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November 22, 2008

Fitz Roy – best mountain vista anywhere

What do you think?

It’s rare to get this clear a view.

Photodiary of a Nomad had perfect timing. Lucky ducks!

From their trip report:

At 6.30am I looked outside the window of our room; snow still lay on the ground in El Chalten and the hills around, but it was glistening ….. in the sunlight. A fine sunny day is a precious object in this part of the world and there was no time to dally. We were up, showered, fed and on the track by 8am, hoping to catch our first glimpse of the mountains of Fitzroy. With the promise of fine weather, we decided to head up the lesser known track to the the Mirador de Loma de Pliegue Tumbado, with the promise of a magnificent panorama of the two icons of this area – 3120m Cerro Torre and 3405m Monte Fitzroy. …

It was cloud covered the entire time I was there.

… Almost on cue, the clouds parted to reveal one of the best alpine panoramas that we have ever seen; the incredibly sharp needle of Cerro Torre and the dark bulk of the south face of Monte Fitzroy standing guard on each side of Glacier Torre, curving down into the milky green waters of Laguna Torre.

read on – Los Glaciares – Fitzroy Treks (part 1)

Want to trek there yourself?

Check our besthike Fitz Roy information page.

All hikers who travel to Fitz Roy trek nearby Paine, as well.

November 21, 2008

Adventure Week 2009 Idaho

My buddy Dave Adlard is a master organizer of big events.

He’s putting together the biggest new Adventure Race anywhere!

Adventure Week is schedule to take place June 5th – 14th, 2009 at Farragut State Park, just 30 miles outside of Coeur d’Alene. The jam-packed schedule will include a number of amazing races, including triathlons, mountain biking, and adventure races. There will also be orienteering competitions, mountain treks, and even disc golf tournaments. And endurance athletes are not going to want to miss “The Crux and The Crucible“, two demanding and rewarding adventure races that will push teams to the limits.

The Adventure Blog

There’s truly something for everyone. Beginners. Children. Recreational outdoors enthusiasts. Even World Class endurance athletes.

Details on the official website: Adventure Week 2009. (I’m the editor.)

Or download the detailed brochure in PDF format.

Put the dates on your calendar now. It’s going to be FANTASTIC.

November 21, 2008

hiking in India is booming

Hiking is booming in Norway.

And southern India too.

From The Chennai Trekking Club:

1300 members, 10+ joining each day, 50 treks completed, 15000+ photos

They sound excited about the outdoors:

… trekking through tropical, dense jungles, stretching your physical limits while conquering steep uphill slopes, breathing fresh mountain air, exploring virgin ever-green forests, navigating through mountainous terrain with map and compass, diving into hidden mountain streams and waterfalls, setting up our own camp, experiencing the peacefullness and beautyfull valley views, drinking from clear mountain streams, sleeping under the bright stars, spontaneous bonding between new trekkers while overcoming obstacles together, photographing that once-in-a-lifetime wildlife scene, …

Looks like they are having FUN:

The website looks good … though some of the links did not work correctly.

ChennaiTrekkers.org

November 20, 2008

another Inca Trail alternative – Moonstone Trek

First off, this adventure does not have you hiking into Machu Picchu.

It finishes 7mi away in (amazing) Ollantaytambo. From there you take the train to Aguas Calientes. Then the bus up to the ruins.

larger version – flickr – FranUlloa

On the other hand, it does look pretty good compared with the over-popular, problematic Inca Trail.

It passes through seldom-visited Andean villages, Inca and pre-Inca ruins and heads onto a beautiful altiplano plateau surrounded by glaciated peaks. Most groups wonâ€™t encounter any other tourists for the entire trek and the combination of stunning mountain scenery and wildlife, fascinating relics and real isolation is truly rewarding. …

Supported by horses rather than porters. It’s claimed to be a little tougher than the standard Inca Trail, as “it goes higher and covers slightly more distance”.

Exodus Guide Tours – Moonstone Trek

larger version – flickr – FranUlloa

(via The Adventure Blog)

The best alternative is still Choquequirao to Machu Picchu.

November 19, 2008

scrambling Annapurna Base Camp, NEPAL

My old hiking buddy from South America 2004, Canadian Grant Assenheimer, just climbed down from the high Himalayas. He was on a “holiday” between assignments for Doctors Without Borders.

From Grant’s email:

Just got back from ABC and had a fantastic time. The ‘scare’ tactics used by the tour companies almost had me convinced that I should take a guide but it is TOTALLY NOT NECESSARY. Pass the word! Even if you are only moderately fit, you can easily do any of the teahouse trekking without a guide or porter.

larger version – flickr

My favorite day was a scramble up from the Annapurna Base Camp (ABC). Although most people stop at ABC, I rounded up a couple of New Yorkers and the 3 of us did this great day trip UP to the base camp for Tent Peak, one of the smaller ‘trekking peaks’ in the area. We started at 4100 m, went down and crossed the stone-covered glacier and then climbed to 4800 m via a steep morrain, icy river through a narrow gorge and finally a bit of a slog through steep high-altitude grassy slopes. This gave us GREAT views of the Annapurna Range, Machapuchre and some other ‘lesser’ 5 and 6 thousand meter peaks. The way UP was a bit challenging (ie. GREAT) because we didn’t see the PATH until we were already pretty much at the top. Lets just say that the way down was MUCH easier and didn’t involve navigating that icy river in that steep canyon or the 60 degree grassy slopes…

I also read Annapurna by Herzog during the hike. Wow. All I can say is that the Nepal of today is NOTHING like the Himalayas of the early mountaineers. I mean, they actually walked in from India. No apple pie or internet cafe waiting at 4000 m for them. What a story.

I started in Phedi, walked to ABC and then came out via Gorenpani and Poon hill. Truly spectacular and worth putting up with everyone else for the views. Definitely NOT a wilderness experience but if you go in without expecting one, its a great time.

larger version – flickr

Thanks Grant.

The Base Camp is the best side trip off the famed Annapurna Circuit.

November 19, 2008

how to pack your hiking food

Sectionhiker put up a great post:

Tips and Tricks: How to Pack a Food Bag:

1. When I pack my bear bag at home, I first divide all of my meals into 5 piles: breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, and drinks.

2. I put each pile into itâ€™s own plastic bag. I find that the best ones to use for this purpose are the plastic bags that I get from the dry cleaners that wrap my folded dress shirts.

3. I place my backpacking towel, bear bag line, and mesh sack at the bottom of my food bag.

4. Then I insert my O.P. Sack into my bear bag and place my long handled titanium spoon and toob tooth brush along the inside, propped up vertically for easy access.

5. Next, I put the 5 bags of food into my O.P. sack, one by one, so that the meal or snack that I want next, is positioned at the top of my food bag. After, Iâ€™ve eaten something, I reorder the bags as required, so that food breaks can be kept short if I want to get going again.

6. I always carry my food bag on top of the other gear in my backpack so that itâ€™s easy to access during the day.

Click through for the details – Tips and Tricks: How to Pack a Food Bag – Sectionhiker

November 17, 2008

how to hike The Wave

It’s a real pain getting a permit to hike one of the most spectacular geological features in the world.

Some go to EXTREME measures:

… seeing The Wave on a whim is not easy. To maintain the pristine sandstorm formation and prevent overcrowding, The Arizona Bureau of Land Management allows only twenty people access to The Wave per day. The Bureau allows reservations for ten of the slots four months in advance through its website, but the other ten are given out by lottery at 9:00 AM Mountain Time on the morning before the day of the hike. Since we had decided at the last minute to visit The Wave, we had no choice but to try our luck at the lottery, but we knew our long drive would not be able to get us to the Paria Ranger Station in Utah in time. To deal with this problem, we posted an ad on Craigslist before we left and hired a St. George college student to attend the lottery and obtain our permits for us. …

Hank Leukart did manage to visit The Wave on this trip. (I’m not sure exactly how.)

Read his trip report on Without Baggage for the details – The travel gods generously deliver orange, alien taffy.

We’ve linked to this trip report from the besthike Information page for The Wave.

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Does getting a permit sound like too much hassle?

Hire someone to get it for you.

Ray Hendricks is an owner/operator of Just Roughin’ It Adventure Company.

They are an authorized hiking and backpacking guide service for the Grand Canyon National Park as well as the Paria Canyon/ Verimillion Cliffs Area which includes the Wave.

Their Commercial Use Authorization (CUA) numbers for the Grand Canyon are 5600-1007 for Backpacking and 5600-1006 for Day Hiking. For the Paria Canyon/ Vermillion Cliffs National Monument, our Special Recreation Permit (SRP) # is AZ-120-2008-032.

If you want a guided hike, check out JustRoughinIt.com.

November 17, 2008

superb West Coast Trail trip report

Photographer Hank Leukart penned one of the best trip reports I’ve yet seen on our #1 hike in the world …

WEST COAST TRAIL, Vancouver Island, British Columbia â€” After our extraordinary Alaskan backpacking experience this past August, my brother and I had become addicted. For months following the excursion, we daydreamed, researched, and gushed about the possibilities for our next adventure. We considered a number of tempting options, including a Grand Canyon rim-to-rim-to-rim hike, a journey along the pristine Lost Coast of California, and even a long trek through remote Patagonia. But then, we read about the Graveyard of the Pacific. …

… When we arrived at the trailhead, Parks Canada gave us and the rest of the “West Coast Trail Class of June 2, 2008” a short presentation about the hike’s dangers. We were warned to use tide tables to time our coastal hiking and avoid being trapped by dangerous swells; we learned that if a helicopter flew overhead dropping tsunami warnings in bottles (seriously!), we would need to immediately drop our backpacks and sprint up towering ladder networks to avoid being swallowed by the sea; we were told to use the cable cars whenever possible to perform river crossings, which made us laugh due to “our extensive river crossing experience”; and we were urged, once again, never to run from a bear (or a wolf or a cougar).

After the park ranger sufficiently scared us, she sold us our trail permits. We donned our 50-pound backpacks (we were arguably overprepared for this trip, with more than two extra days of food and of course, the requisite board games we always take on backpacking trips) and stepped onto the ferry that took us to the beginning of our adventure. …

read the rest on Without Baggage – Brothers tackle dangerous surge channels on the West Coast Trail.

The annotated photos are spectacular!

West Coast Trail: Days 1 – 3 Photography.
West Coast Trail: Days 4 – 5 Photography.
West Coast Trail: Days 6 – 8 Photography.

Congratulations to Hank and his brother. That was some adventure!

I instantly subscribed to Without Baggage. And recommend you do too.

November 17, 2008

hiking Paria Canyon solo

Benjamin Burner stumbled accidentally on to one of the best hikes in the world, Paria Canyon on the Arizona – Utah border. Itâ€™s the best slot canyon hike anywhere.

His photos are excellent. His trip report philosophic:

Advantages of Traveling Alone

Flexibility. This is a nice euphemism for selfishness. Going solo means you set your own pace, your own agenda, meal plan, lodging arrangements etc. In day to day life I find I constantly interact with people who I must accommodate. I need a vacation from this as much as anything.

Nature. With nature as my sole companion I am free from the distractions of society. I find I experience the beauty and purity of nature not as a spectator but as a participant.

Solitude. It is often only through solitude that I truly know myself. I find these times of solitude necessary for deep introspection.

Independence. I have been blessed with a few great friends who have always been there for me, but I believe it is important for me to survive on my own from time to time. As a man, I use this independence to take risks, test my strength, and assert my silly inner boy. However, regardless of your sex or what independence means to you, I believe the confidence gained from this independence is vital in shaping us and who we will be around others.

Spiritual Growth. Perhaps it is partly because I am religious, but I often feel the presence of god more keenly when I am alone in the wilderness. God speaks to me through the mountains and the trees, and sometimes I only hear it when I am alone and free from distractions.

Read the rest of the post on Burner Photography – Traveling Alone through the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument

Besthike information page – PARIA CANYON

November 16, 2008

The Great Eastern Trail

From Section Hiker:

I love the Appalachian Trail, but on weekends and in the summer time, it can feel really crowded.

In fact, the ATC estimates that 4 million people hike on the AT each year, and a lot of their trail maintenance and stewardship efforts go toward mitigating their impact on the surrounding environment and other visitorsâ€™ experiences. Repairing overuse damage, building privies, and adding more campsites is necessary to contain an ever increasing number of visitors each year.

So when I learned about the Great Eastern Trail (GET), I was intrigued. Itâ€™s a new 2000 mile, long distance trail that will lie west of the AT and pass through Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virgina, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York, linking the Florida Trail to the North Country Trail. …

larger version

click through for more information on this terrific under construction thru hiking adventure – The Great Eastern Trail