Posts

Posted on

NEW – Annapurna Seven Passes route

I’ve twice been on the Annapurna Circuit. It has been degraded by road building. In fact, on the more recent trip I enjoyed mountain biking more than hiking.

Tripple P. Gurung decided to invent an alternative in the region.

The Annapurna Seven Passes … is a 20-day trek that takes a trekker through seven high passes, four of which are above 5,000 meters. In addition to the challenge of the high passes, this trek offers a mix of wilderness and culture that is missing from treks that run through villages. …

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

It’s actually a route, not a trail. I would need a guide.

QUICK FACTS

  • Difficulty Level
    Hard
  • Total Length
    177 Km
  • Highest Altitude
    5416 Meters
  • Start location
    Tal (1,665m)
  • Finish location
    Jomsom (2,740m)
  • Permits
    ACAP Permit,TIMS Permit,Naar-Phu Restricted Area Permit
  • Best Season
    April-November

Click through for details:

Saving the Annapurna Circuit – The Annapurna Seven Passes Trek

Posted on

walking Brecon Beacons, Wales

Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles.


Click PLAY or get a glimpse on YouTube.

My friend in Cardiff told me bus tickets to Brecon Beacons National Park were free on weekends. That’s my price range.

Brecon is a quaint tourist town. Weather was perfect on a Saturday morning in October.

I fuelled up with a big Welsh brunch.

There are many trailheads. I opted to start at the most popular – Storey Arms.

It was very busy on this fine day.

At the top of Pen y Fan 886m (2907ft), I celebrated with Welsh Cakes.

From there I continued following whatever ridges looked interesting. You can see why they call it Hill Walking.

I planned to tent one night, they walk out back to Beacon next day.

I learned on the trail that — unlike England and Scotland — Wales has no ‘right to roam‘ law. I wasn’t allowed to legally tent on this public land. Gak.

I waited until dusk and set up in a discrete spot.

It was a perfect evening. A starry, starry night.

Clouds rolled in by morning. I packed up at first light.

I saw only one other tent.

Most of the national park is bare, grassy moorland grazed by Welsh mountain ponies and Welsh mountain sheep.

It was an easy walkout through farmland back to town. I used Maps.me for navigation.

I do recommend Brecon Beacons to any hiker who visits Wales.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Posted on

Beacons Way hike, Wales

The Beacons Way is a waymarked long distance footpath in the Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales. …

152 km / 95 miles east to west through the National Park, and passes many of the most important landmarks and mountain peaks in the mountain range. It also includes many of the towns in the park as well as popular attractions such as Carreg Cennen Castle near Llandeilo at the western end of the path. …

6-8 days are often recommended. Open moorland. Weather is often a challenge.

Sept 2015 Brecon Beacons Routemaster in Depth with Mark Rowe – images by Steve Morgan

Check the guidebook.

Posted on

Skurka is writing a book on the new Yosemite High Route

He hopes to publish February 2019 to get the information out for next season.

As Skurka has envisioned it, the YHR forms a figure-eight from Dorothy Lake Pass in the north, pinching in the middle at Tuolomne Meadows, and extending as far south as the area surrounding Rodgers Peak, not far from Mt. Lyell. …

What are your favorite sections?

The “good stuff” on the Yosemite High Route runs south from Grace Meadow in upper Falls Creek and ends at Quartzite Peak at the northern end of the Clark Range. All the miles between these two points are world-class. You can’t go wrong. …

Adventure Journal 

andrewskurka.com – Trip Report: Scouting the Yosemite High Route

Posted on

The Skye Trail, Scotland

Cam Honan:

Scotland’s Isle of Skye is a place steeped in myth, legend and natural beauty. Tales of giants and shape-shifting water horses are woven together with stories of dramatic mountain ranges and coastlines. It is an island that engages and inspires all that visit, and for those possessed of a wayfaring disposition, there is a 128 km (80 mi) trail which spans its length that encapsulates all of the diverse wonders for which it is renowned.

I hiked the Skye Trail in the summer of 2018. The post below includes impressions from the trip, logistical and background information, route recommendations, and a gear list. …

Skye Trail Overview Map (Cicerone Guides) | Note: I added the place names in bold red font.

Click over to The Hiking Life to read the rest.

The Skye Trail – Trip Report & Backpacking Guide

Posted on

consider doing the JMT Northbound

Only 2% of applicants get permits for the John Muir Trail, one of our top 10 hikes in the world, southbound.

Odds are better in the other (more difficult) direction.

This superb trip report is recommended for your planning.

Brown Gal Trekker:

I completed my solo thru hike of JMT’s entire length of 210 miles plus 11 miles climb up from Whitney Portal starting from Whitney on July 29, 2018 and ending in Yosemite Valley on August 21, 2018, a day ahead of my schedule …

JMT northbound wasn’t the original intention. The start supposedly had to occur in Yosemite heading southbound and ending with the highest passes like most thru hikers do. Many proclaim southbound route trains you best for the harder climbs and higher altitudes. And yet northbound JMT took shape due to the permit limitations. Hence, northbound became the journey.

… Whitney greeted me on the 2nd day. Forrester pass at 13000 feet came in on day 4. Kearsarge at 11750 feet came the next day. I hauled 40 pounds all the while. …

The regular SOBO permits can be obtained solely through a lottery.  You can apply 170 days prior to the start date of your choosing.  Application form must be completed and faxed.  For the SOBO permit, you must fill out your starting and ending dates plus your trailheads of preference. The instructions are straightforward but the chances of getting a permit are rather slim.  You can learn more about applying via this website.

Because we weren’t the lucky 2% who scored a SOBO permit, we ended up taking our chances on the unclaimed permits going NOBO via Whitney Portal.   If you wish to go for overnight Whitney permits from the start, the application usually starts in February. See details on how to apply for Whitney overnight permit lottery here. We searched for permits on May 1st, when the unclaimed permits were released. These permits can be booked via Recreation.gov. To learn more, go to this site.

In applying for the permits, you will need to guesstimate your itinerary.  The most important part is the entry date and entry point. In our case, we were seeking to secure the overnight Whitney permit for our desired date. When you get to Lone Pine, CA, make sure to stop by the Eastern Sierra Park office to pick up your permit. …

 

If interested in doing the John Muir Trail yourself, check our JMT information page.

Posted on

Pacific Rim Traverse in British Columbia

Most everyone who visits Pacific Rim National Park on Vancouver Island walks Long Beach.

It’s a classic.

MB Guiding posted a way to turn it into a 2 day hike.

We planned our hikes to coincide with very low morning tides. Thousands of anemones and hundreds of starfish in remote tide pools and hidden sea caves! A highlight was stopping for a break at South Beach and having two whales join us within 100 m of the coastline. The Pacific Rim Traverse is a great introduction to coastal hiking and camping. Prepare for a bigger adventure like the West Coast Trail …

Pacific Rim Traverse – Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

I’ve done most of that myself day hiking. Tenting at Green Point Campground.

Consider going during the winter. It might be cool and stormy, but you’ll have the beach mostly to yourself.

 

Posted on

we need more diversity in outdoor sport

My favourite gear shop — Mountain Equipment Co-op — got called out by one of their members.

She was right.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

To their credit, MEC responded. Here’s their CEO:

Do white people dominate the outdoors?

Let that question sink in for a moment. If you consider every advertisement you’ve ever seen for skiing, hiking, climbing and camping, you might think that’s the case.

… White athletes hold the spotlight in advertising, while the diversity that exists and continues to grow in outdoor spaces isn’t represented in the images we produce and promote. The truth is that we haven’t represented the diversity of Canadians or of our 5 million members.
We’ve let our members down.

We can’t move forward until we acknowledge our past. Historically, the models we’ve used in our catalogues and campaigns and on mec.ca have been predominantly white. And this imagery has perpetuated the vastly incorrect notion that people of colour in Canada don’t ski, hike, climb or camp.

This letter is about recognizing the role we’ve played in underrepresenting people of colour in the outdoors, and committing to change. It’s not OK.

As CEO of MEC, I promise that moving forward, we will make sure we’re inspiring and representing the diverse community that already exists in the outdoors.

This initiative isn’t about patting ourselves on the back. It’s also not about me, another straight white male with a voice in the outdoor industry. This is a conscious decision to change, and to challenge our industry partners to do the same. We know we’ve been part of the problem, and we’re committed to learning from our mistakes and changing the way we represent the outdoor community.

Outside is for everyone. It’s time we acted like it.

Check their new Diversity page. I’m proud to be a member and loyal customer of MEC.