cycling Port Alberni to Victoria on the NEW Spine Trail

A signature recreation destination in Canada, the Vancouver Island Spine Trail will span more than 700 kilometres from Victoria to Cape Scott. Traversing wild coasts, ancient and working forests and joining island communities, the trail will be a month-long journey in its entirety. …

It’s not finished. But I plan to cycle — and hike a bike — a section in 2017. I’ll start in Port Alberni … and see how far south I can get.

click for larger map
click for larger map

hiking Big Bend National Park, Texas

I’m planning to hike Big Bend for the first time. In January.

big-bend-park

hiking-big-bend-national-park
The Parks Service recommends:

• Desert Hikes
• Mountain Hikes
• River Hikes

As usual I’ll check with Rangers before deciding which hikes. Local information is critical in the desert. Backcountry Use Permits are required.

I’ll be mostly doing day hikes and one night tenting trips. Water is an issue, I understand, even in winter.

Unless you are walking the Rio Grande, of course.

520px-santa_elena_canyon
Santa Elena Canyon

50 Awesome Hiking Blogs

Mitch Stevens of Southwest Discoveries posted 50 sites they like.

adventuring-in-the-great-southwest-banner-new

Though most of the 50 are focused on the S.W. USA, we are honoured to be included. 🙂

www.besthike.com

besthike.comBesthike.com, founded by intrepid adventurer Rick McCharles, is one of the best hiking blogs on the web. It is a comprehensive listing of the world’s best hikes. Rick not only catalogs the planet’s best life changing hikes but provide descriptions. It is no surprise that Rick includes hikes in the southwest as some of the best hikes in the world. Most of the hikes he recommends are challenging multi-day adventures, such as the Zion Narrows for instance. Rick is continuing to research the best hikes on earth, calling his website a “work in progress.”

I’m planning a trip to Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico right now. This list is a great resource.

West Coast Trail reservations start Jan 9, 2017

Our #1 hike in the world is the West Coast Trail.

wct_logo_large

AT A GLANCE

  • wctma75 km (47 mi), 5-7 days traditional route
  • 3-5 day routes possible via Nitinat
  • southwestern edge of Vancouver Island
  • Pacific Rim National Park
  • Permits required May 1 – September 16 September 30
  • extremely rugged, requires a high level of fitness
  • 6,000+ backpackers / year
  • permits limited and in high demand — WCT Trail reservations
  • … most expensive hiking permit in Canada

commercializing Everest’s North Face

A few weeks ago, a Beijing newspaper announced that the Chinese government was building a new mountaineering center and hotel near the north side of Everest. …

The mountaineering center will be located in Old Tingri, a town 40 miles northwest of Everest, and will house much of the infrastructure we currently associate with the French Alps: a heli base for rescue operations on the mountain, a mountaineering school for high altitude workers, and a fully stocked hotel. …

The mountaineering center is scheduled to be completed by 2019, three years ahead of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Outside

I hiked Tingri (Dingri) to Everest in 1998. Dingri was one crappy town at that time. Seems it’s not improved much in the years since.

Dingri 2011
Dingri 2011

As always, there will be pros and cons in commercializing Everest in Tibet.

hiking Ferry Reach Park, Bermuda

Close to the airport and St. George, I quite enjoyed wandering these trails.

ferry-reach-park

This 64 acres park area is the second largest in Bermuda and has wonderful walking trails, forest areas with endemic plantation, a nice lake, a bay with a lovely beach, and a few historic forts. Other than the sounds of airplanes flying overhead at times, this place has remained as a serene and peaceful parkland over the years. …

img_4414 img_4410

Bermuda Railway Trail passes through the park and goes along the western coast line. …

img_4405

At the western most tip … Ferry Island which can be accessed from the park on a small wooden bridge. It was in Ferry Island where the ferry dock was built way back in 1600s. Ferries transported people across to the other side known as Coney Island which connects to the main island of Bermuda. For over 250 years, ferry was the only transport that connected St. George with the main island.
img_4406
It ceased to operate once the Causeway was built in 1871. …
In 1823, Martello Tower came up on the high ground behind the two forts where soldiers could survey the surrounding coastline and the land area. …

img_4411

img_4412

A friend told me they had some terrific drinking parties at Martello Tower back in his misspent youth. It’s all locked up now.

Sherpa – directed by Jennifer Peedom

… charting the disastrous Everest season of 2014. The director aimed to get a Sherpa’s point of view on climbing Everest after the famous flareup of 2013, and instead was on the ground to document the appalling loss of life and resulting Sherpa strike the following year. …

David Lintern

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

West Coast Trail, Canada

Mike and Lara are MB Guiding.

They’ll organize your hike to many different destinations in B.C.

For example they’ll guide you on the West Coast Trail for C$1650 in 2017.

west-coast-trail-ladder-895x5032x

The West Coast Trail is our #1 hike in the world. A life changing adventure.

Experienced hikers can easily do it independently, however. The MB WCT information page is an excellent resource for everyone.

west-coast-trail-cribs-beach-sand-hiking-840x5602x

Thanks Hendrik.