Category: flora

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Barber Loop Trail, Mojave CA

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

I love Mojave National Preserve about an hour away from Las Vegas.

But I’d already done most of the popular hikes on previous trips.

Happily this time I discovered the Barber Loop Trail apparently the newest of the established trails.

Ideal for those sleeping at Hole-in-the-Wall Campground.

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It’s a loop so you can hike in either direction.

Barber Loop Trail, CA

Best is to start off into the desert, return via the Rings Loop Trail

Barber Loop Trail, CA

I was a bit disappointed. Standard flat desert.

Barber Loop Trail, CA

I’d hoped the trail would loop up on top of Barber Mountain. It doesn’t.

Barber Loop Trail, CA

There are a few things to see in the desert, of course.

Barber Loop Trail, CA Barber Loop Trail, CA Barber Loop Trail, CA

The best part is the section you could do separately as the Rings Loop Trail.

Barber Loop Trail, CA Barber Loop Trail, CA Barber Loop Trail, CA

more photos

If you want to know more, Bird and Hike posted an excellent trip report.

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hike Wind Cave, Phoenix AZ

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

  • 3 miles return
  • 812 feet elevation gain

My old friend Francis Tally took me to one of his favourite hikes out of Usery Mountains Regional Park near his winter home in Mesa, AZ.

Wind Cave, Phoenix AZ with Francis

Huge Saguaro cactus are the highlight. And the brazen chipmunks. 🙂

Francis told me an awful story of a hiker who fell into one of the OTHER types of cactus. It took paramedics 3 hours to remove enough spines just to transport him by ambulance!

Wind Cave, Phoenix AZ with Francis

We arrived on a Sunday morning to learn that weekend mornings are a zoo on this popular trail. It was difficult to find parking .

Wind Cave, Phoenix AZ with Francis

The trail itself is not all that difficult. Many children hike it.

Wind Cave, Phoenix AZ with Francis

The Wind Cave isn’t really a “cave” but rather an indent to shelter from the wind.

Wind Cave, Phoenix AZ with Francis

Almost everyone stops here. Francis and I scrambled on to the top of the mountain.

Finding some pink ribbons we decided to follow that off-trail route.

Wind Cave, Phoenix AZ with Francis

Here we be. The sprawl of greater Phoenix at our feet.

Wind Cave, Phoenix AZ with Francis

This is a terrific area for day hikes.

Wind Cave, Phoenix AZ with Francis

Thanks Francis. … I assume the name tag on your hat is to help authorities return you to your retirement park if you get lost. 🙂

Wind Cave, Phoenix AZ with Francis

Exiting the Park Francis took me over to a nearby gun range just below the Phoenix sign. I’d never seen one before.

Wind Cave, Phoenix AZ with Francis

They are LOUD.

related – Roads Less Traveled trip report

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hiking White Sands National Monument

New Mexico

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

Length: 2 miles (3.5 km), round-trip

The White Sands National Monument … at an elevation of 4,235 feet (1,291 m). …

It is the largest gypsum dune field in the world. …

The Monument is completely surrounded by military installations (White Sands Missile Range and Holloman Air Force Base) and has always had an uneasy relationship with the military …

Located on the northernmost boundaries of White Sands Missile Range, the Trinity Site can be found, where the first atom bomb was detonated. …

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Backcountry Camping Trail map

There are non-stop warnings about dehydration.

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Let’s go.

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I wore these lightweight camp shoes. They turned out to be perfect for the soft sand.

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It was VERY windy.

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Deserts are always interesting.

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There are 10 backcountry campsites available.

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details on Backcountry Camping

Following my hike, I joined the sunset dunes walk led by a Ranger.

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It was very interesting and entertaining. This entire structure was created by that plant.

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Sunsets are wonderful in the desert.

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The Ranger noted that any President could remove National Monument status. Potentially this land could be given to the military. 😦

details – Backcountry Camping Trail

There’s a longer (5 mile) Dunes hike called the Alkali Flat Trail. If you want more.

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Rattlesnake Canyon, New Mexico

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

After visiting Carlsbad Caverns I dayhiked nearby Rattlesnake Canyon.

Rattlesnake Canyon, New Mexico

It’s well loved for Spring wildflowers and a variety of cactus. But I was there in January. Not many flowers.

You immediately drop down into a small drainage following cairns. There’s no signage.

Rattlesnake Canyon, New Mexico

Up the other side the trail is well defined.

Rattlesnake Canyon, New Mexico

Rattlesnake Canyon, New Mexico

I love the desert. And it was a beautiful day … though very windy.

Rattlesnake Canyon, New Mexico Rattlesnake Canyon, New Mexico Rattlesnake Canyon, New Mexico Rattlesnake Canyon, New Mexico

You can go 3 miles out, 3 miles back. Or try to loop via other canyons. Instead I went out about a mile … enjoyed some solitude … then hustled back to my vehicle.

The “unfriendly vegetation” was too often snagging on my favourite hiking pants. It was difficult to avoid.

Rattlesnake Canyon, New Mexico

In the flat desert it’s easy to get lost. Even here close to Carlsbad Caverns and many roads. In 1999 hikers Raffi Kodikian and David Coughlin were lost in Rattlesnake Canyon. Coughlin died.

related – trip report by 160k- Rattlesnake Canyon

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hiking Spittal Pond, Bermuda

Spittal Pond Nature Reserve is the largest wildlife sanctuary in Bermuda …

It is one of 13 parks or reserves managed by the Bermuda Department of Conservation Services which protects and conserves environmentally critical areas and habitats. …

…unique characteristics such as its lagoon which is permanently brackish, ecology featuring wet grassland and mangrove forests, seasonal shorebirds, other waterbirds and European eels. …

The winter season provides one of the best vistas for visitors walking along the many small trails in the park.

I was there in November. The only visitor on the trail.

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I did see feral cats.

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Though short, I would say it’s the best hike in Bermuda.

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“Spanish Rock”, (also known as “Portuguese Rock”) a rocky cliff overlooking the ocean with inscriptions of the year 1543 AD … This rock piece has been taken out and replaced by a bronze plaque. …

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The only other wildlife I spotted were wild chickens.

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Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

official website

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Switzerland – Alpine Pass Route

Cam Honan:

Alpine Pass Route Overview Map (Cicerone Guide)
Alpine Pass Route Overview Map (Cicerone Guide)

… a 340 kilometre (211 miles) hiking trail that spans the breadth of Switzerland. Starting in Sargans on the border with Liechtenstein, it passes up and over sixteen mountain passes before reaching its western terminus at Montreux, situated on Lake Geneva.

I completed the Alpine Pass Route in August, 1997. Nineteen years and many hiking miles later, it remains one of my favourite European trails. A memorable combination of gorgeous mountain scenery, picturesque villages, great hospitality and some very cool side trips …

switzerland

It’s one of our best hikes in Europe.

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hiking Ivvavik National Park

David Webb:

… Tucked away at the tip of the Yukon, with its base camp set at 69 degrees north and hundreds of kilometres from the nearest road, only a handful of people will ever visit this park. Untouched by the last Ice Age, it’s a place of unique rock formations, abundant wildlife—we saw muskox, caribou, grizzlies and Dall’s sheep—jaw-dropping mountain vistas, clearwater rivers and vast open tundra. …

And the hiking… wow. There was no point in the five days I spent in Ivvavik where Iwasn’t surrounded by an awesome panorama. From deep gorges carved by a frothy river; to tundra dotted with bright lupins; to multi-coloured slate stabbing from mountaintops like the spines on a dragon’s back; to the midnight sun circling the whole expanse like a halo. It is the most beautiful natural environment I have ever seen. (And I’ve seen a lot.) …

Video Post: Jaw-Dropping Ivvavik National Park

Click PLAY or get a glimpse on YouTube.

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hiking & paddling Gates of the Arctic, Alaska

… to Anaktuvuk, float southwest on the John River, hike west to the Alatna River, float southeast on the Alatna to access the Arrigetch, cross the Arrigetch, float northwest on the Noatak River, hike southwest to the Ambler River, and float west to Ambler. 400 miles in 19 days. …

Gates of the Arctic Traverse, Anaktuvuk to Ambler

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Click PLAY or watch it on Vimeo.