Author: Rick Mc

Career gymnastics coach who loves the outdoors, and the internet.
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West Coast Trail restoration

Photographer Josh McCulloch will be documenting the West Coast Trail winter storm damage restoration efforts.

It was a devastating winter in the Pacific Northwest. On the WCT:

– about 2000 trees down on the trail (80-100 is normal in a winter)
– cable cars down at Klanawa and Carmanah
– Suspension bridge at Logan Creek is down
– Landslide at km 12 near Michigan Creek

Josh has been out with the trail crews already and is optimistic:

If you are planning to do the trail this year, things are looking up. Though the damage is severe, I look at it more as an amazing event that shows the raw power of nature. When you’re walking through the forest near Pachena Bay, stop and look at the trees that are down there, it is absolutely mind-blowing!

West Coast Trail Winter Storm Damage and Restoration

This is a labour of love. Josh has done the WCT 11 times since 1997.

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We’ve linked to Josh’s photos tagged “West Coast Trail” from our West Coast Trail information page.

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hiking Madeira Island

Tom Mangan spotted this photo on Flickr.

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The Pilgrim’s Path – Mr. Enjoy’s photostream

The amazing photo is from a hike on Madeira island off Africa, an autonomous region of Portugal. (Likely you’ve heard of Madeira wine.)

Hikers go there to walk the ancient “levadas” (irrigation channels) that provide over 2172km (1350mi) of trails on the tiny island.

Two of the most popular walks are the “Levada do Caldeiro Verde” and the “Levada Caldeirão do Inferno”.

The photo is on one of the mountain paths or “veredas” that criss-cross the peaks.

More information – NatureMeetings.com

We’ve added Madeira Island to our list of the best hikes in the world.

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walking the Andes

1us_tired.JPGIn June 2006, two adventurers Gregg Treinish and Deia Schlosberg started an incredible trek walking most of the length of the Andes.

Yeesh.

That is a serious undertaking. Not surprisingly, they are having problems.

They’ve changed the “north to south” itinerary to walk different sections at the best time of the year — even if that means jumping on a plane.

And they’ve had some fantastic experiences.

They are posting occasionally on the Road Junky website. And their photos are posted on SmugMug.

Good luck Gregg and Deia.

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Deia

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“Walking and Hiking in Europe”

“annie en hans” from the Netherlands contacted us about an excellent site called “Walking and Hiking in Europe”.

It seems to be an archive of walks completed over the years with brief summaries and a few small photos each.

Not all the links work in all browsers, but “Walking and Hiking in Europe” will be of interest to avid European hikers. It’s also posted in Dutch.

oranginas.jpg

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looking for a new hiking jacket

My Marmot PreCip jacket is getting old. I should replace it soon.

The editor of Wilderness Trailcraft switched from a PreCip to the O2 Rainwear Jacket by RainShield.

“This jacket is nearly perfect for me because it is extremely light (5.7 oz), a bit fragile and very cheap. I bought mine on Amazon for just under $30! Fragile is no problem when you don’t wear it very often.”

Rain Shield O2 Breathable Rain Jackets

Rain Shield O2 Breathable Rain Jackets

Looks interesting.

Lightweight raingear on the cheap – Wilderness Trailcraft

Also being tested is the (slightly heavier) Zealot Jacket by Outdoor Research. I’ll be watching that blog to hear which jacket they like best.

Zealot Jacket - Men\'s by Outdoor Research

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Grey Owl Trail, Saskatchewan

DSD of the wonderful Summit Stones & Adventure Musings blog recommended we add the Grey Owl Trail to our list of the best hikes in the world.

And we have.

You might think this a surprising addition. It’s a relatively easy 40km (25mi) walk along Kingsmere lake in Prince Albert National Park, Saskatchewan. (This is the rugged, rocky “Canadian Shield” — not the flat prairies.)

More information on Trailpeak.com – Grey Owl Trail

One of the criteria for inclusion on besthike is historical significance. The destination — pilgrimage you might even say — is Grey Owl’s cabin.

His is one of the greatest stories of wilderness lore. A British white man born Archibald Belaney (1888) who took on a First Nations identity. Grey Owl wrote books eventually becoming a spokesperson for conservation and the traditional lifestyle of indigenous peoples.

Our contributors from Saskatoon have hiked the Grey Owl Trail many times. Their favourite itinerary is to hike one way, paddle a canoe the other. Half of your hiking group walks, half paddles. (Packs are transported by canoe.)

The Mystery of Archie Belaney

Grey Owl: The Mystery of Archie Belaney

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where’s the best hike?

besthike.jpgThe main purpose of this website is to:

list the best, most memorable hikes, long & short, in the world. Hikes that can change your life.

Most are challenging, multi-day adventures. But we also include the very best day hikes: the Tongariro Crossing (New Zealand) & Zion Narrows (USA), for example. We do not (yet) include off-trail scrambles or climbs.

This site helps you get started organizing the trek of a lifetime. The best guidebooks are listed to help you plan. (Be sure to get the most recent edition.)

Currently we are researching the best hikes on Earth adding an information page overview for each.

This is a work in progress. Can you help? Do you know of a fantastic hike that is not yet listed on this site? Did you notice any errors? If so, please e-mail us through contact links on every page.

This page is in the blog section. Here we post what’s new in the hiking world. Updates to our database of the world’s best hikes. And issues facing hikers.

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fly to Huaraz, Peru

A shout out to Clara Luz Bravo Diaz of Casa de Clara Guest House in Trujillo, Peru. (Great tourist town, by the way. The north coast of Peru is wonderful.)

They emailed to let us know of a regional airline now flying to Huaraz, Peru, one of the best hiking towns in the world. If you are planning a future trekking holiday to Peru — and who isn’t — stop researching the Inca Trail and start looking at the wonderful walks out of Huaraz:

Alpamayo

Santa Cruz

Huayhuash Circuit

You can now fly into Lima and connect to Huaraz via LC Busre airlines. Air service to Huaraz had been almost nonexistent over the past few years. This really helps.

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photo – solo trekking the Huayhuash Circuit – Jake G – flickr