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THE Definitive Guide to Hiking Torres del Paine

With a title like that, how could I not click.

ADAM SEPER:

A big part of our RTW trip, particularly in South America, was built around hiking and trekking. We hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, Colca Canyon in Peru, and various hikes in and around El Chalten. All were in preparation for our biggest trek yet, hiking the “W” in Parque Nacional Torres del Paine (TDP) in the Patagonia region of Chile.

In addition to being drop dead gorgeous, one of the other main appeals of hiking in TDP is that all hikers and trekkers can do it independently if they want. Sure, you can sign on with an expensive tour, but it’s unnecessary. Going at it without a guided tour is highly recommended so you can go at your own pace, take the route that’s right for you, and have a multitude of choices along the way. …

click through for more – Traveling Around the World for Couples

Related Posts linked from the bottom of that article:

A Trekking Guide (for those who like to eat and drink a lot)

Trekking Torres del Paine-Which Route to Take

Trekking Torres del Paine-What to Pack

Trekking Torres del Paine-Where to Sleep

Trekking Torres del Paine-Transportation, Admission, and Costs
Chile

There’s more to come.

That really is the most up-to-date guide for independent trekkers. Many are scared off making the long trip south due to lack of details on our Paine information page.

Thanks Adam.

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Patagonian ‘fox’

The road chose me is the account of Dan’s 65,000km jeep trek. He’s nearly reached the southern most point – Tierra Del Fuego.

Here’s a photo of what looks like a fox checking out their camp site:

hmm … Is this a South American Gray Fox? … Or a Culpeo? … neither are true ‘foxes’, actually.

When I was down there we often had “false foxes” roaming camp grounds, usually at dusk.

(via The road chose me – Around Ushuaia)

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Trail Days, Damascus, Virginia

Trail Days 2011 will be May 13 – 15th.

It’s always the weekend after Mother’s Day.

Trail Days draws about 20,000 tourists, mostly hikers, every year. Here’s a photo from last year.

Damascus (pop. 981) is the home of the annual Trail Days festival, and is known as Trail Town USA due to the convergence of four scenic trails in the town, including the Appalachian Trail, U.S. Bicycle Route 76, and the Virginia Creeper Trail. …

For years I’ve been hearing about the biggest hiking party in the States, perhaps the world, from Tom Mangan.

He’s linked to another hiking festival:

VIRGINIA JOURNEYS 2011

THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL CONSERVANCY’S 38TH BIENNIAL CONFERENCE

July 1 – 8, 2011
Emory & Henry College – Emory, Virginia

Every two years, Appalachian Trail hikers, enthusiasts, supporters, and conservationists get together at an Appalachian Trail Festival and Biennial Conference to swap stories, take a hike or two, and attend workshops.

…All the details are at www.virginia2011.org.

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crowd free hiking USA … and Canada

Backpacker is recommending these destinations:

Lassen Volcanic National Park, CA | Pigsah National Forest, NC | Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, MT | Dome Land Wilderness, CA | Mahoosuc Mountains, ME | Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario | Owyhee Uplands, ID/OR

I know Lassen and the ‘Bob’, but not much about the rest.

Dome Land, with 94,695 acres at the southern tail of the Sierra Nevada, is markedly drier than Yosemite. This, plus the lower elevations (3,000 to 9,400 feet), makes it a good choice for spring and fall, when snow still clings to high-mountain locales. …

details

This high-desert region’s obscurity is a big selling point. Spilling out of southwest Idaho into Nevada and Oregon, the Owyhee Uplands comprise one of the least developed areas in the Lower 48. Juniper-covered plateaus set atop sagebrush tablelands create a sense of limitless open space.

Snowy mountains line the horizon, and the many-tentacled Owyhee and Bruneau Rivers groove the underlying basalt and rhyolite. “The Owyhee is as good as any desert landscape in the U.S.,” says Sheldon Bluestein, author of Exploring Idaho’s High Desert. “It’s national-park-worthy.” …

details

Bruneau River, Owyhee Uplands by Glenn Merritt
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researching Iceland hiking

Buzz sent me a link to Andrew Skurka‘s 2008 adventures.

I’m no Skurka. My longest trip will be the 49-mile Laugavegur, in purple.

Preparing that itinerary, Skurka interviewed Jonathan Ley who did a huge trip in 2006.

From what I can see, it looks pretty easy to hike the established trails in June, the driest month. I’ll have a week in a rental car to reconnoiter and cache food, if necessary.

Leave a comment if you have any advice.

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hiking Iceland in June

Last summer I again squandered my chance to get to Iceland for the first time. I felt even worse after following Alastair Humphreys’ adventures there.

It’s looking good for me to go June 2011.

The first week I’ll rent a vehicle and drive the island dayhiking.

Mt. Helgafell

Following that I’ll trek the hotsprings of Laugavegur. Possibly Fimmvörðuháls. And more in that region.

No eruptions this Spring, please.

Leave a comment if you’ve any advice for me.

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best hiking towns in America?

Our list of the top 4 hiking regions in the world includes 3 in the USA:

#1 New Zealand – info page

#2 Southwest USA – info page
#3 The Rockies – info page
#4 USA Sierra Nevada – info page

Yet our list of the top 10 hiking towns in the world includes only one in the States: Moab, Utah. And it’s only 10th.

How can we fix that disconnect?

Should we add the “Switzerland of America” Ouray, Colorado?

Ouray is better known as the “winter ice-climbing capital” of America, but many feel the surrounding San Juan Mountains are the best in the State. Perhaps the best in the Rockies.

Other candidates?

Buzz recommends, in addition to Ouray:

North Conway, NH
Asheville NC
Springdale
Bishop, CA
Nevada City, CA
Leavenworth, CA
Boulder, CO
Crested Butte, CO
Telluride, CO
Jackson, WY

Crested Butte was my favourite Colorado town during my travels last summer. But I went there for mountain biking, not hiking.

The Smoky Mountain Hiking Blog recommends, aside from Ouray:

Damascus, VA
East Glacier, MT
Asheville, NC

Cooke City, MT
Bryson City, NC
Fairplay, CO
Grand Lake, CO

Townsend, TN
Taos, NM
Santa Fe, NM
Leadville, CO

Gatlinburg, CO
Estes Park, CO

The Smoky Mountain Hiking Blog – Top Hiking Towns

Leave a comment if you’ve an opinion on these. Or if we’ve missed your favourite hiking town.

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800-pound grizzly named Brutus

I’ve linked to Casey Anderson before. But this is the best video I’ve seen yet.

800-pound grizzly bear Brutus is the curious best friend to renowned naturalist Casey Anderson, who has raised him since birth. Together, they’ve set out on a yearlong mission to chronicle the lives of Yellowstone’s vulnerable grizzly bears.

National Geographic TV – Expedition Grizzly

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Many predict that Brutus will one day kill him. … Could happen.

(via Trend Hunter)

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Don’t Tase me, Bear

A $2000 piece of hiking gear.

The Wildlife TASER electronic control device is a revolutionary new multi-shot ECD that can engage multiple targets, and deliver a calibrated Neuro Muscular Incapacitation (NMI) pulse from up to 35 feet away.

The Range Adjusted Dual Laser System increases effectiveness, while providing a more humane means of animal control for wildlife. These devices have been proven effective for wildlife and are available today for wildlife managers, field biologists and zoo caretakers.

taser.com

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA):

… calls the X3W inhumane

Tasers cause uncontrollable muscle contractions and overwhelming pain. Humans and animals on the receiving end have died as a result of the shock. For these reasons, the National Animal Control Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association both recommend against their use. Aggressive methods should be explored only if one’s life is truly in danger.

In extreme nuisance wildlife cases, large wild animals (without young) can be live-trapped and relocated. …

read more – ABC 15