desert – Page 23 – besthike.com

March 20, 2010March 20, 2010

hiking Steinbeck Canyon, Baja

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

Steinbeck Canyon is the name locals in Loreto use for the most popular hike in the area.

I started at the Puerto Escondido marina. With a bike.

You ride (or walk) from the marina out to main highway #1. There’s the arroyo (watercourse) in the distance just right of the exit road.

The turnoff to the trailhead is unmarked but easy to find. Simply cross directly over Highway #1 and follow the dirt road on the other side.

It’s impressive right from the get go.

It’s actually more of a bouldering scramble than a hike. You’ll be using your hands clambering up, over and under smooth river rocks.

What people like most is the explosion of insect, bird and plant life.

Some of the pools were so clean, when I was there, that I was tempted to swim.

Steinbeck Canyon is one of the best hikes in the Baja. Highly recommended.

See all my photos from a March 2010 scramble.

March 10, 2010March 8, 2010

Baja Adventure

by site editor Rick McCharles

Have you seen the Baja Adventure Book?

The classic has not been updated since 1998, but it was a great inspiration for me. I recall reading it in a library many, many years ago.

I write from Loreto, Baja. Just arrived after a road trip of 3450km (2143mi) over 5 days. I’m here on holiday with my parents, but plan to get out for some serious hiking, biking and kayaking.

If you’ve got advice for me on the best Baja Adventures, please leave a comment.

February 9, 2010February 3, 2010

visit Aloba Arch, Chad

One of the top 10 natural arches in the world, I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to travel to see it in Chad.

It’s one of the poorest countries in the world, literally in the middle of nowhere.

But I’d love to see remote Aloba Arch, always included on lists of the Most Incredible Natural Arches On Earth.

January 30, 2010

Copper Canyon Ultramarathon documentary

Often called the “greatest runners in the world”, Mexico’s Raramuri Indians currently wear these sandals handmade from rubber tires.

They are much studied by researchers of the Running Barefoot or In Minimal Footwear movement.

Living in Mexico’s Sierra Madre mountain range, the Raramuri Indians are some of the best long distance runners in the world, but how far can they run in the face of problems like environmental damage, loss of native lands, and the drug war? An American ultra marathon runner known as Caballo Blanco is fighting to help the Raramuri preserve their culture and tradition of long distance running. The Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon is the result.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

January 2, 2010December 28, 2009

hiking Los Nevados, Colombia

Aasmund Godal recently hiked a privately managed region of South America.

Los Nevados (English: snow mountains) is a national park located in the central area of the Colombian Andes.

Less than 150km from Bogotá.

Aasmund drafted a WikiTravel page on Los Nevados to assist those planning for that trip.

Looks great.

November 4, 2009October 24, 2009

best S.W. USA desert peak scrambles

From Branch Whitney of the excellent Hiking Las Vegas blog:

I am not a big fan of the typical desert peaks. Most have boring approaches, crappy rock, and long drives. I do not consider the peaks in Red Rock or Mt. Charleston as desert peaks. The rock there is much different. So I “cherry pick” the desert peaks I do climb. Here’s a list of my favorite:

Mopah and Umpah Points

Eagle Mountain

Moapa Peak

details – My Favorite Desert Peaks

All of the routes to these peaks and another 350 routes are available for members of HikingLasVegas.

October 27, 2009January 27, 2010

The Monkey Wrench Gang – a review

I feel a little sheepish recommending a book glorifying what some would call industrial terrorists.

But I do.

Amazon.com Review:

Ed Abbey called The Monkey Wrench Gang, his 1975 novel, a “comic extravaganza.”

Some readers have remarked that the book is more a comic book than a real novel, and it’s true that reading this incendiary call to protect the American wilderness requires more than a little of the old willing suspension of disbelief. The story centers on Vietnam veteran George Washington Hayduke III, who returns to the desert to find his beloved canyons and rivers threatened by industrial development. On a rafting trip down the Colorado River, Hayduke joins forces with feminist saboteur Bonnie Abbzug, wilderness guide Seldom Seen Smith, and billboard torcher Doc Sarvis, M.D., and together they wander off to wage war on the big yellow machines, on dam builders and road builders and strip miners. …
–Gregory McNam

It’s offensive in many ways. But I enjoyed it thoroughly as many, many have before me.

Author Edward Abbey is a hero and inspiration to hikers.

The dangerous 800+mi Hayduke Trail in the American S.W. was named after the lead character.

September 11, 2009September 2, 2009

hike Buckskin Gulch … and Coyote Gulch

Wild Backpacker has a good summary of our favourite hiking destination in the American Southwest:

… Buckskin Gulch is the longest and deepest slot canyon in the Southwest, and while others are narrower, prettier or more challenging to explore, the length and variety of the terrain in the ever changing narrows make it an amazing experience. The narrows extend for nearly 15 miles, with some parts only 10 feet wide. The cliffs grow steadily higher downstream, reaching a height of 500 feet above the streambed at the confluence of Buckskin Gulch and Paria Canyon. The walls of both canyons are rather dark, as the sun rarely reaches the bottom of the deep canyons. The walls of the gulch still show interesting swirls and curves worn by floods.

Buckskin Gulch and the Paria Canyon, is located in the Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness Area of Southern Utah. Buckskin Gulch is best done at least as a two-day canyoneering and backpacking adventure, although there are day hiking options …

read more – Buckskin Gulch, Paria Canyon, Kanab, Utah

Challenging. And awesome.

But even more extreme is Coyote Gulch in Escalante, Utah.

coyote gulch eagle

… The most challenging part of this hike is the climb out of Coyote Gulch near Jacob Hamblin Arch. The climb involves scrambling up a 100-foot pitch of slick rock that ascends from the canyon floor at an angle close to 45 degrees. A 100-foot length of rope is useful here for raising backpacks. A compass is also useful for the last part of the hike, which involves a 2-mile cross-country walk from the canyon rim back to Jacob Hamblin Trailhead. Sneakers or other wettable shoes are the most practical footwear inside the canyon, as you will frequently be required to cross the stream bed. …

read more on Wild Backpacker

August 18, 2009

hiking Telescope Peak, Death Valley, by moonlight

The always excellent Without Baggage blog published by Hank Leukart has a funny trip report:

… At midnight, the three of us set off to climb the seven miles and 3,500 feet from Mahogany Flat to Death Valley’s highest point in the moonlight.

In the dark, using only the almost-full moon to guide us, we trudged up the uneven, strenuous initial couple miles until we reached Arcane Meadows, a sweet, flat, two-mile treat sandwiched between the hike’s steep, challenging end caps. As we gained elevation, we began adding clothing layers — the desert certainly wasn’t too hot, but as we neared the peak, we wondered if we might freeze in the darkness. …

After five hours, exhausted and loopy from the altitude, we reached the peak. The meteorologist greeted us, then bounded back down the mountain to help the blanket-covered hikers we had seen on the way. We looked out at the supposedly stunning view, which we had heard combined Mount Whitney (the highest point in the contiguous US) and Badwater (the lowest point in North America). But in the darkness, almost everything was invisible.

Chilled by the breeze on the peak, we nestled into our sleeping bags just as an amber glow appeared on the horizon. As we drifted in and out of consciousness, we watched the Death Valley sunrise from 11,043 feet.

The last thing I remember from that night was the golden desert sun, peeking out from behind the mountains east of Badwater. Then I fell asleep.

We awoke three hours later to an expansive view of Death Valley with severe desert crags and deep valleys surrounding us. We signed our named in the summit book, repacked our sleeping bags, and began the same hike again in reverse. With the newfound daylight and panoramic desert views, it was as though we had never done it before.

moonwalking telescope peak.
hiking at night to death valley’s highest point.

Since I did that hike in June, seems I keep hearing about Telescope Peak. It’s cool to hike Death Valley.

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