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
Tahoe Rim Trail in September
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.
Hiking Backpacks blog
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
hike Yukon and Alaska – the Chilkoot Trail
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
share hiking routes on Google Maps – routiki.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.
Alpacka Raft for hiking
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
hike Isle Royale National Park, Michigan
Brian recommends an adventure I’ve never heard about.
Even getting there is a bit daunting:
Isle Royale is different than most national parks in that it requires real planning and preparation to visit. The park, actually an archipelago of 200 islands, is quite remote. Just getting to one of its three ports of departure — Houghton, Michigan, Copper Harbor, Michigan, or Grand Harbor, Minnesota — requires some planning. Once visitors arrive in their chosen port town, they take a passenger ferry or a seaplane (from Houghton only) to the narrow, 45-mile-long island. …
The Greenstone Ridge is the longest and most popular of Isle Royale’s “long” trails. The trail runs along the spine of the island, spanning some 40 miles from the northeast at Lookout Louise to the southwest at Windigo. “The Greenstone,” as it is called by hikers, winds through forests of maple and birch, past swamps and bogs, and up 1,394-foot Mount Desor, the highest point on the island. …
GORP – Onto the Greenstone Ridge
atop Desor – photo from Johnny Molloy’s trip report
Moose are one of Isle Royale’s main attractions. The “infamous blackflies and mosquitoes” the main reason to stay home.
Wikipedia used my photo of Bamfield
Nice.
I had no idea that one of my Creative Commons licensed pictures was being used on the Bamfield, British Columbia Wikipedia page.
That’s cool. They linked back to the original photo.
The only problem was that the caption on the photo was incorrect. I simply went into Wikipedia and deleted the wrong caption.
That’s cool too. Thank’s Brooke Cameron.
Bamfield is one of the trailheads for the West Coast Trail, by the way.
recommended – Powermonkey Solar Power Charger
George bought a solar power charger over the winter. So far, he’s very impressed.
The official weight listed is 1.4lbs. But that’s with EVERY piece. If you are only hiking with an iPod and a phone, it would be far lighter than 1lb.
You hang the solar charger anywhere on your pack. It stores a charge for later juicing your camera, phone and other electronics.
I’m convinced. I’ll get one for longer trips this summer. Cost is $130 from Amazon. George got his for less than $100.
10 best day hikes in Ontario
Explore magazine lists 10 great walks in Ontario, Canada:
1. High Falls Trail, Petroglyphs Provincial Park
2. Gibson Lake Trail, Frontenac Provincial Park
3. Baker Trail, Massasauga Provincial Park
4. Fire Tower Trail, Restoule Provincial Park
5. Under the Volcano Trail, Neys Provincial Park
6. Brent Crater Trail, Algonquin Provincial Park
7. Bluff Trail, Awenda Provincial Park
8. Cobre Lake Trail, Mississagi Provincial Park
9. Spicebush Trail, Rondeau Provincial Park
10. Awausee Trail, Lake Superior Provincial Park
Awausee Trail. First look out. – Picassa
(via AOL travel)
besthike.com 