August 5th we start some weeks on the Pacific Crest Trail starting Tuolumne Meadows.
Mostly offline during August, I am hoping to post on the BestHike Instagram from the trail.
First afternoon is a day hike to Cloud’s Rest.
Site Editor gone HIKING
West Coast Trail GEAR 2021
I did the WCT twice.
This is my final gear list after learning some hard lessons on the first week.
Note it’s very electronics heavy as one of my main goals was to make video tutorials for this very challenging adventure.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
PACK
Hyperlight 3400 Windrider
emergency whistle
SHELTER
MSR Hubba NX tent
MSR Hubba NX fly
MSR Hubba poles (no stakes)
SLEEP
Therm-a-Rest NeoAir UberLite WV SHORT Sleeping Pad (pillow and back-up mattress)
NeoAir XLite SHORT (pad)
Therm-a-rest patch kit
Therm-a-rest quilt
SHOES
Moab 2 Waterproof Hiking Shoe with inserts
… with Wool socks
quick dry New Balance 1260s 4E 9.5 w inserts
… with Neoprene booties
DRY CLOTHES
Wool socks #2
light nylon pants
Soffe Running shorts #1 (as underwear)
wool t-shirt
Buff #1
mask (pandemic)
HIKING CLOTHES
Soffe Running shorts #2 (as underwear)
Running Room 7″ perforated run shorts
red Nike quick dry t-shirt
waterproof stuff sack
Buff #2
long brim ball cap
fingerless gloves
OUTER LAYERS
Columbia OutDry rain jacket
Helly Hansen puffy jacket Red L & 3L ultra-sil dry bag
Helly Hansen puffy jacket Blue M & 2L ultra-sil dry bag
TOILETRIES in dry bag
ASA and TUMs
vitamins
toilet paper TP (Coughlin x2) & alcohol gel
sunscreen in ziplock
2 Imodium tablets
HIP PACK
1 credit card
CAN cash $500
tiny Swiss Army knife
hand Sanitizer – 1 oz bottle
prescriptions
bandaids
Leukotape (blisters)
duct tape
water purification tablets (Acquatabs)
toothbrush & toothpaste
sunglass clip-on, flip-up
toothpicks
Health Insurance card
chewing cloves
National Parks Pass
zip ties
lens cloth
pen & paper
COOKING
JetBoil Minimo
fuel
scrubby
lighter
spoon
water bottles (2 x litre soft drink empty)
Ursack AllMitey bear bag XL black
GUIDEBOOK
Blisters & Bliss 9th edition
ELECTRONICS
CAMERA
Sony ZV-1
2 extra SD cards
1 extra battery & charging case
charging cable
protective carrying case
CAMERA
iPhone X
OM 4 Gimbal
SanDisk 256GB iXpand Flash Drive Go for iPhone
CAMERA
GoPro 7 Black
3 extra batteries
charging case
EXTRA ELECTRONICS
iPhone SE 2020
Apple Watch and cable
Nitecore NU25 headlamp
POWER
Anker Power Bank PowerCore Essential 20000 (342gm)
Anker PowerCore+ 26800 (576gm)
TRIPODS
Fotopro uFO 2 (0.5 pound)
Splat
Shimoda Explore Adventure Photography Backpacks
#impressed
Personally, I carry minimal and light weight camera gear, BUT if I needed more — these backpacks look great.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Mountain vistas for Everest trekkers
Cicerone guidebook author and Himalayan guide Radek Kucharski gives a firsthand insight to the panoramas that can be seen by trekkers in the Everest region.
See all his photos.
BestHike on Instagram
We’ve edited and started posting some of the BEST of our thousands of hiking photos on Instagram.
Check it out – BestHikeVisuals
So far all our videos are still on our YouTube channel as it streams and shares best.
Lowepro backpack – Photo Sport 200
I FINALLY got a dedicated camera gear backpack. Paid CDN$ 150 for a LowePro Photo Sport 200. (Now discontinued.)
Easily fits my 3 small cameras and assorted add-ons.
As well as extra layers, snacks and water.
- 1.2 kg
- airplane carry-on size
- narrow profile
Click PLAY or watch it in action on YouTube.
There’s a larger version if you want more space. Also discontinued, so you’d have to shop around.
Click PLAY or watch a review on YouTube.
Click PLAY or watch the Lowepro pitch on YouTube.
Click PLAY or watch a review of the larger 300 on YouTube.
I love Autumn hiking
Chill in the air. Sun low in the sky. Autumn colours.
September & October are my favourite months for hiking Vancouver Island.
This video is composed entirely of still images. Transitions turn it from a normal (boring) slideshow to something more entertaining.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Trans-Catalina Trail, California
As I post the current operation system of Mac computers is called Catalina.
… only 27 miles off the coast of southern California.
Though Catalina is a short 90 minute boat ride away, it feels like another world. There are two small, quaint towns on the island — Avalon and Two Harbors — and the remainder of the island is primarily wilderness managed by the Catalina Island Conservancy.
The 37.2 mile Trans-Catalina Trail traverses the entire island, from Avalon on the eastern tip to Starlight beach at the western end.
Of course, once you get to the end, you’ve still got to hike back to Two Harbors to catch a boat back to the mainland. This adds another nine miles, making the total mileage a bit over 46 miles — perfect for a long weekend backpack getaway. …
SoCal Hiker – Trans-Catalina Trail
Jade “Darth Jader” Cabrera on the PCT
Before my hike I never went outside without makeup. I feel much less stress now about my hair, career, or car.
Family and friendships are my new priorities. …
hiking the Chinese Wall, Montana
I’ve always wanted to see the Chinese Wall in the Bob Marshall Wilderness.
I’m planning on hiking and climbing it June 2020.
It’s a thousand foot high cliff of limestone that stretches unbroken for 12 miles between Haystack Mountain and Larch Hill Pass.
Click through to read a trip report: A Hike to the Chinese Wall – Ear Mountain Photography
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
One of our best hikes in the North American Rockies
besthike.com 