besthike.com

December 18, 2010November 6, 2023

#8 best hiking town is …

El Calafate, Argentina

All hikers plan, one day, to travel to southern Patagonia. Towers of Paine photos entice.

And anyone who hikes Paine, should also hike Fitz Roy, Argentina.

Hikers have a choice to base themselves out of Puerto Natales, Chile or El Calafate, Argentina. Though you may find yourself stopping in both, El Calafate is the better choice.

El Calafate is a small town in Patagonia, Argentina. …

… an important tourist destination as the hub to visit different parts of the Los Glaciares National Park, including the Perito Moreno Glacier (one of the most visited in the world) and the Cerro Chaltén and Cerro Torre.

… In the last census 6,143 permanent residents were counted

You could argue that El Chaltén, Argentina’s “national trekking capital“, about 220km from El Calafate, is an even better base town.

On the other hand, there are large grocery stores like Diarco in El Calafate. The shops in Chaltén in 2019 were still very limited. We couldn’t get instant mashed potatoes in Chaltén, for example. Pick up your provisions in Calafate.

And Calafate is about half way between Paine and Fitz Roy.

More interesting photos tagged El Calafate, Argentina.

More information on Wikitravel – El Calafate.

Our favourite hike hikes out of El Calafate:

• Paine Circuit (Torres del Paine), Chile

• Huemul Route, Fitz Roy, Argentina

• Around Monte Fitz Roy (Los Glaciares), Argentina

These are the most famous, but there are many more “best hikes” in the Patagonian Andes. Ground transportation is the biggest challenge in this part of the world.

Best months are December to March.

December 17, 2010November 25, 2010

#9 best hiking town is …

Zermatt, Switzerland

This resort is off-putting to some. Ignore the posturing Eurotrash, conspicuous in brightly coloured expensive outdoor apparel, unsoiled.

Instead, turn your gaze up to the Matterhorn, “iconic emblem of the Swiss Alps and the Alps”. This valley is one of the great natural wonders of the world.

Zermatt … is in the German-speaking section of the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It has a population of about 5,800 inhabitants.

The village is situated at the end of Mattertal at an altitude of 1,620 m (5,315 ft), at the feet of Switzerland’s highest peaks. …

Zermatt is famed as a mountaineering and ski resort of the Swiss Alps. …

To prevent air pollution which could obscure the town’s view of the Matterhorn, the entire town is a combustion-engine car-free zone. Almost all vehicles in Zermatt are battery driven and almost completely silent. Electric vehicles are allowed for local commerce. …

More interesting photos tagged Zermatt, Switzerland.

Our favourite hike hikes out of Zermatt:

• Chamonix to Zermatt – Walkers’ Haute Route TOP 10 <guidebook> <trip>
• Tour of the Matterhorn
• Tour of Monte Rosa

Weisshorn 4506m from the Europa Hut at sunrise

Actually, there are trails everywhere in the Alps. It’s awesome.

More “best hikes” in the Alps.

Best time to hike is late June to early October.

December 16, 2010November 25, 2010

#10 best hiking town is …

Moab, Utah

Moab is a fantastic jumping off point for outdoor adventure, a special mecca for crack climbing.

But the “strip” can be loud, ugly, hot and aggravating. Once you get away from the highway, the town’s much prettier. They have a good library and great bike trails.

Moab … in eastern Utah … is 233 miles (374 km) southeast of Salt Lake City and 354 miles (569 km) west of Denver, Colorado …

The population was 4,779 at the 2000 census. … Moab hosts a large number of tourists every year, mostly visitors of the Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, which are located close by. The town is also a popular base for mountain bikers who come to ride the extensive network of trails including the famed Slickrock Trail …

More interesting photos tagged Moab, Utah.

Our favourite hikes out of Moab are:

• Chesler Park
• Devil’s Garden
• Delicate Arch
• Syncline Loop
• Upper Salt Creek
• Murphy Basin
• Gooseberry-Dogleg Loop

There are many, many more. This is Edward Abbey country.

Click through for more “best hikes” in the S.W. USA.

Hike here Spring and Fall. It’s HOT in the summer.

December 15, 2010November 27, 2010

top 10 hiking towns worldwide

Lets say you want to plan a hiking holiday.

You might need to base yourself close to major trailheads. In a community with a good gear shop. Large enough to supply last minute provisions.

You’ll need a memorable place to stay. A place that will store your bag while you’re gone out on the trail.

The best hiking towns have a hiking culture. They appreciate and respect those on foot with a backpack.

And you’ll want a memorable restaurant to celebrate on your return.

Starting tomorrow we’ll be announcing our top 10 hiking towns with #10. And posting one each day until #1 … Christmas morning.

• our top 10 hikes in the world
• our top 10 hiking regions in the world

December 14, 2010December 14, 2010

Half Dome – permit required

Yosemite Blog:

Following on the success of it’s weekend permit system the NPS has opted to extend the program requiring permits for all hikers who wish to ascend the cables to the top of Half Dome, not just weekend hikers. …

Last season weekend permit demand was high and permits were reserved months in advance. Hikers without permits will be turned around at the foot of the cables. …

Click through for details on how to get one: Permits Needed Everyday to Hike Half Dome Starting Spring 2011

December 14, 2010December 14, 2010

hiking Tecolote Beach, Baja

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

Tecolote … (A) is an isolated beach community located in the municipality of La Paz in the state of Baja California Sur, It is 25 km from the city of La Paz …

It is one of the most extensive of the beaches in this area with fine, white sand gentle waves and little undertow. Water skiing and jet skiing are available here as well as a boat that goes to Isla Espíritu Santo.

I’d been here several times in the past, most memorably on my kayak tour of the island (PHOTOS).

You can walk anywhere in this desert. I headed east along the shore, like Graham MacIntosh. Here’s a view looking back to Tecolote.

The highlight is sea birds. Especially Pelicans.

This little lizard is the only other beast I saw.

Seems the area has many wild burros. They were all around. But I never saw even one.

Perhaps the ATVs scare them away.

Here’s the ferry La Paz – Mazatlan.

There are plenty of ramshackle fishing shacks along the coast. Most empty.

I decided to head inland to tent.

Perfect weather, I enjoyed a peaceful sunset and sunrise. Someone had previously tented up here, already clearing a spot.

In the arms of that cactus near my tent, I left a Summit Stone.

Deserts are some of my favourite hikes. But you cannot go out long. Drinking 4 litres, I was already thirsty after 21 hours.

See the rest of my photos from this hike.

December 13, 2010December 12, 2010

New Balance MT101 Running Shoes

Buzz of the Adventure Running blog recommends the New Balance Men’s MT101 Trail Running Shoe.

My stockpile 4 pairs of minimalist New Balance 603 Country Walkers are plum wore out. … I’m due for a new New Balance shoe, assuming I can get them in very wide sizes. (serious bunions!)

Thanks Buzz. I’ll buy myself a pair for Christmas.

review by runningandrambling.com

December 11, 2010December 10, 2010

minimalist footwear

Have you tried any of the new ‘barefoot’ shoes as yet?

Gear Junkie has a guest post on what’s available by journalist and author Bill Katovsky of ZERO DROP, a new blog about barefoot and minimalist running.

I wear a fairly flat, but conventional approach shoe myself. No plans to go even more minimal.

Certainly this concept, presumably by Nike, is out of the question:

Has Nike Invented A Second Skin?

Leave a comment if you have an opinion. Is this just a fad? … Or is minimal footwear here to stay?

December 10, 2010December 8, 2010

Joshua Tree’s eight hidden palm oases

Hank Leukart tried and failed at his first two JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK adventures.

Third time’s a charm.

In his journalistic trip report, Hank explains:

… I devise a plan to visit each of the Park’s eight desert oases: Mara, 49 Palms, Cottonwood Spring, Lost Palms, Victory Palms, Summit Spring, Munsen, and a final, mysterious and nameless oasis near Munsen. …

Click through to see if Hank and 3 friends succeed. … Or if he trips into the cactus (again) and ends up drinking wine, watching shooting stars.

Without Baggage – until we meet again, joshua tree.

December 9, 2010December 8, 2010

one year walk/beard grow time lapse

Trying to research the “Pinggu International Walking Road” in China, reportedly the first trail at “international standard” … I stumbled on to bigfatspringroll aka Christoph Rehage.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.