slot canyons – Page 8

November 14, 2008

America’s 10 Most Dangerous Hikes

New on Backpacker:

From a slippery Sierra catwalk to a treacherous Hawaiian paradise, we name the country’s 10 most hazardous hikes.

The Maze, UT

Bright Angel Trail, Grand Canyon, AZ

Barr Trail, Pikes Peak, CO

Mt. Washington, NH

Muir Snowfield, Mt. Rainier, WA

Huckleberry Mtn., Apgar Range, MT

Kalalau Trail, Kauai, HI

Buckskin Gulch, UT

Abrams Falls, Great Smoky Mtns., TN

Mist Trail, Half Dome, CA

America’s 10 Most Dangerous Hikes

Buckskin Gulch looked very dangerous, I thought, when I took a sidetrip hike part way in from Paria Canyon. No one has yet died there, though.

The Maze really appeals to me. But rather than do the long, difficult drive to get there … I’m thinking of rafting across the river from the Needles. (I’m not sure that’s actually allowed.)

The Maze is huge and sprawling. It would be difficult to see many of the rarely visited arches in one trip.

Tibbett Arch – NaturalArches.org

November 10, 2008

National Outdoor Book Awards 2008

The winners were just announced.
Fallen Giants: A History of Himalayan Mountaineering from the Age of Empire to the Age of Extremes was â€” predictably â€” chosen. It’s been nominated for a Pulitzer, as well.

The second most interesting book to me was in the History/Biography Category, as well:

Winner. Grand Obsession: Grand Obsession: Harvey Butchart and the Exploration of Grand Canyon. By Elias Butler and Tom Myers.

Harvey Butchart was the legendary hiker and canyoneer who explored more of the Grand Canyon than any other person. He was largely known through his sparse and somewhat cryptic hiking guidebooks. But even more cryptic was Butchart himself. Who was this man, and why did his interest in the canyon become an obsession that consumed his life? You’ll find out in this uncommonly well researched, well-structured and well-written biography.

See the rest of the Winners – National Outdoor Book Awards

September 23, 2008

trekking SamariÃ¡ Gorge, Crete

The SamariÃ¡ Gorge is a national park on the island of Crete, and a major tourist attraction of the island.

… the gorge is 16km long, starting at an altitude of 1,250m at the northern entrance, and ending at the shores of the Libyan Sea in Agia Roumeli.

… The most famous part of the gorge is the stretch known as the Iron Gates, where the sides of the gorge close in to a width of only four meters and soar up to a height of 500 m.

The most famous photo op, the “Portes”:

larger original – flickr – green_lover

September 20, 2008

hiking Grand Gulch in Utah

Legendary alpinist Greg Child is a hiker too. Guided 5 days in a raft, 5 days on foot, his trip report posted by Backpacker magazine begins like this:

It’s a sunburned September day in southeast Utah, and I’m following 10 parched hikers through a jumble of burnished boulders and sparsely spaced cottonwood trees on the floor of a sinuous canyon called Grand Gulch. Amber-tinted sunbeams filter into the 700-foot-deep chasm and light up our lanky, long-haired, bird-legged backpacking guide, Vaughn Hadenfeldt. He’s hunting for potable water, but the only pools we’ve found so far are a speckled latte brown. “A flash flood ripped through here two weeks ago,” he tells us, “and these pools still aren’t settled. If we don’t find one that is, we’ll be pickin’ grit out of our teeth all night.” …

… read the rest of this article

See more gorgeous photos of Grand Gulch posted by Jack Brauer from his 4-day hike of Grand Gulch.

more photos

We’ve added Grand Gulch to our list of the best hikes in North America.

June 5, 2008

wading and trekking Paria Canyon, Utah

My favourite hike in the S.W. USA is Paria Canyon. It straddles the border between Utah and Arizona.

In my trip report, I called it the best canyon walk in the world.

Andrew and Sheila posted some wonderful photos of their March 2008 trip.

… we backpacked the 62km length of the Paria canyon. Although wet and somewhat cold so early in the season (we waded in the river proper for at least half the hike, and encountered 1 freak snowstorm on the second day), the scenery was spectacular and well worth the effort. What’s more, the snow seemed to have scared a good many hikers away, and we saw only 3 others on the trail in the 5 days of hiking!

Brilliant!

Sheila

They added the sidetrip to Wrather Arch, one of the world’s largest.

See the rest of their photos on Pbase

our Paria Canyon information page

March 28, 2008

best hikes in Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas

Every time I get to Lost Wages, I spend at least one day at Red Rock. It’s only a few miles from the strip to 197,000 acres of beautiful desert wilderness.

While most outdoors folk go for the bouldering, you can quickly access great hiking, as well.

Branch Whitney posted his favourite hikes there:

Easy Hikes

Calico Tank

Fern Canyon

Las Vegas Overlook

Moderate Hikes

Juniper Peak

Boot Boulder

Terrace Canyon

Advanced Hikes

Bridge Mtn via Ice Box Canyon

Mt. Wilson via Cleaver Crack

Rainbow Peak without the Ledges

It’s Prime Time for Red Rock Canyon! – Hiking Las Vegas blog

larger original

That excellent website content is available to members only. But non-members can still read their blog in advance of a trip to Sin City.

I am hoping to get there in April, myself.

March 3, 2008

Man vs. Wild – Copper Canyon, Mexico

I’m on the record as boycotting Man vs. Wild, fearing that the TV show will encourage people to do things far more dangerous than those filmed by Bear’s crew.

But I found myself watching a full episode, lately:

In Mexico, Bear must find his way out of Copper Canyon, and his only supplies are a water bottle, a flint and a knife. Bear demonstrates how to build a simple compass and climb sheer cliffs safely. For shelter, he uses ancient caves and makes fire with a traditional “fire saw.” Bear also demonstrates techniques for finding scorpions or grubs and fishing without a rod or line.

Man vs Wild Episodes – Wikipedia

It’s hard to stay angry at Bear, his boyish enthusiasm is inspiring.

My real excuse for watching is that I’m planning a very similar adventure, dropping into Copper Canyon from the train tracks and finding my way to Batopilas village.

(To make up for my sin of watching Man vs. Wild I watched a full episode of a real Survivorman, Les Stroud. Much more impressive in every way.)

original – flickr

more of Sam Meztli’s photos photos tagged Copper Canyon – flickr

January 25, 2008

neoprene socks on the trail

I’ve always been suspicious of “waterproof socks” for hiking:

Seirus Stormsock Waterproof Sock

Crow confirms “they stink”: Waterproof socks: A bad idea

She likes neoprene socks. As do I.

It was an accident that started me wearing neoprene, actually. I took normal hiking footwear and water walking shoes on the West Coast Trail. And ended up wearing my speciality water shoes with neoprene booties for the entire hike. They were so bloody comfortable.

Sure my feet got “wrinkled”. But a quick rinse was enough to remove the sweat. And they dry in seconds.

Consider this option. One example:

Body Glove Flipper Slipper Neoprene Sock

I don’t wear neoprene on every hike. But my booties were perfect in Paria Canyon.

January 15, 2008

scramble Shop Creek slot canyon – Arkansas

Just subscribed to an excellent blog:

A Little Closer to Heaven

One trip was inspired by this photo:

… A slot canyon in Arkansas?

Thatâ€™s what I thought too until I came across this beautiful picture taken by Tim Ernst a few months back. I had to know where it was and check it out for myself. So I shot Tim Ernst an email askingâ€¦and to my surpriseâ€¦he answered! I immediately called one of my friends up and told him we have to give this place a visit.

It was an awesome place indeed. It starts as a typical creek bed in the woods and after following the creek about half a mile, narrow canyon walls just appear almost like a doorway. We headed into it amidst the horrible smell of a rotting carcass of some animal who probably fell in (most likely an armadillo, those things are so stupid). What we found was something that belongs in Utah or Arizona. But itâ€™s notâ€¦itâ€™s in the middle of the Ozarks. …

Read the rest of this post and click through some of the others – A Little Closer To Heaven Â» Amazing Destinations: Shop Creek Slot Canyon. You will be impressed.

December 24, 2007December 22, 2009

#2 best hiking region in the world is the …

South West USA

Capitol Reef, Zion, Bryce, the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Glen Canyon, White Sands National Monument, Canyonlands and Arches National Parks. This part of the world is awesome.

We hike the SW USA every year and have yet to be disappointed.

Fascinating, diverse and mind-boggling. The best WOW geological zone we’ve seen anywhere.

More correct would be to call this region the Four Corners.

The high desert plateau intersection of the four U.S. states of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona.

The Grand Canyon of the Colorado Plateau is not the deepest nor largest, but it’s by far the most stunningly beautiful on Earth.

Most of the best slot canyons and natural stone arches in the world are here. A desert, your views are unobstructed. The light is perfect for photography.

The best weather is Oct-Nov, Mar-May. Summers are too hot for most hikers.

Most of the hikes in the Four Corners are short due to lack of water and the real risk of getting lost. People die in this wilderness every year.

Our favourite hike in the Four Corners region is Paria Canyon on the border of Arizona and Utah. You enjoy many days beneath huge walls in a slot canyon.