Category: alpine

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hike the 5 Towers, Dolomites, Italy

Trip report by besthike editor Rick McCharles.

Like my hike to the 3 Peaks, again this trailhead starts high, at a bus stop mountain pass

Rick-at-mountain-pass

I followed exactly trip #10 from my hiking guide. I planned, as recommended, to sleep the unique and extreme Rifugio Nuvolau 2575m (8450ft)

hut at the very TOP of the mountain
hut at the very TOP of the mountain

Sadly all the bunks were reserved, the only Refugio I’ve found completely full, so far.

This lofty aerie is totally dangerous. It would never be allowed in Canada. I assume one or two people fall to their deaths off the cliff every year.

Here’s a guy drying his t-shirt on the helicopter landing pad a few feet from the brink.

man-drying-tshirt-on-helicopter-landing-pad

I’m a little more cautious getting that close to the drop-off.

Rick-on-the-brink

There are the famed 5 towers far below.

5-towers

From here they don’t look like 5 towers. But from Cortina they do.

It was a fantastic hike. Just gorgeous. See the rest of my photos.

On the return to my starting point I checked 3 more Refugios. All had space for me. But I did not like any of them. Especially the one that suggested the price 45€.

The one previous charged 26€ for a basic bunk bed.

Happily there was a late bus back to town. I slept in my own tent in Camping Rocchetta back in Cortina. Cost 9€.

The 5 Towers is a well known destination for mountain climbers:

… Cinque Torri, meaning “Five Towers”, is a group of actually more than 5 towers that lies on the south slopes of Falzarego Pass above Cortina d’Ampezzo. …

Summit Post – Cinque Torri Group

Highly recommended!

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hike the 3 Peaks in the Dolomites, Italy

Trip report by besthike editor Rick McCharles.

These are the famed and disclaimed 3 Peaks. The most photographed mountains in the Dolomites, I reckon.

3-peaks

… The Drei Zinnen (German for “Three Peaks”), also called the Tre Cime di Lavaredo (Italian), are three distinctive battlement-like peaks, in the Sexten Dolomites of northeastern Italy. They are probably one of the best-known mountain groups in the Alps. …

People come to the Locatelli Refuge (IT Rif. Locatelli) to enjoy a fine meal at high altititude.

food-and-3-peaks

I’ve never seen so many hikers in one place at one time before, except on the Tongariro Crossing in New Zealand.

many-hikers

Why are they here?

It’s easy to take a bus right to 2300m (7545ft), the very base of the mountains.

But, for some reason, the crowds did not bother me. It was wonderful to see so many people exposed to hiking in such an easy and painless way.

If you hate crowds of enthralled visitors, go hike Alaska.

I adored everything about this hike.

I loved the wild flowers. Alpine meadows. The WW 1 history. The tunnels. Especially the Via ferrata (Iron Way) side trips. I think I’ve found a new life passion.

via-ferrata

Hiking in Italy is far easier than I expected.

map-of-Dolomites

hiking-guidebook1) Travel to Cortina, Italy
2) Buy a bus ticket to TRAILHEAD at Rif. Auronzo
3) Wander where you like for as long as you like
4) Take a LOT of photos

I used Walking in the Dolomites: 28 Multi-Day Routes by Gillian Price. This Cicerone title is the best available in English for this region. This area is covered by hikes 1,2 and 3. Buy your guidebooks in advance of travelling to Italy. English books are not widely available here as there are so many other titles in German and Italian.

Cicerone has several other guides including Treks in the Dolomites: Alta Vie 1 and 2 and Shorter Walks in the Dolomites. But the one I used is the best for most hikers.

No need to carry a hiking pack. There are great mountain huts every hour or two. Hosts will feed you and give you a bed for 40-50 Euro a day.

hiking in the clouds
hiking in the clouds

I left a Summit Stone on behalf of artist DSD. Look for it in the cairn atop the carved stone steps starting the Via ferrata closest to Refugio Pian de Cengia. (That’s a FUN Via ferrata by the way. Exhilarating, but safe.)

hikers-in-the-Dolomites

If looking for more inspiration to plan a trip to Italy, see all 134 of my photos. (I went crazy with the camera.)

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Italian Dolomite Mountains: insanely GREAT

by site editor Rick McCharles

My first trip to the Dolomites, I now know that it was a grievous injustice that we left this astounding scenery off our list of the top 10 hiking regions of the world.

I’ll be correcting that in the coming weeks.

These mountains are the best I’ve seen anywhere.

Rick-3-peaks

Trip reports to come. Internet access in the mountains is lousy. (The worst thing I can say about these mountains.)

I’ve moved to the S.W. part of the region for my next two hikes.

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great Jasper National Park photos

I have friends planning on hiking the Berg Lake Trail, Mount Robson in Jasper National Park in the Canadian Rockies.

We last did that excellent adventure in 2003.

Good luck gang!

Mt. Robson - click for larger version
Mt. Robson - click for larger version

Tom Mangan linked to a terrific photo article on Amazing Adventure Around the World.

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Waterton National Park hiking

Happy Canada Day!

When I was a young adult, “hiking” held no appeal to me at all.

One of the first actual hikes I ever did voluntarily was the Bear’s Hump in Waterton National Park, Alberta.

It’s a great adventure for kids, non-hikers and … everyone. What a view!

flickr - Jeff Milner- click for larger version
flickr - Jeff Milner- click for larger version

Waterton Scrambling has a great post on this iconic landmark – Bear’s Hump

That excellent site has a post on another terrific beginner’s hike, Avion Ridge.

click for larger version
click for larger version

Waterton Scrambling – Avion Ridge

Waterton is my favourite National Park in Canada. I’ve been there perhaps 20 times. And I’m looking forward to returning for more.

Other Waterton walks in our list of the best hikes in North America:

• Tamarack Trail
• Crypt Lake
• Carthew/Alderson,Waterton

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planning for Kilimanjaro

Kili is one of our top 10 hikes in the world.

A guiding company, Mountain Quest Adventures, posted 10 facts to consider before you climb Kilimanjaro.

1) Safety must be your top concern.

2) Consider staying away from the “tourist” routes.

3) Choose a company who specializes in climbing Kilimanjaro.

4) Select the route that best helps you acclimatize.

5) Choose a trekking company who actually visits your lodgings, knows the staff and approves your menu…

6) Your support team of guides and porters will make or break your trip. Choose wisely.

7) Select a company that hires the best staff, pays them fair wages and supports the local economy.

8) Do NOT rush your ascent…

9) If you are traveling to Africa, a Safari is a “must do.”

10) Get the best climb for your money.

Mountain Quest Adventures

photo posted by eir@si - click for larger size
photo posted by eir@si - click for larger size

Check our stub best hike information page for more.

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Telescope Peak, Death Valley, in April

SummitJunkie posted a good trip report and photos from an April 9, 2009 summit of the best hike in Death Valley, California.

… The views were jaw dropping, perhaps some of the best I had seen on any peak I have ever climbed. You can see forever, there is nothing as high as you are for over a hundred miles. Absolutely amazing!!

I had to take my time with the pictures, my hands were freezing. I was also having problems with my camera, when the batteries get too cold they stop working. I had the same issue on Shasta and Whitney so knew the solution was to put the camera and batteries inside my jacket to keep them at operating temperature. So between switching hands and batteries, it took me 15 minutes to take these summit pictures. …

Death Valley Road Trip 4-09 Day 2

My own Telescope hike in early June was so easy, it’s hard to believe I was on the same mountain … only a couple of months later.

photo by SummitJunkie - click for larger
photo by SummitJunkie - click for larger
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hike Arrowsmith Trail to Lookout

Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles 

On Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, at the Port Alberni Tourist Information Centre, I picked up a free brochure called Mount Arrowsmith. There is a guidebook, but the brochure is all you need to hike this mountain.

The brochure map shows 11 trails for hikers, climbers, snowshoers and skiers.

Close to amazing Cathedral Grove, is one easy access to the mountain, Old (Historic) Arrowsmith Trail.

There’s good parking ($3), pit toilets and a picnic area at the east end of Cameron Lake.

Cameron-Lake

The trailhead across the highway is easy to find … after you know where it is. (I drove by it the first time.)

It starts (deceptively) as a road.

Arrowhead-Trailhead

In fact, this route is extremely well marked. It has to be for winter adventurers, when snow covers the track.

trail-flag

This trail gets very steep and rough in places, climbing continuously for about 2hrs.

I was lucky there had been no rain for about a month. In wet conditions you might be scrambling up temporary creeks.

The route is mostly tree locked. That makes getting to Lookout even more enjoyable:

click for larger size
click for larger size

If you have about 8hrs, you can continue on this trail to the now defunct Mt. Cokely ski hill. One trip report calls that 20km return.

Better, however, would be to slog up in the afternoon. Wild camp tent overnight. And explore the top trails next day.

That’s what I’ll do next time.

click for larger map (PDF)
click for larger map (PDF)
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hiking with booze?

I’m for it, of course.

The greatest backcountry boozer I’ve hiked with is Kelly Mock, then living in Whitehorse, Yukon. It was Kelly that carried a “Bubba” (mini keg of beer) over the Golden Staircase to Happy Camp on the famed Chilkoot Trail in Alaska.

Arriving on the solstice, Kelly bought a round for the house at Happy.

He’s been one-upped.

beer-keg

Michael Popov carried 20lbs of beer up 4,000′ of Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the continental USA. He was doing some kind of loco carbo loading / altitude acclimatization for his record breaking unsupported John Muir Trail run. (4 days, 5 hours and 25 minutes from Mount Whitney to Yosemite Valley)

This is mentioned in Aaron Sorensen’s trip report from both Michael’s and his attempt that year.

Leave a comment if you’ve seen a greater feat of trudging alcohol up hill.

Here’s beer for you wimpy lightweight backpackers. (Treehugger hates this.)

beer-to-go-1

Incidentally, Aaron Sorensen will be starting June 28th an attempt on the Unsupported Record on the Lake Tahoe Rim Trail. No one has claimed this record yet. Aaron is looking at 55-60hrs for the 168 miles.