Great day in North Vancouver, on the Fisherman’s Trail with Rockin’ Ronnie.
Thanks buddy.
mountain biking Fall folliage
Banff Mountain Festivals 2009
Oct. 31st – Nov. 8th, 2009
Speakers include Ultramarathon Man Dean Karnazes, Royal Robbins, climber Chris Sharma, speed climber Ueli Steck, and extreme skier / BASE jumper Karina Hollekim.
====
I spent a week at the 2007 festivals. My review:
Good, not great.
I’ll likely never return mainly because hiking is very under represented in Banff. It’s all about mountaineering … despite the fact that most of those attending are not mountaineers.
No need to spend money traveling to Banff in November: … too late for hiking, too early for skiing.
Instead, I recommend you try to get a ticket for both of the two “World Tours”.
1) Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour
A selection of the winning films tour North America and abroad following the event. To find out when it’s going to play close to where you live, check the calendars linked from the official website.
2) Radical Reels
The Radical Reels Film Tour complements the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour, and focuses on dynamic, high-adrenalin films featuring sports such as skiing, climbing, kayaking, BASE jumping, snowboarding and mountain biking. …
Click PLAY or watch the 2009 trailer on YouTube.
Both are great. Super popular even with those who hate the outdoors.
cycling AROUND Vancouver Island
Endurance Athletes To Pedal Hi-tech Boat Around Vancouver Island
Oct. 15, 2009 – One week from now, endurance athletes Greg Kolodziejzyk of Calgary and Jordan Hanssen of Seattle, WA will attempt a nautical circumnavigation of Vancouver Island, piloting the custom-designed, pedal-powered boat Within on its first long-distance ocean voyage. Greg and Jordan will launch Within on Friday, Oct. 23 from Comox, BC and will travel clockwise around the Island. If successful, this voyage will be the first-ever circumnavigation of the Island in a pedal-powered boat. …
read more – Endurance Athletes To Pedal Hi-tech Boat Around Vancouver Island
I’m actually close to Comox, B.C. right now, visiting my parents.
Unfortunately I’ll depart before the launch.
Good luck guys!
is that a banana in your pocket …
Or a Banana Guard ™
official website – Banana Guard
Check the Froot Guard and Froot Case while you are there.
It actually works perfectly, if you want to carry the extra weight.
Thanks Rockin’ Ronnie for embarrassing me with this piece of goofy gear.
Aletsch Glacier hike, Switzerland
The Grosser Aletschgletscher, the longest glacier in Europe, has recently been designated a UNESCO world heritage site, in recognition of its importance and uniqueness. And this place is special. The first sight of this awesome phenomenon is something a world apart from those diagrams in geography lessons, because this thing is enormous, ancient and on the move. Not millions of years ago, but now. And right there, from horizon to horizon, not a distant tongue of snow and ice poking over a rock wall.
This hike makes a memorable circuit of the Eggishorn, traversing along the slope above the immense glacier, before looping back to take in Southward-looking vistas of the Monte Rosa range and the Matterhorn. It’s a relatively flat walk too, with not much climbing required at all. …
I like the elevation map posted on that site.
Kilian Jornet – record Tahoe Rim Trail
Kilian Jornet is the two-time defending champion of the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc.
He holds the trail running record for the GR20 traverse of Corsica, one of the toughest tracks in Europe.
In September he took 7hrs off the record for the Tahoe Rim Trail in California.
At only age-21, sponsored by Soloman, you’ll be hearing his name often in future: Kílian Jornet Burgada.
Details on Gear Junkie – Tahoe Rim Trail Run Record
tutorial – how to pack a backpack
by Besthike editor Rick McCharles
I’ve not changed my system much over the past 3yrs.
This works for me.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Leave a comment if you have an opinion.
An unusual item shown was a waterproof “stash” bag. When day hiking, I dump everything into that bag and stash it in the rocks somewhere, taking only the things I needed for the day in the pack.
That up to 50litre pack (.54kg | 1lbs 3oz), a Granite Gear Virga, was named by the Gear Junkie in 2007 on the list of Greatest Gear of 5 Years.
Using a therm-a-rest as a backpack “frame” was first suggested to me by Kraig Becker, of The Adventure Blog and Gadling.
George gave me my first Virga pack. Jane just gifted me my second. I purchased a new 3/4 length, 3/4 inch Therm-a-Rest (no longer available on the Cascade Designs website) as a “frame”. I’m good to go for the next 5yrs.
=== UPDATE:
Critical for me is my pillow.
I wrap this pillow with a fleece top.
The waterproof orange bag is sold by MEC as a “Pack Liner”. It weighs only 86gms and fits up to a 40litre pack.
Most of the bag is filled with the folded, partly inflated 3/4in, 3/4 length therm-a-rest air mattress, no longer available.
Some loose clothing, down jacket and stuff sacks are added to the bottom.
Leave a comment.
Mt Whitney Double
Whitney is the highest mountain in the continental USA.
Fedak linked to an amazing trip report.
By Rick Kent:
I started at midnight. For the first trip I decided to go up the Mountaineers Route. Despite going from Portal to summit (and much of the way back) in the dark I made good time. It helps that I know the route well. I reached the summit at 3:43am (3 hrs 40 mins from the Portal). I was alone on the summit and the hut was empty. I returned to the Portal a little after sunrise at 6:54am for a total roundtrip time of 6 hrs 51 mins.
This quick time had me briefly wondering whether a 3rd summit would be possible. That dillusion was thoroughly dispelled on my 2nd trip up. For the 2nd trip I decided to go for the Main Trail. I took a half hour break before starting. As much as I knew I needed to eat I couldn’t manage to get much down. I started up the Main Trail at 7:22am.
As I closed in on Trail Camp I began to slow noticeably. Both the MT and MR are hard on the calves (too many steps). Going up the switchbacks my speed slowed further. I past a few other hikers but only just barely. By the time I reached Trail Crest my calves were done. From Trail Crest to summit was agonizingly slow and my calves kept wanting to cramp up. For some reason I kept thinking about my first time up Whitney almost exactly 7 years ago. I reached the summit for the 2nd time at 1:11pm. I was thoroughly depleted. Time from Portal to summit was a less than stellar 5 hrs 49 mins. Roundtrip time was 9 hrs 33 mins.
I regained strength on the way down. I did some running but for the most part just took a fast pace. My priority now was to get down in time for a burger at the Portal. I knew this would probably be my last Portal burger for the year so I was well motivated. I reached the the Portal at 4:53pm. …
Although the 2nd summit was a bit harder than I expected both trips together took less than 17 hours combined. This marked my 28th and 29th Whitney summits.
Dilbert – camping opportunity?
via Dilbert.com
hiking Picos de Europa, Spain – day 5
Day 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Kraig Adams video
Trip Report – Picos de Europa Circuit – by site editor Rick McCharles
By morning I had no water. Looking up, my prospects for H2O did not look good.
Though my guidebook said I could find water in two places in the next few hours, I was not confident. This late in the season I might need to climb up high enough to melt snow.
I passed one trickle. Then – finally – saw a sign that I might find a spring.
Before I found the man-made spigot, I was approached by an exhausted looking Spanish mountain climber. He and his partner had gotten lost the previous day near the summit. And were forced to bivouac overnight. They had just gotten back to their tent.
He showed me the water source (about 1hr to fill a 1 litre bottle) and gave me detailed advice on how not to get lost on the next section.
Very quickly I was lost. His advice was all wrong.
Having climbed far too high, I arrived at another of the mountaineering base camps. Instead of retreating, however, I waited for a climber who was descending rapidly from the summit.
It was Constant, an adventurer from France. He was just as lost as I, … but had a vague idea of how to exit the base camp. And a wonderfully relaxed world view. His topo map did us no good at all. You need a topo and a GPS in these mountains.
I followed him directly to “civilization”.
Because of the water supply, I decided to camp (for once) close to the Vegarredonada refugio.
Here’s the bizarre old refugio, no longer used.
Everyone takes an obligatory 7.5km side trip to the old, old refugio at Mirador de Ordiales, guarded by this calf when I visited.
Here is Pedro Pidal’s (1870-1933) final resting place. He founded this, the first National Park in Spain and was named Commissioner General of National Parks.
…. Eight years after his death, his final wish – to be buried at this natural balcony – was fullfilled at last. Engraved in a nearlby rock are words he wrote:
Lover of the Picos, I would love to live, die and eternally rest here in Ordiales. In the enchanted kingdom of the chamois and the eagles.
I left a Summit Stone with Pedro, placing it carefully between the stones close to the ground.
Somehow Pedro grabbed it from my fingers, pulling it deep into a crack. I guess he wants to keep it for himself.
My view of the famous vista was obscured. Again. By cloud.
My last night in the wonderful Picos de Europa.
I was truly sorry to leave these mountains. This is a brilliant hike, one of the very best in the world.
See the rest of my photos from day 5.
The best guidebook in English is sketchy, at best, Lonely Planet Walking in Spain.
Leave a comment if you have any specific questions about this adventure.
besthike.com 