trekking the Rwenzori Mountains, Uganda

I would love to have joined in on this 2005 guided trip in the Rwenzori Mountains:

The plan is simple. 6 days total: 3 climbing, 1 day at the top, 2 days to go down. 3 huts. 8 trekkers, 15 porters, 2 cooks and 2 guards.

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The second hut marks the end of rivers. At 3500 meters, we are above the evening clouds. …

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… surrounded by three park guards and our two cooks.

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see the rest of the photos posted by Canadian Kim Gjerstad now living in Uganda.

Easier, perhaps, though you still need armed guards, would be trekking the Central Circuit:

The main trail, known as the Central Circuit, can be completed in about 4-10 days, depending on the itinerary one chooses. …

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Renzori.com hiking

rescuing a drowning bear

… Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologist Adam Warwick just couldn’t let the bear drown, so he took off his shirt and dive after it. The 375 lbs black bear had been spotted in a residential area, obviously looking for food, and was shot with a tranquilizer dart. Unfortunately, before it went under, it jumped in the water of the Gulf of Mexico. …

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click through for more photos and a video – Man Saves 375 lbs Black Bear from Drowning – Treehugger

first bear attack on Vancouver Island

Hikers of the West Coast Trail and other great walks on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, take comfort that there are no Grizzly Bears on the island. And that the Black Bears are famously non-aggressive.

Until this attack on fisherman Blain Pharis:

… A black bear swam across Gordon River and climbed up onto the wharf as Pharis neared his vessel, said Hitchcock. The bear followed Pharis onto his boat and mauled him.

Four men armed with fishing gear including a filleting knife, gaff and hammer swarmed the bear and killed it.

The animal’s internal organs were examined in a necropsy and it was found to be elderly, at more than 10 years of age, and in poor health. …

Bear attack a first for the Island, expert says – Vancouver Sun

This was at Port Renfrew, the trailhead for the WCT.

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Since 1986, eight people in B.C. have been killed by black bears and 75 have been injured.

GPS for (hiking) Dummies

Trailspotting has a superb post for the GPS illiterate like myself:

Your new handheld GPS might seem complex, but in truth it’s very simple to use. This quick article will show you how easy it is to get started, by using the Trailspotting recommended Garmin eTrex Venture HC GPS as an example. In next to no time you’ll be showing off your latest expedition on Google Earth. …

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… click through to read the entire article: First Steps with your new GPS – Trailspotting

Garmin eTrex Venture HC High-Intensity Color Mapping Handheld GPS

I’m convinced. It takes 2 AA batteries.

I assume the MapSource Trip & Waypoint Manager software is Windoze only. (I am a Mac guy.)

But posting my hikes to EveryTrail.com looks to be very easy.

Garmin eTrex H Handheld GPS

Fred Theilig of Rhode Hikes would not buy the minimalist Bushnell BackTrack GPS.

For only a few dollars more — $89.00 right now on Amazon — he’d recommend a Garmin eTrex. This one is waterproof. And gets up to 17hrs on 2AA batteries. Editors of Trailspotting and Take a Load Off agree.

GARMIN ETREX H HANDHELD GPS

GARMIN ETREX H HANDHELD GPS

Many are confused by GPS feature sets. (Including me.) We might want to buy a Garmin GPS Etrex Instructional Video at the same time.

death leap at the Grand Canyon

Did you get the email showing an amazing sequence by “Dutch photographer Hans van der Vorst”?

It’s been circulating since 2006.

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You probably guessed the photos were staged. You were right.

There’s a connecting ledge between those rock formations. The fall is much shorter than it appears.

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Details on Snopes.

Thanks Dana.

review – Mtn Hardwear Sub Zero Parka

I’d been shopping for a hooded down jacket for months on a recommendation from Rob Glaser. Could not resist this one at the bargain sale price of $107.

Mountain Hardwear Sub Zero SL Down Parka - Men's

Mountain Hardwear Sub Zero SL Down Parka – Men’s

Actually, only the women’s version was on sale. It fits me great.

I’ve used it several times now, even sleeping in it on our Mt. Adams climb.

I’ll carry a relatively light sleeping bag to offset the weight of this relatively heavy jacket.

Bushnell BackTrack GPS

A GPS Unit Even Your Mother Could Use

  • 5.6oz
  • 2 AAA Batteries
  • $78.30 right now on Amazon
  • Finally, a SIMPLE GPS.

    Bushnell 36-0050 BackTrack GPS Navigation System

    Bushnell 36-0050 BackTrack GPS Navigation System

    (via Popgadget to Ohgizmo to The Goat to Adventure Blog)

    I’ve added this to my Christmas wish list. I could certainly have used one in the past.

    trek Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica

    … widely considered the crown jewel in the extensive system of national parks and biological reserves spread across the country. The ecological variety is quite stunning. National Geographic has called it “the most biologically intense place on Earth”. Not only is the park very popular with tropical ecologists, a visitor can expect to see an abundance of wildlife. …

    Wikipedia

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    Wikipedia

    Simon Thomsett posted a terrific trip report with photos:

    Five of us, led by Guido Sabario, walked 18km into Corcovado National Park, to stay 2 nights at Sirena, the park’s central HQ. I was impressed by the lack of vehicle access to the park. It was only accessible by foot, or by boat or plane, no cars. To back-pack without park or local community guides among potentially dangerous wildlife is a luxury these days and virtually unacceptable in now over-regulated Africa. …

    The reptiles had their fair share of lethal contenders, first and foremost the dreaded Fer-de-Lance, a pit viper responsible for more deaths than any other animal here. You do not mess with the Fer-de-Lance because it lies like a Puff Adder and chases like a Mamba. It strikes readily and boots are the formal wear. Being an old bush hand familiar with snakes, I wore sandals at first and scoffed at the chances of being hit. But as the days went on, I saw more snakes than one ever would see back home. I began to notice that macho young men strode about in gum boots and wore a huge panga (Machete) that hung from the belt almost to the ground. “Good for whacking the Fer-de-Lance” said Juanky. We were up in the hills one day and I was briefly allowed to lead the way when I saw, to my horror, that my left sandal was coming down in slow motion upon the back of a Fer-de-Lance. God intervened and I was able to …

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    Fer-de-Lance – larger image – flickr – puroticorico

    read the rest of the trip report – Trekking through Corcovado NP

    related sites:

  • Corcovado National Park
  • Trekking, Hiking and Camping information
  • day hiker dead on Mt Rainier

    We climbed Mt. Adams in the Cascades in beautiful weather. But our guide Matt insisted we haul survival gear up to the summit including parkas, emergency sleeping bag, stove, fuel.

    On the descent Matt suggested a future trip up to Camp Muir on Rainier. No doubt he’d insist we carry survival gear yet again.

    Here’s why …

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    Wikipedia

    Park rangers say the three — two men and a woman — planned a day hike Monday to Camp Muir, which stands at about 10,000 feet feet on the 14,410-foot mountain and has a shelter. However, a wintry storm that blew in pinned them down near that location. Park officials say the storm dumped 2 feet of snow and created 5-foot drifts at Paradise and generated winds of 70 mph at Camp Muir.

    At 3:30 a.m. Tuesday the trio, which dug a snow shelter to avoid the brunt of the storm, managed to get through to park rangers with a 911 emergency call; but because of heavy snow and near zero visibility rangers were unable to safely initiate a search at that time. At about 7:15 a.m. one member of the party found his way to Camp Muir and was able to direct a search team, made up of climbing guides and park rangers stationed at Camp Muir, to the party’s location near Anvil Rock.

    All three of the stranded hikers were under shelter at Camp Muir by 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, though all suffered hypothermia and frostbite and one was unconscious and unresponsive and ultimately succumbed to his injuries.

    The man who died was the husband of the surviving woman. All three were in their early 30s and from Bellevue, Washington. They all were experienced mountaineers who had visited Camp Muir in the past and enjoy hiking on Mount Rainier. …

    Day Hike Turns Fatal at Mount Rainier National Park – National Parks Traveler

    That site has a Category called: Missteps in the Parks