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Best Backpacking Tents 2023

Adventure Alan’s detailed review likes the Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 best for a 2-person backpacking tent.

Best VALUE is the Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2.

Click through to see the entire list:

BEST BACKPACKING TENT 2023 | LIGHTWEIGHT & ULTRALIGHT

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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Climbing Mount Mulanje, Malawi

The Mulanje Massif, also known as Mount Mulanje, is a large inselberg in southern Malawi.

Sapitwa Peak, the highest point on the massif at 3,002 m, is the highest point in Malawi. …

The Massif is popular for hiking and climbing, and has several mountain huts scattered across it which are maintained by the Malawi Mountain Club and the Malawi Forestry Department. 

If you want to know more, the Mountain Club posted a detailed document with options for hiking from 1 – 5 days.

hiking-guide-to-mount-mulanjeDownload
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Best Hikes on O’ahu, Hawaii

I’ve never been to O’ahu (Oahu). Sadly.

But it’s high on my list.

The hike that jumps to mind first is the Haʻikū Stairs, also known as the Stairway to Heaven or Haʻikū Ladder.

Sadly, those 3000 stairs are closed. Plans are to have them removed as a safety precaution.

Backpacker magazine posted their list of BEST HIKES on the island.

  • Our Top Hike on O’ahu: Diamond Head
  • Best Rainforest Hike on O’ahu: Manoa Falls Trail
  • Best Hike on O’ahu for Views: Kuliouou Ridge Trail
  • Best Scramble on O’ahu: Olomana Trail
  • Best Adventure Hike on O’ahu: Moanalua/Kamananui Valley Trail
  • Best Climb on O’ahu: Kokohead Lookout
  • Best Hike on O’ahu for Hot Weather: Aiea Loop Trail
Diamond Head

AllTrails users rank Koko Crater Tramway to Kokohead Lookout as even better than Diamond Head.

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Best Hikes out of Pucón, Chile

It’s January in Canada. And I wish I was in Patagonia. 😀

One adventure town there is Pucón, 780 km to the south of Santiago. On the shore of Lake Villarrica. The Villarrica volcano located roughly 17 km to the south.

I’ve spent a fair bit of time there myself. And was pleased when our Villarrica Traverse page was linked from an excellent list:

Pucón, Chile: The Ultimate Hiking and Trekking Guide

Very comprehensive. Very well researched.

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BestHike VERTICAL Videos

TikTok has forced every other social media platform — including YouTube — towards shorter, vertical videos.

We have eyes side-by-side, so landscape photos and videos are more natural.

The ONLY reason to post anything in a vertical format is because it’s the default position of your mobile phone. 😀

I’ve tried several times to convert landscape to vertical. For example, here’s a teaser for our longer BestHike BEST VIDEO Highlights 2022.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Here’s the same video uploaded to Instagram.

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Continental Divide Trail Gear 2022

Mac posted his annual statistics on the Continental Divide Trail.

Most important to hikers is finding out what gear works best over that long haul.

Most Common CDT Backpacks

  1. ULA Circuit
  2. Hyperlite Mountain Gear Southwest
  3. Zpacks Arc Haul

Most Common CDT Shelters

  1. Zpacks Duplex
  2. Zpacks Plex Solo
  3. Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL1

Most Common CDT Sleeping Bags/Quilts

  1. Enlightened Equipment Revelation
  2. Enlightened Equipment Enigma
  3. Western Mountaineering Versalite

Most Common CDT Sleeping Pads

  1. Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite
  2. Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite – Women’s
  3. Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite, Short

Most Common CDT Insulated Jackets

  1. Enlightened Equipment Torrid (Men’s/Women’s)
  2. Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer/2 Hoody (Men’s/Women’s)
  3. Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer/2 (Men’s/Women’s)

Most Common CDT Shells

  1. Outdoor Research Helium (Men’s/Women’s)
  2. Frogg Toggs Ultra-Lite2
  3. Montbell Versalite (Men’s/Women’s)

There’s much, much more:

Continental Divide Trail Hiker Survey (2022)

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Peak of the Balkans Trail

Accursed Mountains. Three nations.

This 192km circuit will take you through the mountains of northern Albania, eastern Kosovo and southern Montenegro.

The ancient routes were cut during the cold war when tensions were high between Yugoslavia and Albania.

The German Development Agency through a project to support the communities of these three countries restricted the trail and turned it into an amazing touristic offer. The route offers a diversity of landscapes and cultural experiences. …

10 day Guided Hike

Read Peter Elia‘s trip report.

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Trailed by Kathryn Miles 

Trailed: One Woman’s Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders (2022) is deep dive into the unsolved murder of two free-spirited young women in the wilderness, a journalist’s obsession—and a new theory of who might have done it.

In May 1996, two skilled backcountry leaders, Lollie Winans and Julie Williams, entered Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park for a week-long backcountry camping trip.

… During their final days in the park, they descended the narrow remnants of a trail and pitched their tent in a hidden spot. After the pair didn’t return home as planned, park rangers found a scene of horror at their campsite, their tent slashed open, their beloved dog missing, and both women dead in their sleeping bags.

The unsolved murders of Winans and Williams continue to haunt all who had encountered them or knew their story.