Category: fauna

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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.

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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.

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#1 US National Park: Yellowstone

National Park Traveler’s reader poll named the world’s first National Park as still the best National Park in the States. (I voted for Glacier.)

Well, I suppose it’s really no surprise, but after a week of voting the park selected as most popular is Yellowstone. Out of the 131 votes cast, Yellowstone received 41, or 31.3 percent. And I can appreciate that, as Yellowstone long has been my favorite. What’s not to like? It’s got the world’s greatest concentration of geysers, it has an incredible wildlife reservoir, and the landscape beckons one to explore.

Still, Glacier National Park finished a relatively strong second, receiving 31 votes. From there, though, the challengers fell off quite a bit. Third place went to Sequoia National Park, which received 14 votes, while Zion National Park was fourth, with 13 votes.

National Parks Traveler: Your Favorite Park: Yellowstone

Yellowstone is fantastic. I was there in June cycling and day hiking. Next time I want to check out Mount Washburn and Bechler River, neither of which is yet on our list of the best hikes in the world. (Should they be?)

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Hayden Valley, Yellowstone National Park. Mt. Washburn in the distance. Photo by Geyser Gary – flickr

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Pinnacles Track, New Zealand

Browsing the superb tramper.co.nz website, I was reminded me of my own trip to the Coromandel Peninsula.

The go-to hike there is The Pinnacles Track, one of our best hikes in the world.

If The Pinnacles were in any other country, it would be a huge destination. In New Zealand, though, it tends to be overshadowed by many far more famous treks.

I loved learning about the history of logging Kauri trees. Unbelievably, loggers toppled them over cliffs — and picked up the pieces below. Eventually they built an outrageous rail track to try to lower the massive logs from the Pinnacles. You see all this on the hike.

Most people are even more impressed by the Pinnacles alpine hut. It is astonishing! The best in New Zealand and one of the most impressive in the world. We spent a lot of time watching possums from the expansive balcony.

The Pinnacles is ideal as a weekend trip with one night at the top.

. . . stone steps, wide enough for packhorses, dominate most of the track, crossing the river three times as it rises steeply to logging / power camp at the ‘near’ top. I warn you now – the stone stairs are great to look at but hard on the legs …

Once at the hut, you can leave your pack and climb the Pinnacles proper.

Whilst not dangerous, it isn’t for the faint hearted. It’ll only take 45 minutes to get to the top, but you go up some steep rock faces, and several ladders before negotiating a large boulder, to get to the narrow ledge at the top. From the top, you can see both sides of the Coromandel – Tairua / Pauanui on one side, The firth of Thames and Hauraki Plains on the other. The view is breathtaking.

The Pinnacles Track – tramper.co.nz

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Pinnacles photos on flickr – BruceandRobyn – waiting for the clouds to clear

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great National Park lodges

If I had the cash I’d tour all the great Park hotels of the world. What a trip that would be!

National Park Traveler’s top 10 USA National Park lodges:

1. The Old Faithful Inn, Yellowstone.

2. Lake Crescent Lodge, Olympic National Park.

3. Many Glacier Hotel, Glacier National Park.

4. The Ahwahnee Hotel, Yellowstone.

5. Bryce Canyon Lodge cabins.

6. Furnace Creek Inn, Death Valley National Park.

7. Lake Yellowstone Hotel, Yellowstone.

8. Zion Lodge, Zion National Park.

9. Wuksachi Lodge, Sequoia National Park.

10. Kalaloch Lodge, Olympic National Park.

The Paradise Inn in Mount Rainier National Park would have made this list if not for being closed while much-needed renovations are completed. It is expected to reopen in 2008.

Some runners-up:

* Old Faithful Snow Lodge and Cabins, Yellowstone

* Grand Canyon Lodge, Grand Canyon

* El Tovar Hotel, Grand Canyon

* Lake McDonald Lodge, Glacier

* National Park Inn, Mount Rainier

* Jackson Lake Lodge, Grand Teton

* Tuolumne Meadows Lodge, Yosemite

* Big Meadows Lodge, Shenandoah

National Parks Traveler: Time to Book Next Summer’s Vacation?

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Old Faithful Lodge – by fieldsbh

more flickr photos tagged “Old Faithful Lodge”

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gear – “Ursack” – bear and bullet resistant food bag

tko_72_smlr.jpgHard to believe, but here’s a food bag a bear cannot penetrate. Amazing.

No worries at all about rodents and other pesky varmints.

Ursack – bear-resistant containers

A 10.5 litre Ursack is now in stock in a gear shop in my town for about US$65. Price seems a tad steep. But I’ll likely get one before my next major hike. This is a big improvement over the sturdy kayak bag I use now to hold food.

You can also buy an aluminum liner for extra protection, but the weight is prohibitive, I feel. (For example, “the Ursack TKO 2.0 weighs 6.2 ounces. The aluminum liner adds 14.2 ounces.”)

The Ursack alone sounds like it will turn away all but the most persistent bear.

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Juan de Fuca Marine Trail, Canada

The reputation is that the Juan de Fuca is easy compared with the longer West Coast Trail. Not so. It is just as challenging though in different ways. (It’s even more important to hike at low tide on Juan de Fuca.)

A personal, detailed and honest account of a physically challenging adventure, Mike Rocheleau posted this travelogue and excellent photos:

Juan de Fuca Marine Trail – September 2006

They spotted a bear a one point but had even more trouble bear-proofing the food at night:

We chose the risky course of wrapping our two food bags in two garbage bags, putting them alone in one of our packs and then wrapping that pack in the tarp. We covered the tarp in large rocks so if a raccoon or something disturbed it we might know before it was too late.

I’ve had to resort to that strategy in the past. You normally don’t sleep well wondering what animals are getting into your grub.

Luckily, the food was untouched next morning. (Note to self: research the new Ursack system to prevent this problem in future.)

In any case, Mike and his partner survived Juan de Fuca. They are even considering the West Coast Trail for next summer.

The Juan de Fuca Marine Trail is 47km (29mi) on the west coast of Vancouver Island close to Victoria. We recommend 5 days, 4 nights on the trail for an optimal experience. But you can easily vary the route for shorter hikes, if you are short on time.

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Tors Cove Trail – whale photos

On a section of the East Coast Trail in Newfoundland, Canada, lucky hikers came upon a fantastic scene.

The Humpbacks had trapped a school of capelin against the coast, and were feeding within 50 metres of the shore.

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More photos and a travelogue on Rexton’s blog:Tors Cove Trail « Where the Wind’s Like a Whetted Knife

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hiking off-season

Jeannine (aka City Mouse Country Mouse) likes hiking off-season.

I jokingly called yesterday’s trip to Big Meadows in Shenandoah National Park our first hike of “the season”. After Marc and I met about a year ago, we went on hikes on Sunday afternoons. I think it was his way of showing me that Virginia wasn’t as bad as I thought it was back then and that it could be as beautiful as Massachusetts (not sure I completey agree yet).

I like hiking when it’s cold out. There are fewer people on the trails, it’s quieter at popular spots like Humpback and White Canyon, there are no bugs, and I don’t get overheated.

And you are more likely to see animals when there are fewer people about. Check her blog post to see how close she got to deer that day.

blog.myspace.com/jeanninepc99