World’s Best Hikes: Epic Trails

On National Geographic, Doug Schnitzspahn posted an excellent list of the best of the best:

• Mount Kailash Pilgrimage, Tibet
• Israel National Trail, Israel
• North Drakensberg Traverse, South Africa/Lesotho, uKhahlamba/ Drakensberg Park
• Cinque Terre, Sentiero Azzuro, Italy
• Yoshida Trail, Mount Fuji, Japan
• Santa Cruz Trek, Cordillera Blanca, Peru
• Hayduke Trail, Utah and Arizona
• Laugavegurinn/Fimmvörðuháls Pass, Iceland
• The Way of St. James via the French Way, Spain
• Continental Divide Trail, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico
• Bibbulmun Track, Australia
• West Highland Way, Scotland (the weakest of the list)
• Shackleton’s Route, South Georgia Island, South Atlantic/Antarctica
• Shipwreck Coast/Shi Shi Beach, Olympic Peninsula, Washington
• GR 20, Corsica, France
• Copper Canyon/Tararecua Canyon, Mexico
• Great Himalaya Trail, Nepal
• Benton MacKaye Trail, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina
• The Snowman Trek, Bhutan
• International Appalachian Trail, U.S., Canada, Greenland, Scotland, Spain, Morocco

Here’s his list of the “most thrilling” treks:

• Besseggen Ridge, Norway
• El Caminito del Rey (The King’s Pathway), Spain
• Leukerbad Via Ferrata, Switzerland
• Devil’s Path, New York State
• Stromboli, Aeolian Islands, Italy
• Aonach Eagach Ridge, Scotland
• Huntington Ravine, Mount Washington, New Hampshire
• Kokoda Trail, Papua New Guinea
• Dry Fork Coyote Gulch, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah
• Black Hole of White Canyon, Utah
• Granite Peak, Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, Montana
• Búri Cave, Iceland
• Crypt Lake Trail, Waterton Lakes National Park, Canada
• Pacaya Volcano National Park, Antigua, Guatemala
• Huayna Picchu, Machu Picchu, Peru
• Mount Huashan, China
• Lion’s Head, Table Mountain National Park, South Africa
• Kakum Canopy Walk, Ghana
• Low’s Peak Via Ferrata, Malaysia
• Chadar Trek, Zanskar River Valley, India

Click through to check any of those you wish.

National Geographic – World’s Best Hikes: Epic Trails

(via The Adventure Blog)

September 6, 2014September 3, 2014

Grandma Gatewood – Appalachian Trail

Emma Rowena Gatewood, better known as Grandma Gatewood (October 25, 1887–June 4, 1973), was an extreme hiker and ultra-light hiking pioneer who was the first woman to hike the 2,168-mile (3,489 km) Appalachian Trail …

Gatewood hiked the Appalachian Trail in 1955 at the age of 67, wearing Keds sneakers and carrying an army blanket, a raincoat, and a plastic shower curtain which she carried in a homemade bag slung over one shoulder …

She hiked it again in 1960 and then again at age 75 in 1963, making her the first person to hike the trail three times (though her final hike was completed in sections). She was also credited with being the oldest female thru-hiker by the Appalachian Trail Conference until 2007. …

In addition, she walked 2,000 miles (3,200 km) of the Oregon Trail from Independence, Missouri, to Portland, Oregon, averaging 22 miles (35 km) a day. …

Grandma Gatewood’s Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail (2014)

September 4, 2014September 1, 2014

Mawson: And the Ice Men of the Heroic Age: Scott, Shackleton and Amundsen

I thought I knew much about the history of Antarctic exploration. Yet I learned much, much more after reading this book.

The incredible story of Australia’s most famous polar explorer and the giants from the heroic age of polar exploration.

Douglas Mawson, born in 1882 and knighted in 1914, was Australia’s greatest Antarctic explorer. This is the incredible account of an expedition he led on December 2, 1911, from Hobart, to explore the virgin frozen coastline below, 2000 miles of which had never felt the tread of a human foot.

… he headed east on an extraordinary sledging trek with his companions, Belgrave Ninnis and Dr Xavier Mertz. After five weeks, tragedy struck—Ninnis was swallowed whole by a snow-covered crevasse, and Mawson and Mertz realized it was too dangerous to go on. Dwindling supplies forced them to kill their dogs to feed the other dogs, at first, and then themselves. Hunger, sickness, and despair eventually got the better of Ninnis, and he succumbed to madness and then to death.

Mawson found himself all alone, 160 miles from safety, with next to no food. This staggering tale of his survival, against all odds, also masterfully interweaves the stories of the other giants from the heroic age of polar exploration, to bring the jaw-dropping events of this bygone era dazzlingly back to life. …

GoodReads

Mawson: And the Ice Men of the Heroic Age: Scott, Shackleton and Amundsen. (2012)

July 27, 2014

Yosemite Adventures: 50 Spectacular Hikes, Climbs, and Winter Treks

Josh Williams from Triumph Books sent me a review copy.

Author Matt Johanson is a lifelong outdoors enthusiast with extensive knowledge and experience in the Yosemite area and having personally completed every outing in his book, Johanson provides this great resource for Yosemite visitors.

Unlike the average Yosemite guide, Johanson offers a unique approach to the park. Instead of focusing solely on the popular summertime trips, Johanson presents the park as a year-round playground and includes winter adventures. Highlights include:

50 intricate maps and over 100 beautiful color photos and graphics of Yosemite

Five categories of activities – Winter Treks, Hiking, Backpacking, Mountain Climbing, and Rock Climbing

A guide to hiking atop the legendary, 3,000 foot high El Capitan

The path to the tranquil glacier-carved Elizabeth Lake, in the shadow of Unicorn Peak

Details of the arduous climb of the tallest mountain at Yosemite – Mount Lyell

Looks great.

It’s available in 4 different formats starting at $12.99.

July 22, 2014July 20, 2014

Outside magazine – BEST new Trail

Via Dinarica, the Balkans

The Dinaric Alps have 8,000-foot stegosaurus spines, fairy-tale meadows, and stone guesthouses. Decades of conflict made them tough to experience, but the area is amping up its tourist offerings, and access is improving on the new Via Dinarica. Our favorite stretch: the 600-mile White Trail, which stitches together old routes from Slovenia to Albania and follows the highest peaks. …

2014 Travel Awards: Best New Trail

July 10, 2014

Reese Witherspoon on the Pacific Crest Trail

It’s here.

With the dissolution of her marriage and the death of her mother, Cheryl Strayed has lost all hope. After years of reckless, destructive behavior, she makes a rash decision. With absolutely no experience, driven only by sheer determination, Cheryl hikes more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, alone.

WILD powerfully captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddens, strengthens, and ultimately heals her.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The film is based on Cheryl Strayed’s wildly popular memoir. Reese Witherspoon optioned the rights to the book for her upcoming movie even before it became a New York Times bestseller and was selected for Oprah’s Book Club 2.0.

Now the trailer is out for the film, Wild, based on Cheryl Strayed’s 2012 memoir Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail. Starring Witherspoon and directed by Dallas Buyers Club’s Jean-Marc Vallée, the film tells the story of Strayed’s 1,100 mile trek to find herself.

Time

I enjoyed the book. Love Reese Witherspoon. And can hardly wait to see this movie.

However, … to real PCT hikers Cheryl Strayed is a joke. My advice is that Cheryl stay away. Reese is welcome to hike with me any time. 🙂

June 30, 2014June 26, 2014

Paine Circuit – best trek in the world?

wikiexplora ranks Paine the #1 trek in the world 🙂

AT A GLANCE

close to the southern tip of South America
100km (62mi) Paine Circuit is unique & gorgeous
recommended 9 days, 8 nights
shorter, easier 5-day alternative called “the W”

We’ve moved and updated our Paine Circuit information page.

It’s available one click from the besthike home page, under the South America pulldown menu.

June 26, 2014June 24, 2014

new – “Natural Annapurna Trekking Trail”

Here’s the BIG question when it comes to famed Annapurna:

ramblin’ boy – Nepal’s Annapurna Circuit: Is It Still Worth Doing?

I trekked Annapurna in 2013, staying mainly on the traditional “roads” on foot and mountain bike.

But I now wish I had an electronic version of this new book by Andrées de Ruiter and Prem Rai. They are documenting the NEW Annapurna trail, avoiding the worst of the motor roadways.

Trekking in the Annapurna area along the new NATT – trails which avoid the road. [Kindle Edition]

It includes Annapurna round / circuit, Tilicho lake, Annapurna Panorama trek & Poon Hill, Annapurna Basecamp trek ABC and the new Khopra Danda and Mardi Himal trek.

Or, you can check out an older (free) PDF version before you buy the new one.

Here’s the road near Chame under construction in 2013.

P1260118

author Karen Sykes – dead of hypothermia

😦

Brian J. Cantwell of The Seattle Times described hiking expert and author Karen Sykes as “a tough old bird, dogged in pursuit of topics that would get more people outdoors.”

An avid explorer of the Northwest forests and mountains, Sykes wrote about hiking in all of its guises; wildflower hikes, hikes for kids, hikes for novices, you name it. She was a teacher and an inspiration. …

After having been reported missing last week in Mount Rainier National Park, her body was found three days later. She died of hypothermia, according to the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s office. …

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC), 16,911 deaths in the United States were associated with hypothermia between 1999 to 2011. …

Mother Nature