product endorsements – Page 26

May 29, 2009January 27, 2010

review – Trekking in the Everest Region

Caroline from Trailblazer sent me a review copy of the latest edition of their Everest trekking guide. (Published March, 2009)

I read it on high while tenting on Mount Lady MacDonald.

Amazon – Trekking in the Everest Region, 5th

For any hiker wanting to plan a Chomolungma adventure, there is no better resource.

Expedition, Teahouse or Independent?

Route options depending on when you go. And how long you can stay in Nepal.

Terrific maps.

I have no complaints at all. This is an excellent guide.

The author Jamie McGuinness is expert, one of the most experienced trek leaders in the country. Based in Kathmandu, Nepal, he manages a trekking and climbing company. And has summitted Everest three times.

The main alternative, Trekking in Nepal by Stephen Bezruchka, has not been updated since 1997.

My next trip to Nepal will be to the Everest region. I’ll teahouse trek independently, carrying a very light pack, deciding on my exact route once there.

And I’ll be using the Trailblazer Guide.

May 28, 2009May 23, 2009

GU Energy Chomps – like gummy bears

… I’ll be sure to pack some GU for the run and mtb leg, as well as some of GU’s new Chomps, which are like gummy bears, but with lots of calories as we’ll need. …

Gear Junkie – Athlete Interview: Mike Kloser

GU-Chomps

GU Chomps utilize GU Energy Gel’s proven blend of carbohydrates, amino acids, antioxidants and electrolytes
in a chewable form. …

GU Energy

May 15, 2009May 14, 2009

this hiker staying with the Bear Vault

Sigh … Rocky Mountain National Park now requires Bear Canisters.

More and more Parks will be doing it in future. Best get used to hiking with one. …

Last summer I saw a bear vault with a night light attached so hikers could find it in the dark. Good idea.

bear-vault-bv500
details – Amazon

2 lb 9oz Bear Vault.

Despite the weight, I think I’ll stick with mine instead of buying an Ursack.

Here’s another happy camper:

… I found that the vault slipped in quite nicely to the top portion of my 60 liter pack. It was also great to have a waterproof container to put dry clothes in (in a zip-lock bag so they didn’t absorb food smell). Towards the end of longer trips its nice to have a waterproof place to put all of our garbage.

Around camp they are a godsend. I’ve used the vaults as stools, chairs, cutting boards, tables, water jugs, and hammers. Just having a flat surface in camp is a treat. Another handy feature is that they are transparent. You can see what you’re reaching in for. Other cannisters I’ve used are a solid plastic and you have to fish everything out/around to find what you’re looking for.

Now I know what you’re thinking. How can you do a good review of a bear cannister without having it attacked by bears? I’m way ahead of you.

While camping this summer by Lake Colden in the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks my BearVaults were put to the test. For those who don’t know, this area is notorious for its black bears. We placed our BearVaults a fair distance from our camp site. In the middle of the night I woke up to hear smashing sounds coming from the direction of our vaults. Thuds came from the vaults smashing into the soil. Loud bangs from the vaults hitting each other and hitting the fallen trees that we had placed them beside. For a good hour these sounds drifted over to our campsite. Then they stopped. In the morning I found the BearVaults 10-15 feet from where I had left them. They were dirty, one had a small scratch on it, but other wise they were intact and the food within in them untouched. …

silverorange stuff – BearVault Bear Canister Review

audiocast – Wildebeat – The Story of Bear Cans, part 2

Calipidder posted a terrific comparative review of all the available systems.

(via Two-Heel Drive)

May 11, 2009

best hiking clothing system

Frank in Oz is an expert Australian hiker. He’s co-author, with wife Sue, of Hiking the Overland Track – the downloadable book.

Frank wears mostly Mountain Designs togs. That’s an Aussie company, their gear not easily available in North America.

For warm weather:

hiking_clothing

For a particularly foul, wet adventure in Tasmania:

hiking_clothing_warm

Click through to Frank’s excellent site for much, much more:

Our Hiking Blog – Best hiking clothes for a multi day hike – ideas, tips and suggestions

May 2, 2009May 1, 2009

best hike blog STATS

In the 5 months since we moved this blog to WordPress.com from crappy Bluehost, the number of visitors has almost recovered.

best-hike-stats

It was a good move.

I highly recommend WordPress.com. It’s free. It works. It’s updated continually. It’s open source. Though the features are limited, they are enough for most bloggers.

Search for “best hike” on Google. We have the top 3 hits.

April 29, 2009April 26, 2009

awesome Earth Day photos

My favourite photo site of late is Boston.com’s The Big Picture.

A humpback whale raises its tail as it prepares for a deep dive in the Santa Barbara Channel off the coast of Oxnard, Calif. on Sunday afternoon, April 19, 2009. The offshore oil platform "Gail" is seen in the background. (AP Photo/The Santa Barbara News-Press, Mike Eliason)

Check out their Earth Day 2009 pics.

April 27, 2009April 24, 2009

Greg’s iPod graveyard

Long distance adventure racer Greg Kolodziejzyk posted a photo of all the disfunctional iPods he’s used for training over the years.

dead-ipods1
larger version

… I seem to blast through iPods as fast as I blow through sneakers. Last summer during training for the 24 hour human powered boat record I purchased a totally water proof enclosure for my iPod from OtterBox because my previous iPod got wet and eventually died. I was sick of buying new iPods so I decided to invest my money into a water proof and shock proof case.

Good idea in theory, but because this OtterBox case fits the iPod so tightly, inserting and removing the iPod for updating and charging wore out the headphones plug and now the sound is shorting out. So, Time for a new pair of shoes, and yet another new iPod. …

Adventures of Greg – Blew through another iPod

I’m only on my 3rd MP3 player. Though I use one almost every day.

The best accessory EVER for outdoor sport is Apple’s $29 Apple Earphones with Remote & Mic.

I can’t believe I used an MP3 player without them.

April 24, 2009April 23, 2009

Big Agnes Fly Creek UL 1 Tent

… just won Backpacker Magazine’s GEAR GUIDE 2009: best all-around solo tent.

Roomy, rugged, and light-as-a-feather

I’ll go test it out for myself.

… free-standing, three-season solo tent weighs less than many bivy sacks. The single hub frame design, together with a mix of clips and fabric pole loops, reduces both set-up time and weight. Mesh in the body minimizes mass while maximizing ventilation. Reflective guy lines and corner webbing prevent pratfalls during night exits.

The Big Agnes Fly Creek UL 1 Tent (CAD$293 at MEC in Canada)

big-agnes

The specs are a fair bit better than my current (beloved) 1-person tent, the Hubba.

April 23, 2009

Earth – the movie

Happy Earth Day.

The Walt Disney Studios will celebrate Earth Day 2009 (April 22nd) with the debut of “Earth,” the first feature-length nature documentary from its new production banner, Disneynature. …

Follows the epic migratory journeys of four animal families as well as the earth’s journey around the sun and the massive influence it has on all life on the planet, from the Arctic spring to the Antarctic winter.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.