Best hikes, treks, tramps in the world.
by site editor Rick McCharles
Have you seen the Baja Adventure Book?
The classic has not been updated since 1998, but it was a great inspiration for me. I recall reading it in a library many, many years ago.
I write from Loreto, Baja. Just arrived after a road trip of 3450km (2143mi) over 5 days. I’m here on holiday with my parents, but plan to get out for some serious hiking, biking and kayaking.
If you’ve got advice for me on the best Baja Adventures, please leave a comment.
The Adventure Blog:
… found an interesting article over at WideWorld in which the British online magazine lists their top picks for the 10 best inflatable canoes and kayaks with some interesting recommendations for those that don’t have the space to store a hard shell or a rack for the roof of their car. …
read more – Ten Best Inflatable Canoes and Kayaks
The Best Budget Model jumped out at me:
Rugged enough to traverse the entire length of the Amazon river twice, Sevylor’s classic Tahiti K79 two-person inflatable canoe comes in bright yellow. Produced since 1963, it features an I-beam floor for extra buoyancy, drain hole with plug, Boston valves, bow and stern spray decks, and specially designed inflatable seats with back support.
Specifications:
Length overall (LOA): 10 feet, 7 inches
Beam: 2 feet, 7 inches
Weight: 25 pounds
Capacity: 2 persons
Weight capacity: 400 pounds
Only $100, … but 25lbs is too heavy for a solo trip.
This BOAT would be good for a 2 person paddle + hike adventure, though.
Leave a comment if you have a solo kayak model you recommend. Lighter than 25lbs.
On Paul Gilbert’s blog:
… In just the last year, the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority has seen a jump in camping of 10 percent increase over last summer, and an astonishing 75 percent increase since 2004. …
… Tom Doyle, Vice President of Information and Research at the National Sporting Good Association, says the increase in visitation is no fluke. “In our last national survey, we found that camping has dramatically increased, from 46 million campers (nationally) in 2005 to 49.4 million last summer.”
Those figures show no sign of slowing either. Camping, hiking, kayaking – all three areas remain on the rise according to Doyle. Meanwhile, tent sales nationally have been trending up the last few years.
“I fully expect the increase in camping to continue,” Doyle said. “People are foregoing expensive travel.” …
(via TrailVoice on twitter)
Just added 20 new pics from our sprawling Adventure Sports Week event in Idaho.
see more on flickr
The Crux and The Crucible Adventure Race starts tomorrow early. Teams hope to finish each of the next 2 days within 14hrs.
Hints from event organizer David Adlard lead us to understand it’s going to be a difficult, particularly grueling course. Best strategy might be to go for only the mandatory check points, and finish safely within regulation time.
Me?
… I’ll be a comfortable volunteer, cheering on the serious athletes.
… On Saturday, at Idaho’s Farragut State Park, the second phase of the inaugural Adventure Sports Week will kick off with adventure races for athletes of many calibers. Some of the sport’s top athletes will be there, including five-time world champion Mike Kloser and two-time world champion Danelle Ballengee, who made national news in 2006 when she fell during a Utah trail run and might have died if her dog hadn’t gone for help.
But the weekend is designed to offer something to everyone. Short-course adventure races are available to amateur athletes interested in sampling the sport, said Todd Jackson, one of the co-founders.
“All you need is yourself and a partner and a mountain bike. …
Seattle Times – World-class adventure racers to compete in Idaho
My big AR event is right around the corner – Adventure Sports Week. Contact me if you can come down with me.
May 24, 2009
For Immediate Release…
Danelle Ballangee is scheduled to compete in the “Crux and the Crucible” at Adventure Sports Week 2009!
Adventure Sports Week is a 10 day long festival of 24 outdoor races, contests, clinics and social events taking place at Farragut State Park, 30 miles north of Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho, June 5—14, 2009.
One of the racing world’s greatest stars and most inspirational stories is coming to compete at Adventure Sports Week in Coeur d’ Alene, June 12—14.
Danelle Ballangee is perhaps the World’s most decorated female Adventure Racer, having won Primal Quest, the Raid, the Adventure Racing World Championships, as well as dozens of other equally impressive competitions. She has also been named “US Athlete of the Year” an unprecedented six times in four different sports.
Despite her impressive resume, it was an unlikely slip that has Danelle—Nellie—to national prominence.
In December of 2006, while on a routine training run with her dog Taz, she slipped on some black ice and fell nearly 60 feet down the cliffs at Hurrah Pass, Utah, near Moab, breaking her pelvis completely in half, and leaving her bleeding internally and unable to walk. She managed to crawl over a quarter of a mile to a puddle where she could drink, and she spent over 50 hours in sub- freezing temperatures as her dog tried to keep her warm. On the third day, Taz left her, eventually making his way to the trailhead, where he was seen by the search and rescue team, who followed him back to Danelle.
After major surgery, where she received a titanium plate to hold her pelvis together, she was in a wheelchair for several months, and doctors speculated she would be unable to walk for as long as a year.
As a tribute to her strength and tenacity, Danelle competed in a solo 12 hour adven- ture race less than 6 months after her fall, finishing as top female.
Danelle will be competing at ASW representing Project Athena— http://www.projectathena.org – whose mission is to help women with breast cancer and other medical traumatic setbacks live their athletic and adventurous dreams by providing coaching, equipment, travel, entry fees and encouragement.
She will also be teaching part of the Adventure Racing Clinic, along with other super- stars such as Mike Kloser, captain of Team Nike, and AR World Champion.
source – Mind Over Mountain
Mountain Equipment Cooperative (MEC) in Canada (my favourite gear shop) has a great new product.
I love being able to find things without digging blind into the bag. And they are good for the environment, too.
MEC Transparent Dry Bag – $13.00 – $26.00 CAD – Made in USA
MEC believe they are the only completely transparent PVC-free drybags available at a consumer level. Not only that, in selecting a 0.5mm thick clear polyurethane they’re convinced the bags are also more flexible and more abrasion resistance than standard PVC drybags.
Treehugger – MEC Become Transparent with PVC-Free DryBags
The latest update on my Adventure Racing Team’s BIG event for 2009.
Adventure Sports Week is a 10 day long festival of 24 outdoor races, contests, clinics and social events taking place at Farragut State Park, 30 miles north of Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho, June 5—14, 2009.
The motto of this year’s event is “10 Days, 24 Races, 1 Big Party!” and the organizers and the surrounding communities are working hard to make that a reality. …
larger original – flickr
Local hospitality is only one of the things racers should expect at ASW 2009:
“We’re actually pretty pleased with how the many races are shaping up,” said event director Dave Adlard. “The
courses have all been set, and we’ve had marvelous response from celebrity and pro athletes including Ian Adamson, Mike Kloser, Rebecca Rusch, Robyn Benincasa and even Ultramarathon Man Dean Karnazes. I think between the festive atmosphere, great awards and gear and the amazing scenery, this is going to be one of the highlight events on the national racing calendar.”Adventure Sports Week was also recognized in the recent National Geographic “Adventure” Magazine as one of the
top racing events in the US.Online registration is now open at www.adventuresportsweek.com for all races.
New website for our big Adventure Race in Idaho – AdventureSportsWeek.com
From June 5—14, 2009, Farragut State Park, located just north of beautiful Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho, will host 24 different races and contests for outdoor enthusiasts and athletes of all ages and abilities!
With activities ranging from 4 & 8 hour mountain bike races to an orienteering meet, the official XTERRA Northwest Cup race, a Duathlon, 6 trail runs ranging in distance from 6k to 50 miles, five different adventure races (including one especially for kids!), a distance swim, a paddling event and many more, we’ve got something to satisfy the whole family!
Over 1000 athletes are expected to participate, and we want you to be a part of one of the USA’s largest outdoor festivals!
BestHike.com will be there.
official website – AdventureSportsWeek.com
Rocco forwarded us an amazing feature story in Sea Kayaker magazine:
… We asked the clerk at the Echo Bay general store about the kayaker, “Oh, that’s Kayak Bill. He has a camp at Eden Island, and a bunch of other camps around. He does a few odd jobs sometimes, but mostly he lives off the land. He started off from Vancouver about ten years ago to paddle to Alaska, but after wintering at Eden Island, he said he didn’t need to go any farther.” …
It’s well worth the read. Thanks to the author Keith Webb.
original – flickr
I’m looking at options for recording adventure racing events.
This would work.
VholdR Wearable Camcorder (Black) ($330)
Leave a comment if you have any other recommendations.
“Waterproof” (or water resistance) is a big selling point. Here is the VholdR being used on a Jetski.
besthike.com 