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suspension bridge in Switzerland

This photo of Grant Olsen just won a contest.

… …as we stepped off the train in Lauterbrunnen on our first day, lighting struck a steel beam just a couple feet above our heads and slammed everyone to the ground! It was a fitting start to an amazing – and occasionally dangerous – trip.

As we made our way toward a gorgeous little town called  Wengwald, we noticed this suspension bridge. Upon closer inspection, it appeared no one had used it in years. I cautiously made my way out on to the bridge and was rewarded with the most awe-inspiring view of my life! My sister, Diana, snapped this photo and it’s my prized possession from our trip! …

Allie Comeau on the Sierra Trading Post blog – Winner! Weekly Adventure Photography Contest

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horse trek Sichuan, China Sept. 2-13

My friend LittlePo, a Chinese national living in the USA, is organizing a terrific adventure.

I made a similar guided trip 13yrs ago. It was superb.

LittlePo Adventures is offering a discounted rate for Trekking Sichuan before we add this trip to our official trip database.

The cost of $1300.00 includes two nights lodging in Chengdu, one night lodging in Rilong, food, horses and horsepackers, ground transportation, park admission, some group gear (rope, protection gear, cooking stoves, fuel) and permit. Two awesome guides will be on board: one who speaks Chinese as her native language and knows the region; the other is an experienced mountain guide and photographer. Participants will get a DVD after the trip.

The trip is horse supported. Pack is light. The major challenges will be altitude (as we’ll attempt two peaks over 16,500 feet) and weather; however the weather in September is usually pleasant. Any avid day hiker will be able to finish the trek. …

Details on LittlePo.com

Consider adding on a flight to Tibet in September. Chengdu is the best airport to make that flight.

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many U.S. Parks FREE June 5-6th

GET OUT THERE.

… June 5 and 6, more than 100 parks will throw open their gates and waive the entrance fee to all guests.

The complete list of parks that will be free next weekend can be found by clicking here …

Kraig Becker – Gadling – All U.S. national parks free next weekend

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book review – The Cactus Eaters

How I Lost My Mind–And Almost Found Myself–On the Pacific Crest Trail

Excellent.

Traversing broiling deserts, snowy mountain passes and dank rain forests on its crooked way from Mexico to Canada, the Pacific Coast Trail is an epic challenge for die-hard backpackers. White and his girlfriend, Melissa, set out, late in the season and bereft of experience, to tread all 2,650 miles of it, leaving behind lousy reporting jobs and hoping to find self-definition and a deepened relationship. (They call their trek the Lois and Clark Expedition.)

Hilarious greenhorn misadventures ensue—including the author’s ill-advised chomp, while dizzy with dehydration, into a reputedly moisture-laden prickly-pear cactus—that tested their survival skills and commitment as a couple. …

Amazon

This book reminded me of both A Walk in the Woods and A Blistered Kind of Love: One Couple’s Trial by Trail.

It confirmed the certainty that I would never do a thru hike with any partner.

The biggest question I had as the sorry tale unfolded … Will Melissa come to her senses and finally dump this loser?

related – Brad Wieners and his wife Mary – Couple’s Therapy via Adventure Racing

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Triple Crown Hikes in Waterton this summer

by site editor Rick McCharles


3 hikes
up to 55km
2650m elevation gain

I can’t resist. Waterton is the best kept secret in Canadian hiking. Tourists flock to Banff in the Rockies, leaving Waterton National Park to us local insiders.

I’m going to complete the Triple Crown myself and get my name on the Glory Board.

… Crypt Lake (9km), Akamina Ridge (20km) and the Alderson-Carthew Summit (16km) in one summer.

I’ll do the 3 during one trip, I think. Either end of June. … Or in August.

I’ve done Crypt and Alderson-Carthew in the past. But never Akamina. It looks great.

Details on ExperienceWaterton.com.

Leave a comment if you want to use the Triple Crown challenge as an excuse to get your butt to Waterton.

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hiking Boardman Park, Oregon

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

Astonishingly, Oregon has kept it’s coastline mostly undeveloped.

… 1967’s Oregon Beach Bill allows free beach access to everyone. This Bill allows private beach landowners to retain certain beach land rights, but it removes the property tax obligation of the beach landowner. In exchange, the beach landowner grants an easement passage to pedestrians. …

Wikipedia

But where’s the best place to hike that pristine coast?

hiking Boardman State Park, Oregon

For some reason the authors of Lonely Planet HIking USA directed me to Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor, close to the California border:

Dramatic sea-stacks, arches and offshore islands seen on this short, down-and-back day hike … are one of Oregon’s best kept secrets …

5.4mi (8.87km)

I drove to the Arch Rock trailhead, locking up my mountain bike to a railing. …


larger map (PDF)

… Then drove to the Natural Bridges trailhead to start the hike.

It is gorgeous. Here are a couple of the many “natural bridges”.

Natural Bridges Cove - Boardman State Park, Oregon

hiking Boardman State Park, Oregon

This “hike” is a series of steeply dropping trails that then backtrack up to the highway. You might drop down to see a secluded beach …

hiking Boardman State Park, Oregon

… or a minor waterfall.

waterfall - Boardman State Park, Oregon

The lush vegetation I liked.

hiking Boardman State Park, Oregon

But the trail itself sometimes returns all the way to paved highway! Dislike.

hiking Boardman State Park, Oregon

I’d not call this a best hike. For once Lonely Planet gets it wrong.

The strategy for Boardman is to drive (or cycle) to each trailhead in series. Then hike down and back each.

I’m still looking for the best long section of the mythical Oregon Coast Trail. Leave a comment if you have advice.