Urban Legends Reference Pages: Bear Rescued from Bridge Ledge – Snopes
(via THE GOAT)
video – climbing Half Dome, California
Includes a bear at Little Yosemite campground.
Description: For some people, it’s the hike of a lifetime. It’s 5000 feet straight up to an unforgettable view of the legendary Yosemite Valley. For the full travelogue on Yosemite Park’s Half Dome Trek, including related videos, interactive map, and useful links, visit WWW.OPENROAD.TV
Click PLAY or watch it on Travelistic.
newfangled water purifiers – I am CONFUSED
I’m fed up with traditional water filters.
Are any of the too-good-to-be-true innovations worth trying?
If so, leave a comment below this post.
MSR Miox Water Purifier with Batteries – Amazon
iStraw – official website
SteriPEN products – official website
(via Darren Barefoot)
Best National Parks Lodges USA
If I won a million dollars I’d take a tour of the great wilderness lodges of the World.
If I won only a hundred thousand dollars I’d start with a tour of the American lodges.
Here’s the top 10 in the States as selected by Sherman’s Travel:
- The Ahwahnee
- Big Meadows Lodge
- Camp Denali & North Face Lodge
- Crater Lake Lodge
- Jenny Lake Lodge
- Maho Bay Camps
- Many Glacier Hotel
- Phantom Ranch
- Volcano House
- Zion Lodge
10 Best Lodges in the National Parks | National Parks Traveler
National Geographic chose these five:
- The Ahwahnee – Yosemite National Park, California
- Old Faithful Inn – Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
- Big Meadows Lodge – Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
- Kennicott Glacier Lodge – Wrangell–St. Elias National Park, Alaska
- Sperry Chalet and Granite Park Chalet – Glacier National Park, Montana
Big Meadows Lodge, Shenandoah National Park – Travelocity
Yes, these lists are very subjective. More conversation starters than anything else.
On my grand Lodges tour I’d put together my own definitive top 10 list.
Any other great Park hotels you would include on your own list? Worldwide? If so, leave a comment below.
hmm – raft for $800? Or $20?
Warren Long saw I was thinking of buying an $800 Alpacka for paddle hiking.
He offered to loan me his $20 raft.
Will a Cheap-O get me across the lake to the trailhead? Sure. In most cases.
I’m not on a 4000mi Pacific coast mega-adventure.
Well played, Warren. I’ll try a cheap raft first before buying an Alpacka.
non-hiker tackles the West Coast Trail
Janet Wilson, as part of her 50th birthday fitness program, decided to walk our #1 hike in the World.
She did the research, bought the gear, finished a series of training hikes (adding 5lbs each time), grabbed her husband … and headed for the wild Shipwreck Coast.
… I suggested to my husband that for my birthday he give me, not some extravagant present or party, but his support and partnership in tackling a big physical goal: hiking the West Coast Trail.
It was something I had always wanted to do, but now I was not at all sure my aging carcass could withstand the training, let alone reach a point where it could carry a 40 pound pack over rough terrain for 7 days. But I decided to try. I read every book and web account on the trail I could find.
… we bought all the rest of our gear: the Mutha Hubba tent and footprint, Exped 7 Downmats (a bit heavy, but I knew I needed a great sleep to recover at nights), MontBlanc DownHugger sleeping bags, a SilTarp II for the inevitable rainy days, MSR’s Superfly stove and fuel canisters (3), hiking poles (purchased last and on impulse, but one of the best purchases we made) and a Katadyn Vario MicroFilter …
See Janet’s entire trip report – WesternWilson – The West Coast Trail, September 2007
Congratulations. We are proud of you Janet!
We’ve linked Janet’s trip report to our West Coast Trail information page.
Parks Canada Listens, finally
UPDATED October 12, 2007
I finally heard back from The Parks Listens Panel Team (Ipsos-Reid) regarding their confusing Parks Canada survey and $1000 contest. The entire email is reprinted in the comments below.
A quick summary for those like me mightily confused:
There are two separate links:
www.join.parkslistens.ca is the official website for individuals who have received an invitation card to join the Parks Listens panel ($1000 contest)
www.parkslistens.ca is the login webpage for individuals who have already registered with the Parks Listens panel.
In order to clarify eligibility to participate in the Parks Listens panel and the prize draw contest, we have added more information to both web pages.
questions to parkslistens-parcecoute@ipsos-reid.com
original post from September 28th, 2007 below =====
I want to thank Frank Grigel of the Canada Parks Listens project.
He’s the first person who has acknowledge to me from the Project that he listens.
BACKGROUND:
I love Parks Canada — but complain consistently that their Park Entrance fees and User Fees are much higher than the USA:
hike Canada or the USA? – UPDATE – September 9th, 2006
So far as I can see, Parks Canada is a typical, socialist government bureaucracy unaccountable to the Canadian taxpayer.
The one hope I might have some input into policy was an initiative called PARKS LISTENS.
At least they made an effort to collect input from the users of the National Parks.
Though I’ve been getting email surveys circulated by Parks Listens since the beginning, the Project to me seems to have been bungled. It’s run not by Parks Canada, but the Ipsos-Reid Corporation.
I have no idea where the Project is going. The time line. Nothing.
If you check the official website — www.parkslistens.ca — you will be none the wiser. (This redirects to http://iaf.ipsos.ca/iaf/parkslistens.html)
No information is available to the general public.
To promote the project, Parks Listens offered some $1000 prizes to those who join up to participate in their on-line surveys. The catch is … YOU NEED TO BE INVITED AND HAVE A PASSWORD. AND FIND THE RIGHT PAGE ON THE INTERNET TO REGISTER.
This process works for some, but not for many others.
In frustration, people ended up on this blog … venting. As am I.
Finally Frank sent us this message:
I work on the Parks Listens project. A person recently contacted us and said that when they tried to access http://www.join.parkslistens.ca that they were referred to this blog. I assure you that our site is operating and we receive new entries every day.
If you type http://www.join.parkslistens.ca into a search engine (such a Google) you are referred to this blog. Please try typing http://www.join.parkslistens.ca into your browser’s address. If you are still having problems, please contact us at parkslistens-parcsecoute@ipsos-reid.com.
I apologize to anyone who had trouble registering for the contest. It is real and the next entry deadline is October 31, 2007.
Thanks again, Frank.
I will refer people to the correct URL and email address.
But, seriously, why doesn’t Ipsos-Reid explain the project — and the contest — on the website? Here’s what it looks like today:
How friendly or helpful is was this?
Please tell Ipsos-Reid to put full information on the Project and Contest on the site. And to link to the seemingly hidden contest registration page so that those with invitations can find it.
Yeesh … Ipsos-Reid is one of the biggest and best survey companies in the World. They have thousands of employees.
How can they have messed up this Project so badly?
official website — www.parkslistens.ca/
TracMe Personal Locator Beacon
UPDATE: Check the comment by Kevin Stoltz. He is very negative on this device:
… how TERRIBLE this device is as an emergency rescue device. The ONLY positive thing is it’s size. It is a low power radio beacon which means someone else has to initiate the search (whether or not you’re actually in need of help). The TracMe is only useful once rescue parties get close. PLBs on the other hand are activated by the individual in distress and result in a distress signal (including location coordinates) being sent to satellites which in turn are relayed to the appropriate search and rescue organization. PLBs operate at 406MHz and have an extremely low false alarm rate.
=======
original post:
The Hiking Ideas – Wilderness Trailcraft blog is investigating methods of sending for help in case of emergency.
This is the first device small enough for me to seriously consider:
On Monday I posted a story about the Spot Satellite Messenger device and I got a comment from Kevin Stoltz from PLB Rentals. He helped differentiate the category of PLBs from other messenging devices by saying the PLBs have more transmitting power – therefore they are a better safety device.
He also mentioned to me to check out another device called TracMe.
So I did. Here is a shot of the TracMe and here’s what the TracMe website lists as the unique features of their device:
• Voice beacon – can be monitored by anyone on the existing radio emergency channel.
• Does not automatically instigate a search and rescue – about 98% of distress alerts detected from inadvertently activated beacons are false.
• Extremely small and light weight.
• Low cost – less than half the cost of existing beacons.
• Very low cost for the Search and Rescue (SAR) crews.
• A search can be performed with a single aircraft and one ground crew of 2 to 3 people.
• Will operate continuously for about 7 days – this gives the rescuers ample time to locate the beacon.
• Single use – once the unit has been activated, it can be deactivated but not reused.
• Shelf or storage life should be up to 10 years.
– Hiking Ideas – Wilderness Trailcraft
Top bull
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Hiking photos traipsing right through the middle of an Elk rut. (By the look of the photos.)
“A big bull elk, with some of his progeny. Looks like one half of his antlers has been worn smooth by combat.”
From Tom Mangan’s personal blog, Busy Being Born: All day on the Marin coast.
These guys are more dangerous than bears, Tom. Be careful out there.
my long awaited hiking kayak – Alpacka Raft
For over 2yrs I’ve been researching inflatable and foldable kayaks I might carry for paddle hiking. Getting to good hiking routes by paddling across the lake rather than walking around.
It’s here. But it’s a raft. (Now to find the $800. Or a cheaper used one.)
Erin & Hig convinced me. They’re using Alpacka rafts on a 4 thousand mile charity journey from Seattle to Alaska.
more Alpacka Raft PHOTOS
Alpacka rafts come in three sizes: Small (Alpaca); Medium (Yukon Yak); Large (Denali Llama). I want the smallest, lightest, the Alpacka, likely with spray skirt.
Total weight is between 4-6lbs plus paddle. I can carry that!
Always follow the packrafting rule of “don’t float it if you can’t swim it”. These boats are incredibly tough for their weight, but they can still puncture if you are not careful. Good packrafters try to avoid hitting obstacles. (A patch kit is included.)
If interested, check out these links:
Alpacka Rafts – about
Interview – Alaska businesswoman Sheri Tingey, Alpaca Raft Inc.
Alpacka packrat – June ’07 Canoe & Kayak Magazine
packraft – Wikipedia
besthike.com 