My friends Greg and Helen Kolodziejzyk just completed the Tour du Mont Blanc. And had a fantastic time. 🙂
Check our TMB information page.
NEW – John Muir Trail
We’ve updated and moved our JMT information page.
AT A GLANCE
- one of our top 10 hikes in the world
start in stunning Yosemite, Muir’s “Range of Light”- 223mi (360km) to Whitney Portal adding sidetrips to Half Dome, Vermillion Resort and Mt. Whitney 14,505ft (4,421m)
- 15-21 days recommended
- most hikers carry their own food and tent (pack animals can be hired, however)
… read more here
If you’ve hiked the John Muir recently, check that page for accuracy. We’ve not been there since 2007. Too long.
BBC Natural World – Himalaya
Kraig Becker:
…The video below is a full episode of that series which happens to be focused on one of my favorite places – the Himalaya. If you have 49 minutes to spare, you’ll get a great look at those mountains and the people that live there, with some of the most breathtaking scenery you’ll find anywhere. So sit back, turn up the volume and enjoy the show. It is one of the greatest on Earth.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
I’m doing some research for a planned trip to the BIG mountains.
Overland Track, Tasmania
It’s on our list of top 10 hikes in the World. It’s on many top 10 lists.
What’s it all about?
Discover Tasmania calls this the best Overland tramping video they’ve ever seen. Kids, rain, mud, snow … and plenty of FUN on a family adventure. 🙂
Click PLAY or watch it on Vimeo.
http://vimeo.com/30842951
If interested in making the pilgrimage to Tasmania yourself, check our NEW Overland information page.
It’s been updated with advice from local expert Warwick Sprawson.
NEW – GR 20 Corsica
We’ve posted a new information page on the GR 20 in Corsica, France.
I hiked the more difficult, rugged northern half in 2011.
… The trail (conceived by Michel Fabrikant back in 1970) is long (even if you walk half of it) and tough. Don’t underestimate it! You need to be fit, well trained but most of all you must be highly motivated. …
The path is basic: i.e. there actually is no real path underfoot for 98% of the time. So much that on many occasions if you don’t see the next waymark or cairn you won’t know where to go. Seriously. In addition to that forget the flat path you’re probably used to; most of the time you’ll walk on rugged and tormented terrain, rocks, stones galore, granite slabs … you get the idea. Get used to it. …
The huts are basic. If we leave out the minor exceptions of the decent buildings at Haut Asco and Castel de Verghio, the huts are small rudimentary (some of them) bergerie-style buildings with small suffocating dormitories …
My advice instead is to bring your own tent. …
AT A GLANCE
one of the best treks in the world- 180km
- 15 days (many hike only half)
- 19,000m of ascent and descent
- sleep in tents or mountain huts (refuges or gîtes)
- hiking permit not required. Reservations for the refuges recommended.
- located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the Italian island of Sardinia
read more – BestHike GR 20 information page
Red Rock Canyon, Waterton
trip report by site editor Rick McCharles
Three teens from Calgary SOMEHOW had never been to Waterton Lakes National Park, even though it’s only 3hrs drive from their homes.
Almost immediately we came upon 4 bears grazing the hillside.
Like adjacent Glacier National Park, Waterton is a great place to see wildlife.
Due to bear problems in the National Park campgrounds, tenting was not allowed at Crandell Mountain Campground in 2013. We decided to stay outside the Park at Crooked Creek.
We shared the Creek with a family of Beavers.
Red Rock Canyon is a classic day hike, an easy loop.
More adventurous is to follow the Canyon up the mountain for as long as possible.
The guys ended up scrambling over and under logs, getting wet and generally having a blast.
All and all, a pretty good introduction to the joys of Waterton National Park.
more Waterton photos
Crypt Lake trail
Highly recommended. 🙂
We had a terrific adventure.
The Crypt Lake Trail is one of the premium hikes in Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is accessed by a dedicated ferry service operating from the Waterton Park Townsite. …
Voted “Canada’s Best Hike” in 1981 …
The crux comes at the top.
… ledge is about 50 cm wide, and continues over to a steel ladder and access to the tunnel. For nearly 100 ft you crawl through a natural mountain tunnel before arriving at the cable traverse. This section of the hike involves a scramble along a sheer cliff, with the assistance of a steel cable. …
The hike is a total of 17.2 km round trip, with a gradual 2,300-foot elevation gain. …
Wildflowers of Banff Park
By luck we ended up camping next to outdoors author / photographer Ian Wilson. He and wife Jacinthe Lavoie self-published Wildflowers of Banff Park in 2012.
Here’s a sample photo — a Western Wood Lily.
Click through to see a SAMPLE of the entire book online.
We bought 2 copies and some Scenic Wildflowers Cards.
Best trails near Banff for wildflowers:
Johnson Lake
Spray River
Sunshine Meadows
Healy Pass
Bourgeau Lake
Eiffel Lake
The Plain of Six Glaciers / Lake Agnes trail
Molar Pass
Helen Lake
Nigel Pass
details on WildflowersOfBanff.com
Actually, we met Ian near Waterton. They had been there for months researching their next book — Wildflowers of Waterton Park.
Looking forward to that one! 🙂
If you have any questions, comments, or would like information regarding book orders or special edition books, please email hyacinthpress@gmail.com
Waterton – Akamina Parkway Repair
On June 19, 2013, Waterton Lakes National Park received over 200 mm of rain in less than 24 hours, twice the amount which normally triggers a flood watch.
Most facilities that were damaged by the June 19 storm were quickly repaired and re-opened. This includes all campgrounds, most trails and bridges, the Red Rock Parkway and the sewage lagoons.
The Akamina Parkway sustained the heaviest damage … and repairs began July 1. …
The Akamina Parkway remains closed during reconstruction. …
read more – Akamina Parkway Repair Updates
We were there this past week. Akamina Parkway is still closed.
That means road access to about ⅓ of the most popular hikes in Waterton have been inaccessible this season.
That means I was once again not able to complete the Fantastic Four hiking challenge, a sponsor of this site. 😦
Akamina Parkway repairs have actually been going well. Everything will be open again for 2014.
Parks Canada operates three vehicle-accessible campgrounds in Waterton:
• Townsite Campground
• Crandell Mountain Campground
• Belly River Campground
Right now — due to BEAR activity — you can only tent at Townsite.
We wanted to tent so opted instead for Crooked Creek Campground outside the Park, privately-operated, less expensive.
Dientes de Navarino, Patagonia
The most southern hike in the world on the Chilean Isla Navarino leads you off the beaten track and through unspoiled nature and wild landscapes of Tierra del Fuego, far away from civilization.
From Puerto Williams on Isla Navarino we prepare ourselves for this unique hike around the “Dientes de Navarino” – mountain chain. During this hike we will walk through mystical southern beech forests, cross vast snowfields and have an impressive view over the Beagle channel. …
Dates 2013-14
16-nov – 22-nov-2013
13-dic – 19-dic-2013
15-jan – 21-jan-2014
12-feb – 18-feb-2014Other departure dates on request.
Price per person (Based on double occupancy)
USD 1890.-
Check out Dientes information page.
besthike.com 