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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.

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how to build a hiking trail

#Jeju #JejuOlle

In your lifetime you’ve known people who scorch the earth. Dominate a room. Inspire everyone around them to action. …

Here’s one, Suh Myung-sook from Korea. Founder of the Jeju Olle Trail.

photo credit – Jeju Weekly – Healing Powers of an island trek

Don’t be fooled. This little lady can out hike you. Then out drink you late into the evening. She is vivacious. A whirlwind.

She started less than 4yrs ago to build a hiking trail on the small island of her birth. Today her personal map has over 339km of trails (that number keeps increasing as villages request to be added) attracting perhaps a quarter million walkers a year.

It’s a huge success story in Korea. She started what’s been called a “hiking boom”.

Did she convince the government to build? No, she and her brother picked up shovels. And set out. The rest is history.

I love her life story.

Suh Myung-sook was a sometimes controversial career woman, shattering glass ceilings for women in the publishing industry. But after 23yrs, she felt tired. To rejuvenate, she made a pilgrimage to walk The Way of St. James (Camiño de Santiago). Then published a travelogue on that journey in Korean.

A fellow pilgrim in Spain first suggested the idea of a spiritual walking route in Korea, as it’s so industrialized. As the Korean people work so hard.

Suh Myung-sook made it happen. Out of the sheer power of her personal determination and charisma.

Jeju Olle map - quite outdated

Suh Myung-sook is almost exactly the same age as me. But she’s accomplished so much more.

If you want to build a trail, get consensus of the local people, and build it. Start small. Recruit volunteers. Once you have some success, politicians will come looking for you.

On my best hikes I leave a Summit Stone at the highlight location. But on the Jeju Olle, I gave the Stone to Suh Myung-sook. She’s the spiritual centre of this new world class walk.

Note: her name is sometimes translated Suh Myeong-suk or Suh, Myungsook.

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vote Jeju – 7 Wonders of Nature

#Jeju #JejuOlle

I spent 4 days hiking the lovely Jeju Olle Trail in Korea. At the very start of the intended 339km (and growing) walking path is Sunrise Peak (Seongsan Ilchulbong).

Very weird. Unique in the world. I found it fascinating. See more interesting photos tagged Seongsan.

Jeju is a small, rural island. And a popular tourist destination in Asia. Yet it’s not well known outside Asia.

Jeju Island 제주도

Let’s correct that by voting Jeju Island to the new list of 7 Wonders of Nature. The island is already listed a World Heritage Site: Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes.

Here’s an instructional video explaining how to vote for your top 7. (You need choose your 7 wonders first, before registering.)

related: Visit Korea – Jeju Olle

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hiking Sintra, Portugal

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

In 1809 Lord Byron wrote to his friend Francis Hodgson, “I must just observe that the village of Cintra in Estremadura is the most beautiful in the world.”

Tourists today feel the same way. Sintra, a World Heritage Site, is a must visit side trip by train out of Lisbon.

… Attractions include the fabulous Pena Palace (19th c.) and the castle Castelo dos Mouros (8th or 9th century, reconstructed in the 19th century) with a breath-taking view of the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, and the summer residence of the kings of Portugal Palácio Nacional de Sintra …

Almost everyone exiting the train hops on a bus tour. But much better is the short walk through town and up to the Castle of the Moors.

Here are a few photo of my jaunt up the mountain, starting in town.

hiking Sintra, Portugal

Signage of the goal …

hiking Sintra, Portugal

The walk up is evocative. You can imagine yourself hundreds of years in the past.

hiking Sintra, Portugal

Gate guard at the Castle playing with a feral cat.

hiking Sintra, Portugal

I played with the weird animals at Parque da Liberdade on the way down.

hiking Sintra, Portugal - Parque da Liberdade

I can’t add it to our list of the best hikes in Europe, but a walk up from the train station is far preferable to taking the cattle tourist bus.

See more of my photos from this day hike.

More interesting photos of this destination.