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 …
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.
The longest network of recreational trails in the entire world. …
It is exclusively designated for recreational purposes and only allows bikes, hikers and horseback riders in the summer and in the winter it is used for cross-country skiing and snowmobiling. …
The new marketing campaign by the Chilean government called “Route of Parks” is not a hiking trail. It’s a series of roads with occasional trails. And other outdoor adventure options along the way.
It’s a work in progress. Ultimately MIGHT be 1,500 miles long.
It’s one of the great conservation stories of all time: Last month Chile President Michelle Bachelet and American philanthropist and conservationist Kristine McDivitt Tompkins pledged to expand Chile’s national park system by just over 10 million acres—an area larger than Switzerland. …
If you are looking for a long thru hike in Patagonia, check the Greater Patagonian Trail route. It does not connect in any way with the Route of Parks because that’s a road. 😀
You can do a half day hiking circuit from Bled. But I was riding with a tourist agent from Belgium who was doing research on the area. She had a rent-a-car.
In October near end of day, it wasn’t particularly crowded. Nor was Bled During July and August you may have trouble finding a place to park. And all accommodation can get booked out.
The water is so clear you can watch fish waiting on food to drift down.
We caught a terrific sunset after finishing our hike.
The Wales Coast Path (Welsh: Llwybr Arfordir Cymru) is a long-distance footpathwhich follows, or runs close to, the majority of the coastline of Wales.
It opened on 5 May 2012, and offers a 870-mile (1,400 km) walking route from Chepstow, Monmouthshire, in the south to near Chester, in the north. …
The whole path is accessible to walkers and, where practical, some sections are suitable for cyclists, families with pushchairs, people with restricted mobility, and horse riders. …
Louis-Phillipe Loncke …. This was an epic journey that left him exhausted, pushed to his limits, and 15 kg (33 pounds) lighter than when he set off.
The video below is from a new report aired in Australia that caught up with the Belgian adventurer just as he was crossing the finish line, providing some insights into what this journey was like. …
I made coffee in the vestibule of my tent in the dark. Packed up and was on my feet by 8am. BIG day ahead. The toughest and most physically demanding of any on the Coast Path.
It was about 2 miles to town. Another 14 miles more (at least) to finish.
I finally saw rabbits on one farm. (SLUGS are much more plentiful.)
Giant mushrooms.
I detoured to Newport town to pick up provisions. There was some chance I’d need to wild camp again. I had no reservation for the hostel. And it was Saturday.
Scones and fruit cake are high calorie. Easy to eat.
For the first time in my hiking career an official trail crossed a golf course. That’s cool.
In the parking lot Duke of Edinburgh hikers were unloading. These are students who had to plan and execute an expedition of at least 2 days and 1 night. They looked woefully unprepared to me.
The steep, sheer, non-stop cliffs begin. The highest 575ft (175m). There’s only one emergency exit all day.
Narrow trails. Far less used than those in the south.
Yes. Muddy.
Most of the coves are inaccessible except from sea.
Stunning scenery. The weather improved over the day.
I was quite happy to round the corner and see that cliffs had ended. I’d been walking for nearly 8 hours.
On a weekend, I feared Poppit Sands hostel would be full. I’d need to wild camp again.
Happily there was space at the inn. I spent about 25 minutes in the hot shower! Welsh hostels are excellent.
It was a fun night chatting with an entertaining, informative Irishman. (Are there any other kind?) He was just finishing up a 3 month cycling holiday.
Before dinner I walked Poppit beach. My Coast Path would be ending first thing in the morning.
____
After coffee in the morning I had 2 miles left to trail end in St Dogmaels.
I visited the ancient Abby. And church built 1847 from Abby stones.
Here’s the finish.
Over 4 days I’d walked the first 20 miles. And the last 25 miles. About a quarter of the Coast Path. It was enough.
Then I walked another 2 miles along the Wales Coast Path, an 870-mile (1,400 km) route around the whole coast of Wales, to the bus stop at Cardigan. From there I planned to catch a bus to the train station.
What! What?
In October there are no longer ANY buses to anywhere on a Sunday. Bus service has been shrinking for years for rural towns in Wales. ☹️
The closest train station was 50£ by cab. I hate taxis. So checked into a lovely hotel instead for 45£. A holiday from my hiking vacation.
besthike.com 