Category: health & safety

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Half Dome sells out in 23min

Yosemite, California.

If you were planning on climbing Half Dome this summer, you’ll have to wait until the next batch of permits (for July climbs) become available on April 1. This year, permits for climbing Half Dome are required on ALL days, not just weekends and holidays like last summer.

The first round of permits (for May and June climbs) went on sale on March 1 and sold out in twenty-three minutes. And that was just the permits for weekdays. Saturday and Sunday permits sold out in only ten minutes. …

Daily Hiker

original photo on flickr

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trekking the ice fields of Patagonia

Following Dan’s terrific 3 days at Fitz Roy, they immediately headed for the Ice Fields:

… At 16,800 square kilometers, the Ice Field is the second largest in the world and I’m completely awe-struck when we arrive at the high point of the ominously named Paso Del Viento (Pass of the wind). The view in every direction is pure ice, with amazing swirls and patterns …

Crossing a glacier-melt river was their biggest challenge.

read the blow-by-blow … Hiking to The Southern Patagonian Ice Field

Photos by SAULIUS DAMULEVICIUS.

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Everest Base Camp – the movie

If you’ve considered making the trip to Namche, Nepal and up to Base Camp, it’s well worth watching this new 1hr documentary produced and directed by Brian and Hank Leukart.

The boys had a fair bit of trouble with illness.

… “Need a helicopter ride to Lukla? For $250, I’ll take you right now,” he says quietly, in perfect English.

Brian and I are apprehensive. We consult Lonely Planet’s Trekking in the Nepal Himalaya, which tells us: “Be aware of the poor safety record of helicopter travel in Nepal — Everest Base Camp is strewn with the wreckage of lost aircraft.” But, then, we also discover a long sidebar in the same book detailing the numerous crashes of Twin Otter airplanes to Lukla, a flight for which we already have tickets. While we’re trying to decide what to do, we meet another waiting trekker, who also happens to be a helicopter pilot.

“Well, the helicopter is probably just as safe as the plane you’re planning to take — which is, to say, not very safe,” he tells us. “I’d probably do it if I had the money.” …

read more – Without Baggage – mission everest: a tale of two brothers.

Click PLAY or watch it on Vimeo.

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trekking Annapurna 2010

One of our top 10 hikes in the world, Annapurna in Nepal, has had some negative press in the media:

… It is a shame, then, that by 2012 a road will have been built on this path, destroying this experience and, according to many, placing the last nail in the coffin of what was once the greatest trek on earth. …

NY Times

hmm …

Are these reports of doom and gloom true?

Andrew Ostrowski sends us some notes from last year:

Oct 2010 when we hiked independently (no guides/porters, 10 kg pack plus water, total ~12 kg/person) the combined Circuit and Sanctuary trek in 21 days, hikers age 58 and 62 years old couple with average hiking experience in Canadian Rockies

electricity or back up system was available in all places, cell phones everywhere and carried by most guides/porters and others in case of emergency, expensive internet is readily available at almost all stops at Annapurna Circuit

padlocks and blankets were always provided

free medical high altitude clinic is daily offered at 3:00 PM in Manang in high season

there was no snow in the first week of Oct 2010 and temperature at Thorung La was around zero when we passed it around 11 AM

trekking independently is very easy, providing you do your homework/planning ahead of time

excellent maps are readily available everywhere, very difficult to get lost on the main trail, trails/lodges were busy

used cost effective UV light for water treatment every day with good results

you can take micro bus(Toyota/Nissan van) from Kathmandu bus station to Besisahar trail head (350 Rupees) and further down on the jeep (500 Rupees) if you wish

you can plan and see the whole trek on Google Earth, GPS tracks are easy to find on the web and plot on Google Earth and hundreds of pictures taken every 100 m are also shown

all gear (poles, back pack, jacket, sleeping bag) except hiking boots was rented in Kathmandu and is readily available from dozens of places, total cost for two person/23 days was 8320 Rupees($110) , all gear survived with no problems

daily cost on the trek for two persons (food + room) was 30 to 35 dollars, with no alcohol drinks, can be more if you order most expensive dishes/drinks

flying back 1/2 hr from Pokhara to Kathmandu is definitely worth ~$60 dollars ticket price vs seven hrs on the bus on busy and poor road

had no high altitude sickness problems, with acclimatization as recommended by guidebook only fatique/slow speed while passing Thorung La, we had to slow down and take 2 diamox pills each to speed up hike at critical ascent

overall great experience with no health or any other problems, lost few lbs

Rumours we’ve heard …

… Although people still circumvent the system, trekkers are now required to hire at least one Nepali staff member (a porter or guide) per group. …

… are not true.

Andrew never heard of any such regulation in 2010. They hiked independently. And they loved the adventure, independently.

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bear trashes plane

From 2009.

… When bush pilot Luke Miller, 28, made an overnight stop at a friend’s hunting lodge in Southwest Alaska … he had no way to know that a large and very dedicated menace would, under cover of night, chew and claw his plane to shreds. …

Alaska Dispatch – An appetite for revenge

Yikes.

more photos

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remind me never to hike with Skurka

Andrew Skurka is the world’s greatest hiker, famed already for his 6,875mi Great Western Loop.

That was nothing compared to his most recent achievement.

The Adventure Blog:

…his 4679 mile (7530km) Alaska-Yukon Expedition set a new standard for all others to follow.

The route passed through some of the most remote places in the U.S. and Canada, crossing eight national parks and several mountain ranges in the process. As is typical, Andrew went alone and spent 176 days on the trail hiking, skiing, and rafting his way through the unforgiving wilderness.

Now, his full story is finally being told in the pages of National Geographic Magazine, which will feature Skruka’s adventure in the March issue that will be hitting newsstands soon. …

It was harsh.

Nat Geo already has the article online – Alaska Yukon Trek

more photos

Check the cool interactive map.

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Yukon – Slims River to Kaskawulsh Glacier

Phil Armitage posted an excellent trip report of their 2010 adventures on the Slims West trail, 64km (40mi) return.

Here’s their view from Canada Creek campsite:

… From the campsite at Canada Creek it’s 19km (12 miles) roundtrip, with 1200 meters (3,900 feet) of climbing, to the summit of Observation Mountain.

That doesn’t sound like a particularly strenuous day hike, but there’s Canada Creek to cross (twice, with the second crossing likely be harder than the one on the way out, as the water level rises during the day) and no trail for most of that distance.

The summer days are long at these high latitudes but still, don’t underestimate the time required. Most of the parties we met found the hike to be harder and longer than they had anticipated. …

read more – hiking the slims river west trail to the kaskawulsh glacier overlook on observation mountain

Their photos are STUNNING.

… On my trip I never made it past the first creek crossing.

Route finding is tricky. You might need gills to cross some streams in flood. And know that there’s been at least one hiker killed by bear there. Parks Canada shuts it down when the bears are sighted.

Phil recommends special footwear for the water and mud.

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800-pound grizzly named Brutus

I’ve linked to Casey Anderson before. But this is the best video I’ve seen yet.

800-pound grizzly bear Brutus is the curious best friend to renowned naturalist Casey Anderson, who has raised him since birth. Together, they’ve set out on a yearlong mission to chronicle the lives of Yellowstone’s vulnerable grizzly bears.

National Geographic TV – Expedition Grizzly

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Many predict that Brutus will one day kill him. … Could happen.

(via Trend Hunter)

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Don’t Tase me, Bear

A $2000 piece of hiking gear.

The Wildlife TASER electronic control device is a revolutionary new multi-shot ECD that can engage multiple targets, and deliver a calibrated Neuro Muscular Incapacitation (NMI) pulse from up to 35 feet away.

The Range Adjusted Dual Laser System increases effectiveness, while providing a more humane means of animal control for wildlife. These devices have been proven effective for wildlife and are available today for wildlife managers, field biologists and zoo caretakers.

taser.com

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA):

… calls the X3W inhumane

Tasers cause uncontrollable muscle contractions and overwhelming pain. Humans and animals on the receiving end have died as a result of the shock. For these reasons, the National Animal Control Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association both recommend against their use. Aggressive methods should be explored only if one’s life is truly in danger.

In extreme nuisance wildlife cases, large wild animals (without young) can be live-trapped and relocated. …

read more – ABC 15