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trekking Dientes, Patagonia

Ace and Patricia hiked the most southerly established major trail in South America, part of the Circuito Dientes de Navarino.

I read their trip report with interest. I’d once traveled to Punta Arenas intending to do Dientes, but ran out of time to arrange the tricky transportation to the Puerto William, Chile, on Isla Navarino. That’s the jumping off point for Dientes.

Ace and Patricia ended up taking the Zenit’s 15 passenger boat from Ushuaia, Argentina, to Puerto Williams. And later found a flight back on a 3-seater plane.

Extreme weather in this most extreme part of the world makes all manner of transportation a gamble.

Was it worth it for Patricia?

Yes.

… We reached the dip between the peaks and were rewarded with breathtaking views of the spiky Dientes and across Isla Navarino to sets of islands beyond. It was a clear day and we saw the islands of Cape Horn. It was definitely the highlight of the trip. …

Painted stones & cairns mark the trail. Unfortunately many of those were covered by snow.

Everyone has navigation challenges on Dientes, this adventure more than most. Their goal on day 2 was to cross Paso de los Dientes. The guidebook said to “stay high”. … They stayed too high, eventually having to backtrack when the risk of a mini-avalanche got too great.

If you’ve ever dreamed of hiking the teeth of south South America, download Patricia’s Trip Journal. (PDF)

Check our Dientes information page.

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Mt Asgard, Baffin Island – the movie

More rugged and remote than the Himalayas.

The Asgard Project – OFFICIAL Climbing Teaser – Posing Productions

Click PLAY or watch the trailer on YouTube.

… objective to make the first free ascent of the west face of Mt Asgard on Baffin Island. Like that’s not an awesome enough feat in itself the journey there will be pretty special involving training trips to Riglos in Spain, Brento in Italy and Yosemite in California! …

Posing Productions

The film crew hiked in to this location in 5 days.

(via The Adventure Channel)

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10 best treks in the world

… according to Lonely Planet:

1. GR20, France
2. Inca Trail, Peru
3. Pays Dogon, Mali
4. Everest Base Camp, Nepal
5. Indian Himalayas, India
6. Overland Track, Australia
7. Routeburn Track, New Zealand
8. The Narrows, USA
9. The Haute Route, France-Switzerland
10. Baltoro Glacier & K2, Pakistan

The two in bold are on our top 10 list.

I like the list, though “Indian Himalayas” is a region, not a trek.

Certainly there are better hikes in Peru than the Inca Trail, including Choquequirao to Machu Picchu.

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Backpacker Magazine BEST. HIKES. EVER.

Kelly Bastone and Dave Pidgeon:

We’ve covered 245,591 miles of trails in our 37-year history. Here are our 20 all-time favorite trips …

BEST HIKES EVER COVERED

John Muir Trail, CA | Escalante Route, AZ | Teton Crest Trail, WY | Denali, AK | Presidential Traverse, NH | The Lost Coast Trail, CA | The Needles Traverse, CO | St. Mary to Lake McDonald, MT | Appalachian Trail, GA-ME | Zion Narrows, UT | Wonderland Trail, WA | Southern Traverse, AK | Four-Pass Loop, CO | The Long Trail, VT | Boundary Waters, MN | Wind Traverse, WY | Redwood Creek Trail, CA | Olympic Traverse, WA | Willow Gulch, UT | Northville-Placid Trail, NY |

ORIGINAL ARTICLE with links

I know and like all of those in the west and north. But what about these 3 lesser known eastern trails:

• Northville-Placid Trail, NY
• Boundary Waters, MN
• The Long Trail, VT

As a biased west-is-the-bester, I’d best do some research on those.

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Minnesota

Tim at overlook of Watap Lake from the Border Route Trail

UPDATE: Tom Wemett tells that Northville-Placid Trail has a new website:

“The trail passes through what many consider the wildest and most remote parts of the Adirondack Park, notably the high plateau that encompasses the Spruce, West Canada, and Cedar lakes area, along with that of the Cold River. The highest point the N-P Trail reaches (3008 ft) is at the crest of the ridge to the E of Blue Mt. and of Tirrell Pond.” …

nptrail.org

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National Geographic photo contest

The Big Picture posted 47 pics of those submitted.

Brown bear, Buskin River, Kodiak Alaska. This bear had been fishing in the river on this morning. It climbed onto the bank and laid down in the grass. This photo was taken about an hour after sunrise just as the sun was starting to clear the trees. The temperature was near the dew point and steam was rising off its body. It didn’t seem at all concerned by the fishermen in the river or the photographer on the bank. (Photo and caption by James Haskins)

Boise Sunrise. With the fog and morning light this looks like a place I’d love to be. If you look very closely, you can see a deer in a clearing in the center left area of the picture (small dot, head poking above bushes, see detail). (Photo and caption by Glen Hush)

see all 47 on my favourite photo blog – Boston.com – The Big Picture

Those are entries in National Geographic annual Photo Contest, categories People, Places and Nature. Deadline for submissions November 30th.

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Triple Crown hikes, Waterton 2011

I tried and failed in 2010.

But summer 2011 in Waterton National Park, Canada, I guarantee I’ll be getting on the Glory Board, the list of those who complete 3 best hikes, ideally in one calendar year: Akamina Ridge | Alderson Carthew | Crypt Lake

details – ExperienceWaterton.com – Triple Crown

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introducing the Overland Track, Tasmania

Famed in Australia, but not so well known around the rest of the world, The Overland is one of our top 10 hikes in the world.

100_6533.JPG

Frank was just there, updating his excellent eBook – How to Hike the Overland Track.

His latest post has a nice overview of highlights for those who don’t know it:

• a great “beginner’ bushwalking trip
• regularly spaced huts
• track is well marked and in good condition
• in season there are rangers
• scenery is spectacular and varied
• side trips
• the weather

… OK, he must have been joking mentioning the weather.

read more – Our Hiking Blog – Why hike the Overland Track in Tasmania?

Check our Overland Track information page, too.

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my BearVault is stuck

I love my clear plexiglass BearVault, happy to carry the extra weight for the convenience of tossing my food anywhere I like.

But if I tighten the lid enough for the simple plastic clip to “click”, it can be tough to open. Sometimes I need strip down, call on super human strength, and sit on the thing to squish it a little bit oblong.

Turns out that’s normal for this gear. Check this rant from thruhiker Crow:

It was 4am and I was lying in my frosty tent in the Sierras, thinking how splendid a hot beverage would be right now. I was hungry as I hadn’t eaten dinner the night before because I was low on food and one of the ways I ration my food is to skip dinner.

I was thinking: for the same weight as the bear canister I could have brought my stove, pot, fuel canister, and 5 snicker bars. Right now, I could be drinking a hot beverage and eating a snicker bar. That would be good, but instead I have a bear canister.

I reached out of my tent, grabbed my frosty bear canister, tried to open it—it didn’t budge. I straddled it and tried to open it, it wouldn’t turn a bit–it was completely locked up. And that is when I renamed my BearVault 450 bear canister: my “G…

read more – Gear review: BearVault 450 bear canister

I too leave mine as threaded as possible, but not quite locked.

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Tongariro Crossing in 3min

If you claim Tongariro is the WORLD’S BEST DAY HIKE, we won’t argue.

It’s awesome. And awesomely crowded.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

That comes via The Professional Hobo. Thanks.

Check our Tongariro Crossing information page 13km (8mi). If the hordes turn you off, no worries … Do the Tongariro Northern Circuit 34+km (19+mi), instead. It’s our #3 hike in the world.

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World Trails Conference, Korea

#Jeju #JejuOlle

by site editor Rick McCharles

Regarding the World Trails Conference held recently in Jeju, Korea.

We heard presentations from:

• John Muir Trail, California
• The Way of St. James (Camiño de Santiago), Spain
• Cotswold Way, England
• Bruce Trail, Canada
• The Great Ocean Walk, Australia

We listened to speakers from the Shikoku island in Japan, Swiss tourism and the China Volkssport Association.

The representative of the French Rambling Association (Féderation Française de la Randonnée Pédestre) taught me a lot.

I was personally very keen on learning of the Hong Kong Great Outdoors initiative, including free guided tours of the MacLehose Trail (100km), one I’ve not yet done there. (I’m thinking of hiking Japan in Oct. 2011, followed by Hong Kong and Jeju in November. An Asian tour.)

Hong Kong is a surprisingly excellent hiking destination:

MacLehose Trail #2

maclehose 146

By the end of the 3-day conference our host, Jeju Olle Trail, had struck partnership agreements with The Bruce and Cotswold. Nice.

There was much discussion regarding a possible World Trails Network.

My main take away from the World Trails Conference was that construction and management of trails worldwide varies wildly. But they all rely on a lot of volunteer labour. Labour of love.

Over the coming weeks I’ll be posting specifically on some of the walks presented.