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that’s not Death Valley …

It was cool and cloudy in the Eastern Sierra today.

Nice.

I did several short hikes in the mountains today as a warm-up for Death Valley.

Rick McCharles with Mt Whitney in the background
Rick McCharles with Mt Whitney in the background

I’m staying tonight at the excellent new hostel in Lone Pine.

Early Sunday morning I’ll start Telescope Peak in Death Valley. (14mi return)

I’ll tent one night high up where it’s cooler.

Telescope Peak at 11,049 feet is the highest point in Death Valley National Park. The elevation gain from the valley floor to the summit is over 11,300 feet. This extreme elevation change is exceeded in the United States by Mt. Rainier at 11,600 feet, Mt. Fairweather in Glacier Bay National Park at 15,300 feet, and Mt. McKinley’s north slope at 17,000 feet.

Death Valley National Park Hiking Page

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where to hike in Death Valley?

Perhaps Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes?

dunes

Gary Hayes – larger version

Death Valley unfortunately lived up to its name earlier this week, when an Ohio hiker failed to return from a day trip in the park.

On Tuesday morning, May 19, employees at Death Valley National Park received a report of an overdue hiker in the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes near Stove Pipe Wells Village. The dunes in that area rise nearly 100 feet above the surrounding desert. …

National Parks Traveler

I’ll be careful.

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best Bay Area trails

From Tom Mangan of Two-Heel Drive:

Best of the best in Bay Area trails:

  • Berry Creek Falls Loop, Big Basin Redwoods State Park. …

  • Dipsea Trail to Matt Davis Trail from Stinson Beach, Mount Tamalpais State Park. …

  • Three Peaks, Mount Diablo State Park. …

  • High Peaks Trail, Pinnacles National Monument. Not exactly Bay Area, …

  • Tomales Point, Point Reyes National Seashore. …

  • Angel Island State Park. …

  • Point Lobos State Preserve, south of Monterey. …

    • These are my favorite hikes in the San Francisco Bay Area. I’ve done them all a few times. Links at the end of each item go to guide books and professionally produced maps available at Amazon.com and its partner retailers. …

    Best of the best in Bay Area trails

    436166825_e6f616714e

    Pinnacles National Monument trek – trip report

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    review – Trekking in the Everest Region

    Caroline from Trailblazer sent me a review copy of the latest edition of their Everest trekking guide. (Published March, 2009)

    I read it on high while tenting on Mount Lady MacDonald.

    Trekking in the Everest Region

    Amazon – Trekking in the Everest Region, 5th

    For any hiker wanting to plan a Chomolungma adventure, there is no better resource.

    Expedition, Teahouse or Independent?

    Route options depending on when you go. And how long you can stay in Nepal.

    Terrific maps.

    I have no complaints at all. This is an excellent guide.

    The author Jamie McGuinness is expert, one of the most experienced trek leaders in the country. Based in Kathmandu, Nepal, he manages a trekking and climbing company. And has summitted Everest three times.

    The main alternative, Trekking in Nepal by Stephen Bezruchka, has not been updated since 1997.

    My next trip to Nepal will be to the Everest region. I’ll teahouse trek independently, carrying a very light pack, deciding on my exact route once there.

    And I’ll be using the Trailblazer Guide.

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    GU Energy Chomps – like gummy bears

    … I’ll be sure to pack some GU for the run and mtb leg, as well as some of GU’s new Chomps, which are like gummy bears, but with lots of calories as we’ll need. …

    Gear Junkie – Athlete Interview: Mike Kloser

    GU-Chomps

    GU Chomps utilize GU Energy Gel’s proven blend of carbohydrates, amino acids, antioxidants and electrolytes
    in a chewable form. …

    GU Energy

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    scrambling Lady MacDonald, Canmore, Alberta

    I was looking for a good first hike of the season. And a chance to test my full set of gear.

    My original plan of scrambling Ha Ling, then wild camping, was abandoned after I heard about a better option from local hiker Kelly Mock.

    In fact, I walked out Kelly’s front door directly to the trailhead and up the mountain to this gorgeous vista.

    teahouse-view

    … Just above the treeline you’ll find a large helicopter landing pad, a steel ramp for paragliders, and the remains of a teahouse that was being constructed but is now abandoned. A gazebo just to the east of the teahouse sits on the edge of a large cliff. The views from here are spectacular. A number of hikers end their hike here as it’s already been a hard push to get this far, and the scree slope above can be daunting for non-scramblers. …

    TrailPeak – Mount Lady MacDonald

    Actually, it’s an easy and popular hike straight up to the ill fated teahouse. Most do not go higher as it’s recommended you have mountaineering skills on the ridge.

    That’s not far wrong. The slippery scree takes you up to a knife edge ridge with killer views into the Cougar Creek drainage. In summer it’s merely daunting.

    Lady-MacDonald
    flickr – Marc Shandro – larger version

    In the Spring it’s hairier. It looks like you might fall right through the melting cornice at spots.

    MacDonald-in-April
    flickr – iHeartDimSum – larger version

    I stopped when I got to the snow.

    Lady MacDonald is a terrific option for fit hikers. Each in your group can stop where they want. Most will relax at the teahouse or the gazebo until the adventurous return from the ridge.

    This is a good hike with dogs. Don’t let them chase after the resident mountain sheep.

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    Tour de Mont Blanc trip report

    The Tour of Mont Blanc is one of our top 10 hikes in the world.

    Marc Sebastian Pelzer has done 3 TMBs since 2003, in 2007 remembering to bring his wife Romana.

    hikers

    Marc posted an excellent trip report of their 2007 adventure:

    Approximately 175 kilometers and 12,000 vertical meters ascent and descent around the mountain massif of Mont Blanc in the triangle of France, Italy & Switzerland. This is Europe’s most beautiful trekking tour. The “Tour Du Mont Blanc”. …

    Marc

    … Each stage was different than the previous one and had its own unique character. Each stage was a sporting challenge. On average, we went about 15 kilometers per day and completed to 1000 meters of altitude ascent and descent. …

    trip report – original German

    trip report – Google translated to English

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    10 best hikes in the Eastern Sierra

    Local expert Dave McNeill picks his favourites for Along Highway 395.

    The Eastern Sierra provides a lifetime of places to hike. The terrain ranges from very challenging to a mellow walk in the woods and extends for nearly 250 miles along the great eastern escarpment of the mighty Sierra Nevada Mountains.

    1. Horseshoe Meadow
    2. Onion Valley
    3. Taboose Pass
    4. Big Pine Canyon
    5. North Lake
    6. Pine Creek
    7. Rock Creek
    8. Sherwin-Valentine Trail
    9. Red’s Meadow
    10. Gem Lake

    A must see highilght is the Devil’s Postpile out of Red’s Meadow.

    Devil's Postpile
    Devil's Postpile

    flickr – Sean94110 – larger version

    Click through for details – Along Highway 395

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    Danelle Ballangee at Adventure Race Week

    My big AR event is right around the corner – Adventure Sports Week. Contact me if you can come down with me.

    May 24, 2009

    For Immediate Release…

    Danelle Ballangee is scheduled to compete in the “Crux and the Crucible” at Adventure Sports Week 2009!

    Adventure Sports Week is a 10 day long festival of 24 outdoor races, contests, clinics and social events taking place at Farragut State Park, 30 miles north of Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho, June 5—14, 2009.

    One of the racing world’s greatest stars and most inspirational stories is coming to compete at Adventure Sports Week in Coeur d’ Alene, June 12—14.

    Danelle Ballangee is perhaps the World’s most decorated female Adventure Racer, having won Primal Quest, the Raid, the Adventure Racing World Championships, as well as dozens of other equally impressive competitions. She has also been named “US Athlete of the Year” an unprecedented six times in four different sports.

    Despite her impressive resume, it was an unlikely slip that has Danelle—Nellie—to national prominence.

    In December of 2006, while on a routine training run with her dog Taz, she slipped on some black ice and fell nearly 60 feet down the cliffs at Hurrah Pass, Utah, near Moab, breaking her pelvis completely in half, and leaving her bleeding internally and unable to walk. She managed to crawl over a quarter of a mile to a puddle where she could drink, and she spent over 50 hours in sub- freezing temperatures as her dog tried to keep her warm. On the third day, Taz left her, eventually making his way to the trailhead, where he was seen by the search and rescue team, who followed him back to Danelle.

    After major surgery, where she received a titanium plate to hold her pelvis together, she was in a wheelchair for several months, and doctors speculated she would be unable to walk for as long as a year.

    As a tribute to her strength and tenacity, Danelle competed in a solo 12 hour adven- ture race less than 6 months after her fall, finishing as top female.

    Danelle will be competing at ASW representing Project Athena— http://www.projectathena.org – whose mission is to help women with breast cancer and other medical traumatic setbacks live their athletic and adventurous dreams by providing coaching, equipment, travel, entry fees and encouragement.

    She will also be teaching part of the Adventure Racing Clinic, along with other super- stars such as Mike Kloser, captain of Team Nike, and AR World Champion.

    danelle

    source – Mind Over Mountain