Best hikes, treks, tramps in the world.
Posted on the flickr photo stream of Alaska Stock Images.
original – Campers View N. Lights by Tent near Lake SC AK Fall Chatanika Valley
original – Bull Moose grazing in early morning near Wonder Lake w/alpenglow on Mt McKinley Denali Nat Park Composite
original – Santa Claus Mushing Dogs Chugach Mtns Southcentral AK Winter Snow
Flickr photo stream of Alaska Stock Images. About 100 more like this.
I am liking this new feature on flickr.
First you post a wonderful photo:
Mongolia China Kazakhstan Russia – Where four countries meet.
original – flickr
Then you add a tag to show where the photo was taken:
Awesome!
Here’s the BIG map of Kit Seeborg’s photos.
By the way, because of this photo I learned that Kit is editor of the WorldChanging website. It looks very interesting. I subscribed to her RSS feed.
This is a great example of how photo sharing can connect people.
If you weren’t already excited enough about Kili, check this photo op on the way to the summit.
Nothing like getting above the clouds!
Thanks (and Merry Christmas) to Tom Mangan. I first saw this on Tom’s Two-Heel Drive hiking blog, one of his Flickr pic o’ the day selections.
Wow!
Shot from a chopper.
original photo on flickr uploaded by Bajy
It’s also part of the Gadling travel photo pool to which we subscribe and contribute.
… but that’s just an excuse to post a cute panda photo.
One of the great things about flickr is the ability to overlay “notes” and graphics.
Here photographer Jerry Lee has added a Christmas touch.
original – flickr
Saskia and Jan sent us some of their favourite photos from their adventure on one of the best long hikes in Europe.
Read the very complete trip journal.
Sweden harbours some of the last real wildernesses in Europe. We spent four weeks on the Kungsleden trail that runs for about 450 kilometers from Abisko to Hemavan.
We thoroughly enjoyed the silence in the mountains and the company at the Swedish mountain huts. The Kungsleden is not really the toughest trail in Sweden. It is a real classic for the Swedes themselves and it is not the quietest of trails by any means. However, crowded has a different meaning for Swedes, than for Dutch people like us.
From the Kungsleden the Kebnekaise massif and the Sarek massif are visible. The best time to hike this trail is in high summer, or on skis in the spring. This summer was exceptionally warm, but it can be quite cold, even in July or August. It can also be wet. Some of the Swedish hikers wear rubber boots as hiking boots because of the marshes. And because of that wetness, it can be buggy.
Sweden supports ‘All People’s Rights’, which mean that anyone can camp anywhere. In most places you are also allowed to pick berries and mushrooms, which is very popular among the locals. We did not know which mushrooms or berries were edible, and which were poisonous, so we did not pick any.
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See ALL the photos high resolution.
We just posted an information page on how to hike Mt. Whitney.
Obviously this is a fabulous hike, attracting about 30,000 every year. A big percentage of those are non-hikers who simply want to say they have stood on the highest point in the continental USA.
What’s not to like? No climbing gear or experience is needed. The vistas are fantastic. (see photos of our Aug. 2006 hike.)
Getting an permit overnight permit is a hassle, however, one of the most backward reservation systems we know.
You must snail mail an application after Feb. 1st to arrive by Feb. 15th. Then you may or may not get picked by lottery.
If you do not luck out, there are two other ways to snag a permit after the lottery.
Some, frustrated by the process, opt to do the entire 22mi (35.4 km) round trip in a tough 10-16hr day. We do not recommend it, mainly due to the 6100ft (1859m) elevation gain.
Instead, look at some of the alternate, longer hikes which still get you to the summit of Whitney but which do not have the same kind of demand.
Mt. Whitney Trail information page – besthike.com
more photos of a trip on the climbing route – Ben Rohrs
Guy Jones posted a terrific set of photos from their group trek of the West Coast Trail. “The Best Hike in the World” we often call it.
It was an early season adventure — May 2006 — but they lucked out and got some blue skies. The “ship wreck coast” of Vancouver Island, BC, Canada is infamous.
The photo is stunning Tsussiat Falls. Just one of dozens of highlights on the WCT.
It’s a coastal route of 75km (47mi), at C$140/person plus C$25 reservation fee, by far the most expensive hike in Canada. On the other hand, you won’t find many hikers complaining if they manage to snag one of the precious quota spots for July and August. Only 52 “Trail Use Permits” are available starting each day.
Details — West Coast Trail — besthike
Whoo Hoo.
Neil Woodburn of Gadling.com selected one of the besthike pics as Photo of the Day (11/30/06).
This is a big honour for us. Gadling is our favourite travel blog.
I went back to browse the travelogues of Jeffrey Poznanovic.
After seeing his pics of a 6-day trek through Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi, I was tempted to start brushing up on Spanish and shop for airline tickets to South America.
more photos – Jeffrey Poznanovic
We’ve listed the Nahuel Huapi Traverse one of the best hikes in the world.
It’s perhaps the best hike in the superb Argentinian Lake district, a wilderness of granite spires & gorgeous lookouts. The location is perfect, only 20km by bus from the outdoor adventure town of Bariloche.
The Villa Catedral to Puente Lopez route is 36.5km (23mi) plus sidetrips, 5 days, 4 nights recommended. Wind and cold are the biggest challenges.
On a related matter, MyOutdoors.net has added KLM data for some of their hikes.
What’s KLM? (That’s what I said.) It’s a pointer file which takes you a specific place on Google Earth. For example, they post a KLM for a hike of Nahuel Huapi.
This is pretty geeky stuff. To try it out you need a fast computer, high speed internet connection and to download a (free) copy of Google Earth software.
Oh, and lots of time. You might get hooked flying over the Earth checking out future adventures.
besthike.com 