Diego let me know that the address of his fantastic photo site is now WildPatagonia.com
He’s captured some astounding animal photos in the wilds of South America. Especially of Pumas.
Check it out: WildPatagonia.com
hike Isle Royale National Park, Michigan
Brian recommends an adventure I’ve never heard about.
Even getting there is a bit daunting:
Isle Royale is different than most national parks in that it requires real planning and preparation to visit. The park, actually an archipelago of 200 islands, is quite remote. Just getting to one of its three ports of departure — Houghton, Michigan, Copper Harbor, Michigan, or Grand Harbor, Minnesota — requires some planning. Once visitors arrive in their chosen port town, they take a passenger ferry or a seaplane (from Houghton only) to the narrow, 45-mile-long island. …
The Greenstone Ridge is the longest and most popular of Isle Royale’s “long” trails. The trail runs along the spine of the island, spanning some 40 miles from the northeast at Lookout Louise to the southwest at Windigo. “The Greenstone,” as it is called by hikers, winds through forests of maple and birch, past swamps and bogs, and up 1,394-foot Mount Desor, the highest point on the island. …
GORP – Onto the Greenstone Ridge
atop Desor – photo from Johnny Molloy’s trip report
Moose are one of Isle Royale’s main attractions. The “infamous blackflies and mosquitoes” the main reason to stay home.
Chile hates Canadian beaver
Reading trip reports from the famous Dientes Circuit in Chilean Patagonia, you hear horror stories of environmental devastation.
Here’s how it happened.
… In a classic example of ecological shortsightedness, the problem began when fifty North American beavers (Castor canadensis) were introduced by the Argentine government during the 1940s in the hopes of establishing a fur industry. Since then however, without natural predators to trim their numbers, the beaver population has now exploded to 100,000 – invading almost 16 million hectares of unique, native forest.
– it looks like bulldozers steamed through,†says ecologist Josh Donlan, director of Advanced Conservation Strategies, a non-profit based in Driggs, Idaho. …
original photo – flickr
Treehugger – Plans to “Totally Eradicate” Tierra del Fuego’s Invasive Beavers
The “final solution”.
cougar fights grizzly
No cougar would take on a full-size Grizzly. …
Right, a Moma cougar would.
.
hiking the Marin Headlands in California
A few pics from my hike today with Tom Mangan of Two-Heel Drive.
We headed across the Golden Gate Bridge en route to Point Bonita Lighthouse, touted in my guidebook the “most sensational easy hike in the Bay area”.
Tom concurred.
It’s only open a few hours each day, access blocked by a locked tunnel. Once through the rock, you need cross a suspension bridge deemed so untrustworthy that only two hikers (or three) should cross together at one time. If it collapses, this is what you face below.
We wandered several more miles, enjoying the atypically sunny Spring Sunday.
California Poppy
California Quail
See the rest of my photos from this hike on flickr.
Tom’s excellent trip report and photos.
my Alakai Swamp trail run in Hawaii
I like the route Lonely Planet Hiking Hawaii recommends for Alakai Swamp:
Kalalau Lookout trailhead > Phea Lookout > Kilohana Lookout. And back.
That’s maximum bang / mile, I think.
It’s a brilliant hike, too, by the way. Don’t be deterred by the name “Swamp”.
OK, it’s a swamp. But it’s so weird and unexpected after the sunny, hot coastal beaches, that I was instantly won over. Many hikers are. For some it’s their favourite hike on Kauai.
The highlight is not the swamp. Not pounding miles of boardwalk in my running shoes.
Some come specifically to see indigenous Hawaiian flora and fauna.
But for most, the highlight is the drop dead gorgeous 4000ft vista looking over Na Pali (The Cliffs). One of he great lookouts in the world.
see all my photos from this hike on flickr
learn more – Alaka’i Swamp Trail – Trailspotting
best hike south coast Kauai, Hawaii
The Maha’ulepu Coast.
As the last accessible undeveloped coastline on the south shore of Kauai, Maha`ulepu is a quiet retreat, a place to get away from the crowds at popular resort beaches. …
The area is also a remote retreat for resident and visitor alike to be awed and inspired by its beauty and rich past. The scenic splendor of Maha`ulepu, natural and undeveloped, includes majestic Ha`upu Mountain over-looking the fertile valley, the dramatic coastal headlands, the intimate bays and long sandy beaches. …
We spent 2 days exploring, hiking and trail running the Maha’ulepu Coast with and without kids. Fantastic!
We started here, only steps away from a luxury resort:
The coastline is endlessly fascinating, but slightly dangerous. You would not want to fall on the jagged lava.
The biggest highlight was seeing two rare monk seals close up. They love to lounge and sleep on the beach — just like obese tourists.
The hike ends here:
Unless you ignore these signs, as local fishermen do.
Browse about 70 photos on flickr to see more of the Maha’ulepu Coast.
walking Long Beach, British Columbia
One of the great coastal walks of the world is Long Beach on Vancouver Island. I try to get out there at least once every year.
It’s the gorgeous section of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve between Tofino and Ucluelet.
What do you think?
larger original – flickr
more amazing photos of this wonderland by Bravewest
My friend, journalist Kate Zimmerman was out last year for the first time en route to the Tofino Food and Wine Festival. Here’s what she wrote:
… It’s the beach, though, that cries out to you. One glimpse of its broad, silken sands, bracketed by rocky outcrops topped with bravely coping conifers, and staying indoors seems ludicrous. We dashed out to glory in the crashing waves and enjoy the driftwood seating so thoughtfully provided by nature. The boys danced in the surf while we shivered just watching them and we all tossed sticks, seaweed and even mussels for leash-free mutts who thought they were in paradise. Another day, at low tide, the small pools at one end of the beach were jeweled with anemones and starfish while crabs scuttled to safety as the dogs splashed about. …
Go West, Young Men, Dogs and Gourmands – Kate of Late
Leave a comment if you have your own fond memories of Long Beach.
There are many great hikes nearby, most famously the West Coast Trail.
bear demolition team from Russia
I thought the world’s smartest bears were in the Sierra Nevada, California.
But check out these bear auto-wreckers:
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
(via Get Outdoors blog)
documentary – Strange Wilderness
Outdoorsies can get schooled by a new film being released Feb 1st.
(I don’t think it’s by National Geographic, though.)
Click PLAY or watch the Strange Wilderness trailer on YouTube.
besthike.com 