Best hikes, treks, tramps in the world.
Chris on the Hike Alberta blog has been researching the dangers of Nalgene bottles leaching bisphenol.
Goodbye to my Nalgene Bottles | Hike Alberta
Click through if you want to see the details.
It’s the first I’ve heard of this hazard. I normally carry one Nalgene, one soft drink bottle.
UPDATE: Turns out Sarah on the Freezer Bag Cooking blog has already debunked this myth.
Leave a comment if you are throwing away your Nalgene bottle. But first read the other comments.
I wish I could have atteneded Backpacking Light’s Wilderness Trekking III Course.
From super hiker Ryan Jordan’s blog:
… food, water, avalanche gear, group gear, snowshoes, and all clothing worn and items carried. Our pack weights to start actually averaged in the 12-14ish pound range.
If I had to sing praise for the most merit-worthy benefits of this course, it was the cross pollination of experience, the joy of camaraderie in the face of wilderness stress, and the satisfaction of having achieved something meaningful as part of a group. …
Ryan Jordan’s Backcountry: Wilderness Trekking School Featured in Billings Gazette
see all the wonderful photos – Wilderness Trekking III Course
A really diverse and engaging series of outdoor photos by Istvan Hernadi, editor for www.trailpeak.com of the Yukon, NWT and Nunavut area
A couple of samples:
Mt Shishapangma camp, Tibet
Advance base camp at 19,500ft near the ice pinnacles – late in the day storm clouds.
Storms over Juneau icecap
View from Atlin lake BC
see all photos in this set – most interesting – Explore top 500 – flickr
by Rick McCharles, editor
I was a minor contributor to a gorgeous new National Geographic coffee table book.
One chapter describes Adventures on Foot. I helped write the Paria Canyon hike description.
My own 2006 trip report was used as a reference.
Though any experienced hiker will dismiss some of the trips chosen by National Geographic, their list of trekking adventures, overall, is surprisingly good.
Paria Canyon tops our own list of the best hikes in the Southwest USA. I’m very happy it was included.
Check my my Paria photos (flickr). Or checkout our hike Paria Canyon information page.
Sam Haraldson thru hiked the lesser known Pacific Northwest Trail. (trip report)
On June 21st, 2007 I begin walking at Glacier National Park with intent to move westward roughly 1200 miles reaching my goal of the Pacific Ocean in late August or early September.
On August 20th, 2007 I reached that goal with a lightness in my step and a smile upon my face. Sixty-one glorious days of backpacking through the highlands and lowlands of the Pacific Northwest were an enlightening time for me both physically and mentally.
samh.net – Ultralight Backpacking, Wilderness Trekking, Outdoor Adventure
trip photos – Picasa
The official guidebook for Long Distance and Day Hikers by Ron Strickland:
o Detailed route descriptions of 44 trail segments
o USGS topographic maps
o Mileage charts for at-a-glance planning
o Resource lists for maps and supplies
o Details for mountain bikers and horse-packers
o Information on planning a long-distance trip
o 50 black and white photographs
o Pullout display map of 1200 mile trail
(via the new look Two-Heel Drive)
Walking and camping the remote Scottish islands?
Are you crazy? The weather is TERRIBLE.
In September 2003, I started my attempt to become the first person to sleep on all of the 162 Scottish islands over forty hectares.
On 29 August 2007, I completed the UK’s greatest ever challenge, when I left Soay St. Kilda. …
I do not believe that what I have achieved will ever be repeated.
Island Man – Adventurer Exploring Scottish Islands | Island Man
Andy is planning an even bigger island adventure.
Decorator bags all 162 in four years – and throws down the gauntlet to others
After Munros, a new challenge: a night on every Scottish island – Guardian
This is a spin-off of the regular Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour. But is also highly recommended. See both, if you can. Radical Reels tours much less widely.
The Radical Reels Film Tour complements the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour, and focuses on dynamic, high-adrenalin films featuring sports such as skiing, climbing, kayaking, BASE jumping, snowboarding and mountain biking.
The upcoming promo video trailer has not yet been posted. But you can click PLAY or watch last year’s promo on YouTube.
More information for those who can tolerate long blog posts:
… the Banff Mountain Film Festival has included the Radical Reels night, which is a special screening of the wildest high-adrenaline films entered in the Banff Mountain Film Festival. So many action films were being submitted to the film festival that they could not fit into the regular screenings, resulting in the creation of the hugely successful Radical Reels evening presentation.
Now you don’t have to journey to Banff each fall to see these exciting films! Since 2004, the Radical Reels Tour has also been out on the road. The established Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour has been thrilling audiences since 1981.
Most World Tour screenings include a range of different themes (adventure sports, environment, mountain culture, heritage, etc.) and styles (action-filled shorts; longer, more comprehensive films; amateur and professional productions; etc.). The Radical Reels Tour presentations incorporate all these elements, but the focus is on dynamic, high-adrenaline films featuring sports such as skiing, climbing, kayaking, BASE jumping, snowboarding and mountain biking. These activities continue to be included on the World Tour, but Radical Reels Tour is for audiences who prefer all action films.
The Radical Reels Film Tour visits approximately 19 states and provinces, reaching over 35 different locations. Most screenings take place in the September to October and February to May time periods. …
locations visited linked from this page – more information
Tom Mangan on Two-Heel Drive peaked (pun intended) my interest in Slovenia.
source – National Geographic Adventure
From the rest of the slide show, the Slovenian Via Alpina looks something like the Dolomites. (Brilliant.)
Little known, superb hiking destinations rank high on our radar.
Slovenia is probably one of the best-kept secrets of Europe. Beautiful environment, ranging from Alps to hills, flatlands or seaside make it an excellent country to explore on foot, more so as you will easily find many well-maintained and marked hiking paths. Our pages contain photo galleries from over 100 excursions in Slovenian hills and mountains, some of them also have brief English descriptions.
(via Two-Heel Drive)
Do what you have to to get tickets for the Film Festival if it gets anywhere close to you.
It’s brilliant. Highlights from the multi-day festival.
The Banff Mountain Film Festival is on the road across North America and around the world. Whether you are an experienced mountaineer or an armchair adventurer, this event is for everyone. Don’t miss the excitement!
The Tour Schedule is linked from the home page – World Tour: Mountain Culture at The Banff Centre
The event sponsors are prominently mentioned — OK, it’s a commercial — in the second half of the video. But it’s still worth watching. This is the kind of TV commercial I like.
Click PLAY or watch the promo trailer on YouTube.
Hiking is an activity that appeals more to adults than children.
On the other hand, when I’ve volunteered to take groups of kids on day hikes, I estimate about a third really get into it. They tell me they’d like to do more and longer trips.
Perhaps children simply have too little exposure to hiking. And too much exposure to TV.
Are there any gift giving holidays coming up?
Anna Goes Hiking: Discover Hiking and Explore Nature (Bur Bur & Friends) – Amazon
besthike.com 