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recommended hiking book – The Cactus Eaters

How I Lost My Mind-and Almost Found Myself-on the Pacific Crest Trail

Traversing broiling deserts, snowy mountain passes and dank rain forests on its crooked way from Mexico to Canada, the Pacific Coast Trail is an epic challenge for die-hard backpackers. White and his girlfriend, Melissa, set out, late in the season and bereft of experience, to tread all 2,650 miles of it, leaving behind lousy reporting jobs and hoping to find self-definition and a deepened relationship. (They call their trek the Lois and Clark Expedition.)

How I Lost My Mind-and Almost Found Myself-on the Pacific Crest Trail (P.S.)

Hilarious greenhorn misadventures ensue—including the author’s ill-advised chomp, while dizzy with dehydration, into a reputedly moisture-laden prickly-pear cactus—that tested their survival skills and commitment as a couple. The trail becomes less an itinerary than a world unto itself, full of squalor, discomfort and majestic scenery, and peopled by charismatic misfits and an austere cult of ultra-light speed-hikers, as the couple rely on arcane camping gear and bizarre gummy-bear-and-marshmallow diets. The wilderness authenticity the author seeks proves elusive; all journey and no destination, the story itself eventually trails off with the hero even more callow and confused than when he started. Still, White’s vivid prose and hangdog humor make readers want to keep up.

The Cactus Eaters – Amazon

Thanks Peter Spiller of Outside San Diego for the tip.

It’s jumped to the top of my MUST READ ON THE TRAIL list. Sounds like A Walk in the Woods crossed with A Blistered Kind of Love.

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public transport to best hike trailheads

Do you hate parking a rental car at the trailhead?

glacier-wiki.jpgThanks JTownshend for pointing us to a website which clearly explains transportation options from my home town — Calgary, Alberta, Canada — to Waterton National Park on the U.S. border.

Why is this such valuable information?

Because that’s how you can most easily access our #6) best hike in the world: Glacier North Circle, Montana, USA, at least from Canada.

If you do not have your own vehicle, here’s how to get to one of the trailheads from the Calgary airport:

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Airport Shuttle Express – Calgary to Waterton

(I’d skip the airport taxi, instead taking the public bus downtown for $2.50.)

If you have not yet decided on what BIG hike to do this summer, consider the North Circle. It’s awesome.

And — as a bonus — out of Calgary you could add our #5 best hike in the world — Sunshine to Assiniboine — in the Canadian Rockies. No personal vehicle needed for that adventure either, assuming you start and finish at the Sunshine Village trailhead.

Another great option is our #2) best hike in the world — the John Muir Trail, in California.

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hiking in Taiwan

I’m scheduled to take a trip to Cambodia in July. (A volunteer position working with sport coaches there.)

It’s too hot and humid in summer for hiking, I fear. But what if I stopped over in Taiwan on the return? What are the best hikes there?

RESEARCH:

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… the island is covered with remote and beautiful mountains, which are laced with hundreds of hiking trails. These are the emerald peaks that visitors see from their plane windows, just before they descend into a factory city on the west coast.

Taiwan is home to the highest mountain in east Asia – at 3,952 meters Yushan (Jade mountain), is taller than Japan’s Mt. Fuji – while dozens of peaks soar above 3,000 meters. Protected by national parks, and home to black bears, salmon, rare birds and other wildlife, the mountains are Taiwan’s most compelling attraction.

Trekking in Taiwan is not for the faint-hearted. The Central Mountain Range is steep and wild, and much of it is covered with thick forest. Summer thunderstorms rise unseen, temperatures can drop below zero, and facilities are few and far between. But for those willing to carry their own gear, the treks are among the most beautiful in Asia.

The top hikes in Taiwan – Chilai Ridge and Yushan – require a reasonable level of fitness and the proper equipment, which includes a tent and stove, food and water, a sleeping bag, good boots, and warm clothes.

To really get away from it all, try the Chilai Ridge trail, a rugged walk straight down the mountainous spine of Taiwan. The trail begins at Ho Huan Shan hostel, on the northern cross-island highway (#14) about 60 kilometers from Puli.

From the hostel, it takes four hours and a lot of legwork to reach the 3,200-meter summit of Chilai Ridge. The ridge trail then proceeds due south, over a succession of rocky outcrops that is regarded as the most dangerous trekking walk in Taiwan, but one that is unrivalled in beauty. In some places the ridge is sharp as a knife, with cliffs on either side, and it is composed of leaves of shale that crumble underfoot like rotten cake. …

Out of Thick Air: Taiwan’s Mountain Highs – Time magazine – BRENT HANNON

Sadly, in the end, my flight was routed via Hong Kong instead.

Hmmm. Perhaps I should do one of the big urban hikes while in transit.

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hiking performance art

Jim Denevan made the world’s largest freehand drawing a few weeks ago on a dry lake in Nevada. How big is it? Three mile across, which took 100 miles of walking to draw the pattern:

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… The artist says: “My drawings are made totally freehand – large, then shrunk (if photographed).” “At low tide on wide beaches Jim searches the shore for a wave tossed stick. After finding a good stick and composing himself in the near and far environment Jim draws– laboring up to 7 hours and walking as many as 30 miles. The resulting sand drawing is made entirely freehand with no measuring aids whatsoever.” …

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The Art of Jim Denevan – official website

(via Dark Roasted Blend – The Largest Human-Made Art on Earth)

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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