cycling – Page 11 – besthike.com

December 22, 2013December 23, 2013

hiking/biking Annapurna day 6

by site editor Rick McCharles

After 15 days continuous hiking on Manaslu and Annapurna, I was pleased to be able to saddle up on a mountain bike.

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Mustang Mountain Bikes opened in Muktinath in 2012. It’s run by Jurriaan Prakke (NED) and a Nepali partner.

Most ride Muktinath 3760m 1 day down to Jomson 2800m (airport). Or 2 days down to the hotsprings at Tatopani 1190m. I paid $30 / day for a “basic bike” to the hot springs. Money well spent. 🙂

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Jurriaan, the owner, was riding down same day as me. We set off together.

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Downhill, dry and open, cycling is fairly easy on the Tibetan plateau.

I stopped often for photos.

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Mustang gave me recommendations on where to eat. And where to sleep en route. Much appreciated.

Jurrian himself had recommended “Applebees” in Kagbeni, my favourite village the last time I hiked Annapurna.

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This is the gateway to the (formerly) forbidden Kingdom of Lo Mustang, getting more popular with trekkers in recent years.

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I wandered Kagbeni for an hour or more. It’s a very interesting town.

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Descending, I often needed to decide whether to take the river (easier) or the road (higher & dustier). Most often I opted for river, sometimes to my grief.

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There was a fair bit of hike-a-bike in these sections.

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I stopped in the big city of Jomson for lunch. And to check email.

Then continued on to the recommended stop at Marpha.

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Marpha is wonderful.

I checked out the monastery.

Marpha roof

Then climbed up above town.

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Tourism, apple growing and mule rearing are the means of survival.

All the Mustang rental cyclists that day stayed in the recommended guesthouse in Marpha. Room price was only $1. Lodges on this side of the Annapurna Circuit were mostly empty, trekkers now flying out of Jomson. Or catching motor vehicles down the mountain.

One hope for the future is mountain biking getting more popular

All-in-all, that was one fantastic cycling day. 🙂

One sour note … On a late night walk through Marpha a healthy dog decided to playfully nip my Achilles. Not appreciated, I can tell you. I’ve never taken the 3 shots required for Rabies.

see high resolution photos from this day on flickr

day 1 | day 2 | day 3 | day 4 | day 5 | day 6 | day 7 | info

July 19, 2013July 16, 2013

Mt Muller loop, Washington

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

In Day Hiking Olympic Peninsula (2007) by Romano, one adventure caught my eye:

Mount Muller
13mi loop
3200ft elevation gain

En route to the (easy to find) trailhead we stopped at the excellent Olympic Bagel in Port Angeles.

13 miles … how tough could it be?

… a low-elevation peak located in the northern region of the Olympic Mountains. … Clallam County …

Mount Muller is, however, the county’s point of greatest prominence (also known as the COGPP) and the county’s only peak with over 2000′ of prominence. …

… If the Mount Muller summit is the only goal, it can be reached in 5.3 miles from the west end of the trail system, or it can be reached in 7.5 miles from the east end of the trail system.

Many trail users opt to hike the entire 12.8-mile loop. The mountain is accessible year-round, and the Mount Muller Trail is open to non-motorized use only (i.e. hikers, bicyclists, equestrians, snowshoers).

… The ridgetop of the peak is primarily comprised of thick evergreen forests on its west side and rocky outcrops interspersed with forests on its east side …

… views from the mountaintop can be spectacular. Mount Olympus, Lake Crescent, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Sol Duc Valley, among other notable areas …

A recreational use pass is required for each vehicle parking at/near the Mount Muller Trailhead.

Summit Post

This hike was a labour of love for Forest Service employee Molly Erickson. She and a crew of friends designed and built the trail, naming many of the landmarks after themselves. 🙂

The wildflowers are GREAT. I was surprised to see beargrass this far west.

Turns out it’s …

… found mostly in western North America from British Columbia south to California and east to Wyoming, in subalpine meadows and coastal mountains, and also on low ground in the California coastal fog belt. It is common on the Olympic Peninsula and in the Cascades, northern Sierra Nevada and Rockies. …

After the loop, James and I enjoyed a soak in nearby Sol Duc Hot Springs.

more photos

related – 6min horseback trip VIDEO

December 31, 2012

Camino de Santiago timelapse

Click PLAY or watch it on Vimeo.

That’s from The Best Way – El Camino de Santiago.

Thank Dave Brown for the link.

November 5, 2012November 5, 2012

bike, hike, raft – Cataract Canyon

3 days, 75mi+

Mike:

I had a funny idea a few months ago: Colorado and Utah are at the low (we hope) ebb of a 10-year drought cycle, meaning our trails are desiccated and our rivers low.

… it occurred to me that this would be an *ideal* time to use fatbikes to access Cataract Canyon, taking advantage of the low flows therein to float it with packrafts.

Big Wheel Building

Click PLAY or watch it on Vimeo.

☺

Here’s another VIDEO edit from the same trip.

(via Hiking in Finland)

November 3, 2012November 3, 2012

cycling to the South Pole

Polar adventurer Eric Larsen next month will saddle up on the snow and pedal south. Way south. The goal of his solo expedition, which starts in December, is the geographic South Pole and a world record as the first man to do the trip on two wheels.

New gear in the world of bikes, namely fat tires and the frames to support them, allow riders to make tracks easier on snow. Larsen picked the Surly Moonlander bike, which has 5-inch-wide tires and can haul copious gear on racks and panniers. …

Man prepares to Ride special ‘Fat Bike’ to South Pole

Click PLAY or check the bike on YouTube

October 21, 2012

air bag for your head

How often have you, or someone you know, eschewed a bicycle helmet to look cool at the expense of safety?

Well, gamble with a traumatic brain injury no more. Two Swedish inventors created an invisible helmet called Hövding …

The helmet is actually a thick collar — like one you might see on a heavy winter jacket — with an airbag hood underneath that deploys should you get in an accident. …

Invisible Bike Helmet Keeps Riders Safe, Looking Cool

Great idea. But it’s single use, $450.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

October 9, 2012October 9, 2012

Jackson Circuit, Wyoming

Wyatt Roscoe from Jackson, Wyoming, conceived a grand tour.

Solo by bike, packraft and on foot.

Immaculate Chaos – Circumnavigation of Jackson

Click through. Those are some amazing stories and photos.

Jackson is a major gateway for millions of tourists visiting nearby Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and the National Elk Refuge.

I saw this linked from Hiking in Finland.

August 29, 2012August 26, 2012

The Way – Randall St. Germain

The Way of St. James … (Spanish: El Camino de Santiago) … is the pilgrimage route to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where tradition has it that the remains of the apostle Saint James are buried. …

… existed for over a thousand years. It was one of the most important Christian pilgrimages during medieval times, together with Rome and Jerusalem, and a pilgrimage route on which a plenary indulgence could be earned …

.. many pilgrims continue from Santiago de Compostela to the Atlantic coast of Galicia, to finish their journeys at Spain’s westernmost point, Cape Finisterre. …

… pilgrim’s hostels with beds in dormitories dot the common routes, providing overnight accommodation …

Staying at hostels usually cost between five and ten euros per night per bed in a dormitory, although a few hostels … operate on voluntary donations. Pilgrims are usually limited to one night’s accommodation and are expected to leave by eight in the morning to continue their pilgrimage. …

Canadian Randall St. Germain did the 500mi (800km) French Way averaging 26mi (40km) a day.

Camino de Santiago in 20 Days: My Way on the Way of St. James is essential reading for anyone foolish enough to fancy the French Way.

Randall is not a professional writer. Unlike more poetic pilgrimage reports, Randall details the awful weather, dog bites, exhaustion, bed bugs, … 😦

It’s unvarnished.

Randall:

Never to be included on the final list of Pulitzer Prize nominees, or in Oprah’s Book Club, Camino de Santiago in 20 Days is not your granddaddy’s Camino book, either.

I wanted to maintain the integrity of my Camino from St. Jean Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostela. My writing had to be honest and based on events which actually happened. I know some of it may be dry, but I wanted to keep my journey intact and not make up anything, including dialogue. Believe me, if I made sh*t up, this book would be far more entertaining.

Randall carried a tent the entire Way — and never slept in it. Yet he hates the hostels. Hates smokers, snorers and farters. … In fact he’s not all that fond of people.

Randall’s foot problems alone are enough to turn away most pilgrims. Not to mention the lack of toilets.

Still interested? …

Check his website – Camino My Way

Or friend him on Facebook. As you might have guessed, Randall went back to the Camino …

Me? … I’m still leaning towards mountain biking The Way. Inspired and informed by Randall, I’ll be tenting it every night.

Mine was a review copy. Thanks Randall!

August 28, 2012August 26, 2012

The Way – the film

The Way is a 2010 American drama film. It is a collaboration between Martin Sheen and his son Emilio Estevez to honour the Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James) and promote the traditional pilgrimage. …

Plot

Thomas Avery is an American ophthalmologist who goes to France following the death of his adult son, killed in the Pyrenees during a storm while walking the Camino …

Tom’s purpose is initially to retrieve his son’s body. However, in a combination of grief and homage to his son, Tom decides to walk the ancient spiritual trail where his son died. …

He reluctantly falls in with three other pilgrims …. Joost is an overweight man from Amsterdam who says he is walking the route to lose weight … Sarah … is fleeing an abusive husband, who says she is walking the pilgrimage to quit smoking. Jack is an Irish travel writer who when younger had desires to be great author like Yeats or Joyce but never wrote the novel he dreamed of. …

The film has been well received. It has garnered a “Certified Fresh” rating of 82% on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes …

The consensus description is: “It may be a little too deliberately paced for more impatient viewers, but The Way is a worthy effort from writer/director Emilio Estevez, balancing heartfelt emotion with clear-eyed drama that resists cheap sentiment.”

It is pretty good. I’m still leaning towards mountain biking The Way, however, rather than walking it.

I joined Netflix.ca in order to FINALLY watch this film. 🙂

October 12, 2011June 13, 2022

Camino De Santiago – the movie

Do you know the Way of St. James (Camino De Santiago)?

… the pilgrimage route to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where tradition has it that the remains of the apostle Saint James are buried.