Best hikes, treks, tramps in the world.
Previously I was thinking of these as something of a gimmick. … But I think I’ll buy a pair this summer and try them out.
The second is a Men’s shoe. Click through to Amazon to see other models. And competitive products from other companies.
Five Fingers were named one of Time magazine’s Best Inventions of 2007.
The are getting a lot of love on the blogosphere from runners and hikers.
Leave a comment if you’ve worn them in the gym. Or have an opinion pro or con.
by site editor Rick McCharles
Clayton Kessler of TracksAndTrails.ca posted an interview with Frank Wall, author of the Guide to Planning the Overland Track eBook.
Frank edits the often hilarious Our Hiking Blog, as well.
I’m a fan of both those sites and subscribe by RSS.
The Overland Track is one of our top 10 hikes in the world.
I was on Tasmania for only 2wks yet saw many poisonous snakes. I’m interested in how a Tassie vet like Frank assesses that risk:
Can you share any unique encounters with wild animals?
We don’t really have “wild” animals like bears in Australia. We do have lots of tiger snakes that can kill you. In Tasmania they are quite common and you learn to keep an eye out for them. They love to lie along the side of trail and bask in the sun. I always keep my eyes out for them and wear gaiters to at least protect my legs. The snakes, fortunately, are more scared of us then we are of them and usually disappear quickly. Bites are usually caused when someone (i.e. an idiot) tries to catch or kill one, which is illegal as they are protected species. …
read the entire interview on TracksAndTrails.ca
Frank has a new post discussing whether or not his favourite trail is getting too crowded …
… number of walkers had been trending up from 6360 in 2005-2006 to 7024 in 2008-2009 …
Click through to read his opinion – The Overland Track – hiking solo in season? Not likely
Would you wear this jacket to summit the world’s highest peak?
That’s what climber Jamie Clarke from my town, Calgary, Canada plans to do this Spring. He’s working with Champion Athletic Wear on a new technology that has “the potential to change the entire outdoor apparel industry.”
A big boast.
Jamie has tested the apparel and outerwear on Mount Pumori in Nepal.
This spring, Expedition Hanesbrands heads to Mount Everest. With good weather, hard climbing — and nanotechnology on their backs — Clarke and his crew are counting on the Supersuit to help them make it to the top.
Gear Junkie – Champion Supersuit Unveiled!
It’s super-insulating Zero-Loft Aerogel, more than 99 percent air, according to the company. The claim by Champion is that it’s four times as warm as goose down.
Details on Jamie’s Everest ascent is posted on ClimbeEverestWithUs – The Team
It ain’t easy …
Tourism Newfoundland and Labrador launched another ad in its already very successful ad campaign. This latest ad features Torngat Mountains National Park in northern Nunatsiavut. …
bluepeak.net – New Labrador ad
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
… The park, 9,700 sq.km, is probably one of the most difficult parks in Canada to reach. Even the parks in Nunavut are easier to get to. It’s not only the remoteness, but especially the weather and ferocious winds that make getting here an adventure in itself.
If the weather is good, then the park is about 1 hours’ flying or up to two days by fishing boat north of Nain, Labrador’s northernmost community. There are no scheduled flights or boats to the park, and once you arrive, there are no facilities.
Safety is a real concern, as polar bears roam throughout the park. Since only Inuit are allowed to carry arms, visitors should always be accompanied by an Inuit guide. A good idea in any case, as the area is also infamous for its quickly changing weather and strong “ghost” winds that can appear out of nowhere. …
… some amazing footage of a fox listening for — then pouncing upon — its prey through a thick blanket of snow. …
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
My favourite insect is the hoverfly.
They can be found at altitude on trails most everywhere around the world.
… About 6,000 species in 200 genera have been described. Hoverflies are common throughout the world and can be found on every continent except Antarctica. Hoverflies are harmless to most other animals despite their mimicry of the black and yellow stripes of wasps, which serves to ward off predators. …
Henry knows they are harmless. A great challenge is to try to get one to land on your nose. They like to lick up the salt in your sweat.
UPDATE: Turns out Kolby Kirk is a hover fly guy. Here’s one of his brilliant photos, this one from Joshua Tree.
Tom Mangan of Two-Heel Drive posted his favourite photos of 2009. Some from California. Some from his new haunt, North Carolina.
see the rest – Favorite pix of 2009
by site editor Rick McCharles
On this site I try to give you a choice between watching videos on the same page. Or by jumping to YouTube or another site.
It’s faster to watch the embedded video. AND embedded YouTube videos normally do not have those annoying overlay ads.
If you’re in a hurry, just watch the embedded video.
But when you jump over to YouTube you have the option of watching a higher resolution version. You can comment. Rate videos. And see more links to related videos.
It’s nice to have a choice.
The future looks bright. YouTube and Vimeo have begun replacing “memory hog” Adobe Flash format videos with the new HTML5 standard.
The sooner that happens, the better.
by site editor Rick McCharles
You may find it surprising how much electronic gear I hauled on my recent 17-day trek in the Everest region.
I carried two iPods. … Overkill?
My iPod shuffle plays for about 10hrs on a charge. The iPod touch perhaps 20hrs. Both filled with audio podcasts and books on MP3.
Click on any of the images below for a description.
Recharging batteries en route was not always easy.
Comments?
In Calgary the past few weeks we’ve had some amazing hoarfrost and ice fog. Very pretty!
Either on bike or on foot, I’ve been out often with Sasha in the winter wonderland.
Yesterday a hungry coyote tried to lure Sasha away from me, into the trees.
besthike.com 