jump off the waterfall – are you crazy?

Would you jump from here?

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… With myself and 4 others gathered at the top of the fall, our guide dutifully pointed out the best angle at which to jump so as not require the services of either a stretcher or neck brace. Then, whilst waving his arms wildly and delivering something akin to an war cry by an Apache with Tourette’s Syndrome, he promptly disappeared over the edge. I stood for a moment, stunned by what I thought I had just seen. It just didn’t add up. Y’know, for a moment I could have sworn that he just jumped off the edge – but surely he can’t have, that would have been incalculable stupidity.

As our guide swam toward the shallows (which, I must say, took a reassuringly long time) he flipped over onto his back and shouted up to the 5 bewildered gringos AKA ‘Team Terrified’ yet to make the jump.

“You must jump out far as you can…!” he hollered, looking exceedingly chuffed with himself and wiping the spray from his hair and face. Almost as an afterthought he followed up with “…And watch out for the rocks!” as if we weren’t already well aware of their unyielding, body-busting presence.

To see if he survives, read this trip report from a trek in El Impossible National Park, El Salvador: Wetter and Wilder: Impossible Thrills in El Salvador – UberTramp

If that fall looks too dangerous, consider this leap on the Great Ocean Walk in Australia instead:

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Frank in Oz

Daniel Ewert Nature Photography

If you love great outdoor photography, take a few minutes to check out this portfolio:

Paradise Meadow, Mt. Rainier National Park

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more like these – Ewert Nature Photography on SmugMug, the one photo sharing site which might be better than flickr.

Daniel won Photographer of the Week on All Day I Dream About Photography.

(via Modern Hiker)

do you wear a fanny pack?

Tom Mangan started quite the lively discussion in the comments on his Two-Heel Drive blog.

Don’t use the term “fanny pack” in the UK, or “Down Under”. The word “fanny” is rude. (As is the word “root”.)

Don’t use the unfortunate term “waist pack” either, or I’ll laugh at you.

Bum bag? (That may be worse.)

Hip belt? Hip pack? Waist pack?

Fanny Pack with Cell Phone Pocket by Everest

Fanny Pack with Cell Phone Pocket by Everest

I wear one every day. And often two while hiking.

Today I’m wearing the $15 MEC Travel Pocket Waist Pack. (Don’t laugh at me.)

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.

Paradise Lost – Forbes.com

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.

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more Lost Coast Trail photos – flickr – Zach

The Lost Coast Trail in California is one of our best hikes in North America.

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:

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screenshot

I am inspired.

Well done, Trailspotting.

the thing to do in Phoenix …

… is cycle the canals.

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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”.

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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.

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:

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Imet Gogo (3926m), Ethiopia – flickr – Paul Zizka
best hikes in Africa

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Queenstown, New Zealand – flickr – cheetah100
best hikes in Australasia

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Nepal – flickr – mckaysavage
best hikes in Asia