Category: fauna

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want to hike Torngat, Labrador?

It ain’t easy …

Tourism Newfoundland and Labrador launched another ad in its already very successful ad campaign. This latest ad features Torngat Mountains National Park in northern Nunatsiavut. …

bluepeak.net – New Labrador ad

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

… The park, 9,700 sq.km, is probably one of the most difficult parks in Canada to reach. Even the parks in Nunavut are easier to get to. It’s not only the remoteness, but especially the weather and ferocious winds that make getting here an adventure in itself.

If the weather is good, then the park is about 1 hours’ flying or up to two days by fishing boat north of Nain, Labrador’s northernmost community. There are no scheduled flights or boats to the park, and once you arrive, there are no facilities.

Safety is a real concern, as polar bears roam throughout the park. Since only Inuit are allowed to carry arms, visitors should always be accompanied by an Inuit guide. A good idea in any case, as the area is also infamous for its quickly changing weather and strong “ghost” winds that can appear out of nowhere. …

bluepeak

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hoverfly on your nose

My favourite insect is the hoverfly.

They can be found at altitude on trails most everywhere around the world.

… About 6,000 species in 200 genera have been described. Hoverflies are common throughout the world and can be found on every continent except Antarctica. Hoverflies are harmless to most other animals despite their mimicry of the black and yellow stripes of wasps, which serves to ward off predators. …

wikipedia

Henry knows they are harmless. A great challenge is to try to get one to land on your nose. They like to lick up the salt in your sweat.

UPDATE: Turns out Kolby Kirk is a hover fly guy. Here’s one of his brilliant photos, this one from Joshua Tree.

click for larger image
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in search of the Himalayan Tahr

I was disappointed not to see this beautiful animal in Nepal on my recent Everest trek.

The Himalayan Tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus) (or Himalayan Thar) is a large ungulate related to the wild goat. Its native habitat is in the rugged wooded hills and mountain slopes of the Himalaya from Central Asia in northern Kashmir to China. …

… Adult Himalayan Tahrs range from 135 to 180 kg (300 to 400 lb) in weight, 120 to 170 cm in length, and 60 to 90 cm in height. They are herbivores, subsisting on grass, shrubs, and trees. …

Feral Himalayan Tahr are an introduced species in the South Island of New Zealand, with herds forming in the Southern Alps. In large numbers tahr are regarded as a pest because their browsing has an impact on native vegetation. Tahr hunting is a recreational sport and commercial activity. It has also been introduced to New Mexico, California, South Africa, and Ontario.

Wikipedia

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The North Coast Trail

The new North Coast Trail is close to the top of my MUST HIKE BEFORE I DIE list.

The North Coast Trail is a 43.1 km wilderness hiking trail in Cape Scott Provincial Park on northern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

… in Cape Scott Provincial Park runs along beaches and in forest around the northern tip of Vancouver Island from Shushartie Bay to Nissen Bight. At Nissen Bight it links up with an existing 15 km trail which leads to the trailhead at San Josef River. The total distance for hikers between the trailheads is 61 km. The trail is in a wilderness area and hikers may see deer, elk, black bears, cougars, wolves, sea birds, seals, sea lions, grey whales and sea otters. In two failed attempts, Danish pioneers tried to settle the area at the turn of the twentieth century and the trail incorporates some of their original routes.

Detailed route information is available on the BC Parks – Cape Scott hiking page.

official website – Northern Vancouver Island Coastal Trail

I’ve added it to our list of best hikes in North America

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Everest trek – day 16

by site editor Rick McCharles

Gokyo to Namche

Renjo La should have been the last high alpine crossing on my Three Passes of Everest trek. … It starts with a steep climb from Gokyo over the ridge (5345m) at the top right corner of this photo:

A particularly grueling 10hr trek to Thame.

… Instead I turned south, deciding to end my trek as quickly as possible. I could make it to Namche from here in a long but easy walking day.

My 3 Passes route became a 2 Passes route. In the end, I did the lollypop loop in orange, skipping the Renja Pass in red.

Highlights of this day included 2nd Lake, Taujung Tsho …

… and the Brahminy ducks on Longponga Tsho, 1st Lake.

Nobody knows why these birds decided to make their home at such high altitude.

Gokyo Trek

Very quickly I left the snow behind.

The trail got busier and dustier as I descended.

I spotted a colourful male Himalayan Monal (Impeyan Pheasant), much less common than the female, it seemed to me.

Finally, large trees started providing some shade.

That night in Namche I enjoyed “civilization”, staying (I think) in the same room slept in by Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter in 1985.

Namche at night

It felt great to be finishing such a long hike.

see all photos from day 16

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Everest trek – day 12-13

Trip report by site editor Rick McCharles.

After a long, cold night in the tent, I awoke with “mountaineer’s lassitude“:

… reluctance to put one foot in front of the other …

I’d first read of the condition in the mountaineering parody, The Ascent of Rum Doodle (1956), one of my favourite books.

I was sick again. The same stomach ailment I had on the first 2 days of the trek.

That’s the lateral moraine of the Khumbu Glacier. I first needed to trudge down. Then find a safe way across. Others had advised that it was no problem this season, … if the weather is good.

Fortunately, the weather remained perfect. There was not even snow blowing off the highest peaks!

It seemed to take a long time to reach Lobuche.

I stopped for lunch and to recharge my batteries at a restaurant. Then psyched up for the relatively short and easy walk to Dzonghla (Dzongla).

it was a pity I felt rotten. The weather was stupendous. And the scenery even better.

looking back to Ama Dablum

Late afternoon I finally reached the remote village. But I spent less time in the guesthouse restaurant than in here …

I crashed that evening without eating. And did not get up until Noon the next day.

Mid-day there was only myself and the Nepali National bird, the Himalayan Monal, wandering about the courtyard.

Everyone else had departed at first light over the Cho La, the most difficult of the Three Passes route.

I had a forced rest day. Standing around like this guy.

Disappointing.

see all photos from day 12-13

… on to day 14

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