Category: fauna

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best bear-proof food container?

There are a number of bear canisters on the market. Be aware that the list of “approved” canisters changes. For the latest information on bear canisters approved by the National Park Service</a.

For tips on how to pack your canister, read The Care and Feeding of Your Bear Canister by Tom Reynolds.

Pacific Crest Trail Association – Bears

Cramming 18 pounds of food into a canister may, at first, seem impossible. However, following these instructions and a little planning and patience will accomplish the task.

source – Tom Reynolds

I am most interested in the “Ursack”, myself. (I could have used one in Australia to keep out pesky possums.)

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wild flower hiking

I love wild flowers but could not name a one.

I need to hike with Kris Light, editor of the East Tennessee Wildflowers website.

Kris has a big site which includes favourite wildflower hiking destinations, index of names, photo galleries and more.

Don’t be fooled by the name of the website. Kris lists over 1000 different wildflowers, fungi, and “critters” from Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Tennessee and Utah.

Know that timing is everything when it comes to wildflowers.

You need plan your hike for one of the peak weeks of the season. This takes some research.

Check out EastTennesseeWildflowers.com.

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photo – Coneflower with Bumblebee

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video – Huayhuash Circuit trek in Peru

by Rick McCharles, editor

When we named our top 10 hikes in the world, #11 was the Huayhuash Circuit.

Personally, it’s been my most dramatic, inspiring hiking adventure, of all.

While there my camcorder / camera broke half way around the 11-day trip. The tape was somewhat damaged, as well.

Happily, I’ve salvaged a few clips. (Featured are our pack horses and fantastic mule driver who spent his days worrying about getting us back alive.)

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Interested?

WHY WE LOVE HUAYHUASH

* PERU, all things considered, offers the best alpine hiking in the world

* the remote, forbidding Huayhuash range was made famous when Joe Simpson & Simon Yates climbed Siula Grande in 1985. The book & film Touching the Void were both hits.

* getting high at Punta Coyoc pass 5490m (18,012ft) !!

* Peru’s second highest summit, Yerupaja (6634m)

* non-stop vistas — entire Circuit is above treeline

* intensely glaciated, intensely beautiful

* condors and other wild birds

* fantastic natural hotsprings half way round the Circuit

* limited road access, few people

* travel in Peru for as little as US$20 / day

* a trip with pack animals is good value

* lifetime experience you will never forget

CONSIDERATIONS

Huayhuash is dangerous. Hikers have died there. This is arguably the best hike in the world but is appropriate only for robust, experienced high altitude trekkers.

The greatest danger is altitude sickness. We hired horses instead of mules so we could evacuate by horse, if necessary.

Huayhuash Circuit in Peru – besthike information page

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Nootka Trail trip report

Paul Talbot had some excitement:

I woke up to find a steaming pile of purple bear crap no more than 2 feet from where I had been sleeping….I can only assume that my snoring had put him off coming into our tent!

ClubTread.com – Nootka Trail Hiking Adventure

This is one of their many excellent photos. Low tide sunrise at Skuna Bay.

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Nootka is a coastal hike of 35km (22mi), completely unregulated and, therefore, problematic. It’s on the wild west coast of Vancouver Island.

Nootka Trail – besthike

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#4 best hike in the world is …

Ausangate Circuit, Peru

Our favourite hike in Peru is still one of the least well known.

It’s wonderful, but dangerous.

Ausangate Circuit is 70km (43.5mi) plus sidetrips. It’s recommended only for confident, self-sufficient hikers experienced at high altitude. If you tolerate cold & altitude symptoms, the trails themselves are little trouble. Some route finding is necessary, but it’s entirely above the treeline with vast views.

Most groups hire pack animals, at least to get them up to the first pass. Worst case scenario — altitude sickness — you can ride your horse back down to lower elevation.

Why we love it:

  • PERU, all things considered, offers the best alpine hiking in the world
  • circle the sacred Ausangate massif (6372m, 20,905ft)
  • fantastic glacier views
  • remote, few trekkers, few people!
  • 4 high passes between 4757m – 5165m!
  • normally gorgeous sunny weather
  • thousands of alpacas
  • hotsprings at the start & finish of the trek
  • it is very inexpensive
  • travel Peru for as little as US$20 / day
  • unique Qoyllur Rit’i festival held nearby in May-June

    Considerations:

  • altitude sickness is a big risk
  • evacuation is difficult
  • no rescue service is available. You are on your own.
  • No Park officers. No campsites. No toilets.
  • acclimatization in Cuzco 3326m (10,912ft) is essential
  • 13-hour long nights in the tent
  • temperatures can fall well below freezing at night
  • be prepared for snow
  • storm could pin you in your tent
  • long, bumpy bus ride (5-8hrs) to & from trailhead or hire private transport from Cuzco

    Details on our Ausangate Circuit information page.

    Alpacas at Ausangate

    Alpacas and Ausangate

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    Sichuan, China has great hiking potential

    … but that’s just an excuse to post a cute panda photo.

    One of the great things about flickr is the ability to overlay “notes” and graphics.

    Here photographer Jerry Lee has added a Christmas touch.

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    original – flickr

    More photos tagged “Sichuan” and “hiking”.

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    #5 best hike in the world is …

    Sunshine to Assiniboine

    This is our favourite hike in the Canadian Rockies. Mt. Assiniboine is Canada’s Matterhorn.

    Mountaineers dream of climbing Assiniboine. But this is also a great hiking destination for kids and grandparents who can access the high alpine Assiniboine Lodge, Naiset cabins or wonderful Lake Magog campground via helicopter.

    “Base camp” hiking doesn’t get any better than this:

    • Sunburst Valley / Nub loop sidetrip 6.7km (4.2mi)
    • Og Pass/ Windy Ridge sidetrip 8.7km (5.4mi)

    Our recommended route for serious hikers is 56km (34.8mi). Bus from Banff, Alberta to the Sunshine Ski Resort. (This puts you almost on top of the Continental Divide to start.)

    Wander lush Sunshine Meadows, winding your way towards beckoning Assiniboine.

    Why we love it:

    • Assiniboine is remote, accessed only on foot or by helicopter
    • good chance to see mountain goats, bighorn sheep, elk and mule deer, pikas, chipmunks & hoary marmots
    • Sunshine Meadows is home to hordes of Columbian and mantled ground squirrels.
    • huge, heavenly alpine meadows
    • colourful wild flowers
    • walk the continental divide
    • Wonder Pass to Marvel Lake is superb
    • Assiniboine is only a few hours away from our #6 hike, North Circle in Glacier National Park

      Considerations:

    • this is a very popular hike
    • budget for a series of fees — hiking is not cheap in Canadian National Parks
    • biting insects can be a nuisance at times
    • trails sometimes closed due to bear
    • you may be tempted to walk out from Assiniboine to Mt. Shark trailhead in a very long day
    • the weather is highly variable. It can snow any day of the year. Or it can be 30°C (86°F).Details on our Sunshine to Mt. Assiniboine information page.

      view of Assiniboine from the Lodge – Assiniboine Lodge Photo Gallery

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    moose encounters

    From the new Wilderness Trailcraft blog:

    … a moose is quite a bit more agile than it looks. When this moose made it up to the log he paused for only a fraction of a second and leaped over it. (And) … they can swim; underwater.

    moose.jpg

    A short time after this trip I was traveling through Yellowstone and I had a chance to talk to a ranger about my experience. She told me that she wasn’t surprised about the moose swimming but she was surprised at how stupid we were. She said the rangers consider the moose to be the most dangerous animal in the woods. Moose are very unpredictable and frequently aggressive.

    So there you have it. They weigh close to 1500 lbs, they can run faster than you, they can swim faster, jump over logs and they are aggressive and unpredictable. That’s worthy of being filed away as important knowledge!

    A moose can swim underwater

    120px-skilt146_01.pngI’ve seen video of moose diving for particularly succulent plants. And I understand that new born calves can swim immediately to escape predators who sometimes wait on pregnant cows.

    The real worry about moose, in some parts of the world, are vehicle collisions. This is exactly the wrong animal to hit.

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    #6 best hike in the world is …

    North Circle

    The Glacier National Park circuit includes Highline Trail / Ptarmigan Tunnel loop and Many Glacier – Waterton via Highline.

    This is a fabulous hike-of-a-lifetime in every possible way. In fact, there is almost no downside — aside from the very short hiking season. (And mosquitos early in the season.)

    Bears are a worry. Hikers have been killed in this park.

    The complete North Circuit is 65miles (104km) plus side trips, though many only hike sections. Parts are very accessible to all levels of fitness and experience. Much is pristine wilderness unchanged for hundreds of years.

    Why we love it:

    • Highline Trail
    • Ptarmigan Tunnel (120ft long)
    • Swiftcurrent Mountain Lookout
    • Iceberg Lake
    • wildflowers late June to early August
    • great day hikes elsewhere in the Park
    • likely to see elk, mule deer, moose, mountain goats & bighorn sheep
    • almost certain to see black or grizzly bears through the telescope at Swiftcurrent motel
    • great fishing, no licence required in the Park
    • convenient hiker’s shuttle bus
    • it’s an international hike if you cross in to Waterton, Canada for the excellent hiking there
    • you will see few of the other 2 million tourists visiting Glacier each year once you are on the trail
    • we love the nearby Going-to-the-Sun highway (badly damaged by flood Fall 2006)

      Considerations:

    • Wilderness Permit should be booked long in advance
    • Summer highs average about 70°F (21C), lows below freezing.
    • remote & wild sections
    • potentially dangerous crossing at Belly River
    • biting insects (including ticks in the early season)
    • bring binoculars or a high powered zoom lens for observing bears on distant mountain sidesDetails on our Glacier National Park North Circle information page.

      If interested in doing the entire North Circle, check the annotated photos posted by besthike editor Rick McCharles: North Circle trip report, 2005. His was a 7-day solo hike in September after the first snowfall of the winter starting and finishing in Waterton. Don’t miss him spooking a moose at Kootenai Lake.

      Highline Trail – Geoffrey Peters

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    Kungsleden Trail, Sweden

    Saskia and Jan sent us some of their favourite photos from their adventure on one of the best long hikes in Europe.

    Read the very complete trip journal.

    Sweden harbours some of the last real wildernesses in Europe. We spent four weeks on the Kungsleden trail that runs for about 450 kilometers from Abisko to Hemavan.

    We thoroughly enjoyed the silence in the mountains and the company at the Swedish mountain huts. The Kungsleden is not really the toughest trail in Sweden. It is a real classic for the Swedes themselves and it is not the quietest of trails by any means. However, crowded has a different meaning for Swedes, than for Dutch people like us.

    From the Kungsleden the Kebnekaise massif and the Sarek massif are visible. The best time to hike this trail is in high summer, or on skis in the spring. This summer was exceptionally warm, but it can be quite cold, even in July or August. It can also be wet. Some of the Swedish hikers wear rubber boots as hiking boots because of the marshes. And because of that wetness, it can be buggy.

    Sweden supports ‘All People’s Rights’, which mean that anyone can camp anywhere. In most places you are also allowed to pick berries and mushrooms, which is very popular among the locals. We did not know which mushrooms or berries were edible, and which were poisonous, so we did not pick any.

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    See ALL the photos high resolution.