Category: health & safety

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Buckskin and Paria Canyon, Utah

My legs ached with cold, like a swarm of angry hornets had stung me with freezing venom they throbbed. Jen sobbed as our weary group of five sloshed through the turbid Paria River on the start of day 3. I stretched a nervous hand behind to feel how much the holes abraded by the red sandstone in my pack had grown since the day before. I swallowed hard when I felt my gear poking through.

“Once the sun gets into the canyon it is going to be a beautiful day,” I said almost convincingly. In truth, it was the lowest point of our five-day hike in the S. Utah and N. Arizona Paria Wilderness.

Paria – VenturingOutdoors.com

Wow.

Now this is a trip report!

Certainly the best we’ve seen for Paria Canyon.

They detail problems with JetBoil stoves. and critique the rest of their gear. A new GoLite Infinity pack (made of lightweight silicone impregnated fabric) get holes in it the first day from rubbing against canyon walls and has a large tear by the end of the hike.

Hiking Trip-Reports Paria-Trip-Report 2

Paul Grube’s Buckskin and Paria trip report is a fascinating, honest look at the challenges and rewards of canyon hiking.

We’ve linked to the report in a number of places from Paria Canyon – on besthike.

Hiking Trip-Reports Paria-Trip-Report 17

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hike sharing – MyOutdoors.net

Serious adventurer Jeffrey Poznanovic likes a new site called MyOutdoors.net.

“Map your outdoor activities. Journal your progress. Attach Photos. Share it all with friends and family.”

The map-based interface is not all that intuitive. Using a mash-up of Google Maps is touchy. Most people make mistakes using that AJAX technology.

But if you take the time to figure out how it works, MyOutdoors has some very cool features including: mileage distances, elevation profile, GPS waypoints, linked photos, and more that I do not understand.

No doubt about it, sites like this are the future of hiking. We’ll be linked by satellite on the trail, uploading video and photo directly to MyOutdoors in real time. (The rescue helicopter will have exact coordinates and visuals by which to confirm location!)

They need to simplify the interface. Or, at minimum, put up a friendly video tutorial to show me how to best use the site.

Want to try it out yourself? Check the Wind River Backpacking entry in Wyoming.

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screenshot

Wind River Backpacking – MyOutdoors.net

For more information – Cirque of the Towers – besthike.com

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Mt. Rainier flooded – Wonderland Trail closed?

Nearly 18in (45cm) of rain fell over 36 hours in November.

After seeing the Images of the Flood on the Mt. Ranier National Park website, I’m worried about next season. Will Wonderland open in 2007?

With millions of dollars damage to Park infrastructure, it may be some time before we know.

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photo – landslide damage to highway SR123

(Thanks Park Remark – The Great Flood at Mt Rainier National Park)

The Wonderland Trail around Mt. Rainier near Seattle, Washington is one of the best hikes in the world. Lets repair those trails as quickly as possible.

Leave a comment below if you hear anything the Wonderland trails.

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the “flashpacking” hiker

How long can it be before I am blogging from the trail?

“Flashpacking is just backpacking, with an awful lot of tech gear going along for the ride,” said Lee Gimpel, 29, a writer from Virginia who “flashpacked” around India for a few months and recorded his adventures online.

“I sometimes felt that half of what I was carrying was tech stuff: digital camera and memory cards, USB memory drive, a laptop, cell phone, three battery chargers, a dozen rechargeable batteries, a power adaptor, blank CD-RWs and a handful of cables and cords,” he said.

A survey completed earlier this year by 2,561 visitors to the Hostelworld.com Web site found that 21 percent of them travel with a laptop, 54 percent with an MP3 player, 83 percent with a mobile phone and 86 percent with a digital camera.

Discovery Channel :: News – Technology :: High-Tech “Flashpacking” Catches On

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coast-to-coast Vancouver Island?

Has anyone heard of such a route? Or do we need to pioneer one?

I’m looking at walking up to the Mt. Washington Ski Resort chair lift (marked A on map), then hiking across Strathcona Provincial Park to Hot Springs Cove via Della Falls.

After a good soak, we’d exit via private transport to Tofino.

Is this crazy?

Please tell me I’m crazy.

This line would necessitate, likely, a lot of bush whacking. (At least there are no trails marked on my Backroad Mapbook – Vancouver Island west of Strathcona Provincial Park.

I even considered carrying a light inflatable raft in case floating is easier than bush whacking.

Suggestions? (Leave a comment below.)

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gear – “Ursack” – bear and bullet resistant food bag

tko_72_smlr.jpgHard to believe, but here’s a food bag a bear cannot penetrate. Amazing.

No worries at all about rodents and other pesky varmints.

Ursack – bear-resistant containers

A 10.5 litre Ursack is now in stock in a gear shop in my town for about US$65. Price seems a tad steep. But I’ll likely get one before my next major hike. This is a big improvement over the sturdy kayak bag I use now to hold food.

You can also buy an aluminum liner for extra protection, but the weight is prohibitive, I feel. (For example, “the Ursack TKO 2.0 weighs 6.2 ounces. The aluminum liner adds 14.2 ounces.”)

The Ursack alone sounds like it will turn away all but the most persistent bear.

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Mt. Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

UPDATE:

Ruhaizad Daud contacted us with excellent information. He’s a Malaysian doctor from Sabah who is passionate about Mount Kinabalu.

Ruhaizad is also the editor of Mount-Kinabalu-Borneo.com, a content rich site with everything you could possibly need to plan a trip. He confirms that "Anybody, I repeat anybody – can reach the summit – provided that they have the best information and preparation."

We’ve subscribed to his blog and newsletter. Ruahizad even publishes a .pdf guidebook which you can download for a small donation.

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St. John’s Peak 2005 – photo Ruhaizad Daud

We’ve added Mt. Kinabalu to our list of best hikes in Asia and linked to Ruhaizad’s site.

However, this is just the kind of adventure which tends to attract beginners who may get hurt or killed. A British teenager died there in 2001. Guides are mandatory but the quality of those guides is suspect.

On the other hand, I really want to go to Kinabalu myself.

At over 4000m (13,123ft) it’s South-East Asia’s highest mountain. The photos look very appealing.

Malaysia is the most under-rated country in Asia, in my opinion. I definitely want Kinabalu on my own list of the best hikes in the world.

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photo – zbjernak

more great Kinabalu photos on flickr

( via Adventure Blog)

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“adventure travel” insurance

nomad.jpgEvery time I shop for travel insurance it hurts my brain.

There are so many different options. Agents always try to up-sell me with cautious concern whether all my adventure activities will be covered.

No more.

We’ve affiliated with World Nomads, an on-line company out of Australia catering to the active traveller.

Of the many different policies I checked for a 2007 trip to Australia, World Nomads was the least expensive and clearest in what is covered and what is not. Buying took just a couple of minutes. It could not be any easier.

Prices are kept low because World Nomads is internet only with all referrals coming from sites like this. To sweeten the deal they offer additional benefits like free iPod language lessons and on-line travel journals.

Check it out for yourself – World Nomads.

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should we close Angel’s Landing in Zion?

When I first saw Angel’s Landing from a distance, I wondered how anyone could get up there.

A group exploring Zion in 1916 felt the same way. Frederick Fisher exclaimed, “only an angel could land on it.”

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photo by champy1013

It’s a gain of 1700ft (518m) via Walter’s Wiggles, steep switchbacks blasted into the cliff. This is strenuous hiking, almost scrambling.

Despite the narrow ridge walk at the top, sheer drop-offs on either side, this climb is safe for those experienced in mountain hiking.

But it is not safe for the general public who have too easy access. After the death of 29-year-old Bernadette Vander Meer in August 2006, perhaps more safeguards need be added.

Climb to the top of Angel’s Landing in Zion National Park and you’ll have an incredible view of Zion Canyon and the surrounding cliffs. You’ll also risk a spell of vertigo if you get too near the edge and glance into the void.

In fact, reaching the top of the landing can be unnerving at times as you have to climb up some steep, and narrow, stretches of rock. The Park Service is well aware of the exposure on these sections and has anchored heavy chains into the most precarious spots so you have something to hang onto.

Over the years five people have died in falls from Angel’s Landing. …

National Parks Traveler: Woman Dies in Fall From Angel’s Landing

On our list of the best hikes in the world, Angel’s Landing is the shortest we include. It’s a fantastic experience for a confident hikers. And only a hop, skip and a jump from Zion Narrows, an even better hike.

I say keep Angel’s open — but do a better job of informing “tourists” of the risk.

more photos on flickr tagged “Angel’s Landing”

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recommended hiking books

I spend a lot of time checking Amazon, the world’s largest bookstore, especially the user reviews.

If you click through to Amazon.com from this site, we get a small commission, about 4%. This helps pay for the hosting of besthike.

Amazon is happy. We are happy. And you are happy if we get the recommendation right on the best hiking guide. We don’t endorse a book unless we have seen it.

Most amazing about Amazon to me are their low prices. I always check Amazon prices first before cycling over to my local bookstore. If you do not live in the USA, shipping is normally no hassle though Amazon can’t guarantee books won’t be stopped at your border. (It is out of their control.)

Amazon launched a new service where besthike now hosts our own bookstore page.

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