Category: health & safety

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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.

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SUCCESS on Mount Yōtei, Japan

trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

My alarm went off at 4:40am.

Yet it was 12:30pm before I started up the trailhead to climb Mount Yōtei out of Niseko, the most popular ski resort in Japan.

… often referred to as the “Mt. Fuji of Hokkaido” …

when has the weather been this good?

Here’s how the volcano looked when I came knocking.

Lonely Planet Hiking in Japan:

One of the toughest day hikes around with a 1500m climb up to a perfectly shaped volcano …

My guidebook called it 8-10hrs round trip. Signage said it took longer than that. There was no way I could make it this day.

… I started up.

Footing was good. Weather excellent (so far).

About half way up I met a savvy Japanese hiker already coming down. He was concerned at where I was on the mountain relative to the time. I assured him I’d be turning around quite soon.

… But you know, guys like me, Rob Hall & Gary Ball — we can push the turnaround time later than most.

And the weather actually got better instead of worse as I gained elevation.

When I saw the mountain hut I knew I’d make the top.

Normally manned by a warden, it had been locked up for weeks. Almost nobody hikes this late in the season.

I only stayed on the crater rim for about 3min as it was already 4pm. … And it gets dark starting about 4:30pm.

The second time on the crater rim I was furious. I’d dropped my camera in the snow when starting to RUN down the mountain. And then hustle back up. It’s now 4:20pm.

The welcome lights of the trailhead campground toilet. It’s 6:30pm.

The campground had been long closed. Yet incredibly the washrooms were left open and powered on. Thank-you Japan.

I tented here all alone, hoping to see one of the infamous pesky foxes. They’d long given up on the campground too.

See all my photos from this day hike.

I know what you’re thinking — this scramble was a “success” ?!

Success is relative on this trip. 🙂

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Vote for Most Extreme Hiking Tale

Over on Two-Heel Drive. Here are the finalists:

J.K.: Wild night by a waterfall
Gambolin’ Man vs. hungry bear
Clarke Green: Rough night in the ‘Daks
Tgabrukiewicz: Taking a beating in the Trinity Alps
Zachary Robbins: Chillin’ in Linville Gorge

Winner gets a gift box full of Beef Jerky

directions to the "Lost City"
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hiking Cordillera Apolobamba, Bolivia

Two places I really want to hike:

1) Bhutan
2) Bolivia

I keep waiting for Bhutan to open to independent trekkers. … sigh …

Bolivia I’ve actually hiked once, but did not have nearly as much time as I wanted.

Bolivia is Peru, but still little visited by trekkers.

… South America’s highest nation is known as the “Tibet of the Andes” for its altiplano, a plateau where valley bottoms sit at 13,000 feet. Above that, mountains are so big and buried in snow and glaciers that you really could mistake them for the Himalayas. And the best place to see it all is western Bolivia’s pristine and barely known Cordillera Apolobamba. Hard against the Peruvian border, the region is home to Andean condors, herds of vicuñas (related to alpacas), endangered speckled bears, and the 65-mile Apolobamba trek, which runs from Curva north across Apolobamba National Park to Pelechuco. The weeklong high route crosses five passes between 15,400 and 16,728 feet. …

Backpacker – CORDILLERA APOLOBAMBA, BOLIVIA

Safety is a real issue in that range. I’d likely sign on with local guides, like trek apolobamba

They are advertising a new adventure, by the way, … the Kallawaya Circuit.

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despite regs, people still die on Half Dome

When the new permit system (400/day) went in, we hoped that some of the least capable, least prepared “tourists” would be dissuaded from tackling the cables.

But it’s been a bad year at Yosemite:

… 20 people have died on Half Dome over the decades, nearly all with rain as a factor, officials say. One of the two to perish this year was a Bay Area woman who slipped in a July storm and fell 800 feet. (A total of 13 died in park mishaps this year, the most in decades — including three swept over a raging waterfall on the trail to Half Dome.) …

Surprisingly, helicopter rescues are still free at that Park. But they don’t fly in bad weather — exactly the bad weather that traps people at the top.

Here’s an update on SFgate – Half Dome survivors wish they had taken heed

Note: You can try for a walk-up permit at 7 am the day before you want to climb.

related – Take a Long Hike – Before You Hike, Leave Critical Information

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fleeing Mt Yari, Japan

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

Day 2

I awoke before dawn in one of the best tent sites of my life.

This truly is the land of the rising sun.

Dozens of hikers were already atop nearby Mt Yari. It’s tradition to climb in the dark.

Personally, I was in no rush. The crowds were gone by the time I headed up.

In fact, I had the summit to myself. Nice.

I left a Summit Stone at the Yari summit shrine.

A helicopter arrived. That’s Fuji in the distance.

helicopter and Fuji

An elderly gentleman was evacuated. He looked OK to me but had been on oxygen earlier in the morning.

I’m hoping he had insurance. Choppers are very expensive in Japan.

Here are the famous Yari ladders, trickier on the descent than the climb.

Though the weather could not have been finer, the forecast was for rain next day. I gambled, hoping it would hold off long enough for me to finish the Kamokochi – Yari – Hotaka circuit early next morning.

It was too tempting to spend the day walking the ridge towards Murado. Can you blame me?

This region is wrongly compared with Yosemite. In fact, it’s much like the GR20 in Corsica.

The nearest water to Yari I could find was at Sugoruko-goya.

They have quite an elaborate system ensuring a drinking supply for the hiking season. (But you may need to filter out the insects.)

2pm was my turnaround time. It was even prettier on the way back.

I did not see much wildlife. A pair of Rock Ptarmigan were the highlight.

Can you believe this stunning view from Yari-dake-sanso at sunset?

Here’s my last photo of the day — my tent.

_____

In fact, that was my last photo of the trip.

Going to sleep at 8:30pm, I was awoken at 10:30pm. The storm had arrived.

Wind and driving rain all night kept me up. I listened to an audio book until first light.

It was all I could do to stuff my wet gear and flee back the way I came, the easy way down. This means I MISSED the infamous Diakiretto:

… hole in the ridge
… ladders, chains, big drops …

This is, without doubt, the most exhilarating (or the scariest) bit of hiking in Japan that doesn’t require any specialist skills.

Lonely Planet

That route is too dangerous when wet. I’d been warned by Wes Lang, editor of the Hiking in Japan blog.

See all my photos from day 2 of this adventure on Flickr

Or check Day 1 if you missed it.

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fleeing the Japanese Alps

by site editor Rick McCharles

Just arrived back to civilization. …

I’m near certain the most popular overnight hiking destination in Japan is Kamikōchi.

People go to walk high ridges and scramble Mount Yari (槍ヶ岳 Yari-ga-take), … one of the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains. … 3,180 m (10,433 ft).

For two days we had perfect weather. (Trip report and photos coming soon.) I put up my tent on a ridge a couple of hundred metres beneath the “spear” (槍 yari).

The first night was fantastic, one of the best spots I’ve ever camped. Both sunset and sunrise.

… but the second night a raucous storm blew in at 10pm. Now I know why none of the Japanese selected such an exposed position.

I listened to an audio book all night, frantic to pack up my soaked belongings at first light, escaping directly to the Tokyo bus.

As a result I missed the infamous “Daikiretto” (die-key-ret-toe – all I see is ‘DIE’).

It will be too late in the season for me this Autumn, but one day I’d love to do the 65km Tate-Yama to Kamikochi traverse of the “Northern Alps”.

It’s somewhat similar to the GR20 in Corsica.