fauna – Page 41 – besthike.com

December 12, 2006

#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?)

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

December 3, 2006

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

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

November 26, 2006

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?

Old Faithful Lodge – by fieldsbh

more flickr photos tagged “Old Faithful Lodge”

November 24, 2006

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

Hard 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.

November 18, 2006

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.

November 17, 2006

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.

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

November 6, 2006

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

October 30, 2006

dog survives unbelievable mountain fall

My hiking buddy (Shasta, CA), Wally the Wonderdog, took a severe fall on the ice fields of Mt. Eddy, California.

The Wonderdog hit the ice and rocketed straight down for several hundred feet, gathering speed the whole way. Unfortunately, at the bottom of the ice field lay a steep rockfield, which he hit at full speed, sending him on a cartwheeling, pinwheeling ride over 600 vertical feet of very sharp, very hard rocks.

Michelle – an experienced mountaineer and backcountry skier – said simply that â€œit was the gnarliest thing Iâ€™d ever seen.â€

She estimated he bounced and cartwheeled in the neighborhood of two dozen times, and that the total distance of the fall was in the 800-1,000 range.

â€œIt was like it went on forever.â€

I canâ€™t imagine what it felt like to see that, but after a lengthy traverse to the bottom of the rock field, both Michelle and Nancy expected to find a dead doggie.

What they found was a battered, stunned Wonderdog staring at them.

This launched a rescue effort where Michelle – who weighs 120 pounds if you turned a fire hose on her – resourcefully jury rigged a small daypack and carried the 80-pound Wonderdog back up the ohmigod-steep rocky slope (if youâ€™re handy with numbers, thatâ€™s 2/3 of her body weight) while Nancy steadied him.

Iâ€™m impressed.

On flatter ground, he was able to walk (limp, actually) down the trail towards the truck, but by the time I saw him at home, he was a battered puppy.

Bleeding from a bunch of wounds, his nose, and his mouth, heâ€™d had a tooth ripped out and the right side of his face was swollen up so bad his eye was closed.

Get well soon, Wally.

Trout Underground Fly Fish Blog Â» Bamboo Ascendant in Dunsmuir. Wally the Wonderdog Plummeting in Mountains.