books and magazines – Page 25

July 29, 2009

Outer Edge Adventure Magazine

From Australia …

… Outer Edge, has broken new ground in outdoor publishing by dedicating the majority of its latest edition (on shelves 29 July) to unearthing active Indigenous adventures across Australia and beyond.

“We believe it’s a first for any outdoor magazine – to theme nearly an entire edition along Indigenous lines and specifically to focus on Indigenous adventures that go well beyond the stereotypical cultural tour options trotted out time and again as a core Indigenous tourism product,” says editor, Patrick Kinsella. …

Good idea.

Outer-Edge-magazine

Outer Edge home page

July 2, 2009January 27, 2010

Death in the Grand Canyon

The 2001 book Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon details 500 fatalities.

It’s a dangerous place to travel.

Library Journal:

Flagstaff, AZ-based authors Ghiglieri, a biologist who leads river trips in the Grand Canyon and abroad, and Myers (Fateful Journey: Injury and Death on Colorado River Trips in Grand Canyon), a medical doctor who has treated hundreds of Canyon injuries, have compiled a fascinating chronicle of deaths and dangers in Grand Canyon National Park.

The book is arranged by category falls, dehydration, floods, the Colorado River, air crashes, freak accidents, suicides, and murder and at the end of each chapter is a chronological list with names, descriptions, and causes of the accidents. The authors show that most of the deaths, whether of tourists, prospectors, or experienced adventurers, occurred when people failed to pay attention to warning signs or did not use common sense; others are attributed to high testosterone levels.

… Falls, fatigue, extreme temperatures and horseplay at national parks throughout the country lead to nearly 3,600 search-and-rescue operations each year, according to 2007 figures. The park service also responds to 16,000 emergency medical calls a year for anything from abrasions to twisted ankles, heatstroke and cardiac arrest, said Dean Ross, park service branch chief of emergency services in Washington, D.C.

Rangers at the Grand Canyon perform more rescues than at any other park, including 300 helicopter rescues a year, Ross said. …

Grand Canyon a challenge for hikers of every level

If you plan to hike there, be prepared (tips).

I got lost and exhausted in similar terrain in 2005, Colca Canyon, in Peru. Eventually I hired a local villager to carry my pack and lead me to a “hotel” in the canyon.

There’s no Search and Rescue in Peru. …

More advice on avoiding heat emergencies by Steve Howe in Backpacker – THE FRYING GAME

June 23, 2009January 27, 2010

UNSEEN HAZARDS That Threaten Hikers

A new small book by Jerry Genesio.

Vital information about natural, unseen hazards that threaten hunters, hikers, campers, and other outdoor activity enthusiasts, including Rabies, Tetanus (Lockjaw), Tularemia (Rabbit Fever), Brusellosis (Undulant Fever), Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Borrelia (Lyme Disease), with CDC advice on how to avoid ticks, and how to remove ticks. Each of the subject diseases is described with symptoms, treatment, history, geographical risk areas, and significant incidence reports. The book is written by Jerry Genesio, a former employee of Cutter Laboratories’ Biological Products Division, and author of a natural history series published by New England Outdoors magazine.

Amazon

June 20, 2009June 17, 2009

15 best mountain towns in Summer

By Kelly Gray on a new UK outdoor magazine called Wide World:

Just because there’s no snow on the ground doesn’t mean you can’t go to ski resorts. In fact, it’s a fantastic time for a mountain getaway – plus there are less crowds. White water, raw natural surroundings, forested canopies – perfect for mountain climbing, white-water rafting and challenging hikes. So put away your skis and snowboards and head to the hills in the ‘off season’. Here’s WideWorld’s pick of the 15 best.

1. Telluride, Colorado

2. Zermatt, Matterhorn

3. Chamonix, French Alps

4. Mammoth, California

5. Poiana-Brasov, Romania

6. Whistler Blackcomb, British Colombia, Canada

7. Ben Nevis, Scotland

8. Snowdonia National Park, Northern Wales

9. Angel Fire, New Mexico

10. Vail, Colorado

11. Queenstown, New Zealand

12. Valberg, France

13. Pamporovo, Bulgaria

14. Åre, Sweden

15. Sierra Nevada, Granada, Spain

Click through for links and details on each – Wide World – 15 AMAZING MOUNTAIN TRIPS

The obvious omission that jumps to mind is Banff, Alberta, Canada.

No worries. Banff is hardly underexposed. Better people be reminded of Åre, Poiana-Brasov and Pamporovo that are lesser known.

No RSS feed for Wide World? That’s lame. I won’t be back very often. RSS is essential in 2009.

Pamprovo

Pamporovo – the pearl of the Bulgarian mountain resorts, nests in the heart of the Rhodopes, 260 km from the capital Sofia, and 85 km south of the city of Plovdiv. …

REMAX

(via Kraig Becker on Gadling)

June 2, 2009January 27, 2010

longest wilderness hike in the lower 48

Surely you must have heard of the Cougar Traverse:

• Location: Pasayten Wilderness of northern Washington

• Length: 242 miles

• Best season: Mid-July to mid-October

• Features: The longest wilderness route in the lower 48 states. A loop. No road crossings, no resupply, no backtracking.

====

Why haven’t I heard of it?

… Ah. Here’s why:

… In fact this isn’t an official trail in any sense. Mike and Kristy Woodmansee created it and dropped it into their 2003 book “Trekking Washington” as a long challenge, far from anywhere else. Their difficulty rating is “toughest”, as it would be if done in the recommended 10 days. …

The Ultralighter – Occasional Trails: The Cougar Traverse

Amazon – Trekking Washington

May 29, 2009January 27, 2010

review – Trekking in the Everest Region

Caroline from Trailblazer sent me a review copy of the latest edition of their Everest trekking guide. (Published March, 2009)

I read it on high while tenting on Mount Lady MacDonald.

Amazon – Trekking in the Everest Region, 5th

For any hiker wanting to plan a Chomolungma adventure, there is no better resource.

Expedition, Teahouse or Independent?

Route options depending on when you go. And how long you can stay in Nepal.

Terrific maps.

I have no complaints at all. This is an excellent guide.

The author Jamie McGuinness is expert, one of the most experienced trek leaders in the country. Based in Kathmandu, Nepal, he manages a trekking and climbing company. And has summitted Everest three times.

The main alternative, Trekking in Nepal by Stephen Bezruchka, has not been updated since 1997.

My next trip to Nepal will be to the Everest region. I’ll teahouse trek independently, carrying a very light pack, deciding on my exact route once there.

And I’ll be using the Trailblazer Guide.

May 7, 2009January 27, 2010

Coast to Coast Walk: St Bees to Robin Hood’s Bay

I don’t know much about this adventure. But the weather is a worry.

coasttocoast-map
map source

… The walk from St Bees Head in Cumbria to Robin Hood’s Bay on Yorkshire’s east coast is now one of the most popular long-distance walks in Britain. At 178 miles (300km) long, the trail can be easily walked within a two-week holiday period. The route is based on permitted rights of way and minimises the amount of road walking. …

A Northern Coast to Coast Walk: From St Bees to Robin Hood’s Bay by Terry Marsh – Amazon

Consider also the Wainwrights pictorial guide and Stedman’s guidebook.

Walking Englishman – trip report

May 5, 2009April 30, 2009

Sierra High Route – American Adventure

Allie Comeau on the Sierra Blogging Post had to include a Sierra trip as one of her Top 10 American Adventures.

Good call.

It’s on our list of the best hikes in North America. Similar to the famed John Muir Trail, but without wasting so much time and energy descending each day. On the Sierra High Route you try to stay HIGH.

9. Hiking the Sierra High Route, California: The 195-mile stretch between King’s Canyon and Yosemite National Park is not for the faint of heart. This trail, through the country’s most rugged terrain, is challenging to say the least.

This one is dangerous. The expert is Steve Roper.

The Sierra High Route (also called the Roper Route) is a cross-country hiking route, 195 miles (314 km) long, through the Sierra Nevada. It was scouted by Steve Roper and described by him in his book Sierra High Route: Traversing Timberline Country (1982; 1997). …

Wikipedia

sierra-high-route

I’m going to need Steve’s guidebook.

Amazon – The Sierra High Route: Traversing Timberline Country

April 10, 2009January 15, 2010

iPhone Apps hit the trail

One of Backpacker Magazine’s blogs, The Daily Dirt, has been my favourite in recent weeks.

Here’s another interesting post:

… In a new 30-second spot, the familiar hands demonstrate apps to replace a compass, identify bird species, and spot poison ivy. Add those apps to the already impressive list including the Google Earth and GPS systems and you’ve got a handheld, do-just-about-anything, outdoor genius machine. …

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Daily Dirt – IPHONE APPS HIT THE TRAIL

Still, I’ll be taking my iTouch on the trail with me this season. Mainly for listening to Audiocasts and Audiobooks during the long nights in the tent.

Where I hike there’s no free WiFi. So many of the apps will not work since the Touch has not phone service.

March 30, 2009March 30, 2009

Lost in the Yellowstone

Lost In the Yellowstone: Truman Everts’s Thirty Seven Days of Peril is a surprisingly engaging read. One of the best survival stories ever.

One Amazon customer review:

Today, being lost in Yellowstone National Park is as simple as turning on the wrong road after you lost your complimentary map or you can not locate the restroom in the Old Faithful complex. For Truman Everts, being lost in Yellowstone was a struggle between life and death. Everts’s account details his 1870 adventure in Yellowstone after finding himself separated from his travelling companions.

The separation began Everts’s thirty-seven day struggle for survival in a pre-developed Yellowstone in which Everts had to find what little food and shelter he could just to survive.

Readers will find this account to be a real-life struggle for survival reminiscent of Jack London’s fictional work. The editor, Lee Whittlesey, does a superb job of editing Everts’s story by providing the reader with additional information and the historical background of the book.

The work is also illustrated with many early day photographs of Yellowstone which provides an stunning visual account of early-day Yellowstone National Park. This book will be appreciated by anyone looking for an exciting true-life adventure story as well as historians of the American West. People who have been “lost” recently in Yellowstone will also appreciate the book, even if their modern-day adventure pales in comparison to Evert’s