Proof positive.
Video of my Funtastics Adventure Racing Team topping out on the second highest peak in the Cascade Range, Washington State.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
photos – flickr
Pacific Crest Trail – movie
There have been a number of trailers posted for the upcoming documentary Tell it on the Mountain, “tall tales and alluring lore from the Pacific Crest Trail”.
Here is the latest.
Trailer – Tell it on the Mountain from TellitontheMountain on Vimeo.
(via Take a Load Off)
meeting a bear on the Juan de Fuca Trail
In preparation for the longer West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island, Matt made a 2-day dash on the adjacent Juan de Fuca Marine Trail. That’s 47km (29mi) of tough hiking.
One part of his trip report struck home:
…on the trail around 9:00. Sombrio River was quite low, so I opted to wade through it rather than trek up to the suspension bridge. The sun was shining, so I wasn’t too worried about wet feet. After a bit more beach walking, my spidey-sense was tingling. In a field of grey boulders, I saw one furry black boulder that looked out of place. Sure enough, a small bear was eating something, probably a dead seal. Luckily, the tide was out, so I was able to give him a wide berth. I had a chat with him on the way past, and we came to an understanding. I wouldn’t eat his dead seal, and he wouldn’t eat me. …
read the entire trip report with more photos
On my only hike on the JdF I had an encounter, as well. A small black bear decided to climb a tall tree in the middle of the campground. I was the only camper.
A quick exit was prudent.
There are a lot of bears in that part of the world.
I just subscribed to Matt’s blog: Take a Load Off – Lightweight Backpacking
… on the High Sierra Trail, California
Very, very high on my list of “next hikes” is this one. The photos on this trip report make me … jealous.
camp just below Franklin Pass
Last week I spent seven days hiking a loop through Sequoia National Park, going in along the famous High Sierra Trail and looping back into the tucked-away Mineral King from the Kern River Canyon. Our route took us through some incredible scenery (is there any other kind in the Sierra?), including a night of cowboy camping at Precipice Lake, the site of one of my favorite Ansel Adams photographs. It just so happened that the night coincided with the peak of the Perseid meteor shower …
trip report – The High Sierra Trail (and more!)
(via Two-Heel Drive)
oh Man, I missed Lake O’Hara
… Just browsing some photos from Michael Glaser and Ron Shewchuk on Facebook. Looks like I missed a brilliant weekend at the most gorgeous spot in the Canadian Rockies.
Dang.
This was the annual trip there for my Canadian hiking pals.
Want to go? Check our Lake O’Hara information page.
trip report – climbing Mt. Adams, Washington 2008
A die hard hiker, I consider mountaineering the pursuit of egotistic masochists. While climbers are suffering in their tents at base camp, hikers are enjoying every minute of their adventure far below.
So it was with some reluctance that I signed on with my Adventure Racing Team (The FARTs) on a volcano climb. My only previous experience in the Pacific Northwest was an unsuccessful attempt to scramble Mount St. Helens some 10yrs ago.
Our trip report was inked by Chief FART Evangelist Dave Adlard … who had not carried a backpack nor slept on the ground in many years:
… Lisa, Morgen, Rick, Matt and Dave set out for Mt. Adams, which at 12, 272 feet, is the second highest peak in the Cascades, just behind Rainier. …
… Mt. Adams is notoriously windy and cold, but we lucked out with high temps, and essentially no wind on Saturday, and as we went to bed, the full moon was coming up — to quote Matt, it was an epic evening! …
… just after 5:00 am, we headed toward the summit, some 3000 feet and 2 miles up. …
… Overall, it was a great weekend, and we learned a TON! We hope to join the Mountaineers ourselves and take several of the classes, so that we can attack Rainier and some of the other peaks next season. It is an addictive hobby, as there is something really special about reaching the top, with the great efforts required. It was also a heckuva workout! …
Dave Adlard – Funtastics Adventure Racing Team – — and so they pressed on
Dave’s right. It was a fantastic weekend. And I’m tempted to do more peaks. Especially Rainier.
Or … hopefully the urge will subside. And I’ll hike the Wonderland Trail around Rainier, instead. (I assume there must be a mountain called Rainiest, as well.)
And my favourite of Dave’s photos. A basecamp tent shot with rockwall behind.
The highlight of the trip for me was sledding down the mountain on our butts!
climbing Mt. Adams this weekend
Looks pretty easy …
larger original – flickr
Right? You think?
larger original – flickr
… the second-highest mountain in the state of Washington, USA. Adams is a member of the Cascade Volcanic Arc, one of the arc’s largest volcanoes and is located in a remote wilderness approximately 31 miles (50 km) east of Mount St. Helens. …
I assume my group is climbing to bring attention to “Global Warming”. Perhaps you haven’t heard of it.
There’s no way we would go way up there for FUN.
Hike Hacker site just went live
(Learned about it from Tom Mangan on Twitter. One of the few times Twitter has done anything useful for me.)
review – Ultimate Directions Baffin backpack
My Adventure Racing Team just bought 8 from Mountain Gear in Washington State for $30 each.
An older model, so far we are LOVING them.
The Ultimate Direction Baffin is a dynamite hydration pack that’s packed with features including an insulated hydration pocket, making it a natural choice for extreme hot or cold weather.
Features:
* Maintain the pack shape and never get overloaded – the contoured hydration pocket maintains pack’s intended shape and has a drainage hole at the bottom
* Large main pocket offers easy access while a front panel pocket and two side mesh pockets let your organize gear
* Contoured shoulder harness and removable waistbelt let you carry the load in comfortSpecifications:
* Capacity: 1000 cu in
* Weight: 1 lb 14 oz
* Fluid capacity: 64 fl oz
* Material: 420-denier nylon
Regular price $69.95. Sale Price: $29.98. – details
MSR Carbon Reflex 2 tent – WOW
I’m seriously looking at this one.
… we were ecstatic to find out about MSR’s two-man Carbon Reflex 2 (pictured at right). Similar to the popular Single Hubba tent (which is only for one person), they’ve done away with the hubs and are using carbon fiber poles. What does this one weigh in at? Two pounds, thirteen ounces. One ounce heavier than the Single Hubba, but for double the campers.
Outside – Outdoor Retailer: The Shows Lightest and Brainiest Tents
It’s not yet on the MSR website, as I write.
(via The Adventure Blog)
besthike.com 
