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August 4, 2007

climb Bukhan Mountain, Seoul, Korea

The ROK Drop blog has an excellent post on getting into the wild in Korea:

Seoul is a city that is literally surrounded by mountains that provide many great outdoor opportunities for those who want to escape the hustle and bustle of modern, urbanized Korea.

The most popular destination for Seoulites looking to get away from the city and reconnect with nature for a little while is a day trip to Bukhansan (Pukhansan) National Park that towers over the northwestern landscape of Seoul.

So many people visit this park that it is actually the most popular national park in all of Korea. On some days its popularity with the locals leaves you wondering if you have actually left the city or not when you are surrounded with visor wearing ajummas and ajushis dressed as if they are about to undertake a Himalayan expedition.

To escape the crowds, you have to get away from the lower reaches of the park where visitors congregate around the restaurants and soju bars and find your own piece of solitude on one of the upper peaks of the park. …

This national park was first established in 1983 and encompasses nearly 80 squared kilometers of land. There are three main peaks on the mountain, Baekundae (836.5m), Insubong (810.5m) and Mangnyeongdae (799.5m).

This travelog will focus on the route up to the highest peak Baekundae. …

Things to Do In Korea: Bukhan Mountain National Park at ROK Drop

Bukhansan National Park – official website

August 3, 2007

10 mountains to see before you die

Erebus (Antarctica)

Khan Tengri (Kazakhstan)

Roraima (Venezuela) – see Roraima Lost World Trek

Torres del Paine – see Torres del Paine Trek

Machupuchare (Nepal) – see Annapurna Circuit

An Teallach (Scotland)

Rainier (USA) – see Wonderland Trail

Kilimanjaro (Tanzania) – see Kilimanjaro Marangu route

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (China)

Chomolungma (Asia) AKA Mt. Everest

Ten mountains to see before you die – Bluelist – Lonely Planet

Room with a view. An outhouse backed by Mount Erebus, Antarctica’s only active volcano.

Antarctic Journal 20 January 2005 – Kevin Hand

August 2, 2007

hike Black Canyon Lake, Absaroka-Beartooth wilderness

Yesterday we linked to a trip report from Phil Armitage to The Hounds Tooth in the Bugaboos.

Today, Phil’s trip report from Absaroka-Beartooth wilderness near Red Lodge, Montana:

The 14-mile roundtrip to Black Canyon Lake is an outstanding day hike – the best I found in this part of the Beartooths and one of the most scenic hikes I’ve done anywhere. …

There is a great view of Thunder mountain rising above the creek from the bridge. …

The route climbs through the forest with just a couple of poorly defined sections, reaching timberline at about 8,800 feet along a tributary of Rock Creek. Here, just when the first expansive view of the peaks appears, you should cross the gully to the right bank of the stream and continue on the obvious trail up to the lake – if instead you stay on the left bank you’ll end up in a monstrous field of huge boulders which makes for slow going. In total, it’s probably a mile and half from the main trail until you reach the shore of the vivid turquoise lake, which lies beneath 12,000 foot high Beartooth Mountain and Mount Rearguard. The view here is absolutely spectacular.

Day hikes in the Absaroka-Beartooth wilderness near Red Lodge, Montana

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If you want crowds, head for nearby Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.

If you want some solitude, check out Absaroka-Beartooth. Phil recommends Hiking the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, 2nd ed. by Schneider.

August 1, 2007

scramble to Conrad Kain hut in the Bugaboos

Photographer Phil Armitage has a terrific photo gallery that any hiker will love. His best photos are available for sale.

I was particularly interested in Phil’s pics from a hike to shoot “The Hound’s Tooth” in the “Bugs”, a granite range in the Purcell Mountains of eastern British Columbia, Canada.

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From Phil’s trip report:

… Bugaboo spires trailhead, at the end of the road in Bugaboo Provincial Park.

Although this is by far the most popular spot in the Purcells, it’s still pretty remote – you’ll need to violate the spirit as well as the letter of a rental car contract to negotiate the 30 miles of dirt roads between Brisco (18 miles north of Radium Hot Springs on Highway 95) and the trailhead.

You’ll need detailed directions from a guidebook, or from maps available locally, but it’s not too tricky to find. In summer 2006 the road was pretty rough, with plenty of potholes, but numerous low clearance 2WD cars and vans had successfully made it to the Park. …

The hike to the Conrad Kain hut is very short – just a 6 mile round trip – but brutally steep. There’s 2200 feet of elevation gain to the hut, all of it attained in the last two miles.

In places the route is protected by cables bolted into the rock, and in one spot you climb a steep section with the aid of a metal ladder, but the trail is in excellent shape and at least in dry weather these aids are more for reassurance than for necessity. The views of the Hound’s Tooth, with the Bugaboo glacier flowing past the spire and down the valley, are continual and astounding throughout the hike. When we did this in mid-August, there were nice patches of wildflowers in several small meadows along the trail.

The hut is perched on a rocky shelf with a panoramic view of both the spires and the valley along which the trail ascends. It’s a great spot for lunch. You can also scramble off-trail without much difficulty to attain a small ridge that allows a closer vantage of the glaciers. This feels about as wild a spot as can be reached by mere hikers. I highly recommend this hike – it’s one of the best short day hikes I’ve done.

Day hikes in the Bugaboos and Purcell Mountains of British Columbia

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I checked with a local hiking buddy who had done this trip a few years ago. He confirmed it was one of his best hikes ever.

We’ve added Conrad Cain to our list of the best hikes in North America.

Bugaboo Provincial Park – official website

July 30, 2007

South Island weekend walks – New Zealand

There are many great hiking guidebooks for New Zealand including our top pick Lonely Planet Tramping in New Zealand.

Rather than compete directly against LP, a new speciality guide takes a different focus:

The reality for most New Zealand trampers is that their tramping often has to be fitted into weekends.

In recognition, Nick Groves, a leading New Zealand outdoor photographer, and now writer, has collected together the best of the South Island’s two or three day tramping trips.

These trips, selected from all over the South Island, range in difficulty to ensure that there are tramps for every ability. Essential information on length, grade, time, suitable maps, access and sources of information are provided for each tramp. This is followed by a more detailed description of the tramp and what you might expect to experience.

The book is heavily illustrated, with colour reference maps for each section and the author’s stunning photographs throughout.

South Island Weekend Tramps – New Zealand guide books, books and maps from Clearwater Tarn – Online shop

July 29, 2007

Sex In A Tent – you wish

Michelle Waitzman is the author of “Sex in a Tent: a wild couple’s guide to getting naughty in nature” (Wilderness Press, Oct. 2007)

She lives in Wellington, New Zealand although she is originally from Toronto, Canada. She loves spending time in the great outdoors.

Hiking, backpacking (or ‘tramping’ as they call it here in NZ), and sea kayaking are some of her favourite ways to enjoy the wilderness. Michelle is also writing “Moon Living Abroad in New Zealand”, a guide for those who would like to follow in her footsteps and move to New Zealand.

Love In A Tent
Michelle Waitzman

– the blog

$A Wild Couple\'s Guide to Getting Naughty in Nature$

Sex in a Tent: A Wild Couple\’s Guide to Getting Naughty in Nature

(via all the hiking websites edited by those only sleeping in their tents)

This reminds me of the classic How to Shit in the Woods by Kathleen Meyer.

July 28, 2007

Jetboil vs MSR vs Primus stoves

I have been quite happy with my Jetboil stove, after learning the quirks.

Last year Ryan Jordan on the Backpacking Light Magazine podcast did a detailed review of the Jetboil and two copycat competitors.

When you next comparison shop for a new camping stove, be sure to include those three on your list.

“Backpacking Light Trends (Audio Program): Integrated Canister Stove Systems,” by Ryan Jordan. BackpackingLight.com (ISSN 1537-0364).

Leave a comment if you have a recommendation.

July 27, 2007

Angel’s Landing, Half Dome, Huashan – too dangerous?

There is talk of closing Angel’s Landing in Zion and Half Dome in Yosemite.

The controversy with the first two (American hikes) is rekindled â€” not surprisingly â€” each time a tourist falls to their death. Access is simply too easy for the inexperienced and under-prepared.

But if you (like us) feel you are capable of these moderate difficulty scrambles, do not fear if access in the USA is eventually restricted.

You can always head to Xian, China and Huashan.

… between the West and North Peak, is a path called ‘Changkongzhandao‘ (The cliff side plank path).

This path is pretty much the whole reason for me coming to Mt. Huashan. Originally seeing photos of this awesome sight in an email when i was working, i decided i had to come and take a look for myself.

The path leads to a small lookout where it is about 70 metres in length. Once you reach the end, you just come back and continue on your way. It is a cliff face. 90 degrees. To get across, they have whacked large nails into the side of the cliff and placed planks of wood over the top for you to cross. The path is about 40cm wide!

There is also a chain nailed to the rock for you to hold onto as you make your way across. For $5AUS you can choose to hire a safety harness (you would be absolutely stupid, i mean insane not to have one). Half of the path are planks of wood and the other half are foot holes carved into the rock. As the people i was with were too scared to go, i went alone taking the photos myself trying not to drop the camera with my hands shaking as if i had just drunk 20 cups of coffee.

I took my time and on the way back another brave bloke was coming towards me to do the same walk. I asked him to take a photo of me and he explained to me that the ultimate photo to take on this path is a pose where you lean back facing the cliff wall (because of your harness), your body 45 degrees, relying 100% on your harness with both arms waving in the air! The ground by the way is 1km down.

The best i could do was lean 45 degrees over the edge but my hands were stuck firmly to the strap connecting my body to the wall. I couldn’t let go, my brain was telling me “Go on, do it”, but my hands wouldn’t budge. Now i see myself as an adventurous person willing to try anything, but this was the first time in my short years where my brain and body disagreed with one another and it felt really strange.

I hit my limit where i had no idea what my limit was up until now. And I’m actually quite glad knowing it’s hanging off a cliff relying on a piece of metal and strap, 1km up on a plank of wood, now that can’t happen too often, can it? There is a saying ‘Feel the fear and do it anyway’. That was actually shuffling across those wooden planks.

The adrenalin rush i got from that and hiking Mt. Huashan lasted all the way back down to the cable car where it was 7:00pm and the perfect time to leave for a 3 hour bus ride back to Xi’an.

Andre’s World Trip: Mt. Huashan

Angel’s Landing – our information page

July 26, 2007

trekking the Drakensberg in South Africa

The best web overview of hiking in the land of the original “trekkers” is Safari Now.

With over 1,950 listed hikes, South Africa is a fantastic hiking destination.

… All laid out hikes are signposted, usually with painted icons on rocks, and most hiking authorities supply maps. Most multi-day hikes offer accommodation in basic, but clean and adequate, hiking huts that usually have a million-dollar view to go with the low rent facilities.

Hiking in Southern Africa – Safari Now

The best region of all is the Drakensberg.

The impressive bulk of the mountains the Zulus called Ukahlamba – the barrier of spears – and the Voortrekkers called the Drakensberg – the dragon mountain – is an impressive rampart of sandstone and basalt that separates the well watered Indian Ocean coast from the dryer, harsher interior.

Most of the escarpment falls under the Ukahlamba-Drakensberg National Park. This beautiful montane grassland is bright green in summer after the rains and fades to a delicate blonde, often with snowy highlights, in winter.

It’s a great hiking destination with a range of trails from walks of an hour or two to long epics such as the Drakensberg Traverse, which takes about three to four weeks.

Drakensberg

maps of Drakensberg

Check this superb photo set on the Drakensberg Traverse:

More photos from this set by Greg Fullard on flickr.

Greg says: “The Drakensberg (Dragon Mountain) is an incredible mountain range located in the centre of South Africa. It is my soul’s home ….”

July 24, 2007

Lonely Planet author’s body found

Sad news.

Clem Lindenmayer is author of one of my favourite hiking guidebooks, Lonely Planet Trekking in the Patagonian Andes.

Clem Lindenmayer, 47, disappeared while hiking near Minya Konka mountain, also known as Gongga Shan in Sichuan province.

China’s official Xinhua news agency said villagers found his body on July 19.

Mr Lindenmayer’s family said they last heard from him on May 2 when he contacted his wife by email to tell her he was preparing for a hike around the mountain range, which lies in a rugged region that was once part of Tibet. …

The email stated his intention at that stage was to do a six-day circuit around Mount Gongga.

But by the end of May the family had still not heard from him, and a search was undertaken.

… rescuers searching for Mr Lindenmayer had earlier found a body believed to be that of a Japanese mountaineer who vanished 26 years ago. …