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another great U.K. coastal hike

Daniel linked to a number of awesome options:

The South West Coast Path
The Cleveland Way
The Norfolk Coast Path
Fife Coastal Path
Arran Coastal Way
Ayrshire Coastal Path
Causeway Coast Way
Lecale Way

But his personal pick for best U.K. coastal hike is the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path.

Andy’s added another on CheapTents.com:

Anglesey Coastal Path Walk

The Anglesey Coastal walk measures in at around 125 miles in total, though handily there are 20 towns/villages located directly on the route. This means taking on just part of the walk is easily done, making this walk accessible to most levels of walker at some point. Overall it took us 8 days walking to complete the full distance, plus one more day we spent in one of the villages on the route – from the information I can find it can take anywhere from 5 days to 2 weeks to complete the full distance.

We started walking from the Roman Fort (which encircles St Cybi’s Church in Holyhead), this is also the end point of the full circular walk. On the walk we saw some spectacular scenery, there is some really quite cool wildlife including; puffins, guillemots, seals and even the odd dolphin! as well as beautiful Anglesey coast line.

… read more

Telford Suspension Bridge joining Anglesey with Wales
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speed hiking the Wonderland Trail

UPDATE:

Dave and Jeni completed near 100mi of Wonderlandness at 1:47AM, Wednesday, July 28th. Mission accomplished!

I’ll post Dave’s detailed trip report and photos as soon as available.

=== original post:

by site editor Rick McCharles

I’m support team for Dave and Jeni in their attempt to complete the 95mi circuit of Mt Rainier in 3 days.

It started well. They ran the first 6.1mi in record time. Here they are staging for the remote west side of the mountain, the last time I saw them in the past 24hrs.

Wonderland Trail speed hike

I rendezvous with them tonight. … It could be ugly.

I’ll be posting photos from this adventure on flickr.

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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)