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hike the Forbidden Plateau, B.C.

Easiest access to Strathcona Provincial Park on Vancouver Island.

I finally found the time to hike this very popular destination, only 1hr from my parents house in Parksville, B.C.

… The gently sloping sub-alpine terrain is broken by small, rugged hills and pitted with small lakes. Much of it is contained within Strathcona Provincial Park, and a network of trails facilitate hiking, cross country skiing, and access to Mount Albert Edward.

wikipedia – Forbidden Plateau

Highlights include lakes and alpine meadows (former lakes). In fact, the most popular trailhead is Paradise Meadows at Mount Washington Alpine Resort ski hill. Most famous for ski and mountain bike trails, the Forbidden Plateau draws thousands of hikers each year, as well.

I camped at Circlet Lake. This is the best campground basecamp for those who plan to scramble off-trail routes in Strathcona. (The most popular being Albert Edward and Castle Crag.)

I feared the trails would be tree locked. Not so. The views are quite open. It’s consistently pretty. A section close to the ski resort is even wheelchair accessible. There are good options here for hikers of all ability levels.

See the rest of my annotated photos on flickr – hiking Forbidden Plateau, B.C.

related post: walk up, ride down – Mt Washington, B.C.

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Therm-a-Rest NeoAir

I gots to get one of these.

neoairpad1w_2.jpgFor the past month, rumors have circulated among the outdoor-gear cognoscenti about a new minimalist air mattress that’d pack to the size of a one-liter Nalgene bottle while providing nearly as much warmth as a bulky pad stuffed with goose down.

Indeed, the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Mattress, announced officially on July 17, is now touted as the “world’s lightest, most advanced three-season air mattress.” Manufacturer Cascade Designs Inc. cites the inflatable pad as being approximately three times warmer than any other un-insulated air mattress on the market.

While the pad isn’t yet available for testing — and it won’t ship to stores until April 2009 — …

WHAT! … WHY so long?

NeoAir pads will come in four sizes, but the smallest iteration — which measures 20 x 47 inches unrolled and packs to the size of the aforementioned Nalgene bottle — will weigh a scant 9 ounces, or less than the average trail-running shoe. …

NeoAir debuts next year for $120 – $170, depending on size. If all is as the company claims, this pad could be a panacea for backpackers looking to cut bulk and save weight while still sleeping cozy in a bag on the cold hard ground.

The Gear Junkie Scoop: Therm-a-Rest NeoAir – Outside

I’m loving my ExPed 7 — but it weighs 27.9oz (790gms). I usually leave it at home.

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walk up, ride down – Mt Washington, B.C.

I had a great half day on Vancouver Island. (Not at the much more famous Mt Washington in New Hampshire.)

Mt Washington is the home of the excellent Mount Washington Alpine Resort. It’s 25km from the Comox Valley, close to good hostels in Courtenay.

In summer the chair lift carries hikers and bikers. The view from the top is awesome.

The real highlight are the cheeky ‘Whiskey Jacks’ (Gray Jays) who happily alight on your hand, hoping for crumbs. (Don’t feed them.)

If you climb the mountain (45min) you can ride down for free. Otherwise, a trip is a reasonable $15.

Highly recommended.

more photos – flickr

Nearby is Paradise Meadows Trailhead, the best jumping off point for hiking the Forbidden Plateau. This is also the most popular trailhead of all in massive Strathcona Provincial Park.

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great gifts for hikers

Check this page on the Life is Good site:

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category – camp and hike

not-all-who-wander.jpgMy own personal favourite: Not all who wander are lost. (I have 3 of these.)

Life is good Inc. is doing well:

Last year, the company sold 4.2 million of its $25 T-shirts and had sales of roughly $107 million, said Bert Jacobs, who along with his brother, John Jacobs, founded the business in Needham, Mass., in 1994 with only a handful of styles and a van.

They were trying to create “a symbol about what was right in the world,” he said

NY Times

(via Wicked Outdoorsy)

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top 10 walkable cities in the USA

Well, if you live in San Francisco, New York or Boston you’re lucky enough to live in one of the top three. With Chicago, Philadelphia, Seattle, Washington D.C., Long Beach California, Los Angles and Portland .. rounding out the list.

Treehugger

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Things to Do in San Francisco

Top 10 Least Walkable U.S. Cities

1. Jacksonville
2. Nashville
3. Charlotte
4. Indianapolis
5. Oklahoma City
6. Memphis
7. Kansas City
8. Fort Worth
9. El Paso
10. Mesa

Treehugger

Indianapolis is not so bad. Let’s replace it with Phoenix.

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Chill Factor hats for hikers

Keep cool on the Trail.

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Kevin Pringles of Chill Factor Clothing emailed:

We have developed a cooling hat that keeps people cooler and safer in the heat, so it is perfect for hikers. The hats have a crystal material inside that absorb water and turn into a cooling gel. When soaked in ice water, the hats get very cold and they can protect people from heat related injuries. For more information, check out the following link:

Chill Factor Clothing – hydro crystal

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more hat styles – photo Gallery

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section hike the Hayduke Trail, Utah

Backpacker magazine recommends a 55mi stretch of the infamous 800+mi Hayduke Trail in the American S.W.

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The otherworldly terrain in southern Utah’s labyrinthine canyon country–slots, hoodoos, mesas, bizarre sandstone formations–is as confusing as it is captivating. Get off-track or miss one of the infrequent water sources, and you have real problems. This 55-mile, roughly eight-day stretch of the Hayduke Trail serves up both extremes. You’ll travel mostly off-trail, with steep, loose scrambles, deep sand slogs, and a paucity of distinctive terrain features. Long stretches are waterless–including the first 25 miles. In return, you get bragging rights for a spectacularly remote and rarely traveled journey.

Tech assist Use ExpertGPS (expertgps.com) to plot routes using topo and aerial photographs, then send data to your GPS. Plan best-case routes and alternates, since the complex terrain may present obstacles you can’t identify on screen. Example: See backpacker.com/hayduke for our custom file with multiple off-trail routes.

Start in Canyonlands’s Needles District, where multicolored sandstone towers stand like 200-foot candles above the desert. You’ll pass under Seldom Seen Bridge and trek by the cliff dwellings and rock art of Fable Valley. Mark water caches (drop one pretrip to avoid carrying three days’ supply at the start) and critical water sources (at miles 24.7, 34.1, and 42).

Tip: Waypoint your vehicle at trip’s end as well. …

read more – Backpacker

I’m currently reading The Monkey Wrench Gang (P.S.), the book that inspired this adventure.

I’m no Brian Frankle. This 55mi section for wimps sounds plenty tough enough for me.

(via The Adventure Blog)

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Overland Track in winter – snow in Oz?

Another excellent post on Our Hiking Blog shares a very cool adventure. They reposted Nick’s pics of a winter tramp on the most famous hiking route in Australia:

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Pelion Hut in winter

See more photos – Winter in Tasmania – Snow on the Arm River and Overland Track

Here’s how the same gorgeous alpine hut looks in summer:

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Pelion Hut in summer. (from our February 2007 trip report)

Looking for an excuse to hike Australia? Check our Overland Track information page. It’s one of our top 10 hikes in the world.

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bear attacks trail runner

An incident in the Canadian Rockies opens once again the debate on whether to “play dead” when being attacked by a bear.

A trail runner attacked and bitten up to eight times by a black bear near Lake Louise serves as a chilling reminder of the dangers the public face at this time of year when sharing space with wildlife in the mountain parks. …

D’hamers, a Belgian who has been living and working in the Lake Louise area for more than a year, was no stranger to the 10-kilometre Great Divide Trail, regularly running on the decommissioned stretch of road.

She was running alone on the closed stretch of Highway 1A between Lake Louise Drive and the Trans-Canada Highway when she came face-to-face with the animal around 6 p.m.

The 23-year-old initially began backing up, but when the bear followed her for about 100 metres, she decided instead to lay face down on the ground, according to Morrison.

The attack is unusual, he said, with the last bear mauling in the Lake Louise area taking place in 1995.

The plan to play dead backfired as the bear continued to approach her, sniffing and licking the back of her legs and eventually biting her multiple times on her upper legs and back.

“The young lady showed considerable wherewithal in that she realized her strategy wasn’t working early in the game,” Morrison said. “Playing dead is not recommended in most situations.”

D’hamers jumped back to her feet, yelling aggressively at the bear and continuing to back away. After nearly 30 minutes of D’hamers reversing, yelling and waving her arms, the bear finally retreated. D’hamers continued the final few kilometres back to the main road, where she flagged down a Parks Canada warden. …

Calgary Herald

(via A Trail Runner’s Blog)

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larger original – flickr – jvh33

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inspired by mountain goats

Olivia was inspired to post after seeing a great photo of mountain goats:

While hiking the San Juan mountains in Colorado, we spotted a small herd of mountain goats. …

We arrived at our campsite, wriggled our happy bare toes and snacked on cliff bars. Then the goats came. They didn’t hunch in the bushes inspecting us, they just came right over and surrounded us. We were excited that we got to see them so close up. Until they wouldn’t go away. We figured out what they wanted when Jack peed next to a bush. The goats wanted our urine! The crazy critters! They followed us around waiting for us to relieve ourselves, sometimes quite impatiently. Then they licked it up. Must’ve been the salt in it. Shrug.

I can’t tell you how disconcerting it is to pee while surrounded by three goats huffing and stomping impatiently.

read the entire post on Backpack Reviews

In Canada we are often followed by Mule Deer for the same reason. Once salt starved, they get very demanding of human urine.

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Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park, Montana – original – flickr – SqueakyMarmot

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Glacier National Park, Montana – original – flickr – jessicafm