Best hikes, treks, tramps in the world.
No details yet.
But on Facebook I did get to see a few photos from the Glaser clan bandana hike on the Kalalau Trail in Kauai, Hawaii. It’s the best on the islands.
Michael
Full trip report later.
Here’s my own trip report from April – paradise – the Kalalau Trail in Hawaii
Great entertainment at the campsite is sharing “hiking disaster” stories.
A new blog — inspired by Touching the Void — documents them.
This blog is about learning from other people’s mistakes, so you don’t make the same ones.
Some sample posts:
original – flickr – justinbaeder
(via Two-Heel Drive)
I’ll send in my own worst hiking experience: lost and hypothermic in the Andes
Al LePage, director of the National Coast Trail Association will be hiking the entire 400-mile Oregon Coast Trail as an “Oregon Coast Legacy Hike” from July 14th to August 12th, 2008 to promote the need both for an “Oregon Coast Legacy Conservation Plan” to preserve the Oregon coast and for everyone to work together.
He will be starting the hike exactly on the same date, and doing it over the same 30-day period, he first hiked it’s entire length twenty years ago in 1988 and will explore and share how it has changed in one generation.
LePage will offer free public events, “Oregon Coast Legacy Hike: Stories and Songs” which are scheduled in Cannon Beach, Lincoln City, Newport, Florence, Coos Bay, Gold Beach and Brookings from 7-9 PM while he’s actually enroute to talk with residents about conservation, share his experiences along the trail and sing some songs.
The planned day-by-day intinerary is available on-line at www.coasttrails.org. …
Al LePage
Very cool.
There’s more to Trailspotting than just spotting trails, and we’re adding new features all the time. Here’s a summary of the special features we’ve let loose during our first few months of publication …
Trailspotting – Features
I love this site.
Diego let me know that the address of his fantastic photo site is now WildPatagonia.com
He’s captured some astounding animal photos in the wilds of South America. Especially of Pumas.
Check it out: WildPatagonia.com
Tom Mangan on Two-Heel Drive posted a great overview on the famed California loop trail.
I’m looking at perhaps a week on the trail finishing Sept. 20th, 2008.
The Tahoe Rim Trail is a 165-mile (266 km) long-distance hiking trail which forms a loop around Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada and Carson ranges of California and Nevada in the United States. The trail ranges in elevation from 6,240 feet (1,900 m) at the outlet of Lake Tahoe to 10,338 feet (3,151 m) at Relay Peak in Nevada. About 50 miles (80 km) of trail above the lake’s west shore are also part of the much longer Pacific Crest Trail. …
The main hiking season is usually from July through September, though lingering snow patches may sometimes be found into August of high snow years. The trail is open year-round, but is not marked for winter use. The climate is typical of the Sierras, with severe storms during the winter and almost no precipitation falling in the summer.
… Hikers must obtain permits before entering the very popular Desolation Wilderness area southwest of the lake.
Tom recommended this guidebook.
Wilderness Press The Tahoe Rim Trail: A Complete Guide for Hikers, Mountain Bikers, and Equestrians
I’ll pick it up to plan my itinerary.
Another great hiking blog from California. It must be the CENTER OF THE OUTDOOR UNIVERSE.
I’ve just subscribed to Olivia’s Hiking Backpacks blog.
Don’t be fooled by the name. It’s got much, much more.
For example, this post on the Palisade EST bear vault. A food protection system which gives a small electric shock to animal intruders.
The Palisade EST is available in (3) sizes. 450, 600, and 900 cu in models which allow for a broad range of capacity to best fit your trip length.
It’s heavier and more expensive than the one I use.
But if you might be interested, click through to Hiking Backpacks: Shocked by a Grizzly? Shock it Back!
I am still looking for a link to the bear vault which has a night light. That way I can FIND my food in the dark.
related post: my gear 2007 – besthike editor
They are celebrating at Happy Camp every night this time of year. It’s high season.
If you’ve never been, check this trip report / article and photos from guru Peter Potterfield on Great Outdoors:
The rocky slope is dusted with light snow and coated with freezing rain. I take one more big step—slowly and carefully–and then another. Here, on the steepest part of this storied route, the next step is the only one that matters. These are the so called Golden Stairs leading to Chilkoot Pass, and a similar caution must have been the mantra of hardy miners who plied this cruel slope in 1898. Here, the most trying section of the long ascent climbs steeply up past the “Scales,†the historic rocky ledge where miners had to prove they carried the requisite weight of equipment and supplies to pass muster with the Mounties.
Both sides of the trail are littered with rusting relics, equipment the miners jettisoned out of exhaustion. Even today, the offal of their back-breaking burdens remains, strewn along the way, giving the trail an authentic aroma of human struggle. But these treasure seekers weren’t the first to use this great trail. One of the few glacier-free corridors through the intimidating Coast Range of British Columbia, the Yukon and Alaska, the Chilkoot Pass had for centuries been a crucial trade route for the native peoples of the coast. And now it remains one of the most interesting backcountry routes in North America. …
Want to go?
Check our information page on The Chilkoot Trail – besthike.com
Warren Long has a friend developing a social networking site for outdoors people. Routiki.com — a work in progress — is a place to share Running/Walking/Biking/Hiking routes on top of GoogleMaps.
Click PLAY or watch an explanation on YouTube.
Check it out for yourself: Routiki.com
I’m still waiting on the perfect solution for mapping the best hikes in the world in one place. GoogleMaps is one option. But is it the best?
Leave a comment if you have advice for me.
AT bought an Alpacka Raft.
I’m jealous.
Alpacka rafts are ultra-light inflatable rafts designed for wilderness boating. They are ightweight (about 2kg), very durable, repairable in the field, and suitable for running whitewater. In certain terrains (such as Lapland), packrafts tremendously expand your exploration options. The unique virtue of the packraft is its portability. Alpacka Raft is designed to be carried for extended distances, along with its propulsion system (usually collapsable paddles or lightweight oars).
Ouch. $790 retail. I still can’t afford one.
Alpacka Raft – official website
besthike.com 