Asking for a friend.
He’s thinking an N97 mask, two Buffs on top. Ski goggles. And face shield.
Abundance of caution.
He’s also wearing a condom while on the trail. Just in case.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Walking Rail Lines on Vancouver Island
Very popular on Vancouver Island is walking alongside the disused (in 2011) Southern Railway. It’s dry. It’s flat. It’s straight. Often the shortest distance between two points.
Click PLAY or get a glimpse on YouTube. 30km between Nile Creek and Englishman River including 3 high trestles.
The British Columbia government now calls it the Island Rail Corridor. Approximately 289 km Victoria – Courtenay with connections between Parksville and Port Alberni and to the Nanaimo waterfront.
Though there’s still talk of restoring rail service, co$t looks prohibitive. Hikers want more of the corridor to be converted to non-motorized trail.
Of greatest concern are the 48 bridges and trestles that need ongoing repair.
With no maintenance, sections can be slippery. Overgrown.
These rail lines are old. Dating back to the 1800s.
At various times it’s been called the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway, E & N Railfreight and E&N Railway Co.
Wikipedia has a list of rail trails around the world. British Columbia has some of the best.
Rees-Dart Track, New Zealand
Though not on the short list of Great Walks, Rees-Dart is epic.
One of the tougher major hikes in our #1 hiking destination worldwide.
travel2walk was there January 2020.
The Rees-Dart Track … mainly follows the Rees River drainage and the Dart River drainage circling Mount Earnslaw and the Forbes Mountains.
An optional side trip during the hike is to visit the Dart Glacier or further to Cascade Saddle. Being the major highlight of our hike, I consider this side trip as part of the hike. …
- distance: 53.7 miles (86.5 km)
- elevation change: 10,850 ft (3,307 m) ascent & 11,240 ft (3,426 m) descent
- time: 5 days (24:59 hours moving)
There are 3 different DOC operated huts located along the Rees-Dart Track …
… NZD$15 per night per person (DOC).
The huts had running water, bathrooms, mattress, and a stove for heating. However we carried our own stove, gas, and sleeping bags. …
If interested, read their detailed trip report:
New Zealand – Rees-Dart Track, January 2020
If still keen, best watch the video. There are some challenges.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
See more of our best hikes in Australasia.
Jenny Tough – New Zealand Alps
How to SIT in the woods
Mark has some advice on toilet paper.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
related – How to Shit in the Woods by Kathleen Meyer
The Subway, Zion National Park
Another misadventure with Mattson and Anderson. 😀
Subscribe to their YouTube channel.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
The Most Dangerous Path In Britain
Tom Scott:
The Broomway is surrounded on both sides by quicksand and deep, sucking mud. It has no markers and no guideposts.
And if you mistime your walk, you won’t outrun the tide.
Oh, and it’s in the middle of a Ministry of Defence firing range.
But most of the time, if you want to visit Foulness Island, it’s the only way.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Why we admire Patagonia
Buy less. Buy used.
Repair what you wear out.
Demand recycled.
Demand Fair Trade.
Demand organic.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Hiking Skookumchuck Narrows, B.C.
Skookumchuck Narrows Provincial Park is a little known highlight of the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, Canada.
It was established on August 25, 1957 to protect the Sechelt Rapids located in the Skookumchuck Narrows between Sechelt Inlet and Jervis Inlet.
Famous with the surf kayak crowd.
However, these waters are dangerous. People have drowned.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Hikers enjoy an old-growth rainforest hiking trail leading to this powerful tidal phenomenon.
Each day, tides force large amounts of seawater through the narrows …
The difference in water levels can exceed 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in height. … It is sometimes claimed to be the fastest tidal rapids in the world.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
I got to the jumping off point, Egmont, early morning.
Because Egmont is off the main highway, most people speed past. It’s got an interesting end of the world vibe.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Hid my bike in the trees close to the nearby trailhead.
Enjoyed the wide, easy trail to North Point lookout.
Many turn back at North Point. But I continued on the rough trail to Roland Point.
Click PLAY or get a glimpse of my October hike on YouTube.
Related – Likely the world’s most powerful tidal current is not Skookumchuck, but the Saltstraumen maelstrom in Norway.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
related – Happiest Outdoors – SKOOKUMCHUCK NARROWS
What to do about WILD FIRES?
Planning for future hikes often means considering the possibility of forest fires.
As global warming increases, we’re likely to have bigger and more dangerous fires. 😕
‘We already see the initial signs of climate change, and fires are part of it,” said Dr. Amber Soja, a biomass burning expert at the National Institute of Aerospace (NIA) in Hampton, Va.
And research suggests that a hotter Earth resulting from global warming will lead to more frequent and larger fires.
The fires release “particulates” — tiny particles that become airborne — and greenhouse gases that warm the planet. …
Click PLAY or watch 2020 American fires on YouTube.
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