Site editor Rick McCharles will be offline for a few days.
high in Colorado
Contributor Dr. Jeni McNeal hiking the Rockies.
She’s prepping for our 145km Wonderland Trail run of Mt Rainier.
running Wonderland, July 26-29th
That’s the plan.
Trail run the Wonderland Trail around Mt. Ranier in Washington State.
90mi (145km)
Wish us luck.
Dr. Jeni … Dr. Rick … and Dr. Dave.
What do you think? … Three days, two short nights?
cheap flights to Iceland
Prices this low from Europe are rare in high season. Iceland Express.
starting at €90, £65 or DKK650 one-way including taxes and fees, one way.
Late June, early July.
hiking Santorini, Greece
I’ve never been to the beautiful island of Santorini … though I’ve enjoyed the movie Summer Lovers many times.
Here’s a useful site for Santorini Hiking Routes.
A good place to start your hiking dashes is the long but quite easy path, the favourite of all tourists, that will lead you from Fira to Oia via Firostefani and Imerovigli. It will take you about three hours to reach the end of your destination. The view offered while hiking is excellent and the caldera looks absolutely magical. Do it during the sunset or early in the morning when the sun isn’t yet so hot. …
A must do side trip is Nea Kameni:
… The nearly barren island is visited daily by dozens of tourist boats throughout the summer. The visitors take a well maintained gravel path to the 130-meter-high volcanic crater, from which wisps of a sulfurous steam rise, transforming the environment in places into a “yellow wasteland”.
more interesting photos tagged Santorini
avoid crowds on the Tongariro Crossing
When adventure writer Richard Tulloch refers to the Tongariro Crossing in New Zealand as ” the world’s greatest one day hike”, we don’t argue.
It’s fantastic.
If there’s one valid criticism, it’s that the tramp is too popular. On a clear day you’ll be only one of thousands of walkers.
Richard had some advice new to me. He signed on …
… with a tour group guided by Stewart and Chris from Adrift Outdoors, who have devised cunning ways of seeing the best of the area while avoiding the crowds.
Stewart guides walks starting in the dark to catch the sunrise, winter expeditions with crampons and ice-axes, as well as today’s planned adventure, an ‘off track’ loop taking us to the summit of Mt Tongariro itself, and across a part of the park where few people go. …
details on his blog: Richard Tulloch’s LIFE ON THE ROAD – TONGARIRO CROSSING – the world’s greatest one day hike?
besthike information page – Tongariro Alpine Crossing
An even better way to avoid the mob is our favourite multi-day hike in New Zealand, the Tongariro Northern Circuit. It includes all of the famed “Crossing”.
7 crazy, scary, dizzying hikes (VIDEOS)
Rosemary Kitchen on Gadling linked to 8 videos from 7 hikes.
Yikes!
I link to this one, the top of name, because a couple of days before I climbed up there, a Russian hiker was killed by lightning. On this exact spot! Now that’s scary.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Others on the list: Spain’s El Caminito del Rey (“The King’s Little Pathway”), Mount Hua in China, Tennessee’s Mount LeConte, Angel’s Landing in Utah, and Philippines’ Mount Pinatubo.
Click through to see them – Gadling – 7 of the craziest, most dangerous, most dizzying hikes in the world (VIDEOS)
(via The Adventure Blog)
planning for The Wonderland Trail
Trail Cooking has a terrific overview page on The Wonderland Trail around Mt. Rainier close to Seattle, Washington:
… I have seen a lot of chattering about hiking plans for this coming summer, more than usual, especially about the Wonderland Trail here in Washington – our gorgeous 93 miles loop around (well more like up and down) Rainier’s flanks.
With the El Nino weather pattern this winter settling in good since Fall 2010 could be a prime year for thinking about thru hiking it. The snow levels are much lower than usual meaning an earlier hiking season and or not walking on as much snow in the higher altitude sections. Much of the destruction that occurred back in fall of 2006 has been fixed as well. …
Trail Cooking & The Outdoors – Winter Daydreaming: Planning A Wonderland Trip
more Wonderland Trail photos by siolanthe
I’m dreaming of Wonderland myself.
why haven’t I hiked Crater Lake?
Crater Lake is a caldera lake located in the south-central region of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is the main feature of Crater Lake National Park and famous for its deep blue color and water clarity. …
I kicked myself for driving past, in the past, after I watched this video. It looks superb.
[clearspring_widget title=”Beautiful Places in HD” wid=”4818aa96925a19fd” pid=”4b685d30201387a6″ width=”425″ height=”271″ domain=”widgets.clearspring.com”]
Tony’s show is one of the top ranked video podcasts on iTunes in the “Places & Travel” section. The easiest way to get every one is to subscribe on iTunes. It’s free.
But you can check out the other videos first on the official website – Beautiful Places in HD.
Climbing the Mountains of Indonesia
Daniel Patrick Quinn wrote to let us know about a new website called Gunung Bagging – Climbing the Mountains of Indonesia.
Two English expats have recently compiled a list of all the mountain and volcano peaks in Indonesia with a prominence of 1000 metres or more.
Thanks to huge advancements in mapping technology, this list of peaks, known humorously as “The Ribus”, represents a new development in our understanding of the mountain areas of the Indonesian archipelago. …
It is hoped that the list of peaks and the website will encourage hikers, whether Indonesian, expatriate or backpacker, to explore this amazing country in more detail and visit incredible areas as yet largely unexplored. …
Check out the site – gunungbagging.com
INTERESTING RIBU FACTS
Highest Ribu: Carstensz Pyramid, Puncak Jaya (4,884 metres elevation and prominence) Papua
Lowest Ribu: Tombia (1,022 metres elevation) Sulawesi Tengah
Most western Ribu: Hulumasen (2,310 metres elevation) Aceh
Most eastern Ribu: Cycloop (2,000 metres elevation) Papua Timur
Most northern Ribu: Seulawah Agam (1,810 metres elevation) Aceh
Most southern Ribu: Wanggameti (1,225 metres elevation) Nusa Tenggara Timur
Province with the most Ribus: Nusa Tenggara Timur (East Nusa Tenggara)
besthike.com 