volcanoes – Page 17 – besthike.com

October 12, 2010October 13, 2010

climbing Mt. Vesuvius

by besthike editor Rick McCharles

Almost everyone who visits Naples, Italy makes the pilgrimage to Pompei and Vesuvius.

What a view!

… Actually, that’s a photo I took of a postcard atop the volcano. Like this one.

The weather was terrible. Drizzling rain and dense cloud cover. I couldn’t see a thing from the rim.

As a hiking experience, I don’t recommend Vesuvius. It’s crowded with bus tourists and super tacky souvenir stands. Pure tourist trap.

In Italy, the best volcano to scramble is Mt Etna.

October 3, 2010October 2, 2010

Five Favorite Places to Hike in Italy

by site editor Rick McCharles

I’m in Naples, now. Headed out to the Amalfi Coast in a couple of days.

Hiking guide Madeline Jhawar recommended these short hikes as not as crowded as many of the famous walks:

1) The Vièl del Pan path in the Dolomites
2) The Greenway, along Lake Como
3) Camogli to Portofino, Amalfi Coast
4) Path of Gods, Amalfi Coast
5) Sicily: Stromboli Volcano

Quoted on Why Go Italy. There is more information on each on that page.

October 1, 2010September 28, 2010

gorgeous Iceland hiking photos

We previously linked to Alastair Humphreys Laugavegur trek trip report.

Now check out Iceland: Paddling to the ocean – the end of the expedition

Here’s the accompanying slide show video with commentary.

Click PLAY or watch it on Vimeo.

Laugavegur should be one of the top 10 hikes in the world, don’t you think?

September 20, 2010

Alastair Humphreys is hiking Iceland

… and I’m not.

Most recently he’s walked the Laugavegur trek:

… The trek turned out to be everything that I had hoped, and more. It should be as famous as the Inca Trail; it is certainly as rugged and beautiful, but without the trail of backpackers’ pink toilet paper along the way. …

Iceland expedition – back on our feet

Yet again I tried to plan for Iceland in the first few weeks of October. Yet again, it didn’t work out.

… one day …

August 21, 2010August 20, 2010

Lava Flow Trail, Sunset Crater Volcano, Arizona

report by besthike editor Rick McCharles

I was a bit disappointed that you cannot hike to the “crater” of Sunset Crater near Flagstaff. It’s been off limits for decades due to erosion. The 1mi easy loop takes you only to the base.

Signage is interesting, though.

Sunset Crater Volcano was born in a series of eruptions sometime between 1040 and 1100. Powerful explosions profoundly affected the lives of local people and forever changed the landscape and ecology of the area. Lava flows and cinders still look as fresh and rugged as the day they formed. But among dramatic geologic features, you’ll find trees, wildflowers, and signs of wildlife – life returns.

NPS – Lava Flow Trail

I was first visitor early morning, keen to test my new camera / camcorder (Canon FS300). In sunlight and shade.

OK. … But not superb focus. … It’s still on all default settings.

August 9, 2010

climbing Kilimanjaro

by site editor Rick McCharles

Of our top 10 hikes in the world, the only one I haven’t done myself is Kili.

Price is one concern. Getting to Africa, another.

You cannot do Kilimanjaro independently.

Bobby Tours has 6 day climbs starting at $1100.

Bobby Tours – Kilimanjaro

Leave a comment if you’ve a recommendation for other good companies.

August 3, 2010August 4, 2010

Wonderland Trail in 63hrs

Dr. Jeni McNeal and Dave Adlard, founding members of Team Adventure Sports Week, along with an unofficial support crew of Rick McCharles of BestHike.com completed the 94 mile/47,000 feet elevation Wonderland Trail in 63:03, June 25 – 28.

The two carried their own gear, and took only a few hours sleep time in completing what some have said is one of the fastest unsupported, July circumnavigations yet. Almost 10% of the trail was still snowed in, requiring route finding and snow travel. Most hikers completing the trail require 8 – 12 days to finish.

They climbed and descended more than 20 peaks on the famously difficult trail, with elevation changes equivalent to climbing and descending Mt. Rainier from Paradise Visitor Center almost three times. They also encountered bears along the trail.

The two burned almost 33,000 calories each, and drank more than 50 liters of fluid total in temperatures ranging from 33 – 89 degrees.

Their journey began at Reflection Lake on July 25 at 10:40 am, and finished at 1:43 am on July 28.

“This was one of the most psychologically and physically demanding tests I have done since starting Adventure Racing,” said Adlard. “This is a really tough trail that demands a lot from all participants.”

The trail is notoriously uneven, with steep, overgrown and narrow sections that make forward progress difficult in many places.

Team Adventure Sports Week is training for the five day Desert Winds Expedition race in Lake Mead, Nevada, Sept 18 – 25.

Read Dave’s detailed trip report & gear list (PDF)

August 3, 2010August 1, 2010

best hikes Rainier – Burroughs Mountain

trip report by best hike editor Rick McCharles

Mt. Rainier is an outdoor playground scary close to Seattle.

… Although Mount Rainier is an active volcano, as of 2010 there was no evidence of an imminent eruption. However, an eruption could be devastating for all areas surrounding the volcano …

… a mudflow might also reach down the Duwamish estuary and destroy parts of downtown Seattle, and cause tsunamis in Puget Sound and Lake Washington. According to USGS, about 150,000 people live on top of old lahar deposits of Rainier …

Of all Mt. Rainier day hikes, I like Burroughs Mountain best, 7mi (11.3km) return.

You start high at Sunrise trailhead. This is 6400ft (1,950m), the highest point in the park accessible by vehicle.

The approach is via a gorgeous ridge walk. … We LOVE ridge walks.

If conditions allow, you can side trip up one, two or three Burroughs Peaks. Here’s the start:

Check with Rangers at Sunrise (not open until 10AM) on local conditions. The day I was there, many turned back at this point:

Rainier looks awesome from the top of Second Burroughs (7402ft).

Of course if the weather is terrible, as it normally is, don’t bother. You won’t see a thing.

more photos of this day hike on Burrough’s Peaks

August 2, 2010August 1, 2010

best hikes Rainier – Camp Muir

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

Mount Rainier is a large active stratovolcano, Washington, USA, located 54 miles (87 km) southeast of Seattle. It towers over the Cascade Range as the most prominent mountain in the contiguous United States …

The mountain and the surrounding area are protected within Mount Rainier National Park. With 26 major glaciers and 36 square miles (93 km2) of permanent snowfields and glaciers, Mount Rainier is the most heavily glaciated peak in the lower 48 states. …

This quote greets the hiker at Paradise trailhead, Mt. Rainier, Washington:

Wild flowers are terrific on Rainier. But …, I’d love to take John Muir to Waterton/Glacier and the Canadian Rockies during wildflower season. … To compare.

Wildlife is another highlight of the Rainier alpine meadows:

The 5000+ft climb to Camp Muir (10,080′) begins on the excellent Skyline Trail 5.5mi (8.9km), a good alternative to Muir if conditions are not safe for the snowy ascent up high on the volcano.

We find it troublesome to recommend Skyline, however, as it’s so busy. It’s ideal, though, for children and visitors who have not seem much snow. Rainier is one of the snowiest places in the USA!

The maze of trails out of Paradise are confusing. Get advice and a free map from the Ranger’s desk.

If the weather is GREAT, as it was the day I was there, best hike is to scramble up to the historic base camp, the most popular for those climbing Rainier.

You’ll often need an ice axe for this scramble. But not in ideal conditions.

It’s hard to imagine a better place to be than Camp Muir on a sunny day like this.

Here are some climbers, prepping for the ascent:

I descended 2mi in 40min on a plastic bag toboggan like this. Great FUN.

more photos from this hike to Camp Muir

July 26, 2010July 28, 2010

speed hiking the Wonderland Trail

UPDATE:

Dave and Jeni completed near 100mi of Wonderlandness at 1:47AM, Wednesday, July 28th. Mission accomplished!

I’ll post Dave’s detailed trip report and photos as soon as available.

=== original post:

by site editor Rick McCharles

I’m support team for Dave and Jeni in their attempt to complete the 95mi circuit of Mt Rainier in 3 days.

It started well. They ran the first 6.1mi in record time. Here they are staging for the remote west side of the mountain, the last time I saw them in the past 24hrs.