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besthike blog awarded … some kind of award

by site editor Rick McCharles

Should I feel honoured?

TB_walking_FWe’ve been selected for a Tripbase award for …

… providing one of the best Walking/Backpacking-related blogs out there. …

We feel your blog is an excellent example of what a blog should be and trust that you feel proud in this respect. We congratulate you on your achievement and are providing you with a badge to display proudly at your own discretion on your blog as a sign that you are in the top echelons of the blogosphere. …

We were selected in a 10-way-tie for 11th place. (Not exactly the top of the podium.)

Still, there are some excellent hiking blogs on the list including:

2nd http://www.tommangan.net/twoheeldrive/
3rd http://www.tripleblaze.com/blog/
4th http://gambolinman.blogspot.com/
5th http://www.hikingtaiwan.blogspot.com/
9th http://www.floridahikes.com/blog/
Finalist http://frankinoz.blogspot.com/
Finalist http://northerncaliforniahikingtrails.com/blog/

Unfortunately, Tripbase has combined hiking blogs with backpacking blogs. This award winner: Students in Europe truly has nothing to do with what Tom Mangan writes about, hiking.

I won’t get too excited about my 11th place (tie) ranking until Tripbase separates hiking from backpacking.

I’ll exercise discretion.

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Kolby Kirk – 100 hikes

I’ve been cheering this guy who promises to post 100 hikes between May 4th, 2009 and the New Year.

Kolby Kirk - hike #17
Kolby Kirk - hike #17

I, Kolby Kirk, promise to hike one hundred times by January 1st, 2010.

Just so I’m clear with you and myself, here is my own version of the legal fine print:

A “hike” is defined as a trek of two miles or longer over mostly unpaved paths. There will not be any “hikes” to the store.

Each hike must have a definitive end before the next one starts. In other words, I can’t say that I’ve gone on two hikes because I stopped for water at the half way point of a four-mile hike. However, I might go on more than one hike in a day, such as on a camping trip or before and after work.

Proof of a hike must be posted on this site to count. “Proof” is defined as a photo, video, or GPS tracking. This will keep myself from cheating …

Hopefully those of you who are reading this will help in my quest to complete one-hundred hikes by suggesting hikes I could take in the Southern California area or, better yet, going on hikes with me. Either way, wish me luck! …

about 100 Hikes

Subscribe to his blog. Or follow him on Twitter.

He’s very good.

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Hiking Information Online

Hiking Information Online is a website I just stumbled upon.

It looks somewhat similar in mission to our site, besthike.com.

Hiking and trekking information online is designed to provide information for hikers about some of the worlds best hikes. You will find hiking and trekking information catering for both hiking beginners and serious hikers alike. These hikes can range from easy short hikes carrying a day pack up to hikes that can last for sixteen days carrying everything that you need.

We will provide all the information that you need to plan your hikes all in one convenient location. There are also links to online hiking stores to fully outfit yourself with all of the hiking gear that you will need to complete your hike. …

Hiking-info-online

home page – Hiking Information Online

My first impression was, “This is lame.”

But upon actually clicking through to some of the hike pages, for example: Hiking the Tongariro Northern Circuit, I was impressed with the accuracy of the content.

Not bad.

It’s clear to me the editor has not actually hiked these trips, but rather does research from afar. I was tipped off by this photo on their West Coast Trail page, clearly taken nowhere near the WCT.

NOT the West Coast Trail
NOT the West Coast Trail

The site has potential. I’ll definitely be tracking it as they add new hikes. Obviously they need to start linking to additional information on each hike page.

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dreaming of hiking Iceland …

I tried and failed to find a very inexpensive flight from Eastern Canada to Iceland. Unfortunately it’s very high season there.

This evocative music video inspired me.

The music reminds many of Arcade Fire from Canada.

But this is sigur rós, a rock band from Iceland.

… glósóli, shot in iceland in august 2005. the video is directed by icelanders arni & kinski and features a cast of icelandic children. …

read an interview with the video’s cinematographer Chris Soos – takk… glósóli video

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great Jasper National Park photos

I have friends planning on hiking the Berg Lake Trail, Mount Robson in Jasper National Park in the Canadian Rockies.

We last did that excellent adventure in 2003.

Good luck gang!

Mt. Robson - click for larger version
Mt. Robson - click for larger version

Tom Mangan linked to a terrific photo article on Amazing Adventure Around the World.

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best hike Nova Scotia – Cape Chignecto?

Today I’m off to hike the Cape Chignecto Trail, in New Scotland (Nova Scotia), Canada. A 51km loop.

It’s oft listed one of the great coastal hikes of the world though it’s not all coastal.

First, I’ve got to get there from Halifax. …

My guidebook:

… The Cape Chignecto Trail is as scenic as the famous West Coast Trail in British Columbia and as challenging as the historic Chilkoot Pass hike in the Yukon. …

If that’s half true I’ll be very, very happy.

Trip report to come.

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no job? … go hiking

Happy 4th of July to all our American readers.

And a special shout out to Fedak who’s hiking out the recession.

Three of 4 of our top 10 hiking regions in the world are in the USA.

#1 New Zealand
#2 Southwest USA
#3 The Rockies
#4 Sierra Nevada

National Public Radio has an interesting podcast called – On The Appalachian, Some Hike Off The Recession:

… For Rusty Towery, taking this much time away isn’t difficult at all. Nicknamed “Wheeler,” he was laid off in November from construction equipment manufacturer Caterpillar. He sees this as an amazing opportunity.

“I have no major responsibilities yet in life so [I] might as well do something like this while I can, instead of having to wait like the other half of the population on the trail,” he says.

Wheeler is 26 years old. After being laid off last year, he worked a series of odd jobs to save up a little money. He also ran each day to build his endurance. He says his friends were a little jealous the day he left, even joking that they wished they’d been laid off, too. …

click through to see the audio / video presentation – On The Appalachian, Some Hike Off The Recession

Mount Katahdin - Northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail
Mount Katahdin - Northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail

more interesting photos tagged Appalachian Trail

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farewell M.V. Lady Rose

I recently learned that the M.V. Lady Rose, a heritage vessel, carrying hikers to and from Port Alberni, B.C. is history.

What a shame.

Many’s the West Coast Trail hiker that has enjoyed that rustic ferry Bamfield – Port Alberni.

photo by c0lin_bates
photo by c0lin_bates

The M.V. Lady Rose, originally christened “Lady Sylvia” at her 1937 launching, was built by A & J Inglis Limited of Pointhouse Shipyard in Glasgow, Scotland, and was designed by W.D. McLaren of Vancouver. …

Designed for the sheltered coastal waters of British Columbia, this stocky little vessel soon proved capable of much more, becoming the first diesel powered vessel to cross the Atlantic driven by a single propeller. …

The official Lady Rose Marine Services website does not mention that it’s gone.

Sister ship Frances Barkley continues carrying cargo, mail and up to 100 passengers on that route.

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Death in the Grand Canyon

The 2001 book Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon details 500 fatalities.

It’s a dangerous place to travel.

Library Journal:

Flagstaff, AZ-based authors Ghiglieri, a biologist who leads river trips in the Grand Canyon and abroad, and Myers (Fateful Journey: Injury and Death on Colorado River Trips in Grand Canyon), a medical doctor who has treated hundreds of Canyon injuries, have compiled a fascinating chronicle of deaths and dangers in Grand Canyon National Park.

The book is arranged by category falls, dehydration, floods, the Colorado River, air crashes, freak accidents, suicides, and murder and at the end of each chapter is a chronological list with names, descriptions, and causes of the accidents. The authors show that most of the deaths, whether of tourists, prospectors, or experienced adventurers, occurred when people failed to pay attention to warning signs or did not use common sense; others are attributed to high testosterone levels.

book

… Falls, fatigue, extreme temperatures and horseplay at national parks throughout the country lead to nearly 3,600 search-and-rescue operations each year, according to 2007 figures. The park service also responds to 16,000 emergency medical calls a year for anything from abrasions to twisted ankles, heatstroke and cardiac arrest, said Dean Ross, park service branch chief of emergency services in Washington, D.C.

Rangers at the Grand Canyon perform more rescues than at any other park, including 300 helicopter rescues a year, Ross said. …

Grand Canyon a challenge for hikers of every level

If you plan to hike there, be prepared (tips).

heat-kills-sign

I got lost and exhausted in similar terrain in 2005, Colca Canyon, in Peru. Eventually I hired a local villager to carry my pack and lead me to a “hotel” in the canyon.

There’s no Search and Rescue in Peru. …

More advice on avoiding heat emergencies by Steve Howe in Backpacker – THE FRYING GAME