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Salcantay Trek to Machu Picchu

by site editor Rick McCharles

I did Salcantay in 2004. It’s well covered on our Salcantay information page.

Now there’s an even better resource for those considering using that route to get to Machu Picchu. salkantay trek is a blog, trip report and photo journal all-in-one.

Check it out for yourself – salkantay trek

Salcantay is a back door route to Machu Picchu. One of the alternatives to the oft criticized Inca Trail.

The main advantage is that Salcantay can still be done independently. The Inca Trail must be done with guides.

The main reasons to take the train to Machu Picchu and hike elsewhere in Peru … ??

Tiny biting flies. They can be horrendous, even at the ruins.

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10 Priorities for an Outdoor Vacation

I’ve subscribed to the The Suburban Mountaineer, editor Andrew Szalay.

Here’s one sample post:

1. Go somewhere the Blackerry and cell phone gets no signal.
2. Get up early at least once and watch the mist rise off the lake.
3. Stay up late to watch the stars, and then sleep in.
4. Hike, climb or paddle hard and finish the day with an ice cold beer.
5. Find a great vantage point, lay out the map and match each point within view to its name.
6. Cook something over an open fire.
7. Use a pocket knife for something other than opening a beer bottle.
8. Play cards with friends on a rainy day.
9. Upon reaching your destination you see a peak not too far off, look it up on your map and say “what the heck,” and go exploring.
10. In-country, cook a meal you thought you would only find in a restaurant.

source

Check out The Suburban Mountaineer.

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best day hike Grand Tetons

Some outdoor adventurer currently living in a van recommends Glacier Gulch to Delta Lake (3-6hrs) off-trail:

… If you want to get away from the crowds and truly experience the rugged majesty of Wyoming’s Teton Range, you’ve gotta get off the beaten path. This is easier to do than one would think: several canyons leading into the mountains do not have established trails, and countless beautiful alpine lakes and dramatic summits are rarely visited. …

… The route ascends approximately 2300 vertical feet over the course of 1.5 miles (as the crow flies). It involves a little bushwhacking and a steep off-trail hike that’s a little too rugged for the typical tourist. Since there’s no trail up Glacier Gulch, you may come across, at most, a few groups of like-minded adventurers throughout your excursion.

Park at the Lupine Meadows Trailhead and take the main path towards Garnet Canyon. …

get the skinny on Cleansnipe – Shhhhh!… The Best Day Hike In Grand Teton National Park

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trip report – East Coast Trail, NFLD

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

On July 12th I hiked the most scenic section of the East Coast Trail in Newfoundland.

Weather was perfect. I started at 8:20 AM at North Head, Bay Bulls.

East Coast Trail, Newfoundland

East Coast Trail, Newfoundland

From the top of this lighthouse I could almost see Europe …

Rick on lighthouse, East Coast Trail, Newfoundland

… Perhaps it was only Iceland.

This section of the ECT is mostly impassible headlands. I never once touched the Atlantic ocean.

East Coast Trail, Newfoundland

In 8hrs I saw 6 multi-day hikers, 2 day-hikers … and one rabbit.

East Coast Trail, Newfoundland

The sea stacks, crowded with noisy birds, were the most impressive geological feature.

East Coast Trail, Newfoundland

I stopped for brunch at The Spout, a fresh water geyser.

East Coast Trail, Newfoundland

Stark beauty.

East Coast Trail, Newfoundland

East Coast Trail, Newfoundland

East Coast Trail, Newfoundland

East Coast Trail, Newfoundland

My original plan was to run / hike 46+ km, all the way to the eastern most point of North America, Cape Spear.

However, the trail was much tougher and more overgrown than I expected. I ended up running only about 20% of the time.

At the liquor store in Petty Harbour …

East Coast Trail, Newfoundland

… I phoned for a pick-up.

My East Coast Trail (33km) was finished. For now.

See the rest of my photos from the East Coast Trail.

official website – East Coast Trail

Hiking guidebooks and maps are available.

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… heard of camping cabins?

Driven indoors by bad weather, tourist information in Torrey, Utah recommended the camping cabins at Thousand Lakes RV Park.

hiking Navajo Knobs, Utah

Next day I hiked the Navajo Knobs.

Turns out camping cabins are a trend. So says National Park Traveler:

… Tents and recreational vehicles still house the majority of those who stay in the campgrounds, but the market seems to be growing for cabins, particularly those that are fully furnished. …

Yeesh. I don’t want to be trendy.

(via The Goat)

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Happy 125th birthday Banff National Park

My nation’s first National Park officially turns 125 on Nov. 25th, 2010, … but the party will be celebrated on Saturday, July 17th, Canada’s Parks Day.

… The park is now part of the Rocky Mountain UNESCO World Heritage Site, and draws 3.3 million visitors a year — more than any other Canadian park. Tourists take over the town of Banff every summer and fan out to explore the park’s 1,500 kilometres of hiking trails. Then they bring home their stories of classic peaks and the beautiful Bow Valley below to friends and families around the planet. …

Calgary Herald

more interesting photos tagged “Banff National Park”

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best of the East Coast Trail, NFLD

UPDATE: … skipping the last section, I finished instead at the liquor store in Petty Harbour. That was 33km in 8hrs, much tougher than I expected. And even more gorgeous.

________
original post:

by site editor Rick McCharles

I’m planning Monday on doing the most scenic section of the East Coast Trail in Newfoundland.

Weather permitting I’ll start about 8AM at North Head, Bay Bulls.

Visit The Spout …

… and finally finish at Cape Spear, the eastern-most point in Canada. That will be about 46km if my calculations are correct.

official website – East Coast Trail

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viral video – Yosemite double rainbow

Paul Vasquez, the Double Rainbow guy, is a “professional cagefighter-turned-nature-lover”, the “Yosemitebear Mountain Giant”.

… “People are connecting with it because they feel the spirit in it,” he says. “I feel like Noah, because I’m building what seems like an ark here. I have greenhouses, fruit-trees, and I’m working toward alternative energy. It was probably something like the burning bush that Moses experienced.” …

Fast Company

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.