WHEN is this technology coming to outdoor gear?
Looks brilliant. 🙂
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
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.
Why Nepal is the world’s best destination for solo trekking
That’s the sub-title of an August 2012 post by Mark Horrell:
So the government of Nepal has u-turned on a decision made earlier this year to ban solo trekking in the country. It’s a victory for common sense. Nepal is currently the best place in the world for solo trekking, and to ban it would have been a bit like the Jamaican Olympic team forgetting to register their athletes for the 100 metres. …
The ban was supposedly intended for security reasons after the decapitated remains of a female Belgian trekker were found in the Langtang region in June. This followed a number of other incidents involving solo trekkers in the area.
But leaving aside arguments that a solo trekking ban punishes the victims rather than targets the criminals, not everyone thinks security was the only consideration behind the decision. TAAN represents trekking agencies who provide porters, guides and logistics to trekkers. The biggest cash cow for agencies are organised trekking groups with many clients, and some independent travel bloggers have suggested the government may have been under pressure from organisations such as TAAN to implement a solo trekking ban in the misguided belief that it would encourage solo trekkers to hire guides or sign up for group treks instead.
A ban on solo trekking would certainly have been bad for Nepal’s tourism industry …
I hiked Everest independently in 2009. No problem.
But there’s some Nepali confusion in 2013 as to exactly where one can trek independently. And where you can trek solo.
If I get to Nepal in November I’ll check current regulations in Kathmandu. Most likely end up starting independently and solo in Langtang & Helambu.
Choquequirao to Machu Picchu guided
The best way to get to Machu Picchu is via CHOQUEQUIRAO.
If you want to be guided, here’s one recommended option.
Choquequirao trek to Machu Picchu Trek Private Service, 8 Days/7 Nights Program
Prices are per person : 2 people US$840, 3 people US$790, 4-5 people US$740, 6-8 people US$620, 9-11 people US$590, 12-16 people US$550.
details on Mythical Trails Peru
You can do that independently, of course.
And NOT CHEAT by taking the bus up from Aguas Calientes. Instead you climb in the dark, be waiting for the Gates to open. Then rush up to take photos before the hordes arrive.
Insect repellant essential at some times of the year.
How Much Does Your Gear Cost Per Use?
Good question.
BRENDAN LEONARD SEMI RAD:
… How many times are you really going to use that $3,500 bike? The $600 worth of cams. The $800 skis? No, wait, the $850 powder skis. The really fat ones.
The fact is, if you buy a $3,500 mountain bike and ride it 20 times before you talk yourself into buying a new one, you paid $175 per ride. (not counting gas, new parts, tune-ups, replacement tires, chain lube, and all that stuff).
Craigslist is full of ads selling used bikes that have only been ridden “a handful of times.” …
kickstarter – MyKu: Appalachian Trail
I’m Cheryl McCormick and my trail name is Clinker.
My project will be a compilation of photographs and haiku poetry, all created while backpacking solo, 2,187 miles from Georgia to Maine on the Appalachian Trail.
Once I return, the National Center for Nature Photography has agreed to a gallery exhibit of both my photographs and haiku poetry, documenting this endeavor in a creative fashion. I am launching this project on my 63rd birthday, April 5, 2013. …
Clinker is looking for $10,000 to pull off this adventure.
41 backers have pledged $3,853 as of my post.
Good luck Clinker. Yours’ is the first kickstarter hiking project I’ve seen.
NEW – world’s highest national park
The world’s highest national park, the Qomolangma National Park, located on the border of China and Nepal with a total area of 78,000 square kilometers has been inaugurated.
The park includes five mountain peaks with altitudes of more than 8,000 meters …
Qomolangma is Tibet’s third national park after the Namtso National Park, which was recently inaugurated near a holy lake for Tibetan Buddhist pilgrims, and the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon National Park that opened in 2010.
The parks are part of the Tibetan efforts to turn the region into “an important world destination.” …
Actually, not much has improved for the independent hiker in Tibet since I was there late 1990s.
Don’t go — unless you are willing to sign on to an expensive and often frustrating group tour. Or are willing to trek “illegally”, as we did.
Support Nepal instead.
(via National Parks Traveler)
related – Seven Tibetans Self-Immolate This Week
At least 62 Tibetans have lit themselves on fire since 2009 in protest of Chinese rule in Tibet.
gear in Kathmandu
Last trip (2009) I was shocked at the variety and quality of hiking / climbing gear available to buy or rent in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Mostly knock offs — “North Farce” — but you can get real gear, as well. Full price.
Manaslu Mountain Trail:
There is a minor manufacturing industry here now for outdoor equipment. Much is copied, using quality materials from China or Korea. Several companies make their own items for export. Famously Sherpa Adventure Gear is made in Kathmandu, so fine quality items are made here, if expensive.
On the cheaper side of this, a friend Uday has a small factory nearby and produces a range of equipment that certainly does the job at low cost. Is the quality as high as you can buy at home? Probably not, but it is not bad either …
details – Equipment that you can buy in Kathmandu
Jet your own gear to Kathmandu, if you can.
If you can’t, no worry. You can buy enough gear for a trek and later donate it to the local people. Or buy whatever you need and bring it home with you.
Things have certainly changed since my first visit to Kathmandu in the 1990s. At that time there was only one bank that would accept foreign credit cards. 🙂
New Zealand contest – 9 Great Walks in 9 wks
New Zealand is our #1 hiking destination in the world. Here’s the contest of a lifetime.
Air New Zealand:
Do you think you’re the perfect curious adventurer to take on the Great Walker Challenge? In their latest adventure travel contest beginning Tuesday, September 25th, Air New Zealand is searching the globe for four lucky adventurers to trek all nine of New Zealand’s Great Walks over the course of nine weeks. … (FEB-MAR 2013)
To enter, you … will need to submit a short YouTube video or Pinterest board that describes why he or she deserves a spot. Submission will be accepted through October 22.
Here’s a peek at what the lucky four will experience:
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
The nine Great Walks include the Abel Tasman Coast, Heaphy, Kepler, Lake Waikaremoana, Milford, Rakiura, Routeburn, Tongariro and Whanganui Journey.
· To enter: www.greatwalkernz.com
For information on Air New Zealand’s Great Walks vacations: www.airnewzealand.com/greatwalks
New Zealand’s Routeburn Track
Though the Milford Track gets more recognition, nearby Routeburn Track might be even better.
Kyle Ellison – trip report:
… This past year Lonely Planet listed the Routeburn Track as one of it’s top ten treks in the world, and the heavily trodden track has seen it’s annual numbers climb to over 13,000 walkers per year.
… the Department of Conservation limits the number of people who can through-hike the 20-mile route by only providing 50 beds in each of the 4 backcountry huts scattered along the trail. During the summer months, the no-frills huts (mattresses and gas stoves are provided) run a pricey $40 US per person/night and reservations are absolutely crucial. …
Permits are needed. Click over to Routeburn Track — official website — for information on how to tramp independently or guided.
There are plenty of good trekking guidebooks. Amy McGinnis recommends one I’ve not used — NZ Frenzy: New Zealand South Island by Scott Cook.
besthike.com 