Posts

Posted on

BAREFOOT hiking in New Zealand?

Robert Jungst on a bet vowed to hike over the New Zealand Alps 4-days barefoot.

Robert’s with the Society for Barefoot Living.

Now, … I got in enough trouble with Rick the Nude Hiker for being flippant about “alternative” hikers. (In fact, I’ve promised to try nude hiking this year.) But it seems to me that my feet are the last part of my body I want nude when scrambling over a mountain!

trip_7.jpg

The Rabbit Pass route is no Sunday stroll. It has a reputation as one of the most challenging alpine passes that can be done in New Zealand without climbing expertise. …

This part of the trip is the most demanding for Robert. Underfoot is painfully sharp scree that slides disconcertingly as we slip and skate down as if surfing angry waves. I see the odd bloodspot on a stone, a sign that Robert is having a tough time now.

Further down the terrain changes from scree to subalpine grasses, including the dreaded Spaniard’s spikes. It takes us several hours to get down, and Robert’s first comment on arrival to the East Matukituki campsite is: “Before someone asks, yes, my feet ARE sore!!”

But despite the anguish of the descent, Robert chooses not to put on the Tevas from his pack. He does the whole trip in bare feet. He concedes, though, that if he was to repeat the Rabbit Pass descent, he would probably choose to wear the Tevas for that bit. “The trip in New Zealand has taught me there are SOME situations where shoes could be my preferred option.”

… So why go barefoot? Robert’s been mostly barefoot for 15 years now and he says he initially rid himself of shoes, not for any desire to be different or reject society’s norms, but simply because his feet smelt. He also lost toenails regularly. It just made more sense for him to ditch the shoes – his feet felt like they’d been freed from a cage, and the foot odour and toenail problems instantly disappeared.

… Robert insists that barefooting is a healthier option – “without a doubt”. Without shoes, he says, there’s no chance for fungus or other infections to grow, and blisters are a distant memory. “It’s good for the circulation, too.”

New Zealand Wild Walks

Thanks to Whit Thurlow of New Zealand Wild Walks for alerting us to this amazing feat (pun intended).

Wilt will organize an 8-day Gillespie / Rabbit Pass trek, the longest guided tramp available in New Zealand at 90km (56mi). Sounds varied and fantastic!

gp.jpg
Gillespie Pass – TrampNZ

Posted on

daybreak at Crater Lake

Photography By Jim M. Goldstein

One of my fondest memories after hiking through 30 miles of the Pacific Coast Trail through Crater Lake National Park was emerging to see this view. So calm and so serene this sunrise view is one of my personal favorites.

A larger version can be seen in my gallery Daybreak At Crater Lake

JMG-Galleries – Daybreak at Crater Lake

daybreak_crater_lake_520c.jpg

Crater Lake National Park, Oregon – Wikipedia

Posted on

my favourite insect – the hoverfly

I find hoverflies on most hikes. And almost everywhere in the world.

They like landing on sweaty skin, sampling the salt. A few times I’ve been able to get one to land on the tip of my nose.

This makes for a scary image as they look like a small wasp. (Sadly, some run away or try to kill the innocent fly, not knowing it is harmless.)

Flies in the Diptera family Syrphidae are commonly known as hoverflies, flower flies, or Syrphid flies. …

Many Syrphids mimic bees or wasps in appearance. It is thought that this mimicry protects hover flies from falling prey to birds and other insectivores which avoid eating true wasps because of their sting. …

Hover flies get their name from their characteristic flight pattern of hovering nearly still, then darting a short distance very rapidly only to start hovering again, a pattern not seen in the wasps and bees they mimic.

Wikipedia

This fantastic moment, captured by a young Australian photographer, won 3rd place in the Wikimedia Commons Picture of the Year 2006 competition.

Leave a comment if have any other favourite insects.

(We’re not going to get into the most hated insects.)

Posted on

hike Negro Bill’s Canyon, Utah

My interest was tweaked when I kept seeing an unusual little day hike on “best hikes in Utah” lists.

The name is surprising too: Negro Bill’s Canyon. (I will lobbyinglobby for a name change to Mitt Romney Canyon if he wins the Presidency in 2008.)

It’s popular for a number of reasons:

  • very close to Moab, Utah
  • running water year round
  • many refreshing stream crossings required
  • leads to impressive Morning Glory Natural Bridge
  • offers more shade than any other hike in the area
  • abundant wildlife

    • Despite the plentiful poison ivy, this is a very popular hike for those owning dogs and/or children.

    Ultimately, it’s a nice change from the dry, hot desert environment outside the canyon. And 3.2mi (5.15km) is a nice distance for a short walk.

    morningglory.jpg
    Morning Glory Natural Bridge … or, more accurately, …

    This is not a natural bridge, but it is a very large alcove arch. Robert Vreeland measured the span of this arch and reported it to be 243 feet in Volume 5 of his book series, Natures Bridges and Arches. This volume is now out of print. Jay Wilbur of NABS has confirmed this measurement.

    Natural Arches

    Posted on

    Sanctuary River and Anderson Pass Loop, Alaska

    I plan to travel to Alaska in August. Number one on my MUST HIKE list is Chena Dome Trail.

    But this one recommended by National Geographic looks intriguing. Especially because there is not much information about it on the internet.

    Hiking Denali’s Empty Quarter

    To secure a permit for Denali’s vast backcountry, hikers must choose between 87 separate divisions, wait out temporary closures due to bear sightings and river floodings, and nab a pass just one day in advance (you often have to wait 3 days – editor) with no reservations accepted (www.nps.gov/dena).

    Consider it minor bureaucratic penance for a chance at wilderness heaven. To choose a route—a challenge in its own right in a 6.1-million-acre (2.5-million-hectare) wildland without trails—pick up the classic Backcountry Companion: Backcountry companion: Denali National Park & Preserve, Alaska at the permit office near the park entrance or online ($9; www.earthsonglodge.com).

    Opt for the Sanctuary River and Anderson Pass Loop, a weeklong trek that starts when you step off the backpackers’ bus at Sanctuary River on Sheldon’s beloved north slope.

    The winding route teeter-totters across both sides of the Alaska Range through Foggy Pass and Easy Pass before ending at the headwaters of the West Fork of Glacier Creek.

    You’ll spot grizzly tracks, tufts of wool from Dall sheep, and alder thickets bulldozed by moose, all the while keeping your eyes wide open for the mountain to make an appearance through the clouds.

    Need to Know: Old-timer’s guide to bear identification: If it climbs the tree to kill you, it’s a black bear. If it knocks the tree over first, then kills you, it’s a griz.

    Alaska – Alaska Range – National Geographic Adventure Magazine

    (via The Adventure Blog)

    alpenglow.jpg
    Alpenglow magazine (HTML version)

    Posted on

    hiking Isla del Sol, Bolivia

    Eu-Jin Goh had the same reaction as I did when he visited Isla del Sol on Lake Titicaca, Bolivia.

    He wished he’d stayed an additional day on the island.

    del-sol.jpg
    larger original

    We took the boat to the southern end of Isla del Sol and walked up the stairs to Yumani. In Yumani, we stayed in Inti Kala, which is at the northern end of the village (at the time it was the last hostal). We dropped our bags and then walked to the northern end of the island to the Chincana ruins and then hiked back around sunset.

    The trail running North-South is one of the best day hikes we’ve done; it follows the ridgeline closely and spectacular views abound on both sides. We had a really relaxing time on Isla del Sol and wished that we had planned to stay an additional day on the island. Isla del Sol is also great for acclimitization because its extensive hiking trails are around 4000 meters.

    eu-jin.jpg
    larger original – by Serene Koh

    Isla del Sol, Bolivia – gorgeous photos and trip report by Eu-Jin Goh

    Everything you need to know to get there is on our Isla del Sol information page.

    Posted on

    hike the Devil’s Garden in Utah

    The most famous attraction in Arches National Park is Delicate Arch.

    But the best hike, I feel, is Devil’s Garden – Primitive Loop. That’s 7.2mi (11.5km) plus extra sidetrips.

    The feature attraction is possibly the longest and certainly the most “impossible” arch in the world.

    landscape-arch.jpg

    It seems Landscape Arch could fall anytime. (Several pieces have dropped since 1991 and the trail under the arch has been closed.)

    Anyone can make the easy day hike to walk to Landscape Arch and back. Confident hikers should continue at least as far as Double O Arch. (Some like the sidetrip to Dark Angel tower, some do not.)

    And best of all is to add the Primitive Loop rather than backtrack.

    devils-garden.gif
    larger map on Climb-Utah.com

    It might take as long as 5hrs to do everything adding off-trail rock scrambles above some of the arches.

    I returned via Primitive Loop. But reversing direction would have been even better, I think, saving the arches for last. Start at first light when animals are active and the trail still cool.

    Primitive Loop is well named. I managed to get lost once or twice. It is challenging. And gorgeous. In some ways this is the best part of the walk.

    Be sure to carry a map and desert survival gear. You don’t want to end up like Aron Ralston.

    The excellent Utah.com site posted a video: Hike the Devil’s Garden.

    Posted on

    day hike to Delicate Arch, Utah

    EVERYONE in Utah knows Delicate Arch in Arches National Park. It’s on the licence plates.

    The Olympic torch relay for the 2002 Winter Olympics passed through the arch.

    Yet many do not visit, intimidated by the rugged 3mi (4.8km) return trail.

    The start of the walk is ugly. I was wondering if it was going to be a colossal let down.

    But the trek improves considerably when you hit steep slickrock. And again when you reach a rock ledge path.

    … The arch comes into view suddenly around a corner in the trail and frames the La Sal Mountains to the southeast. The immediate area around the Arch offers views of the southern expanse of the park, and has unguarded cliffs plunging one hundred feet or more.

    Delicate Arch – Wikipedia

    delicate-arch.jpg

    Fantastic!

    The location looks like a set built for the old Startrek TV series.

    I had the arch to myself late in the afternoon and was tempted to free climb it. Unfortunately that plan had been ruined by Dean Potter accused in 2006 of letting his team fix protection from a top rope draped over the formation, possibly damaging the structure. (Potter denies the charge.)

    On the return I bypassed the cattle trail and took instead to the rocky ridge that runs parallel. A nice loop.

    Delicate Arch is one of the best hikes in the world, not to be missed by anyone passing through Moab.

    Oh, and climbing arches is now strictly forbidden.

    more Delicate Arch photos on flickr.