Best hikes, treks, tramps in the world.
Madeira is an archipelago in the Atlantic, an Autonomous region of Portugal. Madeira Island and Porto Santo Island are the only inhabited islands.
I’ve just subscribed to Madeira Walking, a quality, impressive site.
The unique attraction of this area are Levada, irrigation channels that double as ideal hiking trails.
Nature Meetings, partners on this site, offers guided half and full day Levada walks or “dramatic Mountain walks”.
home page – Madeira Walking
I feel a little sheepish recommending a book glorifying what some would call industrial terrorists.
But I do.
Amazon.com Review:
Ed Abbey called The Monkey Wrench Gang, his 1975 novel, a “comic extravaganza.”
Some readers have remarked that the book is more a comic book than a real novel, and it’s true that reading this incendiary call to protect the American wilderness requires more than a little of the old willing suspension of disbelief. The story centers on Vietnam veteran George Washington Hayduke III, who returns to the desert to find his beloved canyons and rivers threatened by industrial development. On a rafting trip down the Colorado River, Hayduke joins forces with feminist saboteur Bonnie Abbzug, wilderness guide Seldom Seen Smith, and billboard torcher Doc Sarvis, M.D., and together they wander off to wage war on the big yellow machines, on dam builders and road builders and strip miners. …
–Gregory McNam
It’s offensive in many ways. But I enjoyed it thoroughly as many, many have before me.
Author Edward Abbey is a hero and inspiration to hikers.
The dangerous 800+mi Hayduke Trail in the American S.W. was named after the lead character.
Before I traveled in Europe, I vaguely thought of their gear as … nice. Way overpriced. Gaudy. And sometimes completely goofy. (Especially the tents.)
Then I toured the huge Sportler store in Bolzano, Italy.
Later I was overwhelmed with the even bigger Schuster store in Munich.
Brands like Salewa, Kaikkaalla, Meru, La Sportiva, Mammut, Vaude, Deuter, Hilleberg, Vango, And more appealed. Quality is generally very high.
Also more familiar brands: The North Face, Salomon, Mountain Hardware, MSR, Primus, Therm-a-rest, Marmot, Arc’teryx.
Arc’teryx? How has that Canadian company become so HUGE worldwide? What a success story. They fit right in with the expensive European brands.
Actually, Arc’teryx was bought by Adidas in 2001. Then sold to Amer Sports of Finland in 2005. It’s a multi-national now.
My advice to every European hiker coming to North America: Buy your gear in Canada from Mountain Equipment Co-op. Or check prices on Amazon.com and comparison shop in the USA.
Europeans will get sometimes twices the value for their Euro currency in North America as compared with European prices. Especially on American brands.
My CAD Mountain Hardware Scrambler daypack is always CAD$50 back home. In Europe it’s normally €55. That’s CAD$86.40.
An MSR Hubba tent on Amazon.com is US$250 . At Schuster in Munich it’s €329.95 (US$468.14)
Yet there’s some gear available in Europe that I can’t get at home.
Want to take a Cheeseburger in a can hiking? They are available widely in Germany.
Taste Test: Cheeseburger In A Can
This was one of the most impressive athletic performances I’ve ever seen from a female athlete.
Julie Dibens wins a record breaking 3rd XTERRA World Championships in series.
Wow.
And Julie finished ahead of second place Danelle Kabush Lesley Paterson only by 59 seconds by nearly 8min!
The Men’s competition was a battle, surprisingly won by Spaniard Ruben Ruzafa.
Favourite Conrad Stoltz had a flat tire ??, despite his custom built thick sidewalls. Later I heard he had no flat but rather lost it on the run.
Though it needs more, this Hawaiian Island has only one roadway tunnel.
Before the tunnel was built, an impassible headland forced travelers to either swim or climb over. The 5.5mi Lahaina Pali Trail bypass was built between 1830 and 1850.
Though the trail is well signed, I managed to get lost within the first 10min, scrambling the wrong ridge until I intersected the trail. The vegetation is both itchy and thorny!
As my guidebook recommended, I climbed only high enough to get a good view of the only windmills on Maui. Then backtracked.
Not one of the best hikes in the world, but I enjoyed the vistas during the late afternoon light, returning to my vehicle just in time for sunset.
more photos
I’m happy to have survived. And fairly happy with my time of 1hr 12min, or so.
Since I’d not done any distance “running” since June, I placed myself at the very back of the pack for the start. That way I’d not suffer the indignity of little girls passing me en route. (The winner of the 2008 5km Women’s division was 13yrs-old.)
For the first 4km I took it very easy, unsure whether or not I’d hit some kind of 8km “wall”. Like most at the back of the pack, I walked some of the steeper sections when I felt walking would be as fast as a slow jog.
At about the half way point I started to feel GREAT and began to push the stride length. Started passing lots of people.
The XTERRA course trails are infamous for loose volcanic rock. But I found this one fairly tame. No chance of a sprained ankle, even on the steeper descents. There was a fair bit of elevation but no huge hills.
In my ignorance I didn’t know that the last mile or so was along the ocean. Soft sand and jagged rock. Heat, humidity and sand sucks your energy. I passed almost no one on my “kick” though I felt strong.
Though billed as something of a fun run, there are some very serious runners. Mike Tobin, past winner of the XTERRA triathlon, was slumming it in the 10km. And he only came 3rd!
XTERRA 10km home page
I’ll be a spectator tomorrow for the World Championships.
I just attended a clinic with some of the favourites: Julie Dibens, Melanie McQuaid, Nico Lebrun and Conrad Stoltz. Yesterday I listened to Shonny Vanlandingham and Josiah Middaugh. Inspiring!
I registered for the 10km fun run Saturday, tomorrow morning.
Will then spectate World Championships Sunday morning.
Here’s a highlights clip from XTERRA World’s 2008 on YouTube.
The volcanic surfaces are pretty harsh for the cyclists, as you can see.
by site editor Rick McCharles
I just happen to be in Maui …
As my Adventure Racing team is at U.S. Championships in Texas this weekend, perhaps I shoudl jump in with the best off-road triathletes on Earth.
… What do you think?
At 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 25th, a maxed-out field of 550 international racers will embrace the annual challenge of XTERRA’s most grueling course – and in the ensuing hours put their mental and physical toughness up against Mother Nature’s arsenal of sun, sand, water, kiawe, and lava. …
Athletes from more than 20 countries and 40 states will gather on Maui – the spiritual birthplace of XTERRA – having competed all season long for the right to be at the World Tour’s culminating event. …
$105,000 in pro prize money is up for grabs and for age groupers, the title of XTERRA World Champion. All the action will be filmed for a one-hour TV special, and on race day, friends, family and fans from around the globe can log-on to http://www.XTERRA.TV for live updates from Maui.
XTERRAplanet – Maui
Or, … maybe I’ll sign up only for the 10km fun run.
Starts today.
Good luck to my teammates Jeni, Andy and Dave who are competing at Nationals for the first time. It’s in Texas.
(Me? I’m still in stealth training mode.)
From Jeni by email:
Race start is 7a.m. Friday, and cut-off is 1p.m. Saturday (although many, many of us may still be racing long after this time…). Last year only 10% of the teams finished the race before the 30 hour cutoff…
For those unfamiliar, adventure racing is like triathlon meets ‘Survivor’. There is no course specifically, and you don’t know which events or in what order they will be until start (or even sometime during the race!). Co-ed teams of 3 must navigate their way using only topo maps and compass through approximately 75-100+ miles of rugged terrain using mt bikes, kayaks, and trekking/running.
Often ‘surprise’ events (like swimming with your bike, climbing, solving puzzles) appear along the way just to make sure no one gets bored. Team members must stay within 50 feet of each other at all times, and all members participate in all aspects of the race as one unit. …
Follow the action:
U.S. Adventure Race Nationals – news
Hmm. …
I’m leaning towards the U.S.A.
Possibilities:
→ Sierra High Route, California
→ Continental Divide Trail – Indian Peaks Wilderness to the South San Juan Wilderness, Colorado
→ Lake Tahoe Rim Trail, California
→ Wonderland Trail, Washington
→ Enchantment Traverse, Washington (friends loved this area, hiking it this past summer)
→ Chinese Wall, Montana
→ Maroon Bells Loop, Colorado
Comments?
The toughest option there is the High Route. Route finding. Off-trail. Scrambles. Snow. Bugs. And no protection from the sun.
I’d try to duplicate the trip undertaken by the world’s greatest hiker, Andrew Skurka.
his trip report – Sierra High Route — July 2008
… Leave a comment if you’ve an opinion on the best hike of these listed. Or any other in the continental USA.
