Posts

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best day hikes in the world?

That question was posed on the latest internet darling website, Quora.

Some of the answers:

Tongariro Crossing – New Zealand
Yosemite Falls – California, USA
Sentiero Azzuro – Cinque Terre, Italy
Table Mountain – Cape Town, South Africa
Many Glacier – Montana, USA
Uluru, Kata Tjuta, and Kings Canyon – Northern Territory, Australia
Corsica – France
Caledon Natural Area – Virginia, USA

Zion Narrows, Utah
Silverback Gorilla hike in Rwanda
Half-Dome, California
Great Wall of China – Simatai to Jinshanling
Havasupai, Arizona
Dubrovnik, Croatia up Mt Srd to the Napoleonic fort
hike the Macedonian side of Lake Ohrid
Cerro Chato in Costa Rica

Rim to rim, Grand Canyon
Yosemite FallsSuggest
Avalanche Pass, Adirondacks, New York
Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa
Corsica, France
Sentiero Azzuro, Cinque Terre, Italy
Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

You can weigh in with your own answers on Quora.

Here’s Table Mountain …

You can climb up, take the cable car down.

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surviving a 1,000ft fall

A climber who fell 1,000ft (305m) down a mountain and survived was found by his rescuers standing up reading a map.

Adam Potter, 36, lost his footing at the summit of Sgurr Choinnich Mor near Ben Nevis and plummeted down the near-vertical eastern slope.

Lt Tim Barker, from the helicopter rescue crew, said: “It seemed impossible… he must have literally glanced off the outcrops as he fell.” …

read more – BBC – Climber found reading map after 1,000ft fall

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GoLite Tarahumara Sandal Shoe

Tarahumara Sandal Shoe — GoLite Footwear’s Tara Lite running shoe is said to have been inspired by the Tarahumara tribes of Mexico, a native group known for their distance running skills who wear minimal thong-style sandals.

What makes the GoLite shoe unique is its flat, “zero-drop” heel, flexible sole, and a soft upper. The kicker: Inside the shoe, separating your big toe from the rest, there’s an internal sandal post that keeps your foot from moving too much and helps the flexible shoe fit snug.

The Tara Lite will come in men’s and women’s models for $115.

Gear Junkie

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Annapurna now requires guides

As a follow-up to last week’s post on Trekking the Annapurna Sanctuary in Nepal

David DeFranza writes something new to me:

Permits, Porters and Guides

The Annapurna Sanctuary trek is largely contained within the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP), a national park that covers 7,629 square kilometers. Entry into the park requires the purchase of an ACAP Entry Permit. The permit requires an application and two passport photos. It costs about $60 USD and can be obtained in a single day from offices in Kathmandu and Pokhara.

In addition to this permit, all trekkers in Nepal are now required to register for and obtain a card through the Trekkers Information Management System (TIMS). This new card has replaced the controversial TRC permit introduced in 2006 and is available for free through a trekking agency, the Nepal Tourism Board, or the Trekkers Agencies’ Association of Nepal. The card can be issued in either Kathmandu or Pokhara.

Although people still circumvent the system, trekkers are now required to hire at least one Nepali staff member (a porter or guide) per group.

Many independent travelers are initially upset by this proposition. However, almost everyone who finds a knowledgeable guide from a quality company comes away admitting that it improved the overall trekking experience. …

read more – Matador – Trekking the Annapurna Sanctuary in Nepal

Independent hiking is still allowed in the Everest region. If you want to go it alone, that’s a big reason to bypass Annapurna and head for Lukla, instead.

Leave a comment if you know more about the mandatory guide regulation. It’s not clearly stated on the official government website.

Here’s an independent 2008 Circuit trip report – No Guide, No Problem! – The Annapurna Circuit

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Classic Hikes in the Canadian Rockies

… by Graeme Pole.

Classic Hikes in the Canadian Rockies is the ultimate guide to the 63 best backpacking trips and day-hikes in Banff, Jasper, Yoho, Kootenay, Mt. Robson, Mt. Assiniboine, Waterton, Kananaskis Country, and Akamina-Kishenina parks. Detailed trailhead and route descriptions, and a colour map for each hike help get you to the trailhead and keep you on route.

The hike descriptions are packed with comprehensive information on history, geology, wildlife, wildflowers, and side-trip options. Colour photographs depict the principal features. Tips on equipment, food, drinking water, backcountry etiquette, minimum impact travel, hiking with children, preparedness, and bear safety round out this indispensable resource. The new edition includes five “new” hikes and a foreword by Robert Bateman.

Since first publication in 1994, this award-winning guidebook has sold 55,000 copies.

Publication date: April 2011
Retail price: $27.95

Orders: Alpine Book Peddlers
alpinebk@aeontech.ca, 866-478-2280
Information: Graeme@mountainvision.ca
mountainvision.ca

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Annapurna Base Camp, Nepal

by besthike editor Rick McCharles

… I was inspired. The Annapurna Sanctuary is one of the most incredible glacier basins in the world, completely surrounded by huge peaks; Hiunchuli, Modi, Fang, Annapurna 1, Glacier Dome, Gangapurna, Annapurna 3.

These mountains are indescribably impressive. I won’t try.

The gate is guarded by everyone’s favourite peak, Machapuchare (Fishtail).

R E M I B R I D O T

Jimmy Roberts climbed, in 1957, to within 50 metres of the summit but turned back due to the steepness of the final ascent. On his return to Kathmandu he suggested to the Nepalese government that they keep at least this one peak unclimbed, a symbol of the inviolate. No permit has been issued to this day. …

That’s from my 1998 trip report.
_____

Here’s an independent trip report from 2010:

… A detailed route guide and tip list for hiking from Pokhara to Annapurna Base Camp.

What follows is the route we took, where we slept and ate along the way, the items we packed, and some general tips for taking on one of the world’s best treks. …

Only one trail leads up to A.B.C., but there are a couple ways to get to that single route (see below). Buy a map once you’re in-country, do a little research, and talk to locals and you’ll easily determine what works best for you. This is what we did:

read more and start planning your own trek to base camp – iTravelMags.com

Annapurna Sanctuary

They hiked post-monsoon, September.

Normally that’s very risky. But last year they got 8 days and 9 nights (9/24-10/2) of sunny weather and unbelievable views. And avoided the crowds.

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Out There AS-1 Backpack

The Gear Junkie:

Mike Kloser, a Vail, Colo., athlete and a former world-champion mountain biker, is something of a god in the sport of adventure racing. As the captain of Team Nike, Kloser dominated AR for years, including multiple world-champ titles and victories at banner events like the Eco Challenge and Primal Quest under his belt.

Last year, Kloser launched a gear company, Out There USA, and he designed a backpack. After years of racing — as well as living a consummate outdoors existence working and training in Colorado — Kloser put his knowledge toward making his company’s AS-1 Pack something of an ultimate multi-sport tool. …

Out There USA’s AS-1 Pack

details – Ultimate AR Backpack

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besthike photo inspired artist

Professional artist Richard Mravik asked to use one of our photos as the concept for one of his paintings. He’s just finished.

Here’s a low resolution version of that painting.

He’s sent it to Stephen Lowe art gallery. Eventually you’ll be able to see it on Richard’s page there.

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what is Frazil ice?

Frazil ice is a collection of loose, randomly oriented needle-shaped ice crystals in water. It resembles slush and has the appearance of being slightly oily when seen on the surface of water.

It sporadically forms in open, turbulent, supercooled water, which means that it usually forms in rivers, lakes and oceans, on clear nights when the weather is colder, and air temperature reaches –6°C or lower. Frazil ice is the first stage in the formation of sea ice. …

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. The most amazing bit is seeing the creek STOP flowing at 1min 50sec.

Thank George for sending us the link to this natural phenomenon.

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Camp 4 Bearier 700 canister

A prototype unit just shown at the Outdoor Retailers show in Vegas Salt Lake City.

… The Bearier 700 is two polycarbonate halves (production models will likely be a translucent color) that can be carried separately while hiking.

Backpackers can split them up between hikers, or carry the halves separately in or on their packs, for easier access and packing while hiking …

… at less than 2 lbs, if the Bearier 700 passes the National Park Service’s bear test, it could be a contender for the lightest canister, space-to-weight. …

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

You could see these on the market as early as May 2011.

If interested, click over to Trailspace for the specifics – Outdoor Retailer: Baffling bears with the Bearier 700