December 2008 Archives
"Turning Whitney into a day hike sounds half-mad. The standard route is
a 22-mile roundtrip slog through the Sierras on relentlessly rocky
terrain. It involves gaining more than a mile in altitude before
reaching Whitney's approximately 14,500-foot summit. Sensible souls do
it in two or three days. In some years, two-thirds of day hikers fail.
Those who succeed may spend 15 hours or more on the trail, fighting
fatigue, dehydration and altitude sickness." In the Wall Street Journal, George Anders and his unlikely crew fight the same thin air, cold and nausea that challenges hikers who don't take California's Mount Whitney quite seriously enough.
Where Is It? | Wikipedia
“Our expedition of seven members climbs into a 4x4 and drives 30
minutes over dirt roads into the jungle. Arriving at the trailhead near
dusk, our local guide (we call him the human GPS) leads us on a six
kilometer hike deep into the heart of the forest. We
are mycologists in search of bioluminescent mushrooms, fungi that emit
light 24 hours per day but are best observed at night.” In southern Brazil, biologist Dennis E. Desjardin and friends hike in one of the last areas of old growth Atlantic Forest habitat, looking for answers as to why various rare fungi glow in the dark. On LiveScience.com.
The Denver Channel's Deb Stanley takes the seven-mile trail to the easily accessed Missouri Lakes in Colorado's Holy Cross Wilderness. "When I arrived at the trailhead at 8:45 on a Sunday morning, I found
nearly a dozen vehicles. It turns out they were all backpackers that
had spent the night at the lakes. I didn't see any day hikers until I
was on the way down the trail, and even then I only saw 5 groups of day
hikers."
Where Is It?
"Trail angels like the Wileys are legends, but there are many less-well-known and even anonymous angels who also help the hikers on their journey. Thru-hikers tell stories of strangers who buy them steak or sushi dinners. Why? 'Because we look so pathetic,' says Joe Wisley (Mr. Bones), 28, of Converse, Ind., with a chuckle, who was hiking the trail with his wife, Melissa (Stubbs), 28." Stephanie Schorow writes about blueberry farm owners Roy and Marilyn Wiley -- who've been baking cookies for Appalachian Trail hikers for 20 years -- and other known and anonymous trail angels. In the Boston Globe.
Wikipedia
From Danish company Heatgear comes an interesting new device designed to heat water from within a standard water container. The Heatstick screws on to a Nalgene or similar bottle and uses infrared radiation to heat water to approximately 90°C (194°F) before it automatically turns itself off. Weighing only a pound, the device was originally developed for military use but is now being marketed as a "personal stove:" "A flameless personal stove dedicated for heating and sterilizing water for dehydrated rations, beverages and personal hygiene; No preheating, no setting up, no cooling off, no stabilizers, no stove bases, no heat reflectors and no hanging kits - Just sheer ease of use, safety and performance."
(Mentioned on Backpacker.com.)
The strangest story in this LA Times article about endurance athletes who light up involves a smoker who lost a bet in the The Pikes Peak Marathon because he decided stop for a cigarette at the top. "In a recent online poll sponsored by Runner's World magazine, 2% of the 2,500 people who responded said they smoked, unbeknownst to their running friends. About 4% said they smoked but that their running
buddies were in the know."
In The New York Times, Jennifer Conlin writes about the growing availability of earth-friendly vacation rentals and organic hotels, including ones in the Sierra peaks, England's Yorkshire Dales National Park, and British Columbia. "One simple but stunning property on her Web site is Ravens Havens in Paradise Valley, British Columbia (www.ravenshavens.com), a 40-minute drive from Whistler in what is called the Sea to Sky Corridor, an area that includes two historic routes, the Pemberton Trail and the Gold Rush Heritage Trail."
"The Mont Blanc massif straddles the borders of Italy, France and Switzerland, and skirts seven deep valleys. The classic 105-mile tour takes around 10 days and can be undertaken in either direction. I am tackling the most challenging sections during six days of point-to-point walking over a distance of around 75 miles." Writing for the U.K.'s Telegraph, Alexandra Ferguson describes the long trail that circles Western Europe's highest peak as a medium-difficulty trek -- as long as you don't run into snow, heavy rain or hangovers.
Where Is It? | Wikipedia
"GrrlScientist" blogs on peer-reviewed research into the steady decline of migratory animals on her blog "Living the Scientific Life." The disappearance of migratory species leaves plenty of room for an explosion in the population of localized populations of rats and mice, she says. And if you like bugs, you'll like the data on the disappearance of songbirds: "But it isn't just fish whose numbers are steeply declining. Similar population declines are occurring among neotropical migratory
songbirds, whose total biomass currently is estimated at only 30,000 tons (which translates into 3,000-10,500 tons of insects consumed per day -- before they begin rearing their chicks)."
Based on hiking author John McKinney's Day Hiker's Guide to California State Parks, the new state trail search page includes information on more than 200 day hikes. There are no topo maps, sadly, but each trail description includes lots of detail on how to find the trailhead and what alternative routes are available.
Tom Stientra suggests taking account of all your gear before a season in the outdoors, whether that means checking your bike tubes, restocking your hiking socks or even giving your boots a full ten-day test before going on a "real" hike. "I've tried about 10 kinds of boots and they've all been good in some way, yet imperfect as well and the search goes on. Francis Tapon, who hiked 6,000 miles last year, wears lightweight trail runners. Tapon's current favorites are Ino-8 Trail Runners, and he says they last about 500 miles. If you wear a heavy pack -- never advised -- or
trek in snow, you'll need a heavier waterproof boot." In the San Francisco Chronicle.
"Four days and 263 miles into a backcountry race and Kathy Roche-Wallace isn't even halfway to the finish. She's limping on a big toe that is infected and swollen. She has a purple bruise the size of a grapefruit on her left thigh from a spill down a mountainside. Her sweat smells of vinegar and ammonia, a sign her fuel-starved body has started burning muscle." Alexandra Alter writes about the popular 500-mile race through Montana's backcountry. In The Wall Street Journal.
Where Is It?
"Regardless of why we venture into the wild, we all are in search of the same thing: what I call the power of place. There are thousands of miles in wilderness, but they all lead to one truth: It makes you feel clean inside. It transcends everything, and stays with you for years." San Francisco Chronicle outdoor columnist Tom Stienstra suggests four trails within Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks and the John Muir and Ansel Adams wildernesses.
Yosemite: Where Is It? | Wikipedia
John Muir Wilderness: Where Is It? | Wikipedia
Ansel Adams Wilderness: Where Is It? | Wikipedia
Sequoia National Park: Where Is It? | Wikipedia
Where Is It?
Where Is It? | Chimborazo on Wikipedia.
The End of the Game: The Last Word from Paradise
on Amazon | Peter Beard on Wikipedia