cost – Page 16 – besthike.com

September 23, 2010September 16, 2010

Lost City trek, Colombia

Best write-up ever. Very funny.

The Lost City is accessible via a challenging but picturesque five-day trek that can be organized in the nearby tourist towns of Santa Marta and Taganga.

Several companies operate tours to the ruins, including the highly-recommended Magic Tour and Turcol. (Incidentally, Edwin Rey, a guide for Turcol, was one of the people kidnapped by the ELN in 2003. He’s the one holding up the sign in the photo below. He’ll be happy to show you newspaper clippings about his improbable escape through the thick forest after only one day in captivity.) …

Your group could contain anywhere from six to twenty-two people; friends are easily made by all but the most awkward. …

Gadling – Ciudad Perdida: The spectacular five-day trek to Colombia’s Lost City

The Lost City is one of the best treks in South America. Check our besthike information page – Lost City.

Very inexpensive.

September 22, 2010September 17, 2010

hike Alaska or Yukon?

I’ve been several times to both.

I’d recommend Yukon over Alaska for most serious backcountry hikers:

A. Fly into Whitehorse, Yukon.

B. hike #1 – Chilkoot Trail (permit required)

C. hike #2 – Slim’s River (trip) or Cottonwood, Kluane National Park

D. hike #3 – Tombstone (besthike video)

That would be a fantastic 2wk hiking holiday with very little time lost to travel or logistics. Yukon is dryer than Alaska. Has a better infrastructure. … In fact, you might even be able to do this itinerary on public transport.

Best weeks would be August / mid-September.

Leave a comment if you can dream up an itinerary as good in Alaska.

September 14, 2010

cheap Swiss Army knives

The Gear Junkie researched a terrific post – Origins of the Swiss Army Knife.

It’s essential hiking gear, for me.

At the Calgary airport you can buy confiscated knives (and many other items) every Tuesday morning starting at $2 each. It’s a charity fund-raiser.

Check your local airport to see if they do the same thing.

September 3, 2010August 30, 2010

climb Jackson Hole, ride down

At Jackson Hole ski resort in Wyoming it costs $25 to ride the Aerial Tram both ways. But it’s FREE to ride down … if you hike up.

Via the Summit Trail that’s 7.2mi (11.6km)

At the start, I was still super energetic.

I hope this isn’t an old Tram … that fell.

End of August, some of the wildflowers are still hanging on.

Finally, Top of the World:

Other hikers agreed that it’s MUCH more challenging than we expected. The 4,139ft (2600m) elevation gain is compounded by lack of oxygen. Top of the World is 10450ft (3185 m).

I saw no wildlife other than one marmot, and some pikas. A bear was spotted from the Tram earlier in the day.

more photos from this day hike

August 28, 2010August 28, 2010

NEW New Zealand hiking site

New Zealand Track Profiles (NZTP)

nzTrackProfiles.com

Outdoor route planning made easy

New Zealand Track Profiles (NZTP) provides a comprehensive solution to route planning for the New Zealand outdoors:
Elevation profiles for ALL walking tracks in New Zealand

High resolution 3D topography covering the WHOLE of New Zealand with all the essential details and features normally found only in printed maps. Each map sheet has equivalent area coverage as the corresponding commercial paper map.

Comprehensive track statistics which describe the characteristics of each track and its level of difficulty.

Navigation aids in the form of GPS and Google Earth files, for each track in the map sheet.

Each map sheet is available as a set of two ZIP files which can be downloaded independently.

Some of the 12,000 tracks are free. The rest cost a maximum of $2. … Cheap.

I’m thinking of returning to New Zealand for hiking next year. It’s our #1 hiking destination in the world.

August 9, 2010

climbing Kilimanjaro

by site editor Rick McCharles

Of our top 10 hikes in the world, the only one I haven’t done myself is Kili.

Price is one concern. Getting to Africa, another.

You cannot do Kilimanjaro independently.

Bobby Tours has 6 day climbs starting at $1100.

Bobby Tours – Kilimanjaro

Leave a comment if you’ve a recommendation for other good companies.

August 5, 2010August 5, 2010

Arizona – Paria Canyon guided hike

42 miles (67km) plus side trips – 5 days

Our favourite hike in the S.W. United States is Paria Canyon.

Logistics are a problem, however. Only 20 permits are issued each day, one of the most difficult to acquire anywhere.

… Also, it’s a 2hr drive between the trailheads.

… Also, there’s a slight chance of flash flood !!

You can do Paria independently, … but it’s far easier to sign on with a guiding company like Just Roughin It:

On the first morning, we will pick you up from your hotel in Phoenix or Flagstaff and drive to the trail head at White House Ruins. Once at the trail head, the group loads up and hikes along the Paria River from there.

Our goal on the first t day is to reach the Paria Narrows and eventually camp at the confluence of Buckskin Gulch and Paria River. The hike is 7.5 miles long with very little change in elevation and usually take about 5 hours to complete.

The next day we will set aside time for a 3 mile side hike up the narrow Buckskin Gulch, one of the most famous, and longest, slot canyons in the world. From here we will move further down river to one of several campsites to choose from.

From here, the itinerary is open except for the being at Lee’s Ferry on the 5th day. Along the way to Lee’s Ferry, time permitting, there are opportunities to explore other slot canyons and sites in the area – including petroglyphs, historical sites and Wrather Arch which is one of the largest spans in the world. …

The price for this trip is $1,225 per person from Flagstaff and $1,275 per person from Phoenix.

official website – Just Roughin It Adventure Company.

June 25, 2010June 25, 2010

cheap flights to Iceland

Prices this low from Europe are rare in high season. Iceland Express.

starting at €90, £65 or DKK650 one-way including taxes and fees, one way.

Late June, early July.

http://vimeo.com/12236680

June 5, 2010June 4, 2010

many U.S. Parks FREE June 5-6th

GET OUT THERE.

… June 5 and 6, more than 100 parks will throw open their gates and waive the entrance fee to all guests.

The complete list of parks that will be free next weekend can be found by clicking here …

Kraig Becker – Gadling – All U.S. national parks free next weekend

March 17, 2010

Machu Picchu reopens April 1st

The Inca Trail is still closed, but there’s been progress in getting one of the world’s top attractions back to business after severe flood damage earlier this year.