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Buttes, Mesas and Tepuis

The buttes and mesas of the Colorado Plateau remind me of those other “islands in the sky” — the tepuis of South America.

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tepui art – CanyonsWorldwide.com

I’d really love to climb Roraima in Venezuela:

• bordering Venezuela, Brazil & Guyana, Roraima is remote
• it’s in the world’s largest national park — Canaima
• the highest tepui at 2810m (9219ft)
• 6-day, 5-night round trip trek to the summit
• no mountaineering skill or gear needed
• the impressive Prow of Roraima was not climbed until 1973
• unique dreamscape at the top: weird rocks, gorges & gardens
• a full day needed to explore on high
• many unique species found only atop tepuis
• inspiration for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World
• same trip visit nearby Angel Falls, world’s highest 979m (3212ft)

Our Roraima information page.

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Moab Photography Symposium

I was in town for the Moab Photo Symposium.

Talking to some of the attendees reminded me of the difference between real photographers and myself. They are willing to WAIT for the right shot.

(I merely take pictures of whatever happens along while I am hiking.)

Still, the gap between real photographers and the rest of us is narrowing due to the decreased cost of digital equipment.

Check out their 2006 photo contest winners.

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DO NOT BUY Adventure 16 Firefly Liquid Light

I rushed out and bought this innovative product — a Nalgene bottle lantern — as soon as I heard about.

Having used it on my last hiking trip, my score is 2.0 out of 10.

A great idea, very badly executed.

There are several problems:

• special tool needed to attach the lantern lid to the bottle
• special screwdriver needed to change batteries
• it’s too heavy
• you are asked NOT to put the top in water
• it gives surprisingly little light

Would someone please manufacture a light-weight, washable version?
(It’s a water bottle, for cripes sake!)

And how many people are going to carry special tools for it on the trail?
(I actually had one. The eyeglass screwdriver from my Swiss Army Knife worked.)

==== original post March 20, 2007

gear I need NOW – water bottle lantern

Adventure 16 Firefly Liquid Light - grey

This nifty little device acts first as the lid to a bottle of water. Press a button, however, and the lid emits an “integrated LED light” which turns the water bottle into an instant lantern. Hang it from a tree and you’ve got enough light to play that game of cards around the campfire.

Things can get really funky if the bottle is full of green Gatorade or pink lemonade. Just don’t fill it full of chunky soup.

Price: US$21.95

Turn your Water Bottle into a Lantern – Gadling

Adventure 16 Firefly Liquid Light – grey – Amazon

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hiking reservations on Recreation.gov

I just tried using the new Recreation.gov website to book a campground in the USA.

A bit “clunky”. Fairly slow.

But at least it seems to work.

The history of government National Park websites is a sad one. But they are slowly, slowly getting better.

Recreation.gov is now the place for all your federal recreation reservations

Be assured that all of your existing reservations remain in good standing, though they cannot be displayed or cancelled from this new website …

New Membership required to make reservations

You will need a Recreation.gov Membership to book reservations on this new website.
You cannot sign-in with your old ReserveUSA.com or Reservations.NPS.gov membership.

About Us – Recreation.gov

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Leave a comment if you have had any experience with this system.

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coffee on the trail

Like Russ at Trailcraft, I need coffee in the morning when I’m hiking.

He’s recommending a new one on me:

The Press-Bot Coffee Press by ventureDESIGNworks made great coffee. In fact, everyone in the group enjoyed it. The only complaint was that it was occasionally difficult to remove from the Nalgene bottle. …

As an added bonus, the PRESS-BOT only weighs 2.8 ounces!

Coffee Nalgene Style

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nestlelaitconcentratetubepa.jpgNo doubt Russ will be mortified with my preferred hiking coffee “system”. I buy tubes of Nestle sweetened condensed milk and mix it with instant coffee. Fast, easy and … surprisingly delicious.

In fact, I’ve even tried the coffee flavoured sweetened condensed milk. (Not nearly as good.)

This product is available throughout South America, in Australia and Europe. But I’ve not yet found it in Canada or the USA.

Leave a comment if you know where I can get it in North America.

(via Two-Heel Drive)

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new hiking blog – Take a Load Off

I like the look of a new site put up by Matt Hornsby.

Take a Load Off – Lightweight Backpacking
Backpacking adventures, missteps, stories, and advice.

Matt describes the process of cutting down his 50lb+ pack to something more … reasonable. And asks for advice on his gear list. Check it out:

Take a Load Off – Lightweight Backpacking: Packing

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I’ve subscribed, of course, to Matt’s RSS feed.

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virtual 360 degree photo panoramas

Love hiking but tied to your computer?

Erik Goetze can help.

He’s posted over 500 Quicktime VR panoramas of famous North American hikes on his Virtual Parks website.

You need special software on your computer in order to watch them. But the 360 degree images work on most modern computers.

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screenshot

Gallery of Best Panoramic Scenes by Erik Goetze

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El Misti volcano, Peru

El Misti (5827m / 19,117 ft), in Peru is perhaps the easiest way to hike HIGH anywhere in the world. We think.

I did it solo myself in 2005.

It looks so tempting from the hotel roof in Arequipa.

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original

But it’s not always that easy, as Eu-Jin Goh from California found on his adventure.

We signed up for a trip to El Misti with Zarate Expediciones. It cost more than the other agencies but we were quite keen to go on the trip with Carlos Zarate (84 years old at the time) who discovered a number of Inca sacrifices at the top of volcanoes near Arequipa.

… Carlos was full of information about his climbs in the area, he would frequently point at something and tell us that he found x number of mummies and Inca artifacts x number of years ago. In fact, our trip was his 384th summit of El Misti!

For a walkup, El Misti was physically strenuous for several reasons:

1) we were barely acclimitized for those heights after spending two nights at 2000 meters (Arequipa) and one night at 3600 meters (Chivay), and no real physical exertion at those altitudes.

2) This period was the second day of my 12 day bout with food poisoning and a bad cold that plagued me through the trip.

3) The trailhead was at 3415 m (11,204 ft) and the summit was at 5827 m (19,117 ft), translating to an elevation gain of almost 8,000 ft to be covered over two days.

4) There’s no water on the mountain and we had to carry 12 liters for both of us for 2 days.

5) I forgot to pack my energy drinks to Peru, which would have been quite helpful since I couldn’t eat any solid food. On hindsight, I think a better choice for acclimitization is Chachani because, although higher, it is an easier climb since from trailhead to summit is only 1000 meters over 2 days.

When we reached the crater rim, it started to snow, and Serene and I hurried to make the summit before the weather broke completely. We ended up descending at the start of a snowstorm that plastered the upper part of the mountain with snow that was visible from Arequipa the next day.

El Misti (5827m / 19,117 ft), Peru – Eu-Jin Goh photos

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original

Details on how to organize a trip there for yourself on our Misti information page.

If you opt for Zarate Expeditions and/or climb Chachani instead, know that not everyone is happy.

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hike The Needles, Utah

The best section of Canyonlands National Park for hikers is The Needles. No question.

…named after the red and white banded rock pinnacles which dominate it but various other forms of naturally sculptured rock like canyons, grabens, potholes, and a number of arches similar to the ones of the nearby Arches National Park can be found as well.

Unlike Arches National Park, however, where many arches are accessible by short to moderate hikes or even by car, most of the arches in the Needles district lie in backcountry canyons and take long hikes or four-wheel-drive trips to reach.

Canyonlands National Park – Wikipedia

Of 60mi (96km) of great trails, the most popular section of the Needles is Chesler Park, a lovely grassy valley surrounded by colourful sandstone spires.

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larger image – flickr

I was lucky to get one of the 5 backcountry Chesler Park tent sites (CP5) and accessed it from the Elephant Hill trailhead.

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NPS map

From there I dayhiked the astonishing Joint Trail. It’s a “mountain” that split leaving a fracture just wide enough for a hiker (sideways at some points). Is there no end of natural marvels in this part of the world?

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The highlight for me personally was a late afternoon trail run to Druid Arch. Late, scrambling the steep slope up to the view point, I was blown away by the size and location of this wonderful mass of stone.

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high resolution original

I got lost on the run back to my tent, arriving an hour after dark.

If I went back to the Needles, I would do Salt Creek from Cathedral Butte to Peekaboo via Angel Arch. Likely 3 days, 24.2m (39km), a wonderful canyon walk with permanent water.

I’d need a high clearance vehicle to get to the trailhead. Or would hire a shuttle vehicle in Moab.

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Angel Arch – Bob’s Arches

photos from my 2007 hike – flickr

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MEC Hydrofoil Jacket – dry and warm

UPDATE – I am LOVING this jacket after using it for a couple of weeks of cold desert nights in southern Utah.

==== original post April 27, 2007:

After doing a fair bit of comparison shopping on-line, I finally jumped for a new coat, the third in my hiking career.

It’s the inexpensive MEC Hydrofoil Jacket: C$99 (US$88). A bit heavy at just under 1lb (425gms).

Yet this jacket just felt “right” when I put it on. (Will report back how it handles the trail.)

Built to provide outdoor generalists with compact wet-weather protection and the comfort of breathability, at an affordable price. Lightweight and packable, this fully seam-taped, unlined garment is good for travelling in wet climates or where foul weather is expected.

The interior is coated with Toray’s Entrant® DT microporous polyurethane coating, which is waterproof, moderately breathable, and durable. Unlined garments are much lighter and pack smaller than lined garments. So you are more likely to bring them along in uncertain weather.

* Made of 50-denier mini twill ripstop100% nylon.
* Exterior is treated with Kudos Super Durable Water Repellency treatment.
* Hip-length, relatively loose fit for comfort and easy layering over light to mid-weight garments.
* Fully taped seams for maximum wet-weather protection.
* Integral, fully adjustable hood with reinforced brim for full weather resistance.
* Pits zips for added ventilation.
* Two zippered outer pockets.
* Velcro® adjustable sleeve cuffs.
* Elastic drawcord at bottom hem.
* All flaps stiffened to prevent them getting caught in zippers.

MEC Hydrofoil Jacket (Men’s) – Mountain Equipment Co-op

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