Kuilau Trail, Hawaii

Still dreaming of Kauai.

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This trail begins near Wailua’s Keahua Arboretum and travels up to views of Mt.Waialeale (clouds permitting) and the ocean. Picnic at the lookout point or continue on to explore lush hillsides of fern and vegetation.

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Kuilau Trail

My latest idea is to rent a mountain bike and ride to many trailheads on the island. In fact you can ride this entire trail by bike.

Earth Expedition – 18,000mi hike

Sponsored by Kelty, Daren Wendell starts today on a really, really, really LONG walk.

Mix 11 languages, 18,000 miles, 7 years, 3 continents, 17 times zones, 14 countries, 36 million steps, one man, a backpack and a dream and you get The Earth Expedition. A mans dream to walk the worlds continents on nothing but two feet.

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Why The Earth Expedition?

The inevitable “cause” is the global water crisis.

(via The Goat)

Tongariro ALPINE Crossing, New Zealand

Entertaining trip report from one of the best and most popular hikes in the world.

… We weren’t exactly sure what to prepare for in terms of climate, and timing to complete the hike but we knew it was going to be quite the challenge.

The Tongariro Crossing is actually rated New Zealand’s BEST one day hike. Now imagine, New Zealand is an absolutely amazing jaw – dropping country, so to nominate it the # 1 Day Hike is quite optimistic on the Department of Conservations’ behalf.

It’s an 18 Km Hike through and UP both active and dormant volcanoes, and average hiking time is 7 hours. IN addition, to this hike, we planned to conquer Mount Ngauruhoe – a 2287 M active volcano, which from here on end, I will refer to as MOUNT DOOM ( I have no idea on how to pronounce and I can not expect you to!!!) Keep in mind that this volcano is not included in the hike, and is a climb at “your own risk”…since there are no paths or trails, you’re litterally crawling up a steep mound composed of volcanic ash and rock on your hands in knees. …

Tongariro Alpine Crossing!Stefarr from Montreal

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original – travelpod

It may be that I liked the author’s photo even more than her trip report:

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location unknown

Tongariro Crossing – best hike information page

amazing high res photos – Earth from Above

George pointed us to high resolution “wallpaper” outdoors photos. A couple of samples:

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Trees amid the waters near Taponas, Rhône region, France – original wallpaper

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Glacier de la vallée Blanche au pied de l’aiguille du Midi, massif du Mont-Blanc, Haute-Savoie, France – original wallpaper

See them all: Earth from Above.

(It defaults to photos from France. But click the pulldown menu top left to choose other countries. There are hundreds or thousands of amazing photos.)

Half Dome in Micronesia

In the tropical paradise of Pohnpei stands a pretty good clone of Half Dome. Where? The scuba diving mecca of the Federated States of Micronesia. … Sokehs Rock, or Paipalap, juts out and towers over the northern extreme of Sokehs Island. About five hundred feet from base to summit, the massive basalt formation is easily the most impressive natural formation on Pohnpei. Very similar also to Diamondhead.

… A rope has been strung along the route to the top to provide some support (mostly psychological). Below the sloping backside of the Rock there’s a flat grassy area where you can get some good views of the lagoon through stands of pandanus. Finally, a utility pipe runs all the way to the top to help haul yourself up. The summit, which is larger than it looks from the bottom, is frequently very windy. The rugged surface is composed of coarse, cracked basalt covered in part by low scrubby vegetation and wild pineapple plants. This prominent feature served as a primary location for Japanese defenses on Pohnpei, which included concrete bunkers, twin-barrel guns and 6-inch coastal defense guns.

Sokehs Rock – Hike Half Dome

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original – Sokehs Rock – Pohnpei – pbase

(via Two Heel Drive)

Man vs. Wild – Copper Canyon, Mexico

I’m on the record as boycotting Man vs. Wild, fearing that the TV show will encourage people to do things far more dangerous than those filmed by Bear’s crew.

But I found myself watching a full episode, lately:

In Mexico, Bear must find his way out of Copper Canyon, and his only supplies are a water bottle, a flint and a knife. Bear demonstrates how to build a simple compass and climb sheer cliffs safely. For shelter, he uses ancient caves and makes fire with a traditional “fire saw.” Bear also demonstrates techniques for finding scorpions or grubs and fishing without a rod or line.

Man vs Wild Episodes – Wikipedia

It’s hard to stay angry at Bear, his boyish enthusiasm is inspiring.

My real excuse for watching is that I’m planning a very similar adventure, dropping into Copper Canyon from the train tracks and finding my way to Batopilas village.

(To make up for my sin of watching Man vs. Wild I watched a full episode of a real Survivorman, Les Stroud. Much more impressive in every way.)

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original – flickr

more of Sam Meztli’s photos photos tagged Copper Canyon – flickr

Kalalau Trail, Hawaii

Yet another “must-hike” on Kauai.

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Na Pali – the Cliffs in Hawaiian – is one of the most beautiful and remote areas on Kaua‘i. The strenuous eleven-mile Kalalau Trail winds along this rugged coastline, providing the only land access to legendary Kalalau Valley. The trail and facilities are rugged; some eroded areas are very narrow over cliffs that are hundreds of feet high.

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Kaua’i Explorer

exploring coastal Patagonia

Cristian Donoso, a Chilean lawyer, has been exploring the remote western coast of Patagonia for over a decade. He won a 2006 ROLEX associate Laureate award.

His latest expedition is a 5 months journey, 1250 miles (2,039 km), using kayaks to reach inaccessible waterways, glaciers, summits, caves, underground rivers, and wildlife preserves.

The climate is harsh and unpredictable.

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Now this is ADVENTURE.

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Scroll down the trip website and you can quickly get an idea of what they face in that part of the world: transpatagonia expedition – official homepage

(via The Adventure Blog)

This journey reminds me of the concurrent Journey on the Wild Coast now in Alaska.