besthike.com

October 3, 2008

eco-friendly Hilton in hiking destination

Planning on a trek on the Nahuel Huapi Traverse in the Patagonian Andes?

After that adventure you can relax here:

The Portuguese group IMOCOM presented its latest project in Argentina, a Hilton branded hotel in Bariloche (Patagonia) that was introduced as “eco friendly“. According to the company’s CEO, Hugo Canessa, the broad term refers to the hotel layout, which will blend with the mountain it’s located in to reduce visual impact, and the fact that during the building process and later in its operational phase, the hotel will have efficient use of energy and water and “proper management of soil and drainage.”

Besides the green talk, neighbors are concerned about the impact the building will have in this beautiful area. The fact that the hotel is placed in a mountain, is going to get water from the pristine Nahuel Huapi lake, and is surely disposing water nearby, are causes for worry.

Green or greenwashing? Keep reading for more info and pictures. …

Treehugger

October 2, 2008

16,500mi National Scenic Trails treks

Bart Smith completed over 37 million steps this morning, plus nearly 100,000 photographs in his 16-year shooting trek of all the National Scenic Trails (NTS). No other person can boast this astounding photo/hiking feat, covering over 16,500 miles and 34 states. …

Appalachian Trail (AT) – 2,175 miles

Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) – 2,650 miles

Florida Trail (FT) – 1,400 miles

Ice Age Trail (IAT) – 1,000 miles

Natchez Trace Trail (NTT) – 500 miles

Potomac Heritage Trail (PHT) – 990 miles

North Country Trail (NCT) – 4,600 miles

Continental Divide Trail (CDT) – 3,100 miles

To celebrate, Smith flies immediately to Washington, D.C., where he will join the 40th National Trail System Anniversary festivities.

Legacy of 16-Year Trail Adventure Highlights Largest Solo Photo Project in History – PR Web

I like Bart’s photo site: Walking Down a Dream.

(via Florida Hikes)

October 2, 2008

paving the Annapurna Circuit, Nepal

Fears of road construction ruining our #8 trek in the world have been somewhat exaggerated.

Hikers are concerned when they see articles like this:

… Late last year, the Australian tour operator Peregrine Adventures, which has organised trips to Nepal for more than 30 years, abandoned the “classic” Annapurna Circuit, which stretches for 300 kilometres and reaches altitudes of more than 5000 metres.

“We’ve dropped that trip altogether because of the road,” operations director Tietse Stelma says. “Ten years ago it was such a beautiful trek going up into the mountains with the Annapurnas in front of you. Now you have more and more traffic on the road and building activity – when you go on a trek, you don’t want to hear that.” …

Rocky road for trekkers – The Age

Annapurna is still a wonderful adventure. But you might want to skip the Jomson Trek, the section where a new roadway is under construction.

Here’s a terrific documentary titled Paving Shangri La which paints the worst case scenario:

Click PLAY or watch it (Part 2) on YouTube. (7.29min)

Part 1 = watch it on YouTube. (7.42min)

The narrator is Andrew Stevenson, author of A Nepalese Journey: The Essence of the Annapurna Circuit and Annapurna Circuit – Himalayan Journey.

I have friends trekking Annapurna in October. I’ll report back on just how much the road construction “ruined” the experience.

Not much, I expect.

October 1, 2008

the Bogley Outdoor Community

Bogley found me through Twitter. And I’m glad they did.

It’s an American social network of outdoor enthusiasts. They love mountain biking, hiking, climbing, kayaking, canyoning. Just about anything outside.

They have a blog, forum, over 10,000 photos on flickr and a Youtube video channel.

They network using MySpace, Facebook, Friendster, Digg and LinkedIn.

screen shot

The best jumping off point to check them out is their main website: Bogley.com

I’ve subscribed to several Bogley feeds and will be linking to them in future.

September 30, 2008

Death Valley photos – James Gordon

Death Valley: The name is forbidding and gloomy. Yet here in the valley, much of it below sea level, you can find colorful badlands, snow-covered peaks, beautiful sand dunes, rugged canyons, and the hottest driest spot in North America.

Just a few of James’ wonderful pics:

Death Valley California photo set – flickr – James Gordon

September 29, 2008

thru hike the American Discovery Trail

We are Jennifer and Stacy. We have chosen Shaman (stacy) and Weck (jennifer) as our trail names. Our primary goal is to hike the United States starting with the American Discovery Trail.

Because we are both out of shape and overweight, we are spending the next several months, planning, training, and preparing to take to the road. We have started by hiking local state parks and trails. We plan to journal and photo document everything we do as a record for ourselves and anyone else out there that is interested in doing the same thing.

Part of the plan is to sell our vehicles, our home, and nearly everything in it. The only things we want are the things weâ€™ll need on the road. For us, this isnâ€™t just a trip, or a vacationâ€¦ it is a lifestyle change. …

They’ve put together a nice looking blog dedicated to this major life change.

ThisTrek.com

September 28, 2008

rescuing a drowning bear

… Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologist Adam Warwick just couldn’t let the bear drown, so he took off his shirt and dive after it. The 375 lbs black bear had been spotted in a residential area, obviously looking for food, and was shot with a tranquilizer dart. Unfortunately, before it went under, it jumped in the water of the Gulf of Mexico. …

click through for more photos and a video – Man Saves 375 lbs Black Bear from Drowning – Treehugger

September 28, 2008

Bike Friday Folding Bicycle

Andrew Posner searched for a bike for a frequent traveller:

… It had to: be reasonably light (between 20 and 24 pounds); have a steel frame; fold down small enough to fit into a suitcase that can be checked in at the airport; have a wide enough gear ratio to be used for long training rides and hill climbs; and cost no more than around $1,300.

…

I eventually settled on the Bike Friday Pocket Rocket, a $999 dollar bike that comes with a beautiful fire-engine red paint job, drop handlebars, a steel frame, and easy folding capabilities. The 20 inch wheels roll fast enough to make long rides possible, while still being small enough to fit into a suitcase. For another $250 you can purchase a special suitcase designed for the bike; the suitcase can be checked in at the airport as standard luggage (read that: no extra charges). Traveling with a bicycle couldn’t be easier. …

A Review of my Bike Friday Folding Bicycle

This is the best travel bike I’ve found, so far.

Bike Friday – details

September 27, 2008

Fall foliage photos

Fall is the most beautiful time of the year in the outdoors, I feel.

larger original – flickr – starmist1

larger original – flickr – Idle Type

larger original – flickr – Just-Us-3

More “interesting” Fall foliage photos.

Gadling posted the best locations for Fall foliage in North America.

Leave a comment below if you have your own favourite hiking destination in the Fall. Mine is Lake O’Hara in the Canadian Rockies.

September 26, 2008

hiker Andrew Skurka on tour

Sadly I missed the world’s greatest hiker when he spoke in my city last week.

He’s on tour following his 11,000-kilometre Great Western Loop in 208 days, a blistering pace of 53 kilometres per day.

Next on his calendar:

Thurs, Nov 20 — National Geographic Adventurer of the Year — Washington DC

Sat, Nov 22 — Explorers Festival – Lodz, Poland

Fri, Jan 9 — Cuyahoga Valley National Park — Brecksville, OH

Thurs, Jan 15 — Mystic Seaport — Mystic, CT

events will be updated on his services page.