Lichter and Forry – 1st winter PCT

Shawn “Pepper” Forry and Justin “Trauma” Lichter trudged up a muddy hillside during a desert downpour to reach the southern terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail.

The two men had just completed what’s thought to be the first documented, wintertime through-hike of the iconic, 2,650-mile footpath from Canada to Mexico. …

During the early stages of the trip in Washington and Oregon they traveled on snowshoes. When they reached the Truckee area they switched to skis and spent about 400 miles “survival skiing” over and around rocks, brush and ice. For the latter part of the trip they wore lightweight hiking boots. ..

The joyous, muddy end of an epic Pacific Crest journey`

lava-fields-pct

… Before this trip, the two combined had more than 55,000 miles of trail hiking experience in seven different countries.

Their bond is one forged by years of hiking and establishing new routes together: in 2007, they established a precursor to the 850-mile Te Araroa trail in the Southern Alps of New Zealand; in 2008, they became some of the first people to traverse the 850-mile Hayduke Trail in the Grand Canyon; in 2011, they traversed the Himalayan Mountains from the eastern Nepal border to the India-Pakistan border; and, in 2013, they completed the High Sierra Ski Traverse from Sonora Pass to Mammoth Lakes, California.

You get the idea: These guys are tough. …

Outside Online – First-Ever Winter Thru-Hike of the PCT

Thanks Fedak.

Eden To Addo Great Corridor Hike

South Africa, Sept 3-23, 2015

400KM. 20 days. US$2060 donation.

Click PLAY or watch the 2014 hike promo on Vimeo.

https://vimeo.com/93256738

OUR VISION:

To link three mega-reserves, namely the Garden Route National Park, The Baviaanskloof Mega Reserve and the Addo Elephant National Park by means of natural corridors to protect and restore the integrity of bio-diversity and eco-system functioning. …

map

maps

I’ve hiked the Otter Trail on the Garden Route and visited Addo Elephant Park. It would be terrific to connect the two on foot.

Click over to edentoaddo.co.za E2A corridor page for more information.

12 Long Walks in the USA

The series began with the Pacific Northwest Trail on July 2, 2011, and finished at the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail on December 28, 2012. The total distance was approximately 14,302 miles (23,012 km). …

This Hiking Life

click for larger version
click for larger version

Total Bear Sightings: 48 (including 22 grizzlies)
Total Mountain Lion Sightings: 2
Total Pairs of Shoes: 28

See the HIGHLIGHT photos.

That’s Cam Honan.

best hiker

I often name Andrew Skurka as the greatest hiker of modern times. But Cam’s done far more distance. And done more of the best hikes worldwide. 🙂

Theodore Solomons Trail, California

socalhiker:

The Theodore Solomons Trail was designed as an alternative to the more heavily traveled John Muir Trail. Sadly, the trail seems to have largely fallen off the map (so to speak). The last guidebook to the TST was published in 1992, and some of the trails appear to be no longer maintained and difficult to follow.

I’m collecting research on the trail to potentially come up with a viable route …

If you’ve got feedback on the route or suggestions for improving it, leave a comment. If I can come up with a good plan, I may organize a thru-hike in 2016.

Theodore Solomons Trail

Theodore Solomons Trail map

Looks like a terrific long circuit, to me. 🙂

U.S. long-distance hiking trails

Hiking has gone Hollywood with the film adaptation of Cheryl Strayed’s bestselling backpacking memoir Wild – and the Pacific Crest Trail is its real star. If the film inspires you, here are 10 trails that explore the stunning US wilderness

Pacific Crest Trail: California, Oregon and Washington, 2,663 miles

John Muir Trail: California, 210 miles

Continental Divide Trail: New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, 3,100 miles

Appalachian Trail: 14 states from Georgia to Maine, 2,185 miles

The Long Trail: Vermont, 272 miles

The Hayduke Trail: Arizona and Utah, 812 miles

The Grand Enchantment Trail: Arizona and New Mexico, 770 miles

The Ozark Highlands Trail: Arkansas, 218 miles

The Ice Age Trail: Wisconsin, 1,200 miles

The Superior Hiking Trail: Minnesota, 296 miles

Guardian – Top 10 long-distance hiking trails in the US

Click through for a brief summary, links and shorter highlights of each.

Grand Enchantment Trail - Photograph: Prisma Bildagentur/Alamy
Grand Enchantment Trail – Photograph: Prisma Bildagentur/Alamy

Cheryl Strayed’s Lost – a review

… based on the memoir Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed.

The film stars Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern. …

In 1995, Cheryl Strayed decides to hike more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail alone, as a way to heal herself, following her divorce, the death of her mother, and years of reckless, destructive behavior. …

The film garnered mostly positive reviews, with much acclaim going to Witherspoon’s physical and mental performance and Vallée’s direction. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 91% approval rating …

wikipedia

Click PLAY or watch the trailer on YouTube.

Reese was nominated for a 2015 Golden Globe as Best Actress.

Hikers, especially PCT hikers, are mostly pissed that Strayed has gained so much fame for being so woefully unprepared. She hiked about 1000 miles of the 2,663 mile thru hike.

I must say, however, that I enjoyed the book. And enjoyed the film.

This movie is recommended. 🙂

Though Cheryl Strayed should probably stay far away from real hikers, she’s super happy with how the film turned out.

new film – A Walk in the Woods

A Walk in the Woods / U.S.A. (Director: Ken Kwapis, Screenwriters: Rick Kerb, Bill Holderman)

An aging travel writer sets out to hike the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail with a long-estranged high school buddy. Along the way, the duo face off with each other, nature, and an eccentric assortment of characters. Together, they learn that some roads are better left untraveled.

Cast: Robert Redford, Nick Nolte, Emma Thompson, Mary Steenburgen, Nick Offerman, Kristen Schaal.

Premiere is at … Sundance. No surprise.

Walk in the Woods

Redford is Bryson. Nick Nolte is Katz. 🙂