I cycled in to the Lake Chaiguata as part of my Patagonia bikepacking trip. Cycling is a great way to get to trailheads in this remote part of the world.
Parque Tantauco is fantastic. And fantastically well organized and funded.
The campsites are as good as I’ve seen anywhere. They put down wood chips to keep them dry.
There are a number of day hikes of various lengths, all well signed.
This is a wet, wet landscape. Thus they’ve built a LOT of boardwalk. And I love boardwalk.
Though the topography is fairly flat, trails are built to take you to overlooks.
Outdoor retailer Patagonia announced Wednesday that it plans to donate the $10 million it is saving from President Trump’s corporate tax cuts this year to environmental groups.
“Based on last year’s irresponsible tax cut, Patagonia will owe less in taxes this year — $10 million less, in fact,” CEO Rose Marcario wrote in a LinkedIn post Wednesday afternoon.
“Instead of putting the money back into our business, we’re responding by putting $10 million back into the planet. Our home planet needs it more than we do.” …
In the era where Trump and his appointee Zinke are happy to sell off protected public lands, these proposals from Backpacker magazine might not seem modest to all.
Wyss Foundation is launching a $1 billion campaign, called the Wyss Campaign for Nature.
The campaign’s goal is to help conserve 30% of the planet in a natural state by the year 2030 by creating and expanding protected areas, establishing more ambitious international conservation targets, investing in science, and inspiring conservation action around the world.
Only by dramatically increasing the capacity of communities, indigenous peoples, and nations to conserve lands, waters, and wildlife can we hope to safeguard the natural world upon which we all depend. …
Let that question sink in for a moment. If you consider every advertisement you’ve ever seen for skiing, hiking, climbing and camping, you might think that’s the case.
… White athletes hold the spotlight in advertising, while the diversity that exists and continues to grow in outdoor spaces isn’t represented in the images we produce and promote. The truth is that we haven’t represented the diversity of Canadians or of our 5 million members.
We’ve let our members down.
We can’t move forward until we acknowledge our past. Historically, the models we’ve used in our catalogues and campaigns and on mec.ca have been predominantly white. And this imagery has perpetuated the vastly incorrect notion that people of colour in Canada don’t ski, hike, climb or camp.
This letter is about recognizing the role we’ve played in underrepresenting people of colour in the outdoors, and committing to change. It’s not OK.
As CEO of MEC, I promise that moving forward, we will make sure we’re inspiring and representing the diverse community that already exists in the outdoors.
This initiative isn’t about patting ourselves on the back. It’s also not about me, another straight white male with a voice in the outdoor industry. This is a conscious decision to change, and to challenge our industry partners to do the same. We know we’ve been part of the problem, and we’re committed to learning from our mistakes and changing the way we represent the outdoor community.
Outside is for everyone. It’s time we acted like it.
Check their new Diversity page. I’m proud to be a member and loyal customer of MEC.
The new marketing campaign by the Chilean government called “Route of Parks” is not a hiking trail. It’s a series of roads with occasional trails. And other outdoor adventure options along the way.
It’s a work in progress. Ultimately MIGHT be 1,500 miles long.
It’s one of the great conservation stories of all time: Last month Chile President Michelle Bachelet and American philanthropist and conservationist Kristine McDivitt Tompkins pledged to expand Chile’s national park system by just over 10 million acres—an area larger than Switzerland. …
If you are looking for a long thru hike in Patagonia, check the Greater Patagonian Trail route. It does not connect in any way with the Route of Parks because that’s a road. 😀
Indiahikes.com is our favourite hiking site for the subcontinent. Very professional.
Since 2011 they’ve been promoting hiking in India. One problem was poor infrastructure for waste management on the trails.
To stay sustainable for the future, all their hikes are litter-free. In fact they pick up more than they bring. Indiahikes groups carried out over 2 tons of trash last year.
Film makerLakshmi Rebecca — a non-hiker — joins the company on India’s most popular hike, Roopkund. She filmed the adventure.
Back in 2009, Thinlas Chorol set up the Ladakhi Women’s Travel Company, which has the distinction of being Ladakh’s first travel company completely owned and operated by women. It is also known for promoting ecotourism. …
… With the encouragement she received at SECMOL (Students Education and Culture Movement of Ladakh, an organization that helps educate children from remote regions of Ladakh) and the support of her American English teacher, Thinlas went on to gain some commendable professional expertise.
She attended a mountaineering course at the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (Uttarkashi) and spent a semester at the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) in Ranikhet, Uttarakhand, where she picked up wilderness and leadership skills. …
Since then, many Ladakhi women have approached her to train them as trekking guides and, today, the company has 8 guides, 4 trainees and 20 employees in all. …
besthike.com 