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Return to the Outdoors

Timex is sponsoring a contest where you and I can share our stories about why we love the outdoors.

I like the concept: Return to the Outdoors. It flies in the face of statistics I keep hearing about decreasing numbers in the outdoors.

A couple of celebrities inspire:

Conrad Anker is a world renowned mountaineer, big wall climber, author, and conservationist. He shares a vivid memory of one of his earliest outdoor moments and why he is inspired to help conserve the wild places he loves.

Click PLAY or watch Conrad on YouTube:

Nice.

Steph Davis is an elite Big Wall climber, author, and conservationalist. She was the first woman to climb the Salathe Wall on El Capitain without equipment. Steph shares a story about one of the wild places she loves.

Click PLAY or watch Steph on YouTube:

Return to the Outdoors – official website

Conservation Alliance – official website

Thanks TIMEX.

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(via The Adventure Blog)

Related post: Banff Festival – Where are the Women?

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hiker and builder – Ron Strickland

Ron Strickland has a site dedicated to long distance trails and the National Trails System in the USA.

He’s authored a number of books including:

  • THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST TRAIL GUIDE
  • SHANK’S MARE: A COMPENDIUM OF REMARKABLE WALKS

    • I’ve been writing about hiking since around 1999. Ron’s done more. And for somewhat longer than that.

    pacific-nw-trail.jpg

    Ron Strickland began to create the 1200-mile Pacific Northwest Trail (PNT) in 1970. Seven years later he founded the non-profit Pacific Northwest Trail Association (PNTA) to locate, develop, maintain, and protect the Trail. He described its Continental Divide-to-Pacific Ocean route in The Pacific Northwest Trail Guide.

    His current project is the creation of the transcontinental Sea-To-Sea Route.

    He is excited about C2C’s (1) vast scale, (2) proximity to record numbers of potential hikers, and (3) potential to transform America’s National Trails System. He says, “Hikers know that initially a proposed long walk can seem overwhelmingly difficult. But the wiser heads among them realize that even the longest journey is accomplished one step at a time. So, too, the Sea-To-Sea Route at first glance may seem like an impossible dream. But in 2007, having already convinced many skeptics, I know that I am on the right path and that this project is the perfect way for many hikers `to give back to the trail'” …

    Keep up the good fight, Ron!

    And congratulations on your March 2007 wedding to Christine Hartmann. There’s hope for us old bachelor hikers yet.

    2006-3-24-clou-at-bas-relie.jpg

    … married him even though she’d been winter hiking with him on the Appalachian Trail and knew what she was getting into.

    It’s a great story. To learn more, start with Ron’s Biography.

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    my Alakai Swamp trail run in Hawaii

    I like the route Lonely Planet Hiking Hawaii recommends for Alakai Swamp:

    Kalalau Lookout trailhead > Phea Lookout > Kilohana Lookout. And back.

    That’s maximum bang / mile, I think.

    It’s a brilliant hike, too, by the way. Don’t be deterred by the name “Swamp”.

    swamp-boardwalk-a.jpg

    OK, it’s a swamp. But it’s so weird and unexpected after the sunny, hot coastal beaches, that I was instantly won over. Many hikers are. For some it’s their favourite hike on Kauai.

    The highlight is not the swamp. Not pounding miles of boardwalk in my running shoes.

    Some come specifically to see indigenous Hawaiian flora and fauna.

    But for most, the highlight is the drop dead gorgeous 4000ft vista looking over Na Pali (The Cliffs). One of he great lookouts in the world.

    alakai-vista.jpg

    see all my photos from this hike on flickr

    learn more – Alaka’i Swamp Trail – Trailspotting

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    walking the Great Wall for Cancer prevention

    Recall that great blog of the Aussie couple walking the Great Wall of China. One of the best hiking travelogues in recent years.

    Well … Emma is going back. And this time bringing some friends:

    From April 7-29 I will be joining Olivia Newton-John, Sir Cliff Richard, Dannii Minogue, singer James Reyne, actress Sigrid Thornton, dancer Paul Mercurio and dozens of other athletes, celebrities and cancer survivors such as myself to walk 228 kilometres on the Great Walk to Beijing, all of us raising money for the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Centre at the Austin Hospital in Melbourne. This centre will bring under one roof a comprehensive suite of cancer services, including research programs, an innovative Wellness Centre, and facilities for acute and palliative care patients. …

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    Emma and Olivia Newton-John

    It’s a fund-raiser.

    Follow Emma’s journey on their old website: Walking the Wall

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    And check out the main website: The Great Walk to Beijing

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    Mountain Hardware Scrambler day pack

    I’m giving a mixed review to my new $55 day pack:

    Weighing only 10 ounces, the ultra-lightweight Mountain Hardwear Scrambler is the perfect approach bag to stash in your pack. Ergonomic S-curve shoulder straps and a removable EVA back panel make the Scrambler comfortable for peak ascents and long day hikes.

    Details

    * Removable EVA pack panel adds structure to the pack …
    * Self-healing, silicon-coated 100D Cordura …
    * Front bungee web for external storage and load compression …
    * Top access with draw cord closure
    * Doubles as sleeping bag stuff sack

    scrambler.jpg

    larger image and details on WinterFix

    Pros: Weight, size, appearance. I really like the look. (Mine is black.)

    For day hiking, actually, it is perfect for me. But for trail running or scrambling, it is too unstable without a hip belt. While running, anything near the top of the pack shifts left and right too much. The straps loosen too easily under vibration. And the position of adjustment buckles rub against my biceps at times.

    Other reviews: Trailspace

    Durability is a real question mark. It may not last long if I use if I continue to use it for trail running.

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    Kaapoko tunnel hike, Kauai, Hawaii

    A local recommended an excellent, unique — but extreme — hiking adventure:

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    Get used to the mud. Most of the time, it’s easier just to go right through the middle while looking for submerged rocks and logs. If you do have hiking boots, it’s best to avoid overtopping them.

    Maybe too extreme, or too dirty, for me.

    tunnels12_sm.jpg

    What’s reassuring is that the 0.9 mile-long (1.5 km) tunnel is perfectly straight and you can see the light at the other end the whole way. It takes 20-30 minutes to reach that light. When you get there it is like a door onto another world.

    details: Kaapoko Tunnel Hike (part 1) – A Kauai Blog

    It’s called Secret Tunnel to the North Shore in the The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook

    There are actually a second. And a third tunnel. Rarely visited. Difficult to find.

    details: Kaapoko Tunnel Hike (part 2)

    Thanks to Andy Kass for posting these trip reports.

    I think I’ll go lie on the beach instead.

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    best hike south coast Kauai, Hawaii

    The Maha’ulepu Coast.

    haula_beach.jpgAs the last accessible undeveloped coastline on the south shore of Kauai, Maha`ulepu is a quiet retreat, a place to get away from the crowds at popular resort beaches. …

    The area is also a remote retreat for resident and visitor alike to be awed and inspired by its beauty and rich past. The scenic splendor of Maha`ulepu, natural and undeveloped, includes majestic Ha`upu Mountain over-looking the fertile valley, the dramatic coastal headlands, the intimate bays and long sandy beaches. …

    Best Places Hawaii

    We spent 2 days exploring, hiking and trail running the Maha’ulepu Coast with and without kids. Fantastic!

    We started here, only steps away from a luxury resort:

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    The coastline is endlessly fascinating, but slightly dangerous. You would not want to fall on the jagged lava.

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    The biggest highlight was seeing two rare monk seals close up. They love to lounge and sleep on the beach — just like obese tourists.

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    The hike ends here:

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    Unless you ignore these signs, as local fishermen do.

    Browse about 70 photos on flickr to see more of the Maha’ulepu Coast.

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    Forbes Traveler – best day hikes USA

    Several of my favourite bloggers picked up on a story in Forbes Traveler magazine.

    It’s not comprehensive review, rather a few picks from well respected experts. (Those in bold are also on our list of best hikes in North America. )

  • Mt. Katahdin, Baxter State Park, Maine
  • Kennecott District, Wrangell St Elias National Park, Alaska
  • Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Naples, Florida
  • Grayson Highlands State Park, Virginia

  • Lost Coast, King Range National Conservation Area, Northern California
  • Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, California
  • Maroon Bells Snowmass Wilderness, White River National Forest, Colorado (info)
  • Mt. St Helens, Oregon
  • Na Pali Coast State Wilderness Park, Kaua’i, Hawaii
  • Coyote Gulch, Escalante Subdistrict, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah

    • details with photos – Spectacular Day Hikes – Jon Brooks – Forbes Traveler

    The wildlife at Corkscrew Swamp, choice of Jeffrey Hunter of the American Hiking Society, looks fascinating.

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    Limpkin (Aragua itis — Family: Aramidae) – original – flickr – leppyone

    more interesting photos of the swamp on flickr

    I’m hiking the Na Pali Coast myself this week.

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    Queen Charlotte Track, New Zealand

    Love in a Tent loved the QCT, posting a detailed trip report:

    … We randomly decided to spend 4 days doing the 3-5 day trip, without having first checked on details like, say, the distance. So we were a little surprised to see that it was 71km long – that’s longer than our 5-day trek on the St. James Walkway! In order to complete it in 4 days, we would have to walk an average of 18km per day. That’s pretty far for us, with full packs on. But we figured it must be such easy terrain that it wouldn’t be a problem. …

    There are five Dept. of Conservation campsites along the track (no huts though), and a few private ones. The track is very popular because there are also a range of other accommodation options, ranging from budget hostels to fancy resorts. So lots of people stay in comfortable rooms with hot showers and restaurant meals while they experience the walkway. One of the other convenient features of the track is that you can arrange to have your pack (or suitcase I suppose) transferred to your next overnight stop by boat, so that you can walk with only a day pack. Both resort-stayers and campers tend to use this service, which makes walking longer distances easier and more pleasant.

    But being gluttons for punishment, we opted to carry our big, heavy packs the whole way. Why? Ostensibly so that we weren’t tied to any specific destination on a given day. But really, I can’t think of any good reason why we did it. If I did the track again, I’d certainly opt for the pack transfer service. It was the same price as the water taxi with no pack transfers, so why the hell not! …

    Love in a Tent

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    Author Peter Potterfield and local expert Ray Waters hiked it last November:

    … Most people take four days to do this impressive 71 kilometer route up the spine of the peninsula separating Queen Charlotte Sound from Kenepuru Sound, but if you make the long trek out to Punga Cove on day one you can do it in three long days, about 23 kilometers per day. A unique feature of the route is that it’s a bit like trekking in Nepal–you can do it with a day pack, while the boat, and not a yak or a porter, takes the rest of your gear onto the next stop. The light load makes the long days no problem. …

    New Zealand Hikes: The Queen Charlotte Track – Great Outdoors

    potterfield-qct.jpg

    This is a fantastic destination for all levels of experience.

    besthike.com information page – Queen Charlotte Track