Category: health & safety

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hike Angel’s Landing online

Angel’s Landing is one of our best day hikes in North America.

National Parks Traveler points us to an unique feature on the government website for Zion National Park in Utah.

Whether you want to relive a previous trip up Angels Landing, or you’ve never hiked there and want to get an idea of what it’s like, this virtual tour is the way to go. It offers a taste of the wonders of Zion—the sounds of birds calling and the soothing sound of the Virgin River, the sights of pink-hued sandstone cliffs at sunrise and the grand view from the summit.

You control your experience within our virtual tour with videos, pictures, and sounds. All these options come with a price, however—large file size. High-speed Internet access is recommended for viewing the full version of our virtual tour, which may take some time to download. You will also need to have a plug-in installed on your computer — Flash Player. We hope you enjoy your virtual visit to Zion National Park. …

Click through to eHike Angel’s Landing

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flickr – Jess J – larger original

Want to plan a trip to Utah?

Check our besthike information page – Angel’s Landing

related post – should we close Angel’s Landing in Zion?

It wasn’t included on Backpacker Magazine’s list of America’s 10 Most Dangerous Hikes, but should have been.

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Trekking The Lebanon Mountain Trail

Have you ever heard of hiking in Lebanon?

Is it safe?

What is the Lebanon Mountain trail?

The Lebanon Mountain trail is the first long distance hiking trail in Lebanon and the Arab world (www.lebanontrail.org). It extends 440km. from Qbaiyat in the north to Marjeyoun in the south. It traverses 75 towns and villages at altitudes from 600m to 1900m. The LMT showcases the natural beauty and cultural wealth of Lebanon’s mountains.

The Lebanon Mountain Trail Association organized the first complete thru-walk of the LMT during the month of April 2009. The core group of 7 hikers explored history and culture, as well as the natural beauty of Lebanon.

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They blogged the journey, an interesting read with plenty of photos.

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TrekkingLebanon.com

official trail website – lebanontrail.org

Time Magazine posted a short video on this Adventure.

This could be the start of something much bigger in the Middle East. Just as soon as Peace breaks out there.

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this hiker staying with the Bear Vault

Sigh … Rocky Mountain National Park now requires Bear Canisters.

More and more Parks will be doing it in future. Best get used to hiking with one. …

Last summer I saw a bear vault with a night light attached so hikers could find it in the dark. Good idea.

bear-vault-bv500
details – Amazon

2 lb 9oz Bear Vault.

Despite the weight, I think I’ll stick with mine instead of buying an Ursack.

Here’s another happy camper:

… I found that the vault slipped in quite nicely to the top portion of my 60 liter pack. It was also great to have a waterproof container to put dry clothes in (in a zip-lock bag so they didn’t absorb food smell). Towards the end of longer trips its nice to have a waterproof place to put all of our garbage.

Around camp they are a godsend. I’ve used the vaults as stools, chairs, cutting boards, tables, water jugs, and hammers. Just having a flat surface in camp is a treat. Another handy feature is that they are transparent. You can see what you’re reaching in for. Other cannisters I’ve used are a solid plastic and you have to fish everything out/around to find what you’re looking for.

Now I know what you’re thinking. How can you do a good review of a bear cannister without having it attacked by bears? I’m way ahead of you.

While camping this summer by Lake Colden in the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks my BearVaults were put to the test. For those who don’t know, this area is notorious for its black bears. We placed our BearVaults a fair distance from our camp site. In the middle of the night I woke up to hear smashing sounds coming from the direction of our vaults. Thuds came from the vaults smashing into the soil. Loud bangs from the vaults hitting each other and hitting the fallen trees that we had placed them beside. For a good hour these sounds drifted over to our campsite. Then they stopped. In the morning I found the BearVaults 10-15 feet from where I had left them. They were dirty, one had a small scratch on it, but other wise they were intact and the food within in them untouched. …

silverorange stuff – BearVault Bear Canister Review

Fisher_BearVault

audiocast – Wildebeat – The Story of Bear Cans, part 2

Calipidder posted a terrific comparative review of all the available systems.

(via Two-Heel Drive)

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do you understand Cap and Trade?

Not exactly hiking, but an important issue for all of us who want protection for the great outdoors.

Hank Green, the EcoGeek explains Cap and Trade in 3:30sec.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

( via Treehugger – Cap and Trade Explained in Under Four Minutes (Video)

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is the Ursack truly bear proof?

I’ve been considering the Ursack system for protecting food from bears.

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more photos

Those who try Ursack seem to like the product. But it’s not currently approved for use in the Sierras.

I currently use a 2 lb 9oz Bear Vault. It’s great.

bear-vault-bv500
details – Amazon

… On the other hand, the Ursack V27 that holds almost as much food weighs only 7.5oz. (Recommended is to use a small Brillo pad squeezed under the opening to protect your yummies from mice and insects.)

Calipidder posted a terrific comparative review of all the available systems.

(via Two-Heel Drive)

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Sierra High Route – American Adventure


Allie Comeau on the Sierra Blogging Post had to include a Sierra trip as one of her Top 10 American Adventures.

Good call.

It’s on our list of the best hikes in North America. Similar to the famed John Muir Trail, but without wasting so much time and energy descending each day. On the Sierra High Route you try to stay HIGH.

9. Hiking the Sierra High Route, California: The 195-mile stretch between King’s Canyon and Yosemite National Park is not for the faint of heart. This trail, through the country’s most rugged terrain, is challenging to say the least.

This one is dangerous. The expert is Steve Roper.

The Sierra High Route (also called the Roper Route) is a cross-country hiking route, 195 miles (314 km) long, through the Sierra Nevada. It was scouted by Steve Roper and described by him in his book Sierra High Route: Traversing Timberline Country (1982; 1997). …

Wikipedia

sierra-high-route

I’m going to need Steve’s guidebook.

Amazon – The Sierra High Route: Traversing Timberline Country

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2 hikers dead on Kokoda Track

The Kokoda Track is one of the best, and toughest, hikes in the world.

kokoda

… a single-file foot thoroughfare that runs 96 kilometres (60 mi) overland — 60 kilometres (37 mi) in a straight line — through the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The track is the most famous in PNG and is renowned as the location of the World War II battle between Japanese and Australian forces in 1942. ..

On Wednesday, a 26-year-old New South Wales man became the second Australian to die on the track in less than a week.

He died at Ioribaiwa village while trekking with Executive Excellence.

The company says it is working with authorities to have his body returned home as soon as possible. …

Last week 36-year-old Samantha Killen, from Hamilton in south-west Victoria, died on the trek.

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The mother of two was trekking with her father when she collapsed and died on Friday afternoon.

Her father told police his daughter had developed sore legs and appeared to be dehydrated and disorientated in the lead-up to her death.

Just a coincidence?

Earlier, a Kokoda Track tour operator said it was inevitable more deaths would occur unless operators he has described as “cowboys” were banned.

The chairman of the Kokoda Ethics Committee, Aidan Grimes, said some companies skimp on safety by taking up to 150 people trekking and by failing to check their fitness levels. …

ABC – Kokoda deaths not deterring trekkers

related – Kokoda death highlights safety concerns

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best SAFE hikes in Australia?


More often than not on our list of best hikes in the world we promote “challenging” adventures.

The very dangerous West Coast Trail is our #1 pick. One in every hundred hikers has to be evacuated!

What if you don’t want to be evacuated?

From Our Hiking Blog:

We have come up with a short list that meets the following criteria:

– No death defying stunts required to complete the trip
– Relatively mountain / drop off free
– Challenging enough to make you feel a sense of accomplishment
– Multi day with at least 3 nights camping required
– Generally isolated and away from too much infrastructure

Before we give you the list, recall that Australia is chock full of dangerous animals. My friend from Canberra found a poisonous snake in the back seat of his car while putting his infant daughter into the car seat. I’d rather risk a Grizzly than meet a Brown Snake on the Trail.

The walks, in no particular order, are:

  • Great South West Walk – Victoria
  • Wilsons Promontory Circuit Walk
  • Overland Track – Tasmania
  • Australian Alps Walking Track
  • Thorsborne Trail – Hinchinbrook Island – Queensland
  • Bibbulmun Track – Western Australia
  • Great Ocean Walk – Victoria

    • Read the entire entertaining post – Hiking with Bathmophobia – 7 hiking trips that won’t scare you to death (too much) !

    wallaby
    photo – besthike editor Rick McCharles – Overland Track, Tasmania – 2007 trip report

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    Survivorman is back – Survive This

    … When Les Stroud announced his retirement from “Survivorman” last year, wilderness-TV fans shed some tears, but we all hoped he’d be back. We’re happy to report the time has come: Les Stroud returns to Canadian TV this week with “Survive This,” in which eight teenagers with varying levels of outdoor skill are thrust into the Northern Ontario woods to survive with no tools outside of their clothes. …

    Daily Dirt – SURVIVORMAN RETURNS—THIS TIME, FOR THE KIDS

    teenagers

    I’ve got some teenagers I want to nominate for next year’s series.

    YTV – Survive This

    === related

    The Pulse blog’s Steve Howe will be watching any TV show related to wilderness safety. Check his recent post: EASTER VANISHINGS AND RESURRECTIONS – A quick survey of the missing, the found, and the lucky

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    Lake Vesuvius Lakeshore Trail, Ohio


    The WARNING SIGNS on this trail are over zealous. From one trip report circulated by email:

    It was a beautiful day, no rain and warm sun shining down on the steamy well watered ground.

    We decided to take full advantage of the rare sunny day in Ohio. Just a piece up the road is Wayne Forest State Park.

    We set out for the park and to our delight a hike around Lake Vesuvius. The map showed a fairly flat 8 mile trail all the way around the lake.

    Perfect!

    The fearless leader Scott jumped out in the lead and set a good pace, until……

    the WARNING sign……..

    warning-sign

    Would we be able to make it? Should we turn back now? OH MY 7 more miles to go EEKKK! I quickly calmed Scott down and told him we would be just fine! Let’s just enjoy the beautiful early spring flowers and push on ahead!

    So we hiked on looking for the perfect place to have lunch.

    We resisted the lunch recommended to us by the nice Forest Service man, Mr. Boggs. He said in a heavy Kentucky accent “Ain’t nothin’ better then sittin’ on a log with a good Balona’ sandwich, yew should russell yer selves up one”

    After lunch we continued hiking and then It hit us…..

    THE SECOND WARNING SIGN!

    warning-sign2

    6 MILES! Maybe we should turn back? The sign says it will take us another 5 hours! That’s about 1 mile per hour how could we ever do that?

    But the healthy lunch I made for Scott wasn’t full of Balona’ and this time he was the one to say we should press on!

    And so we did, up little hills, around big rocks, through a few mud bogs. The sun was warming up the ground and Canada Geese were defending their soon to hatch eggs.

    We never saw another hiker. I was sure it was because these Ohio hikers can’t handle the big miles. Look at us we’re doing just fine!

    But I spoke too soon! that was not it at all,

    And we soon found out.

    Now, I can’t say for sure. But maybe, the nowhere to be found, other hikers knew something we didn’t?

    like what was waiting up around the next bend!

    copperhead

    Now this California girl had no idea what this nice specimen of a snake was, but my fearless leader Scott knew just what it was. A COPPER HEAD!

    We turned around and headed back to the car. Not that we couldn’t do the miles, but just in case the warning was more about the snakes!

    Back at the Ranger Station, Mr Boggs informed that indeed that is a Copper Head, “Out early this year!”

    GREAT! I hope they like Balona’ Sandwiches better then hikers in shorts exposing bare skin for the first of the season bite!