Contributor Dr. Jeni McNeal hiking the Rockies.
She’s prepping for our 145km Wonderland Trail run of Mt Rainier.
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
Happy 125th birthday Banff National Park
My nation’s first National Park officially turns 125 on Nov. 25th, 2010, … but the party will be celebrated on Saturday, July 17th, Canada’s Parks Day.
… The park is now part of the Rocky Mountain UNESCO World Heritage Site, and draws 3.3 million visitors a year — more than any other Canadian park. Tourists take over the town of Banff every summer and fan out to explore the park’s 1,500 kilometres of hiking trails. Then they bring home their stories of classic peaks and the beautiful Bow Valley below to friends and families around the planet. …
more interesting photos tagged “Banff National Park”
BASE jumping world record
Aussie Dr Glenn Singleman has held the record (jointly) since 1992.
First Glenn and Nic Feteris climbed, then BASE jumped 5,955 metres (19,537 ft) from one of the Trango Towers.
In 2006 he and his wife Heather Swan climbed Mt Meru in the Indian Himalaya, jumping from 6604m (21,667ft), in the process setting new Guinness World Records for both BASE jumping and wingsuit flying.
Click PLAY or watch Meru highlights on YouTube.
His official website – BaseClimb.com
climbing Mt. Shasta
John Muir:
“Mount Shasta rises in solitary grandeur from the edge of a comparatively low and lightly sculptured lava plain near the northern extremity of the Sierra, and maintains a far more impressive and commanding individuality than any other mountain within the limits of California. Go where you may, within a radius of from fifty to a hundred miles or more, there stands before you the colossal cone of Shasta, clad in ice and snow, the one grand, unmistakable landmark – the pole – star of the landscape. “
Ryan Commons documented his climb.
Click PLAY or watch it on Vimeo. (additional links on that page)
Love that tobogganing descent!
Only about a third of the 15,000 climbers who try it each year, summit. Shasta is a beast.
Harding Icefield Trail, Alaska
Hank Leukart is in Alaska.
HOW TO HIKE THE HARDING ICEFIELD TRAIL
OVERVIEW: The Harding Icefield Trail is an 8.2-mile, 5-hour hike round trip with a 3,150-foot elevation gain. Hiking conditions are best from June to September. Early in the season, about half of the trail is covered in snow, but hikers with boots will have little problem walking through it.
DIRECTIONS: Kenai Fjords National Park is about a three-hour drive, south of Anchorage, Alaska. …
ROUTE: Even in the snow, the trail is well-marked with signs and orange flags. …
details on Without Baggage – where days last forever.
… exploring the land of the midnight sun.
scrambling Mt Remus, Alberta
Great day.
Evidence we made the summit – Amber writing us up in the summit log.
Of our group of five hikers, three were gymnasts. Here’s Krista celebrating the summit.
_____
We cycled in 6.5km (4mi), then had trouble finding the small cairn marking the start of the rough path to the river crossing. Our experience was exactly that posted on peakware:
Description – by Dow Williams:
Mount Remus is part of the horseshoe shaped Fisher Range at the front end of Kananaskis Country in the Elbow-Sheep Wildland Provincial Park.
Kananaskis Country is a maze of provincial parks which encompasses over 4,000 square kilometers of foothills and mountains bordering Banff National Park in the central Canadian Rockies.
Mount Remus starts one end of the horseshoe and Mount Fullerton the other. In between lies Mount Romulus and Fisher Peak. Mount Remus was officially named in 1940 along with Mount Romulus after the legendary twin brothers and founders of Rome.
The only published route up Mount Remus is the moderate to difficult scramble up its eastern slopes to its summit block. The guide book determines the chimney up the center of the summit block to be difficult with an optional moderate approach from the north. I found the chimney did not present a difficult challenge and rate this scramble moderate at most.
The most challenging aspect of the day involves crossing the Little Elbow River. This aspect of the trip more than likely explains why there is no trail and few, if any, cairns, thus little evidence of any traffic up this mountain. …
read more on peakware
Most fun was screeing and glissading descents. Here’s my butt track after I discovered tobogganing was even easier.
more photos from this great day hike
related post – biking hiking Banded Peak, Alberta
hike the Bear’s Hump, Waterton
A classic day hike in southern Alberta is the Bear’s Hump, overlooking Waterton townsite.
My favourite memory was a race to the top when I was much younger and much more reckless.
We were showing off the beautiful Rockies to Kate, from Ottawa. She’s been happily married to this guy, ever since.
Rating – Moderate to difficult (but well worth it)!
Distance – Approximately 1.5 kilometers
Elevation Gain – 240 meters (787 feet) … oh yeah, this is steep!
Number of Switchbacks – 18
Duration – 20 minutes – 50 minutes one way (depending on the number of breaks you take).
The hike is short but steep and most people in fair condition can make it up in 40 minutes (even my Pekingese dog made it to the top).
Click through to see a map and slide show from a Fall hike on Scenic Travel Canada.
related post – Triple Crown Hikes in Waterton this summer
horse trek Sichuan, China Sept. 2-13
My friend LittlePo, a Chinese national living in the USA, is organizing a terrific adventure.
I made a similar guided trip 13yrs ago. It was superb.
LittlePo Adventures is offering a discounted rate for Trekking Sichuan before we add this trip to our official trip database.
The cost of $1300.00 includes two nights lodging in Chengdu, one night lodging in Rilong, food, horses and horsepackers, ground transportation, park admission, some group gear (rope, protection gear, cooking stoves, fuel) and permit. Two awesome guides will be on board: one who speaks Chinese as her native language and knows the region; the other is an experienced mountain guide and photographer. Participants will get a DVD after the trip.
The trip is horse supported. Pack is light. The major challenges will be altitude (as we’ll attempt two peaks over 16,500 feet) and weather; however the weather in September is usually pleasant. Any avid day hiker will be able to finish the trek. …
Details on LittlePo.com
Consider adding on a flight to Tibet in September. Chengdu is the best airport to make that flight.
why I must buy a smart phone
Click PLAY or watch an EveryTrail app review on YouTube.
It’s available for iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile and Blackberry.
I want to duplicate Caldiper’s High Sierra Trail.
besthike.com 