Outdoorsies can get schooled by a new film being released Feb 1st.
(I don’t think it’s by National Geographic, though.)
Click PLAY or watch the Strange Wilderness trailer on YouTube.
Lost Coast Trail – surf, fish, hike
I was thinking of walking the Lost Coast Trail in California in February. This week!
Expert in all things “California is the center of the Outdoor Universe” Tom Mangan advises against.
Might have to return in warmer weather, though.
Two-Heel Drive linked to an interesting trip report:
“A writer for Forbes hiked in nine miles with five days’ gear — and a surfboard — to catch some of the finest waves in the West at a place called Big Flat.”
… We’d come equipped not just for camping and surfing but for fishing. This section of coast swarms with halibut and king salmon; if we could get our poles in the right place, surely we could hook ourselves a dinner or two, we figured. The problem with so much gear, however, was that our packs had grown comically large. To get mine on my back I needed the assistance of my two friends. I might as well have been an armor-laden knight being winched onto a horse. Hip-bruising would be inevitable. But visions of perfect surf and an empty lineup urged us on.
Combining multi-day hiking trips with other activities (paddle, cycle, scramble) is a growning trend.
But a fishing surf trek? That’s a new one on me.
more Lost Coast Trail photos – flickr – Zach
The Lost Coast Trail in California is one of our best hikes in North America.
gone hiking with Tom Mangan
If I don’t return tell the police to track him down via Two-Heel Drive.
the best trip reports are on Trailspotting
This is elegant simplicity. Exactly the way the internet should work.
Clean. Succinct. But dense with the information you most need: maps, guidebooks, etc.
Check a sample hike for format: San Bruno Mountain Summit Loop, California.
Here’s a sample of the Google Maps integration:
screenshot
I am inspired.
Well done, Trailspotting.
the thing to do in Phoenix …
… is cycle the canals.
They’re part of the Central Arizona Project (CAP), a 336mi (541km) diversion of water from the Colorado River through to southern Arizona. The largest and most expensive aqueduct system ever constructed in the United States.
In Phoenix I rented a mountain bike from the hostel ($15/day) and rode the flat desert until I got close to one of the many “mountain parks”.
Locking up my ride, I then ran up rough trails to the summit.
Great training for Adventure Racing, was my thinking.
My best day was a ride to South Mountain Park (not on canals this time) and a trail run from Holbert trailhead up to Dobbin’s Lookout.
threat to polar bears over-rated
Worried about global warming vis-Ã -vis our polar friends?
They’ll simply find a new source of food if they can’t get to the seals.
source – flickr
top destinations for independent HIKERS
BootsnAll, the website for independent travelers, announces its Top 10 Destinations for Independent Travellers 2008. …
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Budapest, Hungary
Morocco
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Imet Gogo, Ethiopia (Simien Mtns)
Queenstown, New Zealand
Palermo, Sicily
Petra, Jordan
Belize
Nepal
(via The Adventure Blog)
I’m liking the three in bold for trekking:
Imet Gogo (3926m), Ethiopia – flickr – Paul Zizka
best hikes in Africa
Queenstown, New Zealand – flickr – cheetah100
best hikes in Australasia
Nepal – flickr – mckaysavage
best hikes in Asia
bears disappearing in Europe?
I only recently grasped the fact there are bears in the European Alps.
Now I learn they are disappearing:
What — or who — is behind the mysterious disappearance of 20-25 Austrian bears? While that number may seem small, it in fact represents four fifths of the bear population that makes its living in the forests of Lower Austria and Styria. The disappearances, which started occurring in the late 90s, have caused sufficient consternation among local residents and environmentalists to lead to an investigation by the Austrian police.
Christoph Waldner of WWF attributes their disappearance to one of three reasons: natural mortality, migration or hunting — which is illegal because of the bears’ endangered status. To Waldner, it seems pretty clear that hunters are to blame for the bears’ disappearance. …
Robert Redford to take A Walk in the Woods
My call to cast John Hodgeman as Bryson, and Jack Black as Katz fell on deaf ears.
Robert Redford, 71-years-young, will play Bill Bryson in the film adaptation of the funniest hiking book of all time.
(via Cutter’s blog)
Nootka Trail in Canada STILL not protected
Ken Vande Burgt contacted us by email:
I am a sea kayaker and am concerned about campsites and access after losing recreation sites at Spring Island, Fair Harbour, and Toquart Bay in the Maa Nulth treaty settlement. So far it looks like Nootka Trail is not on the table for other treaties under negotiation, however, it will only stay that way if enough of us make it known that losing the trail won’t be tolerated. Get the word out.
Incredibly, the British Columbia Provincial Government is still sitting on their hands regarding a the popular, unofficial Nootka Trail on Vancouver Island.
source – flickr – Andre Charland
It’s a world class tourist attraction, yet inaction is standard policy for the famously inefficient BC government when it comes to dealing with aboriginal land claims.
Unfortunately, I’m not sure what we can do about it. Petition the Provincial government if you live in that part of the world.
besthike.com 