Stephen Regenold:
It weighs just 7 ounces and is 5 inches tall. The phone body is made rugged for the outdoors. Announced today, Spot LLC will start selling a satellite phone for $499 this week. …
The phone has an optional data kit to connect it to a computer, letting you get online to check and respond to emails, upload photos, or post to Facebook from deep in the wilderness. …
The battery will last for 4 hours of talk time (36 hours on standby) before it needs a recharge.
Calling plans start at 25 cents a minute (and $149.99 for monthly unlimited voice) when the phone goes on sale this month online and at retailers now including REI, Cabela’s, West Marine, Eastern Mountain Sports, Gander Mtn, Bass Pro Shop, and Sportman’s Warehouse.
Call from Anywhere. SPOT launches Satellite Phone for Outdoors
Kolby Kirk – trail journaling
I’ve been a fan of Kolby Kirk for years. He’s certainly one of the most entertaining and creative hiking bloggers.
100hikes.com
In person, he’s even better. 🙂
Likable. Personable. Self-effacing.
I grabbed a front row seat for Kolby’s ADZPCTKO 2013 presentation on JOURNALING a hike.
Rather than try to explain what I got out of his talk, here’s Kolby himself explaining the journaling he did for a hiking documentary, MILE… MILE & A HALF.
Click PLAY or watch it on Vimeo.
And I was convinced. I’ll be carrying a hard cover Moleskine journal on future long hikes. A mechanical pencil. And carrying the journal some place easy to reach on a whim.
related – The fools ( Mahe Drysdale, Tamati Coffey, Cate Helm, James Gibson) selecting hikers for an Air New Zealand contest — 9 Great Walks in 9 weeks — did NOT choose Kolby Kirk.
The criteria: “… personality, creativity and skills that may be useful on the trip …”
Do as I do. Boycott Air New Zealand, if you can.
I’m planning to travel to New Zealand next year. I’ll choose a different airline.
random header images
The images atop every page all come from our 900+ best besthike photos.
site editor offline
Gone hiking. The Otter Trail. 🙂
10 Lifetime Hiking Trails
Luc Foin, cofounder of Baladeo, a French backpacking gear company, posted this excellent info graphic.
Baladeo promotes a “Roots Travelling” mindset to inspire globettroters & independent travelers.
![10 Hiking Trails You Should Walk Once In A Lifetime [infographics] » RootsTraveler](https://i0.wp.com/rootstraveler.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/10BestHikingTrails.jpg)
Does this site look different? … I’m testing a new blog “theme”
Looking towards a MAJOR upgrade by the end of February. 🙂
blogging from the CDT
Frank Wall recommended Walking With Wired:
… my quest to complete hiking’s Triple Crown and more. Pacific Crest Trail (2011), Continental Divide Trail (2013) and Appalachian Trail (20??).
That’s Erin “Wired” Saver.
She’s got a terrific gear planning post. I’m particularly interested in how she intends to blog from the trail:
iPhone 5 & Lifeproof Case
There are no words to express how amazing this phone is! The newest version is super light, thin, and fast. I just got it recently and am very happy to have upgraded. The increased speed and extended battery life will be a big help for me with blogging…
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS19
I have envied my friends with the Lumix wide angle lens long enough. I am quite pumped to say I have converted from my trusty little Canon PowerShot to the Lumix. It just captures so much more …
AirStash
This tiny (1.4oz) and pricey ($140) little device is pure magic. … but for hiking purposes, it is perfect for transferring my beautiful photos from my Lumix camera to my iPhone so I can put high quality photos on my blog each night. The iPhone has a great camera, but not as great as the Lumix.
… At the end of the day I put my sd card in the Airstash and choose which photos I’d like to add to my iPhone for my blog. It is a bit time consuming and can only be done one photo at a time, so I only recommend this for a handful of photos each night. …
I’d replace the iPhone with an iPad mini. Use solar recharging technology.
hmm …
Photodiary of a Nomad in Canada
I’ve been following Photodiary of a Nomad for years.
This couple have documented 6200km+ of walks and over 12000 photos.
Summer 2012 they started on the Pacific Coast, worked their way through the Rockies, and finished amongst the magnificent colours of the eastern forests in autumn:
Prologue
West Coast Trail (Gordon River to Walbran Creek)
West Coast Trail (Walbran Creek to Pachena Bay)
Vancouver Urban Fringe Walk
Skyline Trail – Jasper National Park
The Icefields Parkway
Assiniboine Day-Walks
Assiniboine-Sunshine Meadows Trail
Banff National Park (Two Teahouses and Larch Valley Hikes)
Yoho National Park (Iceline Trail and Lake O’Hara Circuit)
A Tale of Two Cities (Montreal and Quebec City)
Mont Tremblant by foot and canoe
La Mauricie National Park
Saguenay Fiord Trail
Hopewell Rocks (Big Tide in the Bay of Fundy)
Cape Breton Highlands National Park
Wanderings in New Brunswick
Not all of those trip reports are live yet. They are still being uploaded.
They walked our #1 hike in the world, the West Coast Trail.
Their words — never before spoken — about the WCT:
… The clear morning skies were becoming a bit monotonous, as dawn arrived with a pink glow on the eastern horizon. …
That’s a great trip report for anyone planning for the West Coast of Vancouver Island. In fact, I’m hoping to get back again summer 2013. 🙂
related – some of their best photos from past trips around the world
Barry on Summit Stones …
DSD:
I call these “Summit Stones“….. After gathering these small rocks for many years, while out on adventures, I now splash a bit of paint on them and give them back… The musings here are simply about the wonders of adventure and inspiration. It’s all about the importance of giving back and passing forward…..
Barry pays respect to DSD, the philosopher / artist who sends both of us — and many others — Summit Stones. And her good causes:
There is a poignant website, anonymously authored by DSD, called Summit Stones and Adventure Musings. …
On her blog, DSD has developed an extensive list of websites beneath the heading ‘Giving Back and Passing Forward’. (right hand navigation of her home page)
Each of the links in her list is worthy of your time. Some are well-established organizations like World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) , and World Wildlife Fund – Canada. …
Hiking With Barry – Wilderness Adventure – Paying Forward and Giving Back
Follow DSD’s blog – Summit Stones & Adventure Musings…By DSD
And Barry, too. 🙂
I’ll be leaving a Summit Stone in a place of natural beauty today. A highlight of my hike.
Attempt on Mt Anne, Tasmania
Frank (Our Hiking Blog) recommended a fascinating Sydney-based site called Sons of the Desert – a bushwalking blog
They post gorgeous BIG photos.
They got “lucky” with the notorious weather. Except for the wind. Tasmanian wind can destroy tents. And Maytag them.
Here’s how they tried to hold down one.
This is a great read – An Attempt on the Mt Anne Circuit, posted Jan. 2012.
If you like that, check their South Coast Track trip report.
Gawd. I still remember that mud.
… Yet I’m still planning a trip to Australia for Sept / October. Can hardly wait.
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