Blake Robinson is well into his attempt to Walk The Parks.
Walk The Parks is a journey exploring the 49 National Parks in the lower 48 via human power, mostly walking.
Click PLAY or watch him on YouTube.
Unbounded – Greater Patagonia Trail documentary
“Unbounded” shows the beauty, the cultural richness but also the challenges of this trail network. I highly recommend watching this work of art to all prospective hikers as part of their preparation.
— Jan Dudeck (creator of GPT)
Four young people who didn’t know each other at the start hiked 4 months on the Greater Patagonia Trail in Chile.
Only one had much experience hiking.
They made plenty of mistakes. Carried huge packs. At the start they could only manage about 7km / day.
The Greater Patagonia Trail is a route, not a trail. It’s unsigned. It’s wilderness. It’s very challenging.
Despite many, many problems, the documentary turned out to be quite entertaining. I recommend it.
Click PLAY or watch the trailer on YouTube.
I watched on Amazon Prime. But it is available on other video streaming sites.
Getúlio Felipe climbs Marmolada
Getúlio Felipe is a 14-year old kid born with cerebral palsy. That didn’t stop him climbing the highest mountain in the Italian Dolomites 3,343 m (10,968 ft).
… At the age of four, he was advised to start using a wheelchair, which he refused. He told the world he was going to learn to walk.
Age 5, nothing. Age 6, nothing.Age 7, Getulio took his first steps. This in itself was an achievement no one saw possible, but in his own words, “the impossible does not exist”.
His sheer determination has inspired people around the world, giving people hope when they had lost it. …
… climbing Marmolada involves crossing a glacier with huge crevasses and then a steep climb requiring ropes, crampons, and ice axes. Just to add to the difficulty, there was a deep snowpack …
Accompanying Getúlio on this journey were Pedro McCardell, creator of Lyfx, an app that conects travelers to local guides, Alessio Nardellotto, an experienced climber from the Dolomites, Alberto Benchimol and Stefano Fabris, who worked as a separate support team for safety and image capture.
Charles Darwin was a hiker
He got into hiking in his 20s, but it was trekking and scrambling in little know wilderness on four continents visited on his five-year-long H.M.S. Beagle voyage between 1831 and 1836 that cement him as one of the most worldly hikers in history.
“Mount Darwin” is the highest peak in Tierra del Fuego. On February 12, 1834, Captain FitzRoy named a mountain after him on his birthday. …
Darwin walked mainly to discover plants and animals unique to those regions.
I learned all this by reading his travelogue Voyage of the Beagle.
By the way, the famous phrase “survival of the fittest” comes from Herbert Spencer’s 1864 publication, “Principles of Biology.” The term is largely thought to have been coined by Darwin regarding his thoughts on evolution; however, this is a wrong assumption.
Andrew Skurka interview
Backpacker Radio spoke with the thru hiking legend, author, blogger, and backcountry guide Andrew Skurka.
Very entertaining. Very informative. He shares strong opinion on gear.
Andrew names Cam “Swami” Honan and Justin “Trauma” Lichter as two thru hikers he admires in 2019.
Zach and Smiles host the podcast. Listen online – Backpacker Radio #33
related – You Think Your Winter Was Rough (Trauma’s winter PCT)
Mike Warden runs the Israel National Trail
Michael Wardian (born April 12, 1974) is an American marathoner and ultra-marathoner. …
In January 2017, Wardian ran seven marathons in seven days on seven continents in a record average speed of 2:45. …
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
He said the terrain is some of the most beautiful he’s seen in the world. And he felt very safe in Israel.
I listened to an entertaining interview on the Fastest Known Time podcast.
Legend hiked the Great Western Loop
6900+ miles.
Andrew Skurka invented the Great Western Loop and was the only person to complete it before Jeff ‘Legend’ Garmire in 2018.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. (24min)
In 2019, the Great Western Loop will officially become the Great Western Loop Trail and expanded to include the northern and southern termini of both the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and the Continental Divide Trail (CDT). …
