High-res version linked from this post: The NEW Greatest and Most Unusual Travel Photo of All Time – Gadling
Abel Tasman Coast Track – besthike information page
really bad idea – GLACIER SURFING
Surfing a wave created by a calving glacier on the Copper River in Cordova, Alaska.
I don’t need this explained.
video on THE GOAT – Backcountry.com
why besthike is not a wiki
Our list of the best hikes in the world should be a wiki.
Seriously.
But the wiki software available as of today still … sucks.
Those packages are unusable by normal hikers.
Internet Duct Tape explains why. And holds out a glimmer of hope for the near future:
…
Any day now Google will be opening up registration for it’s JotSpot wiki software. It’ll be interesting to see if they can get over their product schizophrenia and intelligently integrate wikis with wordprocessing, spreadsheets, slides, blogs, email, calendar, rss readers and build an intranet solution that far outclasses anything currently available. They have all the pieces, and the killer knowledge that everyone is missing — how to build an intranet search that works over all the formats.
We will certainly put our database of best hikes into a wiki format once the software gets good enough.
Jaccuzzi on Mont-Blanc summit
We love hikes to hot springs. But this is ridiculous …
After over six years of evolution, the concept of “jaccuzzi events†has led to the realization of a dream. …
For us, Jaccuzzi Events are parties that are thrown in unexpected and exceptional places. …
more amazing photos – Jaccuzzi on mont-blanc summit – Jaccuzzi.ch
Jaccuzzi on Mont-Blanc summit 15771ft (4807m), September 13th 2007
(via GO blog)
camping – where is the salt?
Oh … taped to the meal package. Of course!
Thanks Jason!
One thing I’ve tried to do over the years is to simplify my in-camp procedures by reducing the number of odds and ends I carry. Something that’s always bothered me is fumbling through my Ziplock of condiments to dig out that one specific spice I need for the meal at hand. Then, I had one of those “why didn’t I think of it before†moments last week.
Simply put, I figured I could tape meal-specific condiments to their respective packages with masking tape, thus eliminating one more storage bag from my pack. Now, I plan ahead so when mealtime comes, I have exactly what I need all in one place.
… Here you can see salt packets taped to the top of dehydrated eggs.
Jason posted a video of this so-simple-I-never-would-have-thought-of-it-on-my-own idea on his Gear Talk blog.
The Beckoning Silence – Joe Simpson returns
The Beckoning Silence is one of the compelling mountaineering books written by Joe Simpson. It’s not as good as his Touching the Void, in my opinion, but is still brilliant:
The Beckoning Silence – Amazon
This month a documentary — also called The Beckoning Silence — with Joe Simpson as narrator, will be released. The film is loosely adapted from Joe’s book and was created by the same team that made the BAFTA-award-winning documentary Touching the Void, my favourite outdoor film ever. (It happened in the remote Huayhuash Mountains in Peru.)
The new film The Beckoning Silence is …
… the true story of four twenty-something climbers … who attempted to climb the notorious North Face of the Eiger in 1936. They began their ascent via an access shaft from a railway tunnel that ran halfway up the mountain, but before long, tragedy struck.
… unlike Touching the Void, this distinctly chilling story does not have a happy ending. All eventually perished. Kurz was the last to die, spending a frostbitten night within feet of rescuers before signing off with the line: “Ich kann nicht mehr” (I cannot go on). …
Joe Simpson: High flyer – The Independent
If it’s half as good as Touching the Void, it will be well worth getting a copy of the new film. (Available on 4DVD on November 5th.)
The Beckoning Silence will be shown at the Kendal Mountain Film Festival in the UK November 17th with Joe and the production crew in attendance. I’d love to be at that screening!
(via The Piton)
Himalaya – Michael Palin
Just finished an excellent book, Himalaya by Michael Palin of Monty Python fame.
Palin is far better known now for his adventure travel documentaries on BBC TV. In fact, this book is the companion to Himalaya, the TV series available on DVD (2004).
Instead of reading the book, I bought it on Audible.com (about US$12) as Palin reads his own prose. And reads it very well. Both informative and amusing.
I recommend Palin to one and all. (The audio version is much lighter to take with you hiking.)
Himalaya – the book – Amazon
Michael Palin – Wikipedia
A second book was produced from Palin’s 6 month trip featuring the photos taken on the Himalayan journey by his official photographer:
Inside Himalaya – Basil Pao
Benton MacKaye – the OTHER Appalachian Trail
American Hiking Society’s Jeffrey Hunter linked to a New York Times article: Appalachia’s Other Trail.
But what is the Benton MacKaye?
Seems I’ve just started hearing about it.
The Benton MacKaye Trail (BMT) is a footpath of nearly 300 miles (480 km) through the Appalachian mountains of the southeastern United States. It is designed for foot travel in the tradition of the Appalachian Trail (AT).
Running from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Davenport Gap on the northern edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (the Smokies), the BMT passes through some of the most remote backcountry in Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina, including eight federally designated Wilderness and Wilderness Study Areas. For further information on the trail, visit the BMT Vital Info page.
For Hikers
There are numerous access points and trailheads along the BMT route creating many options for one-way and loop hikes, and several more in combination with local trails. Longer hikes are possible on the BMT by doing a partial or full thru-hike. And the longest walks are done by also using the three major intersecting trails, the Pinhoti, the AT, and the 900-plus mile Mountains-to-Sea Trail.
Because the BMT intersects the AT at each terminus and in the middle, three large hikable loops are formed in a figure 8: a lower circle of 364 miles, an upper Smokies-only walk of 158 miles, and ‘The BMT Loop’ – a complete circuit hike of over 500 miles. The Georgia Loop, “toughest hike in Georgia”, is a 55-mile triangle of the BMT, the AT and the Duncan Ridge Trail. In the Eastern Continental Trail; the 4400-plus mile route from Key West, Florida to Cape Gaspe, Quebec, Canada; the BMT connects the Pinhoti and Appalachian Trails. For more hiker information, check the Hiker Resources page.
(via American Hiking Society’s Southeast Trail Program – Benton MacKaye Trail Featured in NY Times)
Thunder River/Deer Creek Loop, Grand Canyon
Graywolf likes, as one of the best hikes in the world, the Thunder River/Deer Creek Loop in the Grand Canyon:
It is a very demanding and beautiful 26 to 43 (w/side trips) mile hike from the North Rim to the river and back. Awesome scenery, beautiful river, creeks, and falls and a wonderful play area in the Deer Creek narrows. To enjoy the fullest, plan on 5 night/6 day trip which would include a layover day in Deer Creek.
Start from the north rim on the Thunder River Trail, descending about 4600′ (1400m) to the Colorado.
Return to the north rim via the Deer Creek Trail.
This hike is strenuous and can be dangerous: severe weather, over-exertion, dehydration. Even flash flood. Desert hiking experience essential.
No need to carry canyon climbing gear — though you can use it if you do.
Deer Creek Narrows – larger original – flickr
Mike Miles posted a most entertaining trip report – Hiking Grand Canyon; an adventure on the Bill Hall, Thunder River and Deer Creek trails. They were physically challenged, injured and bothered by a marauding ring-trail cat.
Colorado River mile 134 beach camp
We’ve added the Thunder River/Deer Creek Loop to our list of the best hikes in North America.
Trip Reports – hiking the Wave, Utah
Backcountry Blog just posted a trip report on one of the best day hikes in the known universe:
… I had always wanted to come here, but nothing had prepared me for what was in front of me.
This formation is one of natures’ most spectacular. The colors were so vivid, the waves of sandstone so perfectly formed. …
… The beauty and vastness of this southern Utah desert always puts life in perspective for me. Out there you are one tiny person in this wilderness. Out there, you realize that you are but an infant in the sands of time. …
For details and more photos check the Backcountry Blog Wave trip report.
how to hike The Wave and Paria – besthike information page
besthike.com 