alpine – Page 133 – besthike.com

September 26, 2007

bag your poop on Mt. Whitney, California

UPDATE: Steve Sergeant posted a terrific Wildebeat audiocast on this last year – The Poop on Mount Whitney

Pack out what you pack in.

This is the age-old outdoor rule. And here, taking this decree to the extreme, is a good friend of mine who recently climbed Mt. Whitney in California.

I’ll let you guess what he’s packing out.

Photo of the Day (9/13/07) – Gadling

I hiked Whitney in 2006. Some of the pit toilets were still in place, though they stunk to high Heaven.

In 2007 you must bag it.

Pack-out kits are available at the InterAgency Visitors Center in Lone Pine, and at Crabtree Ranger Station. They are also available at many stores that sell hiking, backpacking and climbing equipment. You should also bring toilet paper and hand sanitizer. A kit will serve a person for 2 to 3 days.

Each kit contains two plastic bags for securely “double-bagging” your waste. The large inner bag contains a powder that absorbs liquids and turns into an odor-fighting gel. The outer zip-closure bag seals everything up for transport.

How to Use Pack-Out Kits

1. Find a secluded location.
2. Spread the large inner bag on the ground. Don’t spill the powder!
3. Crouch over the bag and relieve yourself. Dispose of toilet paper in the bag.
4. Tie a loose knot in the bag, and then seal it inside the zip-close outer bag.

Inyo National Forest

It’s no big deal. These pack-out kits work quite well.

Organize to hike Mt. Whitney, highest peak in the continental USA.

September 25, 2007

MORE photos hiking Tombstone, Yukon

I already posted a trip report with my photos. And a trip video. A spaceman. And related posts.

Then trip leader Dave Hayley mails me a DVD with ALL the photos from our 7 hikers. (Here Dave was either eating Wasabi peas or shooting himself in the face with bear spray. Not sure.)

YEESH.

What could I do?

But browse our hundreds of pics, … and post another 86 HIGHLIGHT photos to flickr, including some personal favourites, some panoramas and even a few celebration shots in Dawson after the hike.

Some examples …

chopper into the mountains

tent vista

coffee time

drying the socks

Rick scrambling the ridge

farewell … ’til next time

When are we pioneering the Tombstone Circuit, Dave?

View over 86 photos from this trip on flickr. (Click SLIDESHOW.)

original trip report with my own photos.

Tombstone Park – Yukon government

September 24, 2007

Mt Kenya – hike the OTHER Kilimanjaro

The Adventure Junkie of The Adventure Blog keeps close tabs on what’s happening in Africa (and the rest of the world).

His recent post Adventure On Mount Kenya caught my eye. It links to Matthew Power’s project to re-enact the Mt Kenya climb of British prisoners of war in 1943. (That “escape” was documented in the classic No Picnic on Mount Kenya: A Daring Escape, A Perilous Climb by Felice Benuzzi).

This got me thinking …

I’m interested in how to trek Mount Kenya independently. Or with a minimum of local support.

Of the eight standard walking routes, Naro Moru sounds appealing. It’s possible to ascend in only 3 days (unless the altitude gets you) and has bunkhouses at each camp so a tent is not required.

Africa’s “other Kilimanjaro,” 17,058-foot (5,199-meter) Mount Kenya, boasts all the virtues of its slightly loftier cousinâ€”glaciers, surreal landscapes, and cloud-carpeted vistasâ€”but with about half the hikers. Plus, it sits at the heart of the Kenyan Highlands, a patchwork of jungle and savanna where visitors can mingle with local tribes and track Africa’s Big Five on their own two feet.

Climbing:

While scaling the twin peaks of Batian and Nelion requires technical mountaineering skills and equipment, Point Lenana (16,354 feet or 4,985 meters), Mount Kenya’s third highest summit, can be reached with no specialized skills. The most popular trek is the 23-mile (37-kilometer) Naro Moru Route, which begins above Mount Kenya National Park headquarters. Plan to spend at least five days on the mountain. Porters are not required but are customary; they can be hired through Mount Kenya Guides & Porters ($10 a day; 011 254 062 62015).

Adventure Guide: Mount Kenya – National Geographic Adventure Magazine

Mt Kenya lies 150km (95mi) NE of Nairobi.

Bernd Reinkemeier posted a trip report and photos of his 3-day ascent on the Naro Moru route.

Mountain Club of Kenya – Hiking & Trekking

September 23, 2007

problems hiking the John Muir Trail, California

The JMT is our #2 hike in the World, about 220mi of trail without crossing a road.

I’ve been section hiking it over the past 3yrs. This summer I thought I’d try to knock off about 110 miles.

I brashly announced I’d hike 20mi / day from Bishop Pass to Tuolumne in 6 or 7 days.

It was not to be.

My first mistake was underestimating the difficulty of the required elevation loss and gain. This thing is a roller coaster!

larger map – PCT.org

I started from South Lake near Bishop after hearing great things about Bishop Pass and Dusy Basin. Both are gorgeous!

My favourite section of many favourite sections was Evolution Basin.

vista from John Muir Pass to Evolution Basin

But the BIG story of my hike was Hurricane Dean. More exactly, the remnant circulation of Dean which brought serious thunder storms to California and Nevada.

threatening skies

One day I was pinned down in my tent losing 5hrs of daylight. Here’s the hail outside my tent.

Another morning I awoke early to a cloudy day. A storm climbed up from the valley to pound me. (I hid in low brush to avoid death by lightning.)

When the storm finally cleared, I had been walking for days in wet socks and shoes. My feet, for the first time in many years, were blistered.

I love the JMT â€” but had to exit over 30mi earlier than planned, limping out at Red’s Meadow Resort.

My only complaint with the John Muir Trail is that it’s a horse track.

hiking pack animals

Historically it was pioneered for animals. The trail drops down to valley and water on regular intervals. Animals need grazing. I don’t.

I’d much rather stay HIGH on â€” for example â€” the Sierra High Route. This is a mostly off-trail adventure running in parallel with the JMT which tries not to drop down into the valleys.

Check out all my photos from the JMT on flickr.

If you might want to hike it yourself, check our JMT besthike information page.

September 21, 2007

heli-hiking Tombstone in the Yukon VIDEO

Previously I posted a trip report and photos from our awesome 5-day adventure out of Dawson, Yukon to Tombstone Mountain in August.

Here are the video highlights.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. (5min)

September 19, 2007

4WheelBobâ€™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.

September 18, 2007

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!

September 13, 2007

John Muir – one crazy hiker

Just read my first John Muir book â€” The Mountains of California.

I knew very little about the icon before reading about his decade exploring the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. Long before there were any trails built.

A young man, John Muir dropped out of University and started hiking.

… instead of graduating from a school built by the hand of man, Muir opted to enroll in the “university of the wilderness” and thus walked a thousand miles from Indiana to Florida …

Arriving in San Francisco in March 1868, Muir immediately left for a place he had only read about called Yosemite. After seeing Yosemite Valley for the first time he was captivated, and wrote, “No temple made with hands can compare with Yosemite,” and “[Yosemite is] the grandest of all special temples of Nature.” …

Pursuit of his love of science, especially geology, often occupied his free time and he soon became convinced that glaciers had sculpted many of the features of the valley and surrounding area. …

A large earthquake centered near Lone Pine, California in Owens Valley was felt very strongly in Yosemite Valley in March 1872. The quake woke Muir in the early morning and he ran out of his cabin “both glad and frightened,” exclaiming, “A noble earthquake!”

Wikipedia

In that earthquake rock fall, Muir ran towards the thundering boulders to assess how they bounce and where they settle into place.

In one chapter of the book “A Near View of the High Sierra” Muir describes his spontaneous first ascent of Mt. Ritter. In October. Without even a jacket. On a vertical face of rock and ice where there was no turning back. It was summit or fall.

He would study a single water-ouzel (his favourite bird) for hours. Or days on end.

In a wind storm he climbed 100ft to the top of a Spruce to see how the tree reacted. (Swinging in an arc of from 20-30 degrees.)

Muir may not be the greatest writer of all time, but he was one passionate outdoorsman.

Muir co-founded the Sierra Club and served as first President until his death. Sierra became the template for the modern environmental organization.

President Roosevelt with Muir in 1903

The Mountains of California

September 10, 2007

4WheelBob’s ascent of White Mtn – photos

The historic ascent by normal wheelchair to the summit of 14,246ft (4342m) White Mountain is old news now.

4WheelBob Coomber made the front page of the San Jose Mercury News.

Mercury News

No doubt, the editors of Backpacker Magazine are kicking themselves they did not send someone to cover his third successful attempt. They had sent a crew on his two previous unsuccessful efforts.

Tom Mangan of the Mercury News and the Two-Heel Drive blog was there. Tom took the photos, captions, wrote the headlines, and even wrote a sidebar piece called Bob wheels to the top, proving me way wrong:

Bob on summit day

Bob crawling backwards (which he did 3 times on the final day when the chair could not get past a scree section)

Two-Heel Drive: Favorite images from our White Mountain adventure

The week prior, Tom had invited me to join the support team and I’m glad I did. Bob is an inspiration!

How hard could it be? Some poor military sods at some distant time in the past were ordered to build a ROAD to the top of a high mountain. Yeesh!

Bob kept reminding over the 3 days ascent that “he couldn’t do it without us”. He’s right. Bob did no more than 97% of the work himself.

It’s much, much tougher than I expected. Much tougher than it looks in this photo. At times Bob could gain only an inch or two for each wheel stroke.

It was harsh. A monumental challenge, accomplished.

Congratulations Bob. And thanks.

I posted 50 photos of the climb on flickr.

September 6, 2007

hiking the oldest trees in the world

While acclimatizing to altitude in preparation for an ascent of 14,000ft+ Mt. White in California we spent two days hiking photogenic Ancient Bristlecone Forest – Inyo National Forest – out of Bishop.

The Schulman Grove Visitor Center is situated way up at 10,000ft.

The oldest known live tree in the world is dubbed “Methuselah”. But the exact location is top secret. The Methuselah Trail passes within site of this tree. But you must guess which it is.

An even older one, nicknamed “Prometheus”, was cut down in 1964.

Great Basin Bristlecone Pine – Wikipedia

Studying weird, warped trees is one of the great highlights of hiking the Sierras.

Patriarch Grove – my favourite of the established day hikes

all my photos of hiking Bristlecone – flickr

Nature Ali (Alison Sheehey) also has a nice Bristlecone page:

I am on a quest to discover, identify and photograph all of the conifers of California. Part of my quest led me to the oldest living tree on earth. Estimated at almost 5000 years old, the most ancient of bristlecones are considered one of the oldest continuously living plants on earth.

But watch out, they are surpassed in age by the 11 to 12 thousand year old creosote bushes (clones of the original bush) in the nearby Mojave Desert. Amazingly many of the oldest living things on earth occupy a very small niche in central and eastern California.

Ancient Bristlecone Forest – Inyo National Forest