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Waterton National Park hiking

Happy Canada Day!

When I was a young adult, “hiking” held no appeal to me at all.

One of the first actual hikes I ever did voluntarily was the Bear’s Hump in Waterton National Park, Alberta.

It’s a great adventure for kids, non-hikers and … everyone. What a view!

flickr - Jeff Milner- click for larger version
flickr - Jeff Milner- click for larger version

Waterton Scrambling has a great post on this iconic landmark – Bear’s Hump

That excellent site has a post on another terrific beginner’s hike, Avion Ridge.

click for larger version
click for larger version

Waterton Scrambling – Avion Ridge

Waterton is my favourite National Park in Canada. I’ve been there perhaps 20 times. And I’m looking forward to returning for more.

Other Waterton walks in our list of the best hikes in North America:

• Tamarack Trail
• Crypt Lake
• Carthew/Alderson,Waterton

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planning for Kilimanjaro

Kili is one of our top 10 hikes in the world.

A guiding company, Mountain Quest Adventures, posted 10 facts to consider before you climb Kilimanjaro.

1) Safety must be your top concern.

2) Consider staying away from the “tourist” routes.

3) Choose a company who specializes in climbing Kilimanjaro.

4) Select the route that best helps you acclimatize.

5) Choose a trekking company who actually visits your lodgings, knows the staff and approves your menu…

6) Your support team of guides and porters will make or break your trip. Choose wisely.

7) Select a company that hires the best staff, pays them fair wages and supports the local economy.

8) Do NOT rush your ascent…

9) If you are traveling to Africa, a Safari is a “must do.”

10) Get the best climb for your money.

Mountain Quest Adventures

photo posted by eir@si - click for larger size
photo posted by eir@si - click for larger size

Check our stub best hike information page for more.

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Loowit Trail, Mt St. Helens NOT recommended

The Ultralighter does this trail as an annual pilgrimage.

The summary of his 2009 trip report:

You probably don’t want to try the Loowit Trail now. Maybe 2011 or later, if the Forest Service does a bunch of work. Even Lava Canyon is impassable, unless you are very, very bold. So for now it’s the north half of the mountain or the Smith Creek valley, rewarding in their own ways.

map
map

He survived his most recent 33mi circuit. But barely.

This trip is no longer an adventure. It is an ordeal.

read the entire trip report

You can still climb Mt St. Helens.

But don’t plan on doing the Circuit until the damaged trail has been improved.

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Telescope Peak, Death Valley, in April

SummitJunkie posted a good trip report and photos from an April 9, 2009 summit of the best hike in Death Valley, California.

… The views were jaw dropping, perhaps some of the best I had seen on any peak I have ever climbed. You can see forever, there is nothing as high as you are for over a hundred miles. Absolutely amazing!!

I had to take my time with the pictures, my hands were freezing. I was also having problems with my camera, when the batteries get too cold they stop working. I had the same issue on Shasta and Whitney so knew the solution was to put the camera and batteries inside my jacket to keep them at operating temperature. So between switching hands and batteries, it took me 15 minutes to take these summit pictures. …

Death Valley Road Trip 4-09 Day 2

My own Telescope hike in early June was so easy, it’s hard to believe I was on the same mountain … only a couple of months later.

photo by SummitJunkie - click for larger
photo by SummitJunkie - click for larger
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hike Arrowsmith Trail to Lookout

Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles 

On Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, at the Port Alberni Tourist Information Centre, I picked up a free brochure called Mount Arrowsmith. There is a guidebook, but the brochure is all you need to hike this mountain.

The brochure map shows 11 trails for hikers, climbers, snowshoers and skiers.

Close to amazing Cathedral Grove, is one easy access to the mountain, Old (Historic) Arrowsmith Trail.

There’s good parking ($3), pit toilets and a picnic area at the east end of Cameron Lake.

Cameron-Lake

The trailhead across the highway is easy to find … after you know where it is. (I drove by it the first time.)

It starts (deceptively) as a road.

Arrowhead-Trailhead

In fact, this route is extremely well marked. It has to be for winter adventurers, when snow covers the track.

trail-flag

This trail gets very steep and rough in places, climbing continuously for about 2hrs.

I was lucky there had been no rain for about a month. In wet conditions you might be scrambling up temporary creeks.

The route is mostly tree locked. That makes getting to Lookout even more enjoyable:

click for larger size
click for larger size

If you have about 8hrs, you can continue on this trail to the now defunct Mt. Cokely ski hill. One trip report calls that 20km return.

Better, however, would be to slog up in the afternoon. Wild camp tent overnight. And explore the top trails next day.

That’s what I’ll do next time.

click for larger map (PDF)
click for larger map (PDF)
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solar powered tent with WiFi

THIS is what a hiking blogger needs!

504x_OrangeSolarConceptTent

… uses solar energy to light itself up and provide WiFi access to the Internet.

The design concept uses photovoltaic fabrics to collect energy from the sun all day long, then uses that power to recharge our gadgets, which are conveniently stored in a “magnetic induction pouch”. The tent also comes equipped with a flexible LCD screen that can connect to the Internet …

Adventure Blog – High Tech Concept Tent is Solar Powered, Comes with WiFi

Sadly, it’s still in the concept stage.

I can’t buy one any time soon.

Hiking blogger Steve Howe mocks it … but wonders if he can get a prototype to test.

orange-tent_Ajz5J_5638

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hiking with booze?

I’m for it, of course.

The greatest backcountry boozer I’ve hiked with is Kelly Mock, then living in Whitehorse, Yukon. It was Kelly that carried a “Bubba” (mini keg of beer) over the Golden Staircase to Happy Camp on the famed Chilkoot Trail in Alaska.

Arriving on the solstice, Kelly bought a round for the house at Happy.

He’s been one-upped.

beer-keg

Michael Popov carried 20lbs of beer up 4,000′ of Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the continental USA. He was doing some kind of loco carbo loading / altitude acclimatization for his record breaking unsupported John Muir Trail run. (4 days, 5 hours and 25 minutes from Mount Whitney to Yosemite Valley)

This is mentioned in Aaron Sorensen’s trip report from both Michael’s and his attempt that year.

Leave a comment if you’ve seen a greater feat of trudging alcohol up hill.

Here’s beer for you wimpy lightweight backpackers. (Treehugger hates this.)

beer-to-go-1

Incidentally, Aaron Sorensen will be starting June 28th an attempt on the Unsupported Record on the Lake Tahoe Rim Trail. No one has claimed this record yet. Aaron is looking at 55-60hrs for the 168 miles.

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UNSEEN HAZARDS That Threaten Hikers

A new small book by Jerry Genesio.

Vital information about natural, unseen hazards that threaten hunters, hikers, campers, and other outdoor activity enthusiasts, including Rabies, Tetanus (Lockjaw), Tularemia (Rabbit Fever), Brusellosis (Undulant Fever), Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Borrelia (Lyme Disease), with CDC advice on how to avoid ticks, and how to remove ticks. Each of the subject diseases is described with symptoms, treatment, history, geographical risk areas, and significant incidence reports. The book is written by Jerry Genesio, a former employee of Cutter Laboratories’ Biological Products Division, and author of a natural history series published by New England Outdoors magazine.

Amazon

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