health & safety – Page 48

September 6, 2013September 2, 2013

Alastair Humphreys – Greenland

In the last 100 years, twelve people have stood on the moon, more than 500 have been into space, and more than five thousand have climbed Everest. Yet the journey Captain Scott and his team died trying to complete a century ago remains unrealised. No one has ever walked from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back again.

… Ben Saunders, Alastair Humphreys and Martin Hartley take on arguably the most ambitious polar expedition in the last century: the four-month Scott 2012 – the first return journey to the South Pole on foot, and at 1,800 miles, the longest unsupported polar journey in history. …

Click PLAY or watch 2012 training expedition on Vimeo.

The Scott Expedition did not go in 2012.

Instead, an expanded Team starts October 2013. Wish them luck.

September 5, 2013September 4, 2013

Polar bear attacks hiker

… pulled from his tent and attacked by a polar bear in Torngat Mountains National Park in northern Labrador.

Matt Dyer, a lawyer from Maine, was badly injured during the attack at around 1:30 a.m. AT on July 24. …

The bear ripped through the electric fence the group had set up around their campsite that night.

When the campers realized what was happening, they acted quickly and fired flares to try to scare the bear away. …

Parks Canada strongly advises visitors to hire an armed bear guard during their stay, but it is not mandatory.

The Inuit bear guards are hired through the Nunatsiavut base camp set up within the park.

However, Castaneda-Mendez said his group was never offered the armed bear guard, and said that the outfitter they hired insisted it was not necessary. He said his group was under the impression the portable electric fence was an adequate deterrent. …

CBC

September 4, 2013September 2, 2013

NEW – GR 20 Corsica

We’ve posted a new information page on the GR 20 in Corsica, France.

I hiked the more difficult, rugged northern half in 2011.

Europe’s toughest trek

… The trail (conceived by Michel Fabrikant back in 1970) is long (even if you walk half of it) and tough. Don’t underestimate it! You need to be fit, well trained but most of all you must be highly motivated. …

The path is basic: i.e. there actually is no real path underfoot for 98% of the time. So much that on many occasions if you don’t see the next waymark or cairn you won’t know where to go. Seriously. In addition to that forget the flat path you’re probably used to; most of the time you’ll walk on rugged and tormented terrain, rocks, stones galore, granite slabs … you get the idea. Get used to it. …

The huts are basic. If we leave out the minor exceptions of the decent buildings at Haut Asco and Castel de Verghio, the huts are small rudimentary (some of them) bergerie-style buildings with small suffocating dormitories …

My advice instead is to bring your own tent. …

AT A GLANCE

one of the best treks in the world
180km
15 days (many hike only half)
19,000m of ascent and descent
sleep in tents or mountain huts (refuges or gîtes)
hiking permit not required. Reservations for the refuges recommended.
located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the Italian island of Sardinia

read more – BestHike GR 20 information page

September 1, 2013

Crypt Lake trail

Highly recommended. 🙂

We had a terrific adventure.

The Crypt Lake Trail is one of the premium hikes in Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is accessed by a dedicated ferry service operating from the Waterton Park Townsite. …

Voted “Canada’s Best Hike” in 1981 …

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The crux comes at the top.

… ledge is about 50 cm wide, and continues over to a steel ladder and access to the tunnel. For nearly 100 ft you crawl through a natural mountain tunnel before arriving at the cable traverse. This section of the hike involves a scramble along a sheer cliff, with the assistance of a steel cable. …

The hike is a total of 17.2 km round trip, with a gradual 2,300-foot elevation gain. …

full resolution photos

August 30, 2013

best hammock shelter ever?

Looks like it to me.

The Nubé (new-bay) is more than just a hammock shelter, it’s a safe haven for you and your gear wherever you are.

With it’s patent pending 3 in 1 system the Nubé is the most complete hammock shelter ever produced.

The Nubé protects you from torrential down pours, pesky insects, and keeps your gear elevated and protected …

The Nubé is designed to be compatible with any camping hammock …

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Nubé Weight (no stakes): 2 lbs (0.90 kg)

Total Weight (with stakes): 2.24 lbs (1.01 kg)

kickstarter – Nubé the Perfected Hammock Shelter
by Sierra Madre Research
– Richard G. Rhett Jr.

This should be available next year. They’ve already raised more than triple the money needed to start production. 🙂

related – How to Set-Up the Nubé (VIDEO)

August 23, 2013August 23, 2013

Grizzly Bear eats Black Bear

Banff’s Sundance Canyon trail has reopened after a grizzly bear ate a black bear in the popular hiking area west of Calgary earlier this month.

“Bear 122 is the largest, most dominant grizzly bear on the landscape,” the park official said. “Last fall, I would estimate his weight at 650 to 700 pounds, which is enormous for the Rocky Mountains — about as big as grizzly bears get around here.”

Michel said the black bear was likely a fifth the size of the grizzly. …

read more – Grizzly bear eats black bear in Banff

Thanks Peter.

I’m hoping to get out to the Rockies over the next week.

August 16, 2013August 13, 2013

North Coast Trail 2013

scenes from the trail has a detailed trip report on the new North Coast Trail on Vancouver Island. These ladies found it easier than I did. 🙂

Distance: 59.5 km (including about 16 km which is part of the Cape Scott track).

Recommended number of days: for average parties 5.5-7, for fast and very fit parties 3.5-5.

Location: Near Port Hardy, BC. Part of Cape Scott Provincial Park.

Logistics: A water taxi is necessary to get to the starting point at Shushartie Bay. The North Coast Trail Shuttle offers a water taxi from Port Hardy and a pick up at the Cape Scott trailhead (about 60 km from Port Hardy).

Bookings: At this stage, it isn’t necessary to book the track. You should book your shuttle/boat in advance. You must also pay a back country fee to BC Parks of $10 per person, per night.

Further Considerations: Make sure you consult a tide chart before leaving, and have one with you. There is only one short section that is truly impassable at high tide, but many of the beach sections are much easier at low tide. Also consider that this is an area in which there is a lot of wildlife, particularly wolves and bears. …

read more – scenes from the trail – The North Coast Trail

related – Club Tread – North Coast Trail

August 9, 2013August 6, 2013

trekking the Indian Himalaya

by site editor Rick McCharles

We’ve moved and updated our Indian Himalaya introduction page.

If you’ve trekked there, check it for errors and omissions.

I’m hoping to do some personal research this Autumn.

Fly Dehli to Leh mid-October. Do Ladadh.

If possible, next do at least one trek in the Nandi Devi region.

Third priority is Nepal (my 5th trip) or Sikkim (my 2nd trip).

My preference is to trek independently. Carrying my own pack.

Wish me luck. 🙂

August 3, 2013

How to talk to your daughter about her body

This blog post by Sarah is going NUTS online. Already 700+ comments as I post.

… step one: don’t talk to your daughter about her body, except to teach her how it works.

Don’t say anything if she’s lost weight. Don’t say anything if she’s gained weight.

If you think your daughter’s body looks amazing, don’t say that. Here are some things you can say instead:

“You look so healthy!” is a great one.

Or how about, “you’re looking so strong.”

“I can see how happy you are – you’re glowing.”

read more …

August 2, 2013

researching Manaslu Circuit

The Manaslu Trek (or Manaslu Circuit Trek) is a 14-day tea-house trek which circumnavigates the 8th highest peak in the world (8,156 m). …

The trek is much easier than it used to be with greatly improved trails along the Budi Gandaki river gorge. In terms of difficulty, it is comparable with the Annapurna Circuit Trek or Everest Base Camp trek. Its highlight is undoubtedly the spectacular unhindered views of Manaslu.

Just over 2,000 people complete the trek per year with more than half visiting in October. This is substantially fewer than visiting Annapurna, Everest or Langtang. There are two main reason for the fewer numbers.

The first reason is that the trek used to require camping, as there were too few tea-houses …

The second reason is that the trek has restricted area status. This means it requires a special permit … that the group have two or more members and that a registered trekking guide accompanies the group.

wikitravel