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things white people like – Outdoor Performance Clothes

This blog is going crazy on the interwebs right now:

#87 Outdoor Performance Clothes

… When white people aren’t working, they generally like to wear Outdoor Performance Clothes. …

When you see white people wearing these, it is important that you do not discuss business matters. Instead you should say things like “where did you get that fleece?” and “what’s that thing holding your keys to your shorts?” White people will be more than happy to talk to you about their sustainably produced possessions.

The main reason why white people like these clothes is that it allows them to believe that at any moment they could find themselves with a Thule rack on top of their car headed to a national park. …

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If you plan on spending part of your weekend with a white person, it is strongly recommended that you purchase a jacket or some sort of “high performance” t-shirt, which is like a regular shirt but just a lot more expensive.

things white people like

Faux outdoors people.

What are you going to do?

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best California hiking guidebook

Once again I went to California, unsure where to hike.

There are too many choices. Too many good guidebooks. Here’s the one I ended up buying:

California Hiking (Moon Handbooks)

One of the authors is Tom Stienstra, sometimes called “the other Tom” in relation to Tom Mangan of Two Heel Drive. (Mangan reviews hikes on the San Jose Mercury News. Stienstra does the same for the San Francisco Chronicle. Both are Bay Area papers.)

Turns out Stienstra is the “best-selling hiking guidebook author in America”. It says so on his book, so it must be true.

AND Stienstra’s in the stars with John Muir:

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Tom Stienstra inducted into California Outdoors Hall of Fame in 2003

amb1.jpgI don’t want to downplay the co-Author’s contribution:

Ann Marie Brown has lived in and explored the San Francisco Bay Area for 15 years. A hiker extraordinaire, she has logged more than 10,000 miles exclusively on California trails. …

GORP

Anyhoo, if you are looking for the best overview of hikes in California, this is it. They’ve divided California into 16 hiking zones.

I wanted to hike the “Southern Deserts”. For that region “best hikes” are recommended including:

Tahquitz Canyon
Ryan Mountain Trail
Mastodon Peak
Lost Palms Oasis

I did 3 of these. All excellent

This guidebook has the guts to recommend “best hikes” in categories including:

Best Beach and Coastal Walks
Best Butt-kickers
Best Desert Hikes
Best Hikes with a View
Best for Kids
Best Summit Hikes
Best for Wildlife
… and many more

The best overview of California: California Hiking (Moon Handbooks)

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Warren Macdonald – double amputee climber

Inspiring.

macdonald_warren.jpgWarren Macdonald became trapped beneath a one tonne slab of rock while climbing Queensland’s Hinchcliffe Hinchinbrook Island. Two days later he was rescued only to have both legs were amputated. Ten months later he climbed Tasmania’s Cradle Mountain using a modified wheelchair and the seat of his pants. In 1999 he reached the summit of Federation Peak on an epic 4 week journey using a pair of prosthetic legs. …

Warren inspires audiences to believe in themselves, demonstrating through action that “nothing is impossible if we dare to face our fears and believe in ourselves.” That achieving success requires taking positive steps forward, and that each step we take, no matter how small, moves us closer to our goals. His presentation reinforces the importance of recognizing change as an opportunity to transform our lives and turn negatives into positives.

Saxson Speakers Bureau

Later Warren wrote this article: ‘Prosthetics helped me beat Kilimanjaro’ – CNN

Need more inspiration?

Check this article: Paradox Holds “Gimps On Ice” March 8-9 in Ouray, Colorado.

(via Trailspace)

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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.

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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)

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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

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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, Rh̫ne region, France Рoriginal 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.)

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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)