besthike.com

May 22, 2009May 20, 2009

TV survivalist Bear Grylls named chief Scout

I’ve criticized Bear Grylls in the past.

But it’s with mixed feelings that I link to this mocking News article:

The Scout law begins with a solemn declaration that ‘A Scout is to be trusted’.

So one might expect the figurehead of Britain’s 450,000 Scouts to be one of the most trustworthy men in the country.

But the woggle of Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of the youth movement, must be spinning in his grave at the news that his latest successor as Chief Scout is TV presenter Bear Grylls – whose survival programmes were rumbled for containing faked scenes. …

Mail Online – Scouts pick TV’s action man faker Bear Grylls as their chief

In the real world, Grylls is likely to inspire the Scouts. And build that wonderful program.

I wish him luck.

… Perhaps Ray Mears would have been a better choice, though.

May 21, 2009May 19, 2009

hot tub with a Grizzly Bear

This is 800lb Brutus with his buddy Casey Anderson.

wtf-pics-grizzly-hot-tub

source – picture is unrelated

See the entire fascinating story of their relationship in an LA Times video – Meet Casey Anderson — and his best friend, an 800-pound bear

Unsurprisingly, Anderson does not like to be compared with “Grizzly Man”, Timothy Treadwell, who was killed in 2003 by a Griz. Or two.

May 20, 2009May 11, 2009

10 essentials for day hiking

According to the Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills, the ten essentials of HIKING are:

1. Map
2. Compass (optionally supplemented with a GPS receiver)
3. Sunglasses and sunscreen
4. Extra food and water
5. Extra clothes
6. Headlamp/flashlight
7. First aid kit
8. Fire starter
9. Matches
10. Knife

Wikipedia

There are many variations on the “essentials”, of course, many combining matches and fire starter, many adding “shelter”.

Personally, I refer to a much more practical list. One put together by Tom Mangan for day hiking in reasonable weather:

Mangan’s 10 Essentials for Happy Hiking

1 – A water supply
2 – A reliable map
3 – Comfortable socks
4 – Comfortable shoes
5 – Underwear that doesn’t chafe
6 – Something to keep crud out of your shoes
7 – Nylon hiking pants
8 – Something to block the sun
9 – Nourishment
10 – The Real 10 essentials

Two-Heel Drive – Mangan’s 10 Essentials for Happy Hiking

Leave a comment if you have any ESSENTIALS for day hiking that are not listed.

May 19, 2009May 18, 2009

hike Angel’s Landing online

Angel’s Landing is one of our best day hikes in North America.

National Parks Traveler points us to an unique feature on the government website for Zion National Park in Utah.

Whether you want to relive a previous trip up Angels Landing, or you’ve never hiked there and want to get an idea of what it’s like, this virtual tour is the way to go. It offers a taste of the wonders of Zion—the sounds of birds calling and the soothing sound of the Virgin River, the sights of pink-hued sandstone cliffs at sunrise and the grand view from the summit.

You control your experience within our virtual tour with videos, pictures, and sounds. All these options come with a price, however—large file size. High-speed Internet access is recommended for viewing the full version of our virtual tour, which may take some time to download. You will also need to have a plug-in installed on your computer — Flash Player. We hope you enjoy your virtual visit to Zion National Park. …

Click through to eHike Angel’s Landing

wiggles
flickr – Jess J – larger original

Want to plan a trip to Utah?

Check our besthike information page – Angel’s Landing

It wasn’t included on Backpacker Magazine’s list of America’s 10 Most Dangerous Hikes, but should have been.

May 18, 2009

look and feel of the Besthike blog

We are tinkering with the font size and a few other bits of CSS code on the site.

Testing. Testing. …

May 18, 2009May 18, 2009

Trekking The Lebanon Mountain Trail

Have you ever heard of hiking in Lebanon?

Is it safe?

What is the Lebanon Mountain trail?

The Lebanon Mountain trail is the first long distance hiking trail in Lebanon and the Arab world (www.lebanontrail.org). It extends 440km. from Qbaiyat in the north to Marjeyoun in the south. It traverses 75 towns and villages at altitudes from 600m to 1900m. The LMT showcases the natural beauty and cultural wealth of Lebanon’s mountains.

The Lebanon Mountain Trail Association organized the first complete thru-walk of the LMT during the month of April 2009. The core group of 7 hikers explored history and culture, as well as the natural beauty of Lebanon.

Lebanon-hikers

They blogged the journey, an interesting read with plenty of photos.

header-trekking-Lebanon

TrekkingLebanon.com

official trail website – lebanontrail.org

Time Magazine posted a short video on this Adventure.

This could be the start of something much bigger in the Middle East. Just as soon as Peace breaks out there.

May 17, 2009May 19, 2009

Bibbulmun Track trip report

Only about 500 people have completed the Bibbulmun Track, nearly 1000kms (620mi) from Kalamunda in the Perth Hills to Albany on the south coast of Western Australia.

One of those is Dave Tomlinson who posted his 2007 trip report on Our Hiking Blog.

Bibbulmun_Track_map_large

… When I reflect on the entire time I spent hiking the track, I think the first few days were the toughest of all. There is nothing quite like the challenge of carrying a heavy pack over difficult terrain in 40 degree heat. Although the track goes through eight towns, the first one is ten days from Perth. So, my pack was very heavy with supplies and I was stiff and sore during those initial stages. But as I progressed, my muscles began to get attuned to what was expected, my pack gradually lightened and things became easier. …

albany_windfarm_bibbulman_track

… Amazingly, I completed the whole distance without even a blister. Apart from some general soreness when I first started, I didn’t have any problems at all. There wasn’t a single day when I didn’t wake up and feel excited by what I was doing. Even on the most physically demanding days I embraced the challenge and never felt any doubt about reaching Albany in good health. The weather was generally very good and my Goretex jacket was often nothing more than my pillow at night. I only had rain on four days in the entire seven weeks. …

dave_at_the_end_bibbulman_track

To learn more about this amazing tramp, here are the most important links:

» The Bibbulmun Track – a long distance hike – Trip Report – Part One

» Bibbulman Track – Southern Section – Trip Report – Part Two

» official website – Bibbulmun Track

May 16, 2009May 11, 2009

climb Snow Mountain (Xueshan), Taiwan

An author of Lonely Planet Taiwan, Robert Scott Kelly also edits a blog called PASHAN HIKING THE MOUNTAINS, VALLEYS, RIVERS AND JUNGLES OF TAIWAN.

Taiwan offers more hikes, on more varied terrain, within one compact region, than almost anywhere else in the world.

In 2005 Robert and a friend climbed Snow Mountain (Xueshan, 雪山) and posted a detailed trip report on the standard 3-day hike.

I was particularly interested to read about his startling a bear.

Bears in Taiwan?

Yes, a few Asian Black Bears survive there.

Asian-Black-Bear

I’m definitely planning on hiking Taiwan one day.

Taiwan

It’s a good read – Snow Mountain (Xueshan, 雪山)

May 15, 2009May 14, 2009

this hiker staying with the Bear Vault

Sigh … Rocky Mountain National Park now requires Bear Canisters.

More and more Parks will be doing it in future. Best get used to hiking with one. …

Last summer I saw a bear vault with a night light attached so hikers could find it in the dark. Good idea.

bear-vault-bv500
details – Amazon

2 lb 9oz Bear Vault.

Despite the weight, I think I’ll stick with mine instead of buying an Ursack.

Here’s another happy camper:

… I found that the vault slipped in quite nicely to the top portion of my 60 liter pack. It was also great to have a waterproof container to put dry clothes in (in a zip-lock bag so they didn’t absorb food smell). Towards the end of longer trips its nice to have a waterproof place to put all of our garbage.

Around camp they are a godsend. I’ve used the vaults as stools, chairs, cutting boards, tables, water jugs, and hammers. Just having a flat surface in camp is a treat. Another handy feature is that they are transparent. You can see what you’re reaching in for. Other cannisters I’ve used are a solid plastic and you have to fish everything out/around to find what you’re looking for.

Now I know what you’re thinking. How can you do a good review of a bear cannister without having it attacked by bears? I’m way ahead of you.

While camping this summer by Lake Colden in the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks my BearVaults were put to the test. For those who don’t know, this area is notorious for its black bears. We placed our BearVaults a fair distance from our camp site. In the middle of the night I woke up to hear smashing sounds coming from the direction of our vaults. Thuds came from the vaults smashing into the soil. Loud bangs from the vaults hitting each other and hitting the fallen trees that we had placed them beside. For a good hour these sounds drifted over to our campsite. Then they stopped. In the morning I found the BearVaults 10-15 feet from where I had left them. They were dirty, one had a small scratch on it, but other wise they were intact and the food within in them untouched. …

silverorange stuff – BearVault Bear Canister Review