Our Great National Parks is a five-part Netflix documentary series about some of the world’s national parks and their wildlife presented by former president of the United States Barack Obama.
I really enjoyed it.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Arctic Circle Trail, Greenland
… At just over 100 miles long, and taking 7 to 10 days to complete, the Arctic Circle Trail crosses the largest ice-free patch of West Greenland.
This splendid backpacking route, lying 25-30 miles north of the Arctic Circle runs from Kangerlussuaq to Sisimiut – both with airport access.
a summer walk, ideally from mid-June to mid-September, when the tundra is bursting with life; during the long winter, snow and ice, short days and bitter cold are the norm …
Bo Normander posted an excellent trip report from 2017:
GUIDE TO THE ARCTIC CIRCLE TRAIL IN GREENLAND
Lisa Germany (from Australia) posted her trip report.
Or you can listen to an interview where she describes Greenland and the ACT in detail.
EP-118 CYCLING AMERICA: Cycling 10,000+ miles around the perimeter of the Continental US for Charity – The 10Adventures Podcast
This week is a special episode, as we hear from Jim Feeney who is currently biking over 10,000 miles around the perimeter of the continental US to raise money for the charity SBP.
Here about what it takes to spend a few months riding the perimeter of the Continental USA, as well as Jim's experience on rides like this. You'll also here how the Peloton community has rallied around Jim and supported him on this journey.
Finally, you'll hear about the great work SBP does, and Jim's involvement over the last decade. SBP rebuilds homes damaged or destroyed by disasters, and helps people in one of their greatest times of need.
You can learn more about this ride and donate at https://sbperimeter.org/sbp, or follow along Jim's ride on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/sbperimeter/.
- EP-118 CYCLING AMERICA: Cycling 10,000+ miles around the perimeter of the Continental US for Charity
- EP-117 THE ALPS: Great treks like the Tour du Mont Blanc, Tour of the Matterhorn, Haute Route to Zermatt and more!
- EP-116 SLOVENIA: Explore this up-and-coming adventure destination
- EP-115 ENGLAND & WALES: Ideal active holiday destinations
- EP-114 ETHIOPIA: Author George Balarezo talks about cycling Ethiopia and his book Unhinged in Ethiopia
Troubridge Trudge – Sunshine Coast Trail, B.C.
Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles.
I’d previously hiked two other sections of the (roughly) 180km Sunshine Coast Trail:
Sarah Point to Manzanita hut (2015)
Mowat Bay to Lois Main (2016)
Pestered by wasps and other biting insects on those two earlier trips, I deliberately returned late season. No bugs.
This time I headed for the Troubridge Trudge section:
Oct 24 – Lang Bay to Golden Stanley hut (km 145)
Oct 25 – Golden Stanley to Mt Troubridge hut (km 158)
Oct 26 – Troubridge to Fairview Bay hut (km 173)
Oct 27 – Fairview to Lang Bay (km 180)
You can hike 42km in either direction. It’s called the trudge as this is the highest section of the Sunshine Coast Trail.
More maps.
Having reached the Sunshine Coast via ferry from Comox, I stayed in a Powell River hotel.
Weather forecast looking good next morning, I cycled down to Lang Bay.
A lovely autumn day.
Hid my bike in the trees close to the highway near Lang Bay.
Walked the gravel road called Canoe Main to join the Sunshine Coast Trail on Lois lake. (I could have walked Lois Main, the older road.)
Lois lake was created by a dam.
The mountains beyond the lake look tempting.
You eventually turn uphill inland on a trail towards Elephant lake.
It’s steep but not all that far to Golden Stanley hut, completed 2016. It’s not mentioned in my guidebook published 2013, of course.
I was carrying my tent as I’d seen online that the huts were closed due to COVID-19.
But the hut was open after all. Since I was the only person there, I moved in.
Impressive pit toilet.
Oct 25 – Golden Stanley to Mt Troubridge hut (km 158)
Mt Troubridge is the highest point on the Sunshine Coast Trail. I was happy to have good weather.
On the other hand, surprised to see snow at such low elevation in October.
It was Ho Ho Ho. 😀
In 2020 everyone takes the newer of two possible trails to the summit. The best route is always well signed.
I still easily reached Troubridge hut by early afternoon.
Here’s how it looks in summer.
And here’s how it looked when I arrived.
Mt Troubridge hut was flown up in pieces by helicopter.
It replaced the Troubridge Hilton, a small communications hut that’s now more used as an emergency shelter on the top of the mountain.
I assumed I’d have Troubridge hut to myself again when Chris and his dog arrived. Rather than sharing a small space, Chris took the A-frame. I stayed in the hut on my own.
He had the views of Jervis inlet and could see all the way to Powell River.
Turns out winter camping is quite comfortable — when you can sleep in a hut rather than a tent.
I took plenty of winter wonderland video. And later managed to accidentally delete most of it. Somehow. 😕
Oct 26 – Troubridge to Fairview Bay hut (km 173)
More good weather. I was worried the descent might be slippery, but new snow was mostly grippy. No problems in approach shoes.
Navigation no problem in winter either.
I stopped 800m lower for lunch at Rainy Day lake (km 169) which has a hut.
Winter hiking is much different than doing the same thing in summer.
Eventually snow disappeared. Went away. Like magic. 😀
It got easier on the way down to Fairview Bay.
Again I had the hut to myself.
And again I had plenty of time for photos.
There’s the ferry I’ll be catching to North Vancouver.
Next morning a leisurely 2 hour walk out. Autumn is my favourite time of year for hiking.
This is the end of the South Coast Trail. But I have one section left to finish, close to Powell River. Looking forward to it already.
I had to telephone the bus for pick-up. But it only cost $2.25 to get me back to Lang Bay where I retrieved my bike.
If you want to learn more about Canada’s longest hut-to-hut hike, check first the official website and our own information page:
BestHike – Sunshine Coast Trail
sunshinecoast-trail.com
Pileated woodpecker, Vancouver Island
The pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) is native to North America.
The term “pileated” refers to the bird’s prominent red crest, with the term from the Latin pileatus meaning “capped”.
These birds mainly eat insects, especially carpenter ants and wood-boring beetle larvae.
A pileated woodpecker pair stays together on its territory all year round and is not migratory.
The are often brazenly tolerant of people.
Click PLAY or watch one brazenly ignoring me on YouTube.
Tuck in your Pants to avoid Ticks 🕷
I cycle, run and/or hike every day while on Vancouver Island, Canada.
The risk of tick-borne disease here is low. But I’m still tucking in my pants before going out.
Mine are very light weight, slippery nylon. (Light coloured clothing would be better as it’s easier to spot ticks.)
The biggest danger in my neck of the woods is the western black-legged tick. It can transfer Lyme disease.
Fortunately for me, in order for a human to be infected by the bacterium, the tick must be attached for approximately 36 to 48 hours. I shower and check after each workout.
There is a report of one hiker who contracted Lyme on the nearby West Coast Trail. On that week long hike you may not be washing or checking regularly. 😐
Check the tick risk where you are adventuring. There are about 30,000 new cases of Lyme Disease each year in the States. The number seems to be increasing with global warming. New species of ticks are becoming known.
Check your pets for ticks.
If you get one, gently remove a tick embedded in your skin with tweezers. Firmly grasp the tick’s head without squeezing and pull upwards. Save it in a plastic sealed bag. Use a felt pen to write the date, name and address of person bitten. I’ve only ever found one once.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
related – Wikipedia – Lyme disease
Enchantment’s Traverse, Washington State
I hiked the Traverse in 2011.
Getting a permit is the first challenge
Click PLAY or watch some of my highlights on YouTube.
backpackers-review posted a MUCH better trip report than my own.
- about 18 miles one-way
- peak elevation of 7,860 feet
- mosquitoes can be a problem until late Autumn
THE ENCHANTMENTS TRAVERSE – ALPINE LAKES WILDERNESS
BikePacking Wesley Ridge, Vancouver Island B.C.
Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles
I tried and failed to do the Wesley Ridge traverse:
- close to tourist hotspot Cathedral Grove
- trailheads on highway 4 between Parksville and Port Alberni
- about 10km with 750m elevation gain/loss
- about 6-8 hrs from one end to the other
- additional hour or two walking abandoned rail tracks back to start
- not maintained. Hundreds of fallen trees.
- buggy but few mosquitoes
- route finding necessary
I started at the end closest to Parksville assuming it would be less busy than the Cathedral Grove trailhead.
I made a video of the BikePacking trip. Cycling to and from my parent’s place in Parksville qualifies this as a #MicroAdventure.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
I hid and locked my bike close to the trailhead. Transferred what I needed to my hiking pack — and headed up the railway tracks.
I missed the turn-off up mountain. It’s not obvious. On my return I flagged the start to make it more conspicuous.
Steep.
The strenuous 2km climb up to the telecommunications tower is called Wesley Tower Trail.
Many continue on to the first lake vista. It took me about 2 hours to get here. There are two benches, one named Forever Tuesday after the Tuesday Walkers Club in nearby Port Alberni.
Most turn back at this point. There’s no one path across the ridge from here.
I gave it a good try. You follow different (competing) sets of orange tape flags. Some lead to dead ends.
A bigger problem was scrambling hundreds of fallen trees. Not bringing long pants, I got quite scratched up. It was bushwhacking.
Another problem is water. I saw no flowing water — only remnant snow melt tarns.
With daylight failing, I finally decided to find myself a great tent site.
It doesn’t get much better than this. I had to HIDE in the tent at dusk, however, pestered by small non-biting flies.
From here I could see steam rising from Port Alberni.
Here’s where I stopped.
Good night.
Next morning, nearly out of water, I decided to hustle back the way I’d come. I’ll try the Ridge from the other end on some future trip.
related – Lonny Barr – Wesley Ridge Trail
tramping Stewart Island, New Zealand
There are three main multi-day hiking trails on Stewart Island:
Rakiura Track (3 days)
North West Circuit (9-11 days)
Southern Circuit (6 days)
Stewart Island can be visited all year round, and it possible to do the aforementioned hikes at any time of the year. But, our recommendation is to visit sometime during the peak summer months, when the weather is warmer, sunny days are (slightly) more likely, and the daylight hours are longer.
We suggest visiting December through March. …
Ultimate Gear Lists – STEWART ISLAND HIKING GUIDE
The weather is notorious. But your biggest problem is not likely to be mud … it will be sandflies.
Charles Darwin was a hiker
He got into hiking in his 20s, but it was trekking and scrambling in little know wilderness on four continents visited on his five-year-long H.M.S. Beagle voyage between 1831 and 1836 that cement him as one of the most worldly hikers in history.
“Mount Darwin” is the highest peak in Tierra del Fuego. On February 12, 1834, Captain FitzRoy named a mountain after him on his birthday. …
Darwin walked mainly to discover plants and animals unique to those regions.
I learned all this by reading his travelogue Voyage of the Beagle.
By the way, the famous phrase “survival of the fittest” comes from Herbert Spencer’s 1864 publication, “Principles of Biology.” The term is largely thought to have been coined by Darwin regarding his thoughts on evolution; however, this is a wrong assumption.
tramp the Travers-Sabine Circuit, New Zealand
- LENGTH: 50 miles / 80 km
- DURATION: 4-7 days
- TYPE: Circuit
- START / FINISH: St Arnaud (or Mt Robert Carpark)
- BEST TIME: December through April
At the northernmost end of New Zealand’s Southern Alps lies Nelson Lakes National Park. …
The park is named after two glacier-carved alpine lakes found at it’s northern end — Lake Rotoiti and Lake Rotoroa. These two lakes are tranquil and idyllic, making them great locations for car camping or day walks.
However, the real gems lie deeper into the park at higher elevations. Travers Saddle rewards the keen fit hiker with stunning views of the surrounding mountains. Blue Lake — claimed to have the clearest freshwater in the world — is quite surreal, with colours that dance magically in the sunlight. Lake Constance offers the solitude of a true high-alpine lake environment. …
… this circuit is one of the most stunning multi-day hikes in New Zealand. This trail can get relatively busy in the peak season, although it is not nearly as crowded or expensive as one of the “New Zealand Great Walks”. …
Ultimate Gear Lists – NELSON LAKES & BLUE LAKE HIKING GUIDE
besthike.com 