Category: health & safety

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Appalachian Trail ➙ Heartwood by Amity Gaige

Amity Gaige had a hit with this novel.

Personally, I felt the storytelling average. Sometimes pretentious.

What kept me going was the plot ➙ story of the search for Valerie Gillis, a 42-year-old hiker known as “Sparrow,” who vanishes while navigating the challenging Appalachian Trail.

After weeks experience on the A.T., Sparrow makes many dumb mistakes.

The book was slightly inspired by the story of Geraldine Largay who went missing in 2013 and survived for 26 days.

Valerie pours her thoughts into fractured, poetic letters to her mother as she battles the elements and struggles to keep hoping.

At the heart of the investigation is Beverly, the determined Maine State Game Warden tasked with finding Valerie, who leads the search on the ground. Meanwhile, Lena, a seventy-six-year-old birdwatcher in a Connecticut retirement community, becomes an unexpected armchair detective. …

… The mystery inspires larger questions about the many ways in which we get lost, and how we are found. …

Amazon

The ending of the book did tie up things well.

And some of the philosophical musings were interesting to me.

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Top 10 Hiking Destinations ➙ Australia

We love Australia. Who doesn’t? What’s not to like? It’s paradise Down Under.

What an exotic treat to have kangaroos and wallabies hanging about your campsite!

A.I. generated image

“Stunning rocky headlands and perfect beaches, lush rainforests, sun-sharpened deserts and the muted beauty of the bush waking to the trail in Australia offers a kaleidoscope of colours, terrains and adventures for walkers of all levels.” – LP

You have such a wealth of choices: the Blue Mountains (NSW), Whitsunday Islands (QLD), dense subtropical rainforest in Lamington National Park (QLD), Larapinta Trail (NT) out of Alice Springs, wild Kakadu National Park (NT), the rugged Cape-to-Cape (WA) or pretty Wine Glass Bay in Freycinet National Park (TAS).

More information on our Australia information page.

Our favourite hike in Australia is The Overland Track in Tasmania.

See our Overland Track Information page.

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NEW book ➙ Hiking Over 60

A Modern Guide to Hiking Gear and Techniques for Active Adults

I’m over age-60 and still a keen hiker. It’s one of the recreational activities that skews to a higher age demographic.

If you want to start hiking as an older adult or you hiked as a youth and are just getting back onto the trails, you’ll quickly discover that the hiking gear and skills used by today’s hikers have changed significantly in the past 20 years. From lightweight gear, footwear, and clothing to advances in GPS navigation and satellite communications, nearly every aspect of the hiking experience has been transformed, making hiking more accessible than ever for older adults.

Written by Philip Werner, the founder of the highly acclaimed hiking website SectionHiker.com, Hiking Over 60 will bring you up to speed on the hiking gear and techniques that modern hikers use today.

Since retiring in 2010, Philip has hiked ten thousand miles in the United States and Scotland. An older hiker himself, he has a unique grasp of the physical challenges that mature hikers may face on the trail. …

Amazon

Read Philip’s introduction to the new book on the Section Hiker blog.

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HIKING – Nature Can Heal The Mind

If you are reading this post, I’m sure you agree that walking in the wild is good for mind and body.

I happened upon a good article by HELLA KEMPER because they used one of my own photos as the header image.

Rick McCharles above Chamonix, France.

Read the article for yourself.

Healthy Outside — How Being In Nature Can Heal The Mind

Stepping into the wild is more than just a journey — it transforms the way we think and feel. Here’s the science to prove it.

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Hiking Vancouver Island Mountain Biking Trails

by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

Having done all the local hiking trails many times, this winter I’ve been mostly exploring mountain bike trails — but on foot.

Pretty much everywhere in the Pacific Northwest has dozens of use trails made by cyclists, mostly unofficial.

This video shows the kinds of challenging and entertaining terrain you might encounter.

Some trails are unsafe. Be careful.

In this video I’m hiking close to Parksville. The trails beneath Little Mountain cliffs.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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Ugreen’s 145W, 25,000mAh Power Bank

Increasingly on the trail, I need reliable power.

My latest purchase is Ugreen’s 145W 25,000mAh portable power bank.

… 3 ports: a USB-C port for charging the unit at a maximum power of 65W — capable of being fully recharged in 2 hours using a 65W AC charger — and for outputting up to 100W, another USB-C port that supports outputs up to 45W, and a USB-A port that allows for outputs up to 18W. 

… a small LED panel designed for a singular purpose — to display the battery capacity …

  • Battery capacity: 25000mAh
  • Total output: 145W
  • Charge protocols:
    USB-C1
    USB-C2
    USB-A
  • Bi-directional charging: Yes
  • Dimensions: 16 x 8.08 x 2.67 cm
  • Weight: 505 g (1.11 pounds) !

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

There are other better, heavier, and more expensive options.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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Dangerous Treks?

Here’s a list of some of the established hikes known to have caused deaths and injuries in the past.

Of course if you are experienced and cautious, I’d call most of them ‘safe’.

Of the list, I’ve done 5 myself and would recommend them.

El Caminito I’d call SUPER safe in 2025.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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Hiking the Southernmost Trail in the World

Kraig Adams and 2 friends hiked the Dientes de Navarino trail, Chile, March 2025.

It’s more of a route than a fixed trail. Bushwhacking required.

FIRST ➙ make your way to Puerto Williams, Chile.

Kraig’s is the best video I’ve seen yet of that remote adventure. I tried and failed to complete the Circuit myself in 2019.

The trail was covered over with snow, and I had no guide to lead the way. I only tented one night. Awoke with a a bad stomach ache. Then turned back.

AT A GLANCE

  • world’s most southerly major hike?
  • circumambulate the jagged spires of Cordon de los Dientes
  • out of Puerto Williams, Chile, on Isla Navarino (pop. 2,262 last time we counted)
  • recommended 5 days, 4 nights in the past. Most hikers are doing it in 4 days, 3 nights now as the route is better cairned and signed. Kraig did it in 3 days, 2 nights.

To find out how to do this trip yourself, click over to our Dientes Circuit information page.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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300 km Pekoe Trail, Sri Lanka

The Pekoe Trail is a NEW 22 stage hike through Sri Lanka’s tea plantations.

You can walk it — or sections — year round. Low altitude. Mostly easy, scenic walking.

The major complaint I’ve heard is about leeches on rainy days.

I can relate. I once spent a month in Sri Lanka and was sometimes removing leeches with salt water while still on the move. 😀


ThePekoeTrailSriLanka.com

Home

AllTrails – Pekoe Trail

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Mountain Kingdoms offers a 2-week walking holiday that follows the most scenic and culturally interesting sections of the Pekoe Trail including Horton Plains, the tea capital of Nuwara Eliya and the fabulous views from Ella Rock.

Fully supported, you walk between small hotels, original bungalows and mountain lodges carrying just a day pack, with all transfers, meals and sightseeing included.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.


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Top 10 Hiking Destinations ➙ Patagonian Andes

Patagonia is massive and bleak. Yet we love the Patagonian Andes, 2000km (1243mi) in length, but averaging less than 100km (62mi) in width. You could take years exploring just the eastward (drier) side of the mountains.

Towering granite peaks, untouched lakes, massive glaciers, huge volcano trekking peaks. This land is phenomenal.

Mirador del Pliegue Tumbado, Fitz Roy, Argentina

Trekkers target five areas:

  • The Araucania
  • Lakes District
  • Central Patagonia
  • Southern Patagonia
  • Tierra del Fuego

Start in Mendoza, Argentina and visit the highest mountain outside Asia, Aconcagua. Next bus to the Switzerland of South America (Lake District). Some of the highest volcanoes of the world are here. Finally, work your way south by air and ferry to the granite spires at the south tip of the continent.

Trekking season here is Nov-Apr. (Feb-Mar often the best weather) That said, the wind and weather in Patagonia is notorious. Independent hikers need be prepared for anything and everything.

Conversational Spanish highly recommended for those travelling independently.

More information on our new Patagonia information page.

Our favourite hike in the Patagonian Andes is the Paine Circuit in Chile.


John Grey Pass, Paine Circuit – flickr – Patagonia set – Michael Bollino

See our Paine Circuit Information page.

Our original hiking bible is the now discontinued Lonely Planet Trekking in the Patagonian Andes:

Lonely Planet Trekking in the Patagonian Andes