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wheelchair hiker – 4WheelBob

Tom Mangan hiked with the famous (Backpacker Magazine article) 4WheelBob Bob Coomber .

For those who don’t know Bob’s story: Diabetes has made his leg bones so brittle they break if he tries to stand up on them. He has some use of his lower extremities; he can operate the pedals on his car, for instance.

Don’t be complaining about your “sore feet” when on the trail with Bob!

On Sunday we traveled to Portola Redwoods State Park, back to the hills of Bob’s youth. We hiked for about three hours in the cool shade of that wonderful redwood forest. First we headed up the Old Tree Trail, where I started getting a lesson in Bob’s technique. On easy grades he pushes forward, but on steep grades he reverses and pulls himself up.

Two-Heel Drive: Travels with 4WheelBob

Thanks for the trip report Tom. I’m inspired by Bob’s good example.

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Incidentally, Tom has refocused his top-ranked hiking blog more specifically on his home turf out of San Jose, California.

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(Now I need to watch the entire hike-o-sphere myself. Formerly I counted on Tom.)

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hiking coast-to-coast across Corsica

Say that you’re planning to walk across Corsica and many assume that you’re heading for the GR20, a challenging 110-mile trail that bisects the mountainous island from north to south. As a relative beginner, I opted instead for the 50-mile Mare a Mare Sud, a gentler path that winds from Propriano in the south-west to Porto Vecchio in the south-east.

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Where to stay:

Walker’s hostels called gites d’étappe provide basic but clean accommodation and decent food for about €35 per night.

In early May the hostels were half-empty and advance booking wasn’t necessary, but from June to August they can fill up quickly and reservation is recommended. Some of the hostels close from October to April. There are also some guest houses along the route, which need to be booked in advance as they may close without notice if business drops off. Each of the stop-off points has a campsite, but camping outside these areas is not allowed.

When to go:

Late spring and early autumn are the best times for walking. The route is passable for most of the year but is more difficult in the winter, when snow covers the higher stretches. In July and August the route is busy despite the heat.

Walking coast to coast across Corsica – Times Online

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more information – Corsica.forhikers.com

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top 10 summer backpacking trips in California

We’ve begun separately sorting the best California hikes OUTSIDE the Sierra Nevada on our list of the best hikes in North America.

The GoBlog has California hiking recommendations including some outside the Sierras:

Climb_Ca’s Top 10 Summer Backpacking Trips

  • Young Lakes, Yosemite
  • Lost Coast Trail
  • Sykes Hot Springs, Ventana
  • Boy Scout Trail, Joshua Tree (late summer/fall obviously a better time to go to avoid the heat)
  • John Muir Trail (yeah, well, had to throw that in)
  • Saddlebag Lake to McCabe Lakes
  • Desolation Wilderness (pretty much anything, but stay away from the Rubicon 4×4 trail)
  • Mt. Shasta

    • Get Outdoors – Climb_Ca’s Top 10 Summer Backpacking Trips – Getoutdoors.com Outdoor Blog

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    Saddlebag Lake – source – flickr

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    hike the Stein Divide, British Columbia

    The Province of British Columbia has over 800 Provincial Parks and Recreation Areas. …

    At over 250,000 acres, Stein Valley Nlaka’pamux Heritage Park is one of these large parks.

    The park protects the entire extent of the Stein River making it the last fully intact watershed in the Southwestern mainland of BC.

    The river supports five species of salmon while the surrounding valleys and mountains are home to a full range of wildlife INCLUDING resident Grizzly Bears and wolverines!

    This was a place that I was dying to visit, and my chance came in September 2005. A cancelled trip to Yellowstone left me with a week of free time.

    We had hoped to walk over the Stein Divide and then proceed past Tundra Lake and down to Stein Lake in the Stein River valley proper. Unfortunately the trail was rough, and in many areas there was no trail, just a route marked by cairns. We spent a lot of time hopping across boulders large and small. Our progress was slow, and we had to scale back our plans and turn back at Tundra Lake. We did so with great regret but as the saying goes, “it’s best to leave a place hungry.” We did and I hope we and others will come back.

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    Check out the great photos of the trip.

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    should Angel’s Landing be closed?

    Good and important question:

    What should the National Park Service do, if anything, with Angel’s Landing in Zion National Park?

    This question arises every time there’s a fatality, and rightly so. The recent death of Barry Goldstein has rekindled the debate, with at least one reader believing the Park Service should, in essence, certify the ability of hikers determined to reach the landing.

    … How do you guard against canoeists, kayakers and rafters drowning while on park outings?

    What about those who are swept away by avalanches, who are attacked by grizzlies, die from the heat at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, or fall from Half Dome in Yosemite?

    National Parks Traveler: Should Anything Be Done With Angel’s Landing?

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    original photo – flickr

    details – our Angel’s Landing information page

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    South American Explorers Club

    We’ve added a more conspicuous link to SAE on all our South America pages.

    Anyone planning to hike there is strongly advised to join. Cost is about US$50 / yr.

    Planning to study Spanish? Raft the Amazon? Hike the Inca Trail? Work on an archaeological dig? Find volunteer work? Explore the Galapagos? Scuba dive? Climb Aconcagua? Kayak the Apurimac? Soak up sun on the beach? Drive or bicycle around the continent? Join an expedition? Or look for birds?

    Whatever you want to do, South American Explorers can help with trip planning, member recommended guides and outfitters, discounts on lodging, schools, travel…and much more.

    We are not a travel agency or a tour operator, rather, we specialize in assisting independent travelers and groups make the most of their experiences.

    We are a non-profit organisation that provides personal help and attention to details backed up with nearly 30 years of experience. That’s how long we’ve been assisting scientists, researchers, students and others heading to South America. So, take some time to explore all our website has to offer and contact us today to see how we can help you!

    Email us at explorer@saexplorers.org. Or, if you’re in the U.S. give us a call at 1-800-274-0568. Let’s talk!

    South American Explorers

    Gracias Miles Buesst of the Lima club house. I spent many days there prepping for my treks.

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    new movie – Into The Wild

    I’m organizing for a trip to Alaska. This post jumped out at me:

    … a movie trailer for John Krakauer’s Into The Wild. Apparently the movie is set to be released this September, and is being directed by Sean Penn.

    For those that haven’t read the book, and I recommend it highly, it’s about a young man named Christopher McCandless who graduates college, gives away his possessions, and donates his life savings to charity.

    Then, he moves to Alaska, where he wandered off into the wilderness to live. Four months later he was found dead.

    Several notes and letters, along with a diary, were later discovered at his campsite, and they tell the desperate tale of him trying to survive. Great book. I hope the movie is worthy of the title, but since Krakauer is one of the screen writers, I’m thinking it should be worth watching.

    The Adventure Blog: Into The Wild Movie Trailer!

    Into the Wild is my favourite Krakauer book (and that’s saying something) and I am very much looking forward to this film.

    Click PLAY or watch the trailer on YouTube.

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    hike Quttinirpaaq (Ellesmere Island) in Canada

    Rogier at the classy Bluepeak blog parsed the results of an Explore magazine article ranking Canadian National Parks in 5 categories: adventure, scenery, wildlife, natural science, and history.

    Rogier concluded these were the top 5 Parks, overall:

    1. Gwaii Haanas, BC (Queen Charlotte Islands)
    2. Quttinirpaaq (Ellismere Island)
    3. Yoho, BC
    4. Banff, Alberta
    5. Gros Morne, Newfoundland

    Bluepeak: Travel, tourism and photography » Best National parks in Canada

    I’ve never been to Gwaii Haanas or Quttinirpaaq. Or Canada’s newest, Torngat Mountains National Park in Newfoundland.

    map_resolutebay.gifFor C$10,000 you can sign on for a 2-week Quttinirpaaq trip on Ellesmere Island.

    ELLESMERE – AD ASTRA ICE CAP TREK — Quttinirpaaq National Park is the world’s most northerly park.

    Situated on the northern tip of Ellesmere Island, it is less than 500 miles from the North Pole. It is an arctic oasis. Stunning mountains and glaciers, muskox, arctic wolf and fox and many bird species make this a naturalist’s delight. The area is so remote that the only visitors to hike here in 2005 and 2006 were members of Black Feather’s annual Ellesmere Trek. This is literally the end of the earth.

    For 2007 our route will be a circumnavigation of the rugged mountains of the Ad Astra Ice Cap from Tanquary Fjord via the Macdonald and Airforce River valleys. We will access some of the most spectacular parts of Ellesmere!

    This trip is for the avid hiker who likes physical challenge in the most remote wilderness and enjoys sharing the adventure with like-minded people. Just getting our group with their food and gear to the start of the hike is a difficult and expensive undertaking … but you will be one of a small handful of people to ever walk in these distant arctic mountains.

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    National Parks Traveler – Park Remark join forces

    We have a new super site keeping tabs on what’s happening with America National Parks.

    The National Parks Traveler and Park Remark blogs have hooked up.

    Welcome to National Parks Traveler 2.0. It’s not only a significant upgrade from the original version launched in August 2005, but a collaboration with ParkRemark that we believe will provide you with even more value from the site.

    Overall, the bottom line remains the same: National Parks Traveler aims to educate the public about the national park system, inform it of issues surrounding the parks and the National Park Service, and build a stronger advocacy for the parks.

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    The redesigned site looks great.

    Our only request is that the new site point out as many highlights of the marvellous Parks as posts on problems with the Park system.

    Home Page | National Parks Traveler

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    review – Jetboil coffee maker

    Some were underwhelmed with my “preferred coffee system”.

    jet-boil.jpgPerhaps I need to step up.

    Since I’m already using the JetBoil stove / pot combo, I’ll pick up a JetBoil coffee press based on this good review:

    Here’s the basics of how the Jetboil French Press works.

    1. Get some water and fill up the cup
    2. Light up the micro burner
    3. Boil the water
    4. Scoop in the coffee
    5. Stir the coffee into the boiling water
    6. Press it on down
    7. Drink some amazing coffee on the side of the mountain you’re currently on.

    Review: Jetboil French Press Hiking and Camping Personal Coffee Maker | Single Serve Coffee – SingleServeCoffee.com

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