Not albino.
SenecaWhiteDeer.org is a site dedicated to preserving a unique herd of white deer in Seneca County, New York State.
(via New York Outdoors Blog and Hiking in the Smokys)
hiking Maroon Bells Loop, Colorado
trip report by besthike editor Rick McCharles
• 28mi (45.1km)
• moderate difficulty
• free backcountry permit
• 4 passes all higher than 12,000ft
For years I’ve wanted to get to this, one of the most photographed idyls in the Rockies.
The Maroon Bells is a mountain in the Elk Mountains that consists of two peaks, South Maroon Peak and North Maroon Peak, separated by about a third of a mile.
… about 12 miles southwest of Aspen. Both peaks are counted as fourteeners …
The Maroon Bells 4 Pass Loop starts here, high at 9580ft (2920m), mostly above the treeline.
The wildflowers were still quite good mid-August.
As usual in late afternoon in the Rockies, weather was iffy.
It was an emergency tent site I finally found just at dark. Happily, next morning dawned brilliantly clear:
Early morning I crossed pass #1: West Maroon.
En route to Pass #2: Frigid Air:
The trails are fantastic, … aside from one much cursed section I called THE QUAGMIRE. Once you reach the biggest waterfall on the Crystal river, the track disappears into a bog of mud and fallen trees.
Who’s responsible?
Here I am cleaning my shoes (deliberately) on a creek crossing.
When I met an oncoming hiker who had heard about THE QUAGMIRE, he decided to bushwhack on the opposite side of Crystal river. It couldn’t possibly be worse.
See the next high pass?
That’s #3, Trail Rider.
It was a long, exhausting climb. Yet gorgeous.
Hikers on Trail Rider pass:
The vistas of Snowmass Lake on the other side were all that was keeping me going.
Tenting is super popular at Snowmass. I decided to carry on until dusk, approaching the 4th and final pass. …
Next morning I was up at first light, first human at pass #4 Buckskin. It was just me and the mountain goats.
I’ll always remember the big open vistas of the Maroon Bells. And the wildflowers.
Highly recommended. One of the best hikes in the world.
Montana – man in tent killed by Grizzly
A few days before my solo Beartooth High Lakes hike, nearby a camper was killed and eaten by a bear.
Montana Department of Fish, WIldlife, and Parks (MFWP) officials have captured a 300 – 400 lb. grizzly sow that went berserk in a Montana campground, fatally mauling Kevin Kammer, 48, of Grand Rapids, MI. Two other people were injured in the attack, which took place around 2 a.m. Wednesday, July 28 in Soda Butte Campground on the Gallatin National Forest northeast of Yellowstone. Witnesses said the sow was with three yearling cubs.
MFWP officials say Kammer was by himself in a tent when the attack happened. He was found at around 4 .M. about 25 feet from his tent by a team of state park investigators dispatched to the area on a report of a bear attack. He was a husband and father of four children, ages 8,9, 15 and 19 and he was alone on a fly-fishing vacation. …
The mother bear was euthanized, the cubs sent to a Zoo.
… I saw no bear sign on my own trek.
Beartooth High Lakes, Wyoming
trip report by site editor Rick McCharles
35mi (57km) on the Continental Divide
This lollypop loop circuit, as recommended by Lonely Planet Hiking in the USA, starts and (supposedly) finishes at the Island Lake trailhead on the intensely scenic Beartooth Highway, an access to Yellowstone National Park.
The wildflowers here in early August are insanely great.
Unfortunately, the horseflies and mosquitoes are insanely awful. Fish food, I guess.
For all the wildlife in nearby Yellowstone, I was surprised to see nothing larger than this marmot. … Perhaps the mosquitoes drove them out.
The High Lakes hike is aptly named. You trek from one remote lake to the next. With all the granite, at times it reminded me of the Sierra Nevada.
You are going to get your feet wet, for sure. But normally there is a way across the widest streams.
Many love this wilderness for the remote tenting options. Set up wherever you want.
Lonely Planet rates this adventure easy-medium, the worse misranking of any hike in the book. It is correct here:
… Waymarkings and signposts are unreliable. …
The Beartooth High Lakes circuit is very challenging due to the many rocky and wet scrambles. The snow that stays into late July. The lack of signage. Trails that often fizzle out completely.
In fact, I’d not recommend you try it without a good topo and GPS. One lake looks like the next up here.
Here I am wandering out through charming alpine meadows, looking for a good spot to leave a Summit Stone.
Though I was blissfully unaware at the time, I was far lost.
I ended up at the Clay Butte lookout tower, miles from my vehicle. … It was a long highway walk back to my car.
I loved the High Lakes hike. But I’d never do it again until after the mosquitoes are mostly gone. Perhaps September.
The best day hike is the section up to Becker or even Albino lakes.
See all photos from my High Lakes hike.
National Geographic Top 35 Photos 2009
cat hikes 15,000km
This would be yet another story of the mad French doing some insane long distance hike. …
If William and Laetitia hadn’t decided to bring a cat along with them on a walk from Miami to Ushuaia, Patagonia.
Kitty looks to be enjoying the adventure.
Check their videos, podcasts and press releases.
official blog (translated to English)
Thanks George.
my first rattlesnake
hiking Navajo Knobs, Utah
trip report by site editor Rick McCharles
Though May is reckoned to be the best month to hike Capitol Reef, rather than set up a tent I fled to this little “camping cabin“.
Good call. Morning dawned well below zero with plenty of snow on the ground.
The Visitor Center is everyone’s first stop. From there it’s only a few miles to Hickman Bridge trailhead where you have the option of 4 hikes:
• Hickman Bridge
• Rim Overlook
• Navajo Knobs – 9mi return, 1649ft ascent
• Cohab Canyon
These range from “easy” (Hickman Bridge) to “challenging” (The Knobs), ideal for a mixed ability group.
The route is well marked with cairns.
Views are wonderful throughout though there’s not much protection from wind and sun.
Pectols Pyramid is the first highlight of many.
My first rattlesnake ever! (They’ve seen me, but I’ve never seen one of them.)
… Apparently it’s too early in the Spring for this guy. And a Ranger told me they are only very rarely found on this trail.
Was he looking for this guy?
The route climbs parallel with the highway. Here’s the valley far below:
That’s them?
The Navajo Knobs?
A bit of a let down. They’re simply 2 bumps of limestone atop the Waterpocket Fold. The main reason to go the extra miles is to see around the corner. It’s impressive!
I left a Summit Stone atop one Knob, reward for anyone keen enough to get up there.
Rangers were pushing this guidebook: Capitol Reef National Park – The Complete Hiking and Touring Guide.
I used my trusty Lonely Planet Hiking in the USA.
As both a driving tour, and hiking destination, I highly recommend Capitol Reef.
See the rest of my photos from this day hike.
Lost Coast Trail, finally
trip report by site editor Rick McCharles
For years I’d been trying to find the Lost Coast of California, listed by all one of the best Ocean walks in the world .
… The Lost Coast is a section of the California North Coast in Humboldt County, which includes the King Range. The steepness and related geotechnical challenges of the coastal mountains made this stretch of coastline too costly for state highway or county road builders to establish routes through the area, leaving it the most undeveloped portion of the California coast. …
Logistics are challenging:
• 25mi one way
• Mattole trailhead south to Shelter Cove
I arrived at the Bureau of Land Management office in Arcata, California after closing. One of the staff unlocked the door, answered all my questions on the hike, got me tide tables and the booklet called “What You Need To Know Before Backpacking The Lost Coast”.
Thanks BLM !!
A quick summary:
• camp anywhere you like, but in established sites
• beware Bear visits
• severe storms typical
• no bridges, many creek crossings
• be forewarned about ticks and Lyme disease
• all water must be treated
• don’t be surprised to find a rattle snake in a pile of driftwood
• mobile phone coverage unlikely
• it’s remote, rescue slow and difficult
A free self-service permit is required. Get it at either trailhead.
Hike the “low tide” sections while the tide is dropping. If you get “stuck”, you can simply wait for the beach to open.
We talked about the tragedy of 2000 when 2 student hikers and a parent were drowned. Terrible. The rip tides and so-called “rogue waves” are a real hazard here.
My insane plan to park at the North end, then mountain bike with full pack to the South, was … laughable.
Alternatives?
LostCoastTrail.com offers a one way shuttle. Cost about $100 and the vehicle is not always available.
Quickly I decided to hike in and out the North trailhead, doing only part of the Trail.
BLM advised I camp the night prior at Mattole campground. Pit toilets and potable drinking water.
Within minutes I was enjoying the tranquil California coast.
Minutes after that I was questioning my tolerance for hours of trudging in the sand.
Happily, there are often bypass trails higher up on the bluff. I walked a combination of beach and trail.
There is a lot of bird and sea life. I saw no sign of the world’s smartest bears while I was there. Bear vaults are mandatory.
The biggest “challenge” are the creek crossings. I brought a second pair of shoes for water but, in the end, did not use them. On some I simply tramped through. On others I went bare foot.
This ship must not have seen the Punta Gorda lighthouse.
About 3.5mi into the morning I spotted a fantastic campsite just being vacated by other hikers. I grabbed it.
Paradise.
After establishing my base camp and tying my tent down securely against the North wind, I spent the rest of the day with only a light pack. My turn around time was 3:30PM.
A gorgeous day on the Lost Coast. I’ll need to hike the south end next time.
See all 50 of my photos from this hike.
UPDATE from Buzz:
The BLM station at Shelter Cove is easiest info stop. Shuttle service works well tho the tides weren’t right for me to do the Coast in a day using the Shuttle, so I contrived a great loop starting at the S end. Ran up the fire roads and trails to the top of King Peak – highest in the range, old fire lookout, incredible views – then cranked down to the beach where strangely, someone owns a remarkable house accessible only by boat or small plane. Single bottle fanny pack was fine – all the water is drinkable.
related:
• GORP – Lost Coast Romance
new attraction at Red Rock, Vegas
The must go hiking destination only a few miles from the strip in Las Vegas is Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.
An attractive outdoor exhibition area just opened:
One of the walks leads to an observation deck where visitors can study a giant map of the parks trails etched into the floor with photo panels on a railing of what they’ll see on the trails and beyond the panoramic view.
… outdoor exhibits that bring sturdy replicas of some of the park’s most fragile features to the foreground: things such as American Indian rock art panels, desert tortoises in their natural habitat, and a life-size cougar that lurks atop one of the shade walls.
It’s all designed so people can touch, feel, see and understand the national conservation area from the perspective of earth, water, fire and air. …
One exhibit has a desert tortoise. Visitors are taught what to do when this happens …
I carefully, slowly lifted the tortoise far off the highway in the direction I thought he was trying to go. … Unfortunately he seemed to be walking the yellow line when I found him.
besthike.com 