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Chile hates Canadian beaver

pw_map.gifReading trip reports from the famous Dientes Circuit in Chilean Patagonia, you hear horror stories of environmental devastation.

Here’s how it happened.

… In a classic example of ecological shortsightedness, the problem began when fifty North American beavers (Castor canadensis) were introduced by the Argentine government during the 1940s in the hopes of establishing a fur industry. Since then however, without natural predators to trim their numbers, the beaver population has now exploded to 100,000 – invading almost 16 million hectares of unique, native forest.

– it looks like bulldozers steamed through,” says ecologist Josh Donlan, director of Advanced Conservation Strategies, a non-profit based in Driggs, Idaho. …

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original photo – flickr

Treehugger – Plans to “Totally Eradicate” Tierra del Fuego’s Invasive Beavers

The “final solution”.

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Cape Split Trail, Nova Scotia

One of the best hiking trails in Nova Scotia outside of Cape Breton Island is a 16km trail called the Cape Split trail. This 4-5 hour hike takes you through a beautiful forest ending at a tremendous overlook into the Bay of Fundy, where you can witness one of the most amazing tidal bores in the world.

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trip report and more photos – Guitarfish.org

Cape Split Trail – NovaTrails.com

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top 10 Adventure cities of the world

Just subscribed by RSS to Adventure Trip magazine online. Nice.

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One article was written by Kraig Becker of The Adventure Blog: Top Ten Adventure Cities

10. Moab, Utah – USA

9. Cusco, Peru

8. Zermatt, Switzerland

7. Boulder, Colorado – USA

6. Punta Arenas, Chile

5. Chamonix, France

4. Queenstown, New Zealand

3. Vancouver, British Columbia – Canada

2. Arusha, Tanzania

1. Kathmandu, Nepal

A great list. Thanks Kraig.

Check out the new online magazine for yourself: Adventure Trip magazine

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Trailspotting does Hawaii

I often ask, why is Trailspotting better than Besthike?

Quality control.

Simple.

… Every trail you find on Trailspotting has been hiked, charted and photographed by us, which is how we can provide you with the most accurate and comprehensive information possible. After returning from our recent trip to Maui, we’re now proud to be able to boast about our coverage of three major islands in the Hawaiian chain. …

hawaii-map.gifStill my favourite format for a hiking blog, I’m pleased to see Trailspotting doing the advance footwork for me in Hawai.

Before I went to Kauai, Trailspotting had been there.

Now I’m looking towards a hiking vacation in Mauai. Trailspotting has already scouted the island.

If you are thinking about Hawaii too — here’s the Trailspotting overview post: Hawai Trails Special Feature

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trekking the Simien Mountains, Ethiopia

A hiking buddy from Peru, Grant Assenheimer, is off to work for Medicines Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) in Ethiopia.

His partner Chantelle is going to visit in December. There they will head for one of my most sought after future hiking destinations. Click through to see the pics.

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Martin Wierzbicki

more Photos by Martin

UPDATE: Grant emailed from … Bangladesh. What’s with that? Someone tell him the hiking is better in Ethiopia.

UPDATE 2: Grant emailed again to confirm he was reassigned due to RAT INFESTATION. Yup. The last rat plague was in 1959. They are back.

Villagers must eat the rats as they have very little other food. Grant must hike many miles, actually, as 3 of his assigned villages are accessible only by foot.

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Welcome to Vancouver Trails

Vancouver Trails is a new site (no RSS feed) in Canadia.

Panoramic mountain top views, tranquil lakes, thick west coast rain forests, beautiful waterfalls, and breath taking alpine scenery are just a few of the many spectacular outdoor experiences along the hiking trails near Vancouver, British Columbia.

Hiking is the perfect way to enjoy the nature and beautiful scenery that Vancouver has to offer. Vancouver Trails has a range of trails from easy to difficult, from half day to full day hikes, each divided amonst several regions and each with their own unique terrain.

Start planning your outdoor adventure by viewing the list of trails or use the regional map as a reference point to where each trail is located. …

Vancouver Trails

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A good sample hike to check out is Black Tusk:

The dark, jagged edges of Black Tusk make it one of the most scenic and unique hikes in southwestern British Columbia. Located in Garibaldi Provincial Park, Black Tusk is the most spectacular mountain in the area.

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Region: Whistler
Difficulty: Difficult
Time: 11 hours
Distance: 29km
Elevation Gain: 1740 meters
Season: July – October
Camping: Yes
Transportation: Car
Estimated Driving Time from Vancouver: 1 hour 45 minutes

Black Tusk

(via BluePeak)

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wading and trekking Paria Canyon, Utah

My favourite hike in the S.W. USA is Paria Canyon. It straddles the border between Utah and Arizona.

In my trip report, I called it the best canyon walk in the world.

Andrew and Sheila posted some wonderful photos of their March 2008 trip.

… we backpacked the 62km length of the Paria canyon. Although wet and somewhat cold so early in the season (we waded in the river proper for at least half the hike, and encountered 1 freak snowstorm on the second day), the scenery was spectacular and well worth the effort. What’s more, the snow seemed to have scared a good many hikers away, and we saw only 3 others on the trail in the 5 days of hiking!

Brilliant!

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Sheila

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They added the sidetrip to Wrather Arch, one of the world’s largest.

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See the rest of their photos on Pbase

our Paria Canyon information page