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when can I hike Wonderland?

I’ve wanted to hike the Wonderland Trail since first hearing of it from a Washington State friend.

One group took 12 days in 2005 to circumambulate Mt. Ranier 90mi (145km). But they planned for resupply by having a friend walk in to meet them from the opposite direction.

Good idea.

Summerland to Indian Bar was an “incredible scenic route”. And at Indian Bar they saw 3 black bears.

Sadly, terrible flooding in November 2006 wrecked havoc. Hopefully the trail will be passable by summer 2007. But damage had not even been assessed in December.

Check out the trip report and 65 photos from the Wonderland Trail.

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Wonderland Trail – besthike information page

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there’s no such thing as quicksand – right?

It’s just a movie invention.

That’s what I thought until I stumbled into quicksand in Paria Canyon, Utah.

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It sucked.

I had no problem getting out. Moving slowly, trying to float. But cattle regularly get trapped and die in the American canyon country.

More information:

Quicksand – wikipedia

Quicksand – How Stuff Works

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what’s with Dunham boots?

My favourite hiking footwear is made by Dunham. The last store selling Dunham in my city of a million people dropped the line.

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Why are the excellent Dunham products so poorly distributed?

Their “store locator” web page has been “under construction” for as long as I can recall.

When I phoned the customer information line I was surprised to get an immediate answer.

But was then directed to the “Canadian number” (877) 738-6426 where I was left hanging.

Dunham seems to have been acquired by New Balance. I hope retail distribution improves with new management. I like to try on new footwear, not buy it online.

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where to hike next?

where-001.jpgA good use of besthike.com is to get planning advice.

Start on our world map home page. Then narrow down your search geographically. Do you want a great hike close to home? Or are you willing to travel far?

You might click through to the Chilkoot Trail in Yukon / Alaska, for example.

On that page you’ll find specifics on how and when to organize a hike. Check first the “best months” to hike to see if you are available.

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2006 Photo Contest Winners @ National Geographic Traveler

Agh.

This photo freaks me out.

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John Dranchak, Long Beach, California

It was a Merit Prize winner in the most recent National Geographic contest chosen from 15,000 entries.

John Dranchak—until recently, an aerospace engineer in Long Beach, California—took this image in Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia, where he was traveling with friends. Dranchak says the guide is holding onto his friend’s belt to keep him from falling into the water.

“I was afraid to go down there and stand in that crevasse,” he says. “I walked up to the top of the ridge, and I thought, ‘This is just gorgeous.’ The colors of the image caught my eye.”

2006 Photo Contest Winners @ National Geographic Traveler

See the rest of the winning photos.

(via Adventure Blog)

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hiking Angeles National Forest, California

Escaping the smog of LA is not so tough.

You could drive up to Mt. Whitney.

Or what about Timber Mountain via Icehouse Canyon in Angeles National Forest?

Modern Hiker posted a terrific trip report with photos, video, Google map, a flickr photo set, … (Is this blog GREAT, or what!)

Theirs was a challenging 10mi day hike with the wind blowing hard. But you could do a multi-day trip via Ice House Saddle if you prefer.

I opened the door to the Mount Baldy Visitor’s Center and walked inside. The warm, dark wood interior was a welcome respite from the howling winds outside. The rangers stood behind their desk – a bearded man and blond woman – smiling at me.

“Hi. I’d like a permit for the Cucamonga Wilderness.”

Still smiling, the woman said, “We are not recommending anyone go up there today.”

“Oh?”

The man chimed in. “We’re measuring wind gusts at 60 miles an hour. I almost got knocked down today.”

“But of course, we can’t do anything to stop you,” said the woman. Still smiles, that one.

I reached for a ballpoint pen and started filling out our Wilderness Permit. “I’m going to try for Ontario Peak. Is it more windy in the canyons, or on the ridge?”

“It’s windy everywhere.” The man with the beard was not smiling. All gravitas, he.

“What about ice?” …

Timber Mountain via Icehouse Canyon – Modern Hiker

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wild flower hiking

I love wild flowers but could not name a one.

I need to hike with Kris Light, editor of the East Tennessee Wildflowers website.

Kris has a big site which includes favourite wildflower hiking destinations, index of names, photo galleries and more.

Don’t be fooled by the name of the website. Kris lists over 1000 different wildflowers, fungi, and “critters” from Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Tennessee and Utah.

Know that timing is everything when it comes to wildflowers.

You need plan your hike for one of the peak weeks of the season. This takes some research.

Check out EastTennesseeWildflowers.com.

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photo – Coneflower with Bumblebee

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Apocalypto – the trek

The new Mel Gibson movie Apocalypto (2006) brought public attention to the Mayan ruins of El Mirador in Guatemala close to the Mexican border.

The 5-6 day hike to the fabled ruins of El Mirador is one of the best hikes in the world — we think.

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National Geographic illustration of the original Mayan city

Our one attempt to get there, independently, we postponed. It’s a tough slog reports Ben Brazil:

Spider monkeys had hurled branches at us from treetops. Clouds of mosquitoes dogged our every step with the mechanical persistence of zombies. Although the jungle had wowed me with its ecological diversity, it had mainly stung me, sucked my blood and dehydrated me.
source – L.A. Times

For now we recommend you sign on with trekking company:

Trekking to El Mirador is a no-frills experience that demands toughness and good physical condition. You’ll need a guide and at least five days, round-trip — six to see the Nakbé ruins, which are on a different trail. Expect long days (six to 10 hours of walking). Pricier tours may offer a combination of walking and horseback riding.

Maya Expeditions … The American-run company offers seven- to 10-day treks costing $625-$1,085 per person with a four-person minimum. …

Martsam Travel … has five-day treks for $350 per person or seven-day treks for $460 per person for groups of four. English-speaking guide is extra. It also arranges guided, one-day helicopter trips to El Mirador, which cost $1,420 for up to four people if a helicopter is available in Flores. Often the helicopter must come from Guatemala City, raising the cost dramatically.

Many travel agencies in Flores sell cut-rate trips. Be careful: Some have sent clients without sufficient food or water, and service may be surly or worse.

source – L.A. Times

Read the full L.A. Times article – Atop the world of the Maya

Images from an entertaining 2003 trip report by Dave Howard in the Waterbury Observer.

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tarantula

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“Night Hiking” and “Mornings on the trail”

Tom Mangan pointed me to a post extolling the pleasures of Night Hiking on an outdoors blog called As The Crow Flies.

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Here’s another fascinating, original post on As The Crow Flies:

I love mornings. I’m usually awake by 5am, and love getting an early start but I also enjoy drinking hot beverages and appreciating the morning. This is my usual morning routine, on the trail.

From the comfort of my sleeping bag, I reach out of my tent, start my stove and heat up water to make a 16 oz nalgene bottle full of instant coffee. I put the bottle in my bag to warm me up while I eat my breakfast.

Breakfast is usually cereal, nuts and powder milk mixed with water. After I eat, I drink my coffee and enjoy the morning. Then I heat more water and make green tea in my nalgene bottle. While I drink that I look over the guide book pages for the day. Then using the same tea bag I make another nalgene bottle full of tea. When I finish that, I wash my face with the warm tea bag, and stow it in an outside mesh pocket of my pack until it is dry and can go in my ziplock garbage sack.

Then I leave the comfort of my bag, pack up (I can pack up in 2-4 minutes), and go. This way I start the day hydrated and with little or no water that I have to carry.

As The Crow Flies – Mornings on the trail

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“13 Photographs That Changed the World”

Ansel Adams made the list.

I am still shocked at the number of people who seem unaware of the beauty of the wild world, even with ever increasing access to great photos.

Some claim photography can be divided into two eras: Before Adams and After Adams. In Times B.A., for instance, photography wasn’t widely considered an art form. Rather, photographers attempted to make their pictures more “artistic” (i.e., more like paintings) by subjecting their exposures to all sorts of extreme manipulations, from coating their lenses with petroleum jelly to scratching the surfaces of their negatives with needles. Then came Ansel Adams, helping shutterbugs everywhere get over their collective inferiority complex.

Brashly declaring photography to be “a blazing poetry of the real,” Adams eschewed manipulations, claiming they were simply derivative of other art forms. Instead, he preached the value of “pure photography.” In an era when handheld point-and-shoot cameras were quickly becoming the norm, Adams and other landscape photographers clung to their bulky, old-fashioned large-format cameras. Ultimately, Adams’ pictures turned photography into fine art. What’s more, they shaped the way Americans thought of their nation’s wilderness and, with that, how to preserve it.

Adams’ passion for the land wasn’t limited to vistas he framed through the lens. In 1936, he accompanied his photos to Washington to lobby for the preservation of the Kings Canyon area in California. Sure enough, he was successful, and it was declared a national park.

Neatorama » Blog Archive » 13 Photographs That Changed the World.

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The Tetons – Snake River (1942)