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#10 best hiking region in the world is the …

Indian Himalaya

India is vibrant, chaotically mad. But you can easily escape to the tranquil high mountains and have them to yourself.

This is Nepal, but without “teahouses” packed together on every popular trail.

Indulge your spirit of adventure and trek the spectacular Indian Himalaya. First-timers and seasoned trekkers alike can experience the region’s rich blend of cultures, religions and dramatic landscapes … LP

As you know, the weather is fickle. The infrastructure undeveloped. You need be confidently independent at altitude or sign on with a reputable guiding company. People die in the Himalaya every year of altitude sickness.

Personally, sadly, I’ve hiked very little in this region. I’m still kicking myself for not trekking to Kangchenjunga when I had the chance in the 1990s. I stood on a ridge in Darjeeling looking at the third highest peak in the world, and decided to head to the beaches of Goa for Christmas, instead. Doh!

The best future destinations for serious hikers, I think, are the Indian Himalaya and Bolivia. (Bhutan, as well, if it ever opens to independent travel.)

More information on our new Indian Himalaya information page.

The best guidebook is Lonely Planet Trekking in the Indian Himalaya. But more inspirational is Trekking and Climbing in the Indian Himalaya (Trekking & Climbing Guides) by Harish Kapadia. (It can be difficult to find a copy.)

Trekking and Climbing in the Indian Himalaya

Leave a comment if you have your own favourite trek in the Indian Himalayas. We’re looking for advice.

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scramble the King’s Throne, Yukon

From some angles the King’s Throne looks like a King’s Throne, hence the name. It’s an easy climb or a tough scramble.

10km (6.2mi) in distance to the summit, about 6hrs return, moderately strenuous.

You have the choice of a 457m (1500ft) climb to rock glacier. Or — if conditions are good  — continue to the top, total ascent being 1,250-metre (4,100-foot) above the lake.  

The views are spectacular all the way up, so there’s no need to top out. Especially if it’s windy or you get “weather”.

You need to find transport to the Kathleen Lake campground 32km (20mi) south of Haines Junction, Yukon. We stayed there one night after our descent.

YukonHiking.ca

You will not feel rushed during the long days of the northern summer. It was light out until perhaps midnight when we were there.

Kluane National Park Hiking Guide

Kluane National Park Hiking Guide

Atop the King’s Throne you’ll be inspired to adventure deeper into this, the largest protected area of the world. But there are very few established trails. You’ll likely be bushwhacking. Or paddling.

Contributor Kelly Mock from Whitehorse suggests (instead) a spring ski tour of the most famous long trail in the park, Cottonwood.

 

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George Bush – National Parks video – pathetic

From everything I’ve heard and seen over the past 7-years, George Bush has been the worst President ever in terms of protecting the environment. National Parks, in particular, have been near lowest priority for his administration.

Just about every second day I get more bad news from the National Parks Traveler blog.

Now the White House has the nerve at the 11th hour to post a pro-Parks holiday YouTube video. At first I assumed it was an anti-Bush comedy clip. But it’s for real.

Like the Simpsons, George Bush has been reduced to self-parody.

Click PLAY or watch the President appoint his dogs to the rank of Jr. Park Rangers on YouTube.

This would be funny. If only it wasn’t so sad. Who’s advising those guys on how to flipflop to the green cause? This is viral marketing, bungled.

Americans — If you love National Parks, you should vote against the Republican Party.

(via Modern Hiker)

Read more details on the worst environmental President ever on the Get Outdoors blog.

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air-supported tents – good idea

Only just subscribed, here I am already linking to a post by Allie Comeau on the Sierra Trading Post blog. This one from last summer.

Want to see something really cool? Nemo Hypno and Nemo Morpho are tents—but not like the ones you’re used to. In keeping with their “Matrix”-esque names, they’re super lightweight, super high-tech tents that go with the flow. The air flow, that is. Instead of relying on old-school metal poles, these suckers are held up with air-filled tubes. …

Nemo Hypno and Nemo Morpho: Awesome Air-Supported Tents: Video

Click PLAY or watch a demo on YouTube.

Now … If I can use that air pump to also inflate my 5lb hiking raft, I might be interested.

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Andrew Skurka loves Colorado

In an Outside Magazine interview, Andrew Skurka was quite definite on the best section of his 6,875mi Great Western Loop:

The best section was through Colorado, from the Indian Peaks Wilderness to the South San Juan Wilderness, about 500 miles. No other state can boast as much consistently world-class trail and scenery …

… there is so much alpine walking that I actually was looking forward to getting back in the timber. Also, the elk were in the peak of their rutting season, the aspens were glowing gold, and the trails were essentially empty.

Outside Blog: Archives

When asked if we mortal hikers could repeat his feat …

A more accessible approach might be to hike it over two years, figuring about 150 or 180 days a year, at 20 miles per day, which is a completely doable pace for someone who is reasonably fit, who carries lightweight gear, and who can resist frequent temptations to spend lots of time in civilization.

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best hikes in Arizona

With 50,754 Photos and almost 800 hikes, HikeArizona.com is an incredible resource. It’s run by Joe Bartels.

Contributor Al_hikesAZ posted in 2005 a list of The 20 Most Popular hikes in Arizona:

Flatiron
West Fork of Oak Creek
Peralta Trail
Humphreys Summit Trail
Brown’s Peak
Havasu Canyon
Fossil Springs Trail
Camelback Summit via Echo
Horton Creek Trail
Piestewa Peak Summit Trail
Bright Angel
Barnhardt Trail
Rogers Canyon
West Clear Creek Trail
Hunter Trail
Kaibab – South Rim
Boynton Canyon
Bell Trail
Inner Basin Trail
Tonto Narrows

This isn’t necessarily the 20 best hikes in AZ, just the 20 Most Popular hikes.

He also recommends:

Bright Angel Trail
South Kaibab Trail

Thunder River/Deer Creek (photos)
Nankoweap Trail (photos)
Ribbon Falls (photos) just west of the North Kaibab Trail
Superstition Ridgeline

Al_hikesAZ also recommends 2 other sites for AZ Hikes:

  • Arizona Hikers
  • Todd’s Desert Hiking Guide

    • I am now planning on hiking Arizona in 2008! (There is a lot of research to be done.)

    459434669_8cde9b8250.jpg
    Early morning at Carney springs – Superstition Wilderness – larger original

    991385453_514aad7bca.jpg
    Arizona Black Rattlesnake – larger original

    See all of Al_hikesAZ photos sets on Flickr. They are excellent.

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    Hurricane Ridge Road in Olympic National Park Closed Due to Storm Erosion | National Parks Traveler

    A year and a month after a Pacific storm battered Olympic National Park, another storm pounded the park Dec. 3, washing out portions of the Hoh Road.

    olym-hoh-rd-damage-12-03-7.jpg

    Hurricane Ridge Road in Olympic National Park Closed Due to Storm Erosion | National Parks Traveler

    So far, this winter is starting out like last year in terms of damage to the Pacific North West Parks. Too bad.

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    hiking guru Ray Jardine carrying a HEAVY pack

    The man who popularized Lightweight Hiking is carrying a heavy pack.

    After two days in Mendoza, we were driven 1.5 hours to a wintertime ski resort in the nearby mountains called the Cordon del Plata. There we shouldered our outrageously heavy backpacks and hiked for 1 hour up a quite steep trail to a lovely alpine meadow called Las Vegas (The Springs), and there made our first camp.

    heavy-pack.jpg
    Jenny

    We were now at an elevation of 10,300 feet and, as we live at 1,500 feet, and Mendoza is at 2,700 feet, that was quite a sudden jump in altitude. …

    read the trip report – NFT

    I won’t feel so bad next time I do the same thing.

    Ray and Jenny Jardine are hiking in Argentina right now. I’ve been eyeing that region, the towns of Mendoza and Bariloche, myself for some time now. Jumping off points for Aconcagua and Nahuel Huapi.

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    Super Sherpas – Nepal treks

    It’s inevitable that the people of the Himalaya take increasing leadership over adventure tourism there. This is a great story.

    The Super Sherpas, Apa Sherpa and Lhakpa Sherpa, have a cool website offering the gamut of great Nepali treks.

    aboutus_header.jpg

    Why are these guys so super?

    Apa Sherpa is the only man in history to reach the top of the world 17 times. As the world record holder of the most summits of Everest, Apa is widely recognized to be one of the greatest living mountaineers.

    …

    When Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa set out to set an Everest speed ascent record, little did anyone know he would not only break the late Babu Chirri Sherpa’s Everest speed ascent record of 16 hrs 56, but shatter it altogether with a time of 10 hrs 56 min and 46 sec – 6 hours faster than Babu’s seemingly unbeatable record. …

    Super Sherpas – About Us

    See the Super Sherpa Treks.

    They were included in the Outside Magazine 100 top stories of 2007.

    (via The Adventure Blog)