desert – Page 30 – besthike.com

May 1, 2007

first Hayduke Trail thru hike

Steve Sergeant of Wildebeat.net pointed me to a very professional trip report posted by Brian Frankle on his ULA (Ultralight Adventure) website.

Perhaps Hayduke is not so dangerous after all.

This was the first ever thru hike of the 800mi+ route. Brian seems to have handled it with ease. (Of course he is an accomplished long distance hiker.)

I tackled the Hayduke Trail in typical long-distance hiker fashion: frequent re-supplies, higher daily mileages, and with a focus towards lightweight equipment.

This presented some challenges and resulted in a longer distance hiked than the described route, but I think this strategy is critical to implement if you plan to tackle this rugged and demanding route… especially so in the context of thru-hiking the Hayduke.

ULA – Hayduke Trail 2005

Brian’s trip report (including resupply points).

Just last night in Moab, Utah I met a hiker setting out for just a short section of the Hayduke.

He was worried. Worried about water supply. Worried about getting lost.

April 28, 2007

dangerous Hayduke Trail, Colorado Plateau

Click on the thumbnail for a larger version of the map.

I’m not sure I’m man enough for this monster, invented and laid out by Joe Mitchell and Mike Coronella over an 8-year span.

It starts in Arches National Park. Finishes in Zion.

Named after a character from Edward Abbey’s The Monkey Wrench Gang, The Hayduke trail is an 800 mile long backcountry route that travels through some of the most scenic and remote terrain in the United States.

It showcases some of the natural wonders of the Colorado Plateau region of the American southwest, linking together six national parks, as well as national monuments and recreation areas, state parks, wilderness areas, and wilderness study areas. Exclusively on public lands in southern Utah and northern Arizona, this out-of-the-way route will lead you through deep desert canyons, over high mountains, across rivers and ridges, always revealing pieces of the personality of this unique region.

Beware! The Hayduke Trail is made up of pre-existing trails, routes, unpaved roads, cattle and game trails, ridges and drainages. The trail is not always apparent or obvious; strong navigational skills are necessary to safely and happily complete a trek in this beautiful, rugged region.

This is a backcountry trail. It is not a beaten trail like the Appalachian Trail. There are no towns ahead to find supplies in; there are no shelters. The trail involves hiking and wading through rivers, often dealing with quicksand and tight brush. It involves scrambling over or around rock falls, and climbing up, down, and across steep talus slopes. There will likely be no one around, perhaps for days at a time. This is a desolate region, and care must be taken to enjoy (and survive) trekking through this occasionally harsh land. This is not “beginner” terrain: getting in over your head in this region can easily end your life.

Deep Desert

The Hayduke Trail: A Guide to the Backcountry Hiking Trail on the Colorado Plateau

April 10, 2007

McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica

I’d love to hike Antarctica.

Realistically, the best destination would be out of McMurdo.

The McMurdo Dry Valleys are a row of valleys in Antarctica located within Victoria Land west of McMurdo Sound. The region includes many interesting geological features including Lake Vida and the Onyx River, Antarctica’s longest river. It is also one of the world’s most extreme deserts.

… the largest relatively ice-free region in Antarctica. The valley floors are covered with a loose gravelly material, in which ice-wedge polygons may be observed.

… Scientists consider the Dry Valleys perhaps the closest of any terrestrial environment to Mars, and thus an important source of insights into possible extraterrestrial life.

McMurdo Dry Valleys – Wikipedia

The superb photo blog Dark Roasted Blend has done it again. These are just a few of the pics they posted in a series on the McMurdo Dry Valleys.

more photos in this series on Dark Roasted Blend

The photos originally came from a Russian website. Spacibo!

April 5, 2007

trekking in Oman

Until recently I had never heard of hiking in Oman on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. .

Turns out there are excellent treks there.

I’ve subscribed to the Oman Expat blog. (Trekking category.)

It recommends the Trekking in Oman website:

The trekking season is generally from September to May, but the best period is October to April. Above 1,900 meter altitude trekking is possible all year round. The countryside is mostly rugged and the trails are loose, but trekking is by far the best way to enjoy Oman’s spectacular mountain-landscape.

Different types of trips with varying degrees of difficulty can be done; from the easy start in the Capital Area to the stunning Rim Walk in the Grand Canyon of Jabal Shams.

Trekking in Oman

Grand Canyon of Jabal Shams – Oman Expat

There are even a couple of hiking guidebooks available:

â€¢ Adventure Trekking in Oman
â€¢ Oman Trekking Guide

January 22, 2007

hiking to Rainbow Bridge, Arizona

After doing some research, I opted not to do it â€” yet. Organizing to hike Paria Canyon was easier.

The best of several options, I thought, was to hike in to Rainbow Bridge, then catch a tourist boat back to Wahweap marina near Page, Arizona. (about US$55)

If you can find transport to the trailhead early in the morning this one-day, light-weight hike is feasible. The hike in is via either of 2 foot trails: from Navajo Mountain Trading Post, 14mi (26km), or from abandoned Rainbow Lodge, 13mi (24km). Details on GORP.

A longer alternative is the Rainbow Bridge Trail: a 28mi circuit from and back to Rainbow Bridge. You would boat both ways and spend some quality time close to the spiritual monument.

Any hiking longer than the tourist 90min tour requires you get a Navajo Nation backcountry permit.

While at 275ft (84m) long and 290ft (88m) high it’s neither the highest nor the longest arch / bridge in the world, Rainbow is certainly the most famous.

I’d love to see it … someday.

Rainbow Bridge National Monument – Wikipedia

January 3, 2007

hiking to natural Arches and Bridges

… there are only ten natural arches in the world that have spans longer than 200 feet. All but one of these are in the Colorado Plateau area of the United States.

Although there may be other natural arches this long somewhere else in the world, no others have so far been confirmed. The most likely candidate is Tushuk Tash (Shipton’s Arch) in China, measured at 1200 feet high, making it the tallest natural arch in the world. …

The most recent addition to this list, Aloba Arch in the country of Chad, was only confirmed in 2004.

… visiting all nine … located in the Colorado Plateau requires a considerable amount of effort. Looking for natural arches always takes you into very beautiful places, some of which you might not have thought to visit otherwise. An arch at the end of a journey through natural splendor could be seen as the frosting on a very good cake!

Here’s The Big 10 as ranked by NaturalArches.org:

+ Kolob Arch – Zion National Park, Utah
+ Landscape Arch – Arches National Park, Utah
+ Rainbow Bridge – Rainbow Bridge National Monument, Utah
+ Sipapu Natural Bridge – Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah
+ Aloba Arch – Ennedi Range, Chad
+ Wrather Arch – Paria Canyon, Arizona
+ Morning Glory Natural Bridge – Moab, Utah
+ Stevens Arch – Escalante River, Utah
+ Kachina Natural Bridge – Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah
+ Snake Bridge – Sanostee, New Mexico

But which of these have good hikes?

I’ve only walked to Wrather Arch, an excellent destination. For details on how to get there check our Paria Canyon information page.

And I’ve researched Rainbow Bridge, Utah. Access is only by boat or foot. There are several good hiking itineraries.

Here’s a view of Rainbow you’ve never seen before.

original – flickr.

There’s more like this on James Neeley’s flickr photo stream.

December 30, 2006

walking the Great Wall of China – Helan Shan

I’ve been following the excellent and fascinating blog posted by Brendan Fletcher of a walk along the Great Wall of China.

The most recent is his best post to date.

Just east of the town of Shikong, the Yellow River takes a turn to the north and the Great Wall turns with it. For 90 kilometres the wall runs south to north along the foothills of the Helan Shan, an isolated mountain range with peaks as high as 3500 metres.

Historical details on the Helan Shan wall are sketchy (in English, at least). About all we have been able to find out is that Sanguankou, a series of fortifications about 40 kilometres west of Yinchuan, the capital of Ningxia, was built in 1540. Presumably the Helan Shan wall was constructed around the same time.

You might see the odd photo or two of the Helan Shan wall in the better books on the Great Wall, but itâ€™s not especially well known to tourists. Which is a shame, because it is probably the most impressive section of wall in the west, and itâ€™s located reasonably close to a nice tourist town in Yinchuan.

The Helan Shan Wall, Part 1 at Walking the Wall

December 18, 2006

book – Crossing Arizona

I am a huge fan of Scottish hiker / writer Chris Townsend.

Just finished Crossing Arizona: A Solo Hike Through the Sky Islands and Deserts of the Arizona Trail.

It’s both a travelogue and a how-to guide for the 800mi (1287km) Arizona Trail.

I love his insight into the joys of hiking â€” and his honesty. Townsend, one of the greatest hikers ever, got lost both finding and leaving Tuscon. (That’s something I would have left out of my own book.)

December 16, 2006

couple hiking the Great Wall of China

Emma Nicholas and Brendan Fletcher saw our post warning people off hiking the Great Wall of China.

That must have been somewhat amusing to them as they are in the middle of a 5-6 month trek along the Wall. (Walls, actually, as we learned.)

In 2002 the couple hiked the John Muir Trail, getting engaged on the summit of Mt. Whitney.

Though Brendan had hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 1992, China is an entirely different kind of challenge.

Starting at the remote western end, their website and blog are filled with fantastic photos and insights into fascinating China.

Check it out: Walking the Wall

UPDATE:

Brendan is aware of 3 other groups travelling the Great Wall:

Aspen Aerogels Great Walk – PrimalJourney.com

The Great Wall Nut (rather than the Appalachian Trail)

runners David Grier and Braam Malherbe – Miles for Smiles

November 15, 2006

when can I get to Moab, Utah?

When I hiked in and around Page, Arizona for a week it seemed every local hiker pointed me towards <a href=”Moab, Utah. I’ve never been.

Moab is 233mi (374km) southeast of Salt Lake City. It’s a tiny town that draws mobs of tourists, mostly visitors of the Arches and Canyonlands National Parks.

The town is also famed for mountain bikers who come for Slickrock Trail.

I hope to get there for hiking sometime in 2007.

Delicate Arch