Category: health & safety

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“A Life Ascending” – the movie

Megan Michelson:

On January 20, 2003, seven people were killed in a class 3 avalanche on a peak called La Traviata near Selkirk Mountain Experience, a backcountry hut and guiding operation outside Revelstoke, BC. The guide that day was SME owner and lead guide, Ruedi Beglinger, a Switzerland native with the highest level of mountain guiding certification and decades of experience. Until that day in 2003, SME had never had a serious injury or death during its then 18 years in business. …

… a new feature-length documentary called ”A Life Ascending” about the life and family of guide Ruedi Beglinger has been released on the film festival circuit. It recently won the audience choice award at Colorado’s Docuwest Film Festival …

ESPN

The DVD goes on sale Feb. 28th.

Click PLAY or watch the trailer on YouTube.

A Life Ascending

social media – Facebook | @alifeascending

I’ve subscribed to the blog, too.

RIP Rob and Mark Glaser, friends of mine killed by avalanche in 2011.

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Barefooting the Ozette, Washington

Barefoot Jake doesn’t always go barefoot. On this weekend adventure out of Ozette Lake he wore his Luna ATS Huaraches and Vibram Five Finger KSO.

This terrain and climate is ideal for minimal footwear.

… over 90% Board Walk made up of new, old and really old planks that have been in place for probably longer than I have been born. Figured this would be a perfect opportunity to to break in my Luna ATS Huaraches further. Felt great to let the feet air out …

Evocative photos. Check them out here – Weekend of Barefooting the Ozette

That post caught my eye linked from Hiking in Finland as I’d been to Ozette myself last week.

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6 barefoot hikers summit Kili

Ross proved the doubters — including me — WRONG:

On Saturday, 29 January, at 12.45 South Africa time, our entire team of six barefoot climbers, … and four support crew (in shoes) reached Uhuru Peak, at 5,895m, the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro and the highest point in Africa. …

Barefoot Kilimanjaro: Mission Accomplished – The Video Diary

Respect.

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Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail, Glacier Park

Colleen Contrisciane-Lewis, of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania won an all-expenses-paid grand prize from Backpacker magazine: an assignment to hike—and report on—her dream trip.

Read about her 85-mile, weeklong transect of Glacier National Park on the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail:

Naturally, Rowan and I want quality time alone–we eloped just weeks before our hike, and this Continental Divide-crossing route will not only be my Reader Leader dream trip, but also our honeymoon. …

… When I backpack solo, I can do breakfast and pack in 30 minutes. With Rowan, it takes two hours, and my frustration is building to a boil. …

… “Would you mind silencing your bear bell?” Rowan asks. “The incessant jingle is grating. And I’d love to see a bear.”

Who am I to argue with a man who’s lived with lions? So, against my better judgment, I silence my bell, and zip my lips. We hike 30 minutes before seeing a grizzly 20 yards off the trail …

read her trip report – GLACIER MAGIC

Bowman Lake in Glacier National Park (Jeremie Hollman)

That’s one unforgettable honeymoon!

Backpacker posted 7 more reader submitted trip reports:

Shoal Creek Loop, Gros Ventre Wilderness, WY

International Appalachian Trail, Parc National de la Gaspesie, Quebec

Creekside Loop, Pisgah NF, NC

Evolution Loop, Sequoia and Kings Canyon NP, CA

Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail, Castle Rock SP, CA

Grasshopper Glacier, Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness, MT

Appalachian Trail, 100-Mile Wilderness, ME

details

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barefoot to Kilimanjaro

The barefoot movement is going too far with this project.

Ross on Science of Sport:

Only 3 days to go before I jet off to Kilimanjaro to tackle Africa’s highest summit, and the world’s highest free-standing mountain…barefoot…

My mission is to help get ONE person to the top barefoot, and to do it safely. …

The Barefoot Kilimanjaro Challenge

It’s an attention getter, that’s for sure. Funds raised go to the Red Cross Children’s Hospital in South Africa.

related – Killian Jornet record for summitting Kilimanjaro in light shoes – 7 hours 14 minutes return. (VIDEO)

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1700mi 90lbs lost in 3min

I’ve been following Kolby Kirk — the Hike Guy — for some years. This is his best work yet.

Recorded on the Pacific Crest Trail during the 2011 thu-hiking season. 159 days, 1,700 miles hiked, and ninety pounds lost. Make sure you watch it all the way to the end.

Click PLAY or watch it on Vimeo.

I’m thinking to do a week or two on the PCT in 2012. I’ll need Kolby’s top 5 PCT NECESSITIES.

(via BuzzFeed)

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shooting a Grizzly only makes it angry

At a New Years Eve party I happened to meet the man first on scene at this tragedy.

It turns out that the hunter in Idaho who the authorities thought was killed by a wounded grizzly bear was actually shot by his young hunting companion, who was trying to kill the bear, an autopsy has revealed.

Steve Stevenson, 39, died on Sept. 16 when he was shot in the chest once by his 20-year-old hunting companion, Ty Bell, officials said. The two men, both from Winnemucca, Nev., were tracking a grizzly bear they had wounded in rugged country on the Idaho-Montana border, thinking it was a black bear, the surviving hunter said. …

details on NY Times – In Bear Attack, Hunter Killed Hunter, Autopsy Shows

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Batad rice terraces, Philippines – day 2

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

Day 1 saw me reach Batad, a remote village of fewer than 1500 people, one of the best places to view the UNESCO World Heritage Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras.

Day 2, I slept in until everyone else had departed (with guides) to the Tappiyh Waterfalls. … At a quiet moment, I rushed off in the opposite direction on my own. I didn’t want a guide.

Though the trails look easy and obvious, I was quickly lost.

Over 3wks in the Philippines I never once saw a trailhead sign, nor a “hiking trail” sign. No wonder most hikers hire local guides.

I was intending to find (on my own) the back-route to the village of Bangaan. And find it I did — eventually.

It was fun to be in the paddies on my own.

En route I saw only 2 other hikers, with guide, headed in the opposite direction.

The biggest industry in the region seems to be construction, both road and trail construction. These steep slopes must often get washed out.

It was a truly wonderful hiking day, especially when I finally reached intensely scenic Bangaan.

From there I was prepared to walk out of the mountains (with full Pack) and try to catch transport back to civilization. By luck the very first vehicle — a dump truck — offered to drive me out. I got the cab. Other locals hopped into the back.

Here’s a Jeepney driving in the opposite direction, delivering more happy tourists to Batad.

See more photos from my 2 days in Batad.

There is no hiking guidebook for this region. The best resource I’ve found in English is travel-philippines.com Batad.

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hike the Haute Route, Switzerland

The Chamonix-Zermatt Haute Route is one of our top 10 hikes in the world.

Greg Witt of Alpenwild:

Like you, I love the Haute Route. I have a popular video series on the Haute Route and my company, Alpenwild, is the leading US tour operator doing hiking and walking tours in the Swiss Alps. It’s our specialty. That’s really all we do.

Last year we did the Haute Route 7 times with guided groups and had self-guided clients on the trail every day between June 28 and September 20. Our 2012 season is already well ahead of last year. In addition to our guided and self-guided tours, with Chamonix or Verbier starts, we are also offering a Deluxe Haute Route for 2012—a kinder, gentler itinerary for those who want the scenery but less elevation gain and without the huts. …

Check their guided tours for 2012.

Alpenwild plans to publish Best Hikes in the Swiss Alps: An Alpenwild Guide to Hiking in Switzerland as an e-book by year end. That will be a terrific resource.

If you lack language skills (French, German, Italian) the self-guided option is worth considering. All of the fun of independent hiking, but none of the hassle of finding a place to sleep each night.