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National Geographic: best hike in the USA?

Kraig Becker linked to a great contest for hikers:

Most hikers, trekkers, and backpackers have a particular trail that sticks out to them as being their favorite for one reason or another. Sometimes it’s the scenery or the wildlife they encounter along the way. Perhaps it’s the challenge or the solitude it provides. No matter what reason your favorite trail keeps you coming back, National Geographic Adventure wants to know about it.

The editors over at Adventure are compiling a list of their reader’s favorite trails for a feature on “America’s Best Hikes” which will be the cover story for the April issue that hits newsstands on March 18th. …

read more – The Adventure Blog

I instantly nominated The North Circle in Glacier National Park, Montana. It’s one of our top 10 hikes in the world.

iceberg.jpg
Iceberg Lake in Glacier National Park – flickr – by The Lilac Breasted Roller

Details on how to nominate your favourite American trail on National Geographic.

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Buffalo River outdoor adventures in Arkansas

dbarnett of the excellent A Little Closer to Heaven blog posted his Top 10 Buffalo River Adventures in Arkansas.

Ahh, Hawksbill Crag, the most photographed place in Arkansas. I’m sure you’ve seen the pictures before and dreamed of going there. It’s only a 3 mile hike…what’s stopping you?

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Click through for photos and details.

Part I
10. Hideout Hollow
9. Indian Creek
8. Buffalo River Float- Ponca to Carver
7. Fitton Cave
6. Hawksbill Crag

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Part II
5. Big Bluff
4. Lost Valley
3. Hemmed-In Hollow
2. Shop Creek Slot Canyon
1. Buffalo River Trail

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neoprene socks on the trail

I’ve always been suspicious of “waterproof socks” for hiking:

Seirus Stormsock Waterproof Sock

Seirus Stormsock Waterproof Sock

Crow confirms “they stink”: Waterproof socks: A bad idea

She likes neoprene socks. As do I.

It was an accident that started me wearing neoprene, actually. I took normal hiking footwear and water walking shoes on the West Coast Trail. And ended up wearing my speciality water shoes with neoprene booties for the entire hike. They were so bloody comfortable.

Sure my feet got “wrinkled”. But a quick rinse was enough to remove the sweat. And they dry in seconds.

Consider this option. One example:

Body Glove Flipper Slipper Neoprene Sock

Body Glove Flipper Slipper Neoprene Sock

I don’t wear neoprene on every hike. But my booties were perfect in Paria Canyon.

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hiking the Canadian Rockies in October

Any guidebook will tell you yer crazy to consider hiking the Rockies in “winter”. Too dangerous.

Of course that’s nonsense. Tough Canadians ski, snowshoe and even hike year round.

For example, from Ewen on the Outdoor Video magazine site:

Length: Approx 23km
Time: 2 Days
Elevation Gain: 900m total (excluding sidetrip)
Max Elevation: 2330m, (2500m side trip up Saddleback Mt)
Rating: 7/10, some tedious spots though it was overcast and cloudy
Done: End of October 2007
Book: Classic Hikes in the Canadian Rockies, Graeme Pole

Route: From Lake Louise Chateau over Saddleback Pass, into Paradise Valley, up Paradise Valley via river bottom (lower trail), return via Lake Annette and Paradise Valley Junction.

Towards the end of October 2007, UAOC (University of Alberta Outdoors Club) headed to the Lake Louise area of Banff National Park for a late-season two-day backpacking trip. The target: Paradise Valley.

…

We finished off the drive along the Icefields Parkway and registered at the Park Office in Lake Louise. Then, after a quick drive to the trailhead at Lake Louise Chateau, we were ready to get going (you can start from Morraine Lake in summer, but the Morraine Lake road is closed to cars in autumn, winter and spring). Having assessed snow conditions, we decided to leave the snowshoes at the car…a good choice seeing as we barely had to hike through any snow at all! Yet at the same elevation on the Skyline a few weeks before, we had several feet.

paradise.png

… read more – Paradise Valley Backpack – Hiking in Banff National Park

There’s something about Ewen’s trip reports I like. They are succinct, honest and entertaining all at the same time.

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North Coast Trail, Canada FINALLY opening

We complained May 2006: North Coast Trail, Canada ??

And again in December 2006: North Coast Trail, Vancouver Island – stalled

Now … Joan tipped me off that the NCT will open for the 2008 season. Or most of it, we think. The official announcement is still weeks away.

My Saskatoon hiking friends are looking at their calendars.

From the organizing group on Vancouver Island:

Inaugural Hike: Dave Trebett, Ron Quilter, Shaun Korman, Jacob Blanchard, Ben McGibbon, Ben Pawlett and Dave Parker hiked the North Coast Trail November 4-8, 2007.

A few photos from their report to the Northern Vancouver Island Trails Society:

boardwalk-north-coast-trail.jpg

north-coast-trail-beach.jpg

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The full document, called Cape Scott North Coast Trail – Progress Report, is available as a PDF linked from the Northern Vancouver Island Trail Society.

Similar best hikes nearby:

  • West Coast Trail
  • Nootka Trail
  • Juan de Fuca Marine Trail
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    which ultralight hiking pack?

    Do I deserve a new hiking pack? Lighter than my Granite Gear Virga (photo).

    Yes. Because I’m worth it.

    But which?

    uberlitejpg.pngThe G6 Whisper Ultralight Backpack was designed in response to Ryan Jordan’s desire for a freakishly light, subcompact, overnight pack. The G6 Whisper Ultralight Backpack is a cornerstone of Ryan’s Super-UltraLight Backpacking (overnight backpacking with less than five pounds of gear) strategy. …

    The G6 Whisper, at only 3.7 ounces (99 g), is the lightest commercially-available rucksack with enough volume for overnight backpacking by the accomplished ultralight backpacker. With more than 1800 cubic inches (30L) of main packbag capacity, an expandable rear pocket, and a short extension collar, the G6 Whisper Ultralight Backpack provides enough volume for virtually any serious ultralighter out for two or three days, and enough volume for the extraordinarily disciplined ultralight hiker with a very low equipment kit volume to spend several days to a week in the backcountry. …

    NO WARRANTY WHATSOEVER IS PROVIDED FOR THIS PRODUCT

    Gossamer Gear G6 Whisper “Uberlite” Backpack @ Backpacking Light

    What about the GoLite Ion?

    The epitome of ultra-lite simplicity, the Ion was designed for ultra-lite fast-packing, summit bids, and adventure travel. Constructed of super durable Dyneema® gridstop fabric and a single watertight zipper at the opening, this top-loader features spacer mesh shoulder straps for comfort, an adjustable sternum strap and webbing hip belt, a hydration tube opening and a haul loop. Extremely compact and a true minimalist piece, the Ion is a featherweight 9 ounces!

    ion.jpg

    GoLite Product Detail

    As the Crow Flies linked to home made gear by Samurai Joe Valesko. He uses cuben fiber.

    light-pack.jpg

    Joe Says:

    “I carried a single Blast 26 backpack my entire PCT thru-hike (2,663 miles). I carried a base weight of around 5 lbs (gear list), and generally 12-20 lbs with full food and water.

    At one point I carried 35 lbs for an 11 day stretch without re-supply through the High Sierras of California. My shoulders weren’t happy about that much weight, but the pack took it like a champ! (Under 20 lbs is a more comfortable weight with frameless packs)

    By the end of the five month trip the pack was quite a bit frayed, but still in very usable condition. Not bad for a 3.5 ounce backpack!”

    Zpacks.com Ultralight Backpacking Gear

    That water bottle side pocket is excessive, don’t you think? Could shave some grams there, Joe.

    (Incidentally, Kraig, I recall pooh poohing your suggestion to use an air mattress as the frame of a backpack. But now I do it all the time with my Virga.)

    Leave a comment if you have other recommendations. Thanks!

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    BikeHike – best Biking Outfitter On Earth?

    I’m in Phoenix, Arizona for some bike hiking. Proving unfailing dedication to my Adventure Racing Team — the Fast Farts.

    Then I saw BluePeak post a shout out for BikeHike.com …

    (I like the sound of that domain name.)

    National Geographic Adventure Magazine named them #2 ?? (as I read it) for cycle tours. Winners were profiled in the November 2007 issue.

    bikehike.jpg

    Check out the site – BikeHike Adventures Inc – BEST Biking Outfitter On the Earth

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    bears in Europe?

    And moose?

    Where have I been hiking all my life?

    From Laplandica.com:

    I followed the incident with my binoculars. The bear was getting closer and closer as they both came downhill and closer to the river bank and brush across from me. As the moose entered into the brush, the bear was right behind her. The brush slowed the moose down giving the bear the advantage of the situation. And, more suddenly than one would expect, I watched the bear jump up from behind onto the moose and, holding hard onto her back loins with his paws and claws, tackled and dragged the moose down into the bushes. Both disappeared.

    I saw a lot of rustling in the bushes, but everything went very quickly and soon these stopped moving. For a long time I sat there and waited, watching for any movement, but there was none. As I watched, I realized how swiftly the chase, and then the kill, happened. I was awed with how fast the bear could run and the strength and power he had when pulling the moose down to kill it. And, to have sat there alone and be a witness to the whole event was something I felt almost blessed with. …

    Laplandica » Unexpected things can happen in Laponia…

    Ah, of course. In the NORTH. That’s real wilderness.

    Next, in a flash of Google magic, Philip Bethge’s article appeared on the reintroduction of bears to the Alps:

    The brown bear is returning to the mountains of Central Europe, thanks to resettlement projects in Italy, Austria and France. Biologists celebrate the animals’ return as a success in endangered species protection. But the general population has mixed feelings about welcoming back the predator.

    bear-in-alps.jpg

    Brown Bears in the Alps: The Great Bear Comeback – SPIEGEL ONLINE

    They have a long way to go …

    Brown bears were once found throughout Europe and even inhabited the British Isles until the 10th century (Curry Lindahl 1972, Servheen 1990). Populations in Europe have been severely reduced and habitat has been fragmented by human modification.

    europe.gif

    GrizzlyBear.org

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    happy birthday best hike blog

    glutton-baby.jpgIt’s been 2yrs since we added the blog to besthike.com.

    The first post was called: Introducing Rick McCharles. (Our site editor hasn’t matured much since. But at least he’s still a glutton for hiking.)

    Over 840 posts, some of the most popular are surprising:

  • want to hike South America?
  • Best hikes, treks & tramps in the world
  • Cirque of the Towers, Wyoming
  • amazing photos – Marc Shandro
  • Sierra High Route, California
  • 3300 miles around the Alps
  • is heli-hiking cheating?
  • geotagging photos – cool !
  • Paria – the best canyon walk in the world
  • best hiking guidebooks

    • One day we need to put up an editor’s choice list of best posts. (Pinky promise to do that before we hit 1000 posts.)

    Leave a comment if you have recommendations to improve this blog. (Hint — demand “more maps”.)

    PS

    Always a bridesmaid …

    (We were a couple of days later to the party than The Adventure Blog which celebrated a 2yr anniversary January 16th.)