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March 17, 2010

Machu Picchu reopens April 1st

The Inca Trail is still closed, but there’s been progress in getting one of the world’s top attractions back to business after severe flood damage earlier this year.

The vital rail link to Peru’s sacred ruins of Machu Picchu will reopen on 29 March, ready for the Inca site itself to open on 1 April …

Wanderlust

The cheap train is not opening, note.

On the bright side, the normally near useless Peruvian government is cutting air fares and hotel rates hoping to draw tourists to Cuzco.

All the alternative trails to Mach Picchu are open, including our favourite Choquequirao to Machu Picchu.

Consider, too, the 4 treks in Peru we like best:

• Ausangate Circuit TOP 10
• Huayhuash Circuit
• Alpamayo
• Santa Cruz Trek

March 17, 2010March 13, 2010

Sleeping in Tents

The Sleeping in Tents page on Facebook has over 275,000 fans, including me.

If you’re on Facebook, click through and join.

March 15, 2010March 18, 2010

the thorny truth about Baja – goathead

This evil is cursed in many parts of the world, by many names: puncturevine, caltrop, cathead, yellow vine, goathead, burra gokharu and bindii.

Wikipedia – Tribulus terrestris

Here’s me before meeting goathead. Happy.

And here’s my ride with at least a dozen thorns in each tire.

I was 16km out of Loreto, Baja on a coastal adventure. Happily, a taxi van was parked right where I punctured.

Cyclists hate these thorns. One guy recommends:

• thick tires with an anti-puncture strip.
• thorn resistant tire liners
• thorn resistant tubes
• slime

… I’m thinking I’ll drink beer by the pool.

March 15, 2010March 10, 2010

book – The Great Divide

Sarah of Trail Cooking was given a hard-to-find copy of this book.

The Great Divide: A Walk Along the Continental Divide of the United States (1987) by Stephen Pern

Sarah recommends it, saying on Facebook:

As you get into the heart of the book my mind thought of another book, Dances With Marmots – A Pacific Crest Trail Adventure. George’s book has a similar flow. If you liked Dances, you will enjoy this book.

The Continental Divide Trail (CDT) is a wild trail even today. I cannot imagine his walking it even in the 80’s, picking a path of his own to beat the weather and to be able to get food drops. There wasn’t much of a trail back then.

March 13, 2010

Alaska-Yukon Expedition – Andrew Skurka

Andrew Skurka is the greatest hiker of all time. His 6,875-mile Great Western Loop was only one of many fantastic hiking accomplishments.

What could he do to top the Great Western Loop?

4,700 miles in 7 months via skis, foot, and a packraft

official Alaska-Yukon Expedition home page

… On Saturday, March 13, a small plane will land early morning in Kotzebue, Alaska. Andy Skurka will get off the airplane, put on his headlamp in the pre-dawn darkness, pull on some clothes in the zero degree temperature, and start skiing. He would ski for 12 hours straight, and do at least that every day for the next month and a half. Then he’ll hike and packraft 16 hours every day for the next 5 months.

He’s circumnavigating the entire state, crossing the entire Alaska Range, Brooks Range, and parts of the Yukon. An estimated 4,720 miles, in hopefully 6 1/2 months. Almost all off-trail. Plenty of bears, brush, snow, raging rivers, glaciers (and mosquitos). …

read more from Buzz on the Adventure Running Blog)

March 11, 2010

hiking guidebooks – Kathy and Craig Copeland

Andrew Breen suggested I give a shout out for Kathy and Craig, popular hiking guidebook authors from my part of the world.

BestHike links to many of their guidebooks, but I’ve not mentioned them lately.

Kathy and Craig Copeland are dedicated to each other, and to hiking, in that order. Their second date was a 32-km (20-mile) dayhike in Arizona. Since then they haven’t stopped for long.

They’ve trekked through much of the world’s vertical topography, including the Himalayas, Patagonian Andes, Pyrenees, Swiss and French Alps, Scottish Highlands, Dolomites, Sierra Nevada, North Cascades, Colorado Rockies, New Zealand, and canyons of the American Southwest. In 1989, they moved from the U.S. to Canada, so they could live near the Canadian Rockies—the range that inspired the first of their refreshingly unconventional guidebooks.

authors

Here’s their list of current guidebooks:

Bear Safety
Bears Beware! (audio book)

Hiking
Done in a Day: Banff
Done in a Day: Jasper
Done in a Day: Whistler
Don’t Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies
Where Locals Hike in the Canadian Rockies
Where Locals Hike in the West Kootenay
Hiking from Here to WOW: North Cascades
Done in a Day: Moab
Hiking from Here to WOW: Utah Canyon Country

Cycling
Done in a Day: Calgary

Vehicle Camping
Camp Free in B.C.

It was news to me that they now offer mini-ebooks. I could download these to my iTouch.

Don’t Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies
Where Locals Hike in the Canadian Rockies
Where Locals Hike in the West Kootenay
Hiking from here to WOW: North Cascades

Everything is linked from their attractive, fast and easy-to-navigate home page: HikingCamping.com

March 10, 2010

self-guided hiking in Europe

Last summer in Europe I met many hikers on “self-guided” trips. That concept is very popular there, not so much anywhere else.

Here’s how it works.

You hire a company to do all your logistics in advance: transportation, accommodation, some meals, etc.

They choose a “best” itinerary for you. No need to plan.

One example from Bredson Outdoor Adventures:

We will be offering a special one-time, 10 night/11 day, self-guided departure from July 18 – 28, 2010 that melds the best of our two existing French Pyrenees self-guided hiking itineraries with an opportunity to view two legs of the Tour de France as it passes through the Pyrenees. During this anniversary year of the Tour de France you’ll have an opportunity to see history in the making as the Tour celebrates its 100th year in the Pyrenees. This trip is rated moderate to strenuous. …

Ten nights, half board (breakfast and dinner).

Minimum two star hotels and likely one three star hotel, all with private bath; friendly, traditional accommodations in beautiful settings with very good food

Local transport and baggage shuttle included.

Price: $2,300 USD per person double occupancy. Minimum 2 people. No single rooms available. Price reductions available for more than two people.

Deposit of $500/person by the beginning of December in order to secure hotels.

details

This sounds ideal for someone who’s always wanted to hike the Pyrenees. AND who loves the Tour.

Check the cost, however. About $200/day plus extras. Not everything is covered in your package.

You could do a similar trip independently cheaper, … if you’ve got the gumption and language skillz.

March 10, 2010March 8, 2010

Baja Adventure

by site editor Rick McCharles

Have you seen the Baja Adventure Book?

The classic has not been updated since 1998, but it was a great inspiration for me. I recall reading it in a library many, many years ago.

I write from Loreto, Baja. Just arrived after a road trip of 3450km (2143mi) over 5 days. I’m here on holiday with my parents, but plan to get out for some serious hiking, biking and kayaking.

If you’ve got advice for me on the best Baja Adventures, please leave a comment.