12 Long Walks in the USA

The series began with the Pacific Northwest Trail on July 2, 2011, and finished at the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail on December 28, 2012. The total distance was approximately 14,302 miles (23,012 km). …

This Hiking Life

Total Bear Sightings: 48 (including 22 grizzlies)
Total Mountain Lion Sightings: 2
Total Pairs of Shoes: 28

See the HIGHLIGHT photos.

That’s Cam Honan.

I often name Andrew Skurka as the greatest hiker of modern times. But Cam’s done far more distance. And done more of the best hikes worldwide. 🙂

February 13, 2015February 11, 2015

Trek to Kangchenjunga

3minuteAdventures

Click PLAY or watch part 1 on YouTube.

This is a trek to Guichala pass at 4950m, in the state of Sikkim, India, for a clear view of Mt Kangchenjunga, the 3rd highest mountain in the world. In Part 2 we make move from lookout to lookout with confusion and frustration until we decide to throw caution to the wind and just do it …

Click PLAY or watch part 2 on YouTube.

February 12, 2015February 11, 2015

Aconcagua – the music video

Guido Patrignani climbs Aconcagua, a trekking peak, while … singing. 🙂

Kraig Becker:

Check out his latest fun clip below and get a sense of what it is like on one of the Seven Summits.

Click PLAY or watch it on Daily Motion.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2grqiq_i-lived-in-aconcagua_travel?start=241

If you like that, check his Everest Base Camp music video – Counting Stars in Himalayas

February 10, 2015May 9, 2026

100 Classic Hikes

36 countries on 6 continents.

Cam Honan:

Listed below are 100 multi-day hikes that I have had the good fortune of doing from 1995 to the present day. In my opinion they are all “great” or “classic” hikes, however I have refrained from assigning them any type of order other than alphabetical. How can one compare the jaw-dropping grandeur of high alpine regions to the stillness and timeless quality of the desert?

The Hiking Life

___

editor: I’ve started clicking my way through Cam’s impressive list.

By comparison, I’ve only done about 35 of those, in part or in whole.

Leave a comment if you know of any hiker who’s done MORE of the world’s best hikes?

February 9, 2015February 7, 2015

The Man Who Put Nepal On The Tourist Map

Karna Shakya

Meet The Man Who Put Nepal On The Tourist Map

Last year I tried to get space in one of the Kathmandu Guest House inexpensive legacy rooms. It seemed impossible in November. They are constantly full.

February 8, 2015February 7, 2015

Big Agnes mtnGLO™tents

A review by Casey Schreiner, the Modern Hiker:

New for 2015, the Big Agnes Rattlesnake SL2 is a relatively lightweight three-season tent that features an easy, two-piece hub-pole setup and plenty of headroom for one person—or two people who don’t mind getting cozy. More interestingly, it also has a series of LED lights woven into the tent’s interior fabric—a feature Big Agnes calls mtnGLO. …

read more on REI

February 7, 2015February 5, 2015

Sufferfest 2: Desert Alpine

Cedar Wright and Alex Honnold

This time, a month riding their bikes and climbing desert towers in the American Southwest should be a piece of cake for these fast friends. Or will it? …

Click PLAY or watch a clip on YouTube.

Radical Reels Night People’s Choice Award at the BMFF Festival – sponsored by Deuter.

That was our favourite of 8 short films in the Best of the Banff Mountain Film Festival program – night 2.

February 6, 2015February 3, 2015

off trail in Iceland

Hank Leukart:

Two brothers search for eternal life in the Icelandic wilderness during what may be the last time in history anyone is able to see all of Iceland’s natural, untouched beauty.

Click PLAY or watch it on Vimeo. (17min)

Because my brother and I live so far apart (he’s in New York; I’m in Los Angeles), we have agreed to reunite once every year, somewhere in the wilderness. We’ve been to Alaska’s Denali, Chilean Patagonia, and even Everest Base Camp, but, for our most recent trip, we set our sights on a hard-to-reach lake in the Icelandic wilderness called Eilísvötn, which, in Icelandic, means “Lake of Eternal Life.” …

Brian and I start by trekking two classic, connected Iceland treks: the Fimmvörðuháls and Laugavegur Trails, the first of which begins at a huge waterfall called Skógafoss on the southern coast.

We feel almost disappointed to be enveloped by the sublime, rolling, green hills and plethora of waterfalls, because it feels like we’re in the most beautiful place in Iceland already — we’re getting a fantastic payoff way too early in our trip. Soon enough, though, as we continue through the snow and glaciers near Fimmvörðuháls Hut, it becomes obvious that there’s no chance Iceland will ever disappoint us no matter where we go. …

Without Baggage – Mission Iceland: A Tale of Two Brothers

I’m researching a possible Aug/Sept 2015 hike. Laugavegur is very, very high on the list of treks I want to do next. 🙂

February 5, 2015February 2, 2015

habits and rituals of thru hikers

Thru hiker Carlie Gentry, who works at REI, put together a funny photo essay on the habits and rituals of her kind on the trail – A Scientific Explanation of Hiker Trash (in 25 Images) 🙂

February 4, 2015February 2, 2015

researching Fish River Canyon, Namibia

The Fish River Canyon 5 day trek is one of the best in the world.

But it’s very difficult to get a reservation, even a year in advance. I’ve been turned down for all dates in June 2015. 😦

But I may try to show up at the trailhead anyway. Hang out. And look to substitute for a hiker missing from a booked group. (You must have a minimum of 3 people to register, in any case.)

Wish me luck.