailhead are 5-11 miles in length. A through-hike is 205 miles. Also includes the new 39-mile section of trail through Duluth built in 2004-2006. …

Guide to the Superior Hiking Trail details over 270 miles of wilderness footpath on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Mile-by-mile descriptions lead the casual hiker or ardent backpacker through hardwood forests of birch and maple, and into boreal forests of spruce, pine and fir–a region thriving with spectacular wildflowers and diverse wildlife. This landscape, once carved by ancient glaciers, is dominated by Lake Superior, the largest-area freshwater lake in the world. The Superior Hiking Trail weaves along the Sawtooth Mountain range–easily the most impressive scenery in the Midwest.

Guide to the Superior Hiking Trail provides information on trailhead access, parking accommodations, designated campsites, scenic overlooks and linkages to the seven Minnesota State Parks along the trail. Complete trail maps are included in each section. Whether you have two hours or two weeks, an afternoon or a weekend, this guide will enhance your hiking experience.

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Fifth Edition

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map – SHTA.org

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more photos – SHTA.org

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Hike the Highlands Festival, Nova Scotia

Cape Breton’s 4th Annual Hike the Highlands Festival, Sept. 14-23, 2007 is on !!

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31 hikers enjoyed the first hike of the festival – the Jack Pine Trail.

Opening ceremonies went well and attracted a large crowd and registration was brisk on the first day of the festival. The festival’s blog will have daily posts/articles each day during the festival including updates on next day’s weather forecast.

The Highlands of Cape Breton are situated on the world renowned Cabot Trail and offer some of the most spectacular coastal scenery and hiking trails in the world. …

Ten of the eighteen guided hikes featured in this year’s festival hiking schedule are within the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, the second most pristine National Park in North America – ranked by National Geographic Traveler Magazine!

Hike the Highlands Festival Official Web Site, Cape Breton Island

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map

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lightning – serious backcountry hazard

A 21-year-old man John Cowan Jr. died when lightning struck near his tent in Colorado, the electric current traveling through the ground killing him.

Cowan had taken shelter in a tent with three others who suffered only minor injuries.

John Cowan Jr. and his three companions were hiking a trail near St. Peter’s Dome along Old Stage Road, about five miles west of the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs. They had hiked to a lookout point which provides a panoramic view of the Front Range.

Vail Daily

Lightning is one of the greatest dangers in the wild. I was well aware of the risk when caught in a number of extreme lightning storms in the Sierra Nevada mountains this summer.

Early one morning on the John Muir Trail a menacing cloud climbed up the valley and enveloped me.

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The storm began quickly. At one point the time between lightning flash and thunder clap was one second. Very conscious of the metal in my tent, I hid in the rain in low brush watching to see if it would be hit.

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Overall, in the U.S. there are between 50 and 300 deaths per year from lightning strikes. …

Lightning bolts can strike up to 10 kilometers in front or behind a thunderstorm cell. This explains the classic “bolt from the blue” — which is a real entity.

Since thunder travels at the speed of sound and the lightning flash travels at the speed of light, you can estimate how far the strike was from you with some simple math. Divide the time in seconds between the flash and the sound of a thunder clap by five and you get approximately the number of miles from you to the strike. Five seconds from strike to sound, and there was 1 mile from you to the lightning bolt.

So, how does one avoid being a victim of lightning? Here are some tips:

• Do not be the tallest object in the area when there are storms around.

• Don’t be next to the tallest object in the area when there are storms around. Move to lower terrain and protection.

• Stay off ridge tops and mountaintops if there are storms around.

• Remember a storm up to 10 miles away can reach out and touch you.

• If you are caught in the mountains, stay low, even in a grove of trees if you have to.

• If you are in a group in a storm, spread out so that one strike will not injure several people at once.

Dr. Collins: Lightning can be a backcountry hazard | Idaho Statesman

I did not see any lighting strike during several storms this summer. But it was hairy.

Be careful out there.

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great website – Tennessee Trailhead

This is one professional looking blog. And the editor jr_ranger is a High School Senior. (Who says youth don’t care about the outdoors?)

Congratulations!

I’ve subscribed.

I believe that the observation and experience of natural things in a setting removed from the hectic world of day-to-day experience can uplift and re-create the human spirit. …

Statement of Values

A good sample post on the National Park System websites:

NPS launched new websites nearly a year ago, and while parts of the change are a bit of a shock (like hearing your computer chirp at you when you log onto NPS’s homepage), there are several significant benefits – like the new “photos and multimedia” section that every NPS site has. …

Tennessee Trailhead: Canyonlands’ New Videos

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(via Modern Hiker)

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travel the World by off-road wheelchair

Andrew (Drew) Shelley contacted Tom Mangan after hearing about the successful ascent of 14,246ft (4342m) White Mountain by 4WheelBob Coomber in a standard wheelchair.

Drew has Muscular Dystrophy and also locomotes by chair. But Drew’s is a high tech motorized off-road machine — much different than Bob’s.

Instead of “hiking”, Drew goes off-roading on hiking trails.

Check out Drew’s documentary video.

Currently he is planning an Around the World journey. To extreme climates and trails.

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JourneyBeyondTheChair.com – official website