January 22, 2007

• AT bay-bay! Is there any other trail? However, I'm allergic to being devoured by bears and those thick grey socks so it's not really for me now is it? Good on those who do it tho!
• I'd like to run from the Bridge Creek trailhead (where the Pac Crest Trail crosses highway 20 in Washington, near Rainy Pass) to Stehekin (isolated hamlet at the N end of Lake Chelan). Shower, dine, sleep in Stehekin. Then run back (slowly...) the next day. It's not far -- there are just a few mountains in the way. But I mangled myself training a couple of years ago, and since then have grown fat and indolent from sipping port and eating sweet-meats.
• I was going to say the AT too, only because I read a book about it recently, so it's the only one I really know of.
• Check out SummitPost.org. I'm not all that familiar with it, but Mr. Minda, who loves hiking & backpacking, is addicted to it.
• I read A Walk in the Woods a couple of years ago and thought it sounded interesting, but ugh, crazy things seem to happen when you hike in the US. Mountain lions, bears, ticks, poison ivy... I'm a wuss, so the only track I plan to tramp in my lifetime is the Queen Charlotte Track in the Marlborough Sounds. I've walked chunks of it and kayaked and fished and sailed alongside, but I want to walk the whole thing eventually. Plus #2's family owns a cabin halfway along, so that's a plus.
• I've hiked many small stretches of the Bruce Trail, and have often toyed with the idea of tackling all of it, but the only truly interesting parts are at the northern tip, near Tobermory.
• The Mt. Shasta and McCloud River trails in Oregon are absolutely mind-warping and nearly devoid of humans. I once spent a day romping alone there among the rocks and waterfalls and have been aching to return ever since. Anything around the Siskyou Summit area is stunning as well. The Adirondacks are wonderful but those Pacific Northwest trails really take your breath away.
• 1200 miles--mostly wilderness better be self-sufficient, because otherwise, you could be dead MonkeyFilter: fat and indolent from sipping port and eating sweet-meats
• I have long desired to do the Compostela pilgrimage. Its probably not pratical to walk the whole thing but it would be lovely to bike some parts, drive some parts, walk some parts. here's some info for those of you who are not medieval geeks like me :D
• I read a Smithsonian magazine article a few years ago about a hike across Britain, from one coast to the other. I don't remember the name of it but it looked like fun, and a cool way to see the country (or at least that portion of the country). Does anyone know the name of this hike?
• Never been, but some of them Hawaiian volcano hikes I've heard tell of sound purty special to me. I'd also love a week hiking in Scotland's highlands. I'd also be interested in N. Zealand, but I'm a-scared of orcs.
• I also think it'd be cool to walk El Camino Real through California. Urban and alongside-the-highway hiking, largely. But an interesting look at the evolution of California, I'll bet.
• Last summer mr. ambrosia and I did the Subway hike in Zion National Park. I'm a newbie at slot canyons, but that hike was awesome, and I see more in my future.
• Way nifty, Ambrosia!
• My girlfriend-at-the-time and I hiked top to bottom to top in the Grand Canyon in one day. Almost killed me, literally -- I was so dehydrated that I couldn't hold down water afterwards and was eating salt by the teaspoon. Did I mention she was an Olympic-level distance runner? Yeah... Anyhow, it's probably reasonably do-able with a full Camelbak. Then again, you might die.
• One of my all time favourite travel books is Broke Through Britain by Peter Mortimer. He walks from London to Edinburgh with no money. No cash, no credit cards, nada. He has to scrounge for every meal, and beg for a place to sleep. The result is a very fun and unpredictable book. Can't say I'd want to do it myself, but it's fun to read about.
• I would definitely second LordSludge's recommendation of the Grand Canyon — assuming no limitation on skill, clearly you might as well do the 'canyon quad' (four rim-to-rim crossings) for which the current speed record is 22:48!
• Hell, I still have Kaibab limestone mud on my car. Gotta wash that damned thing. I hiked a bit of this once. Very nice.
• I like the AT; I've done a few of the Virginia bits. In Britain, I hear the walk to do is the Offa's Dyke Path, along the Welsh borders.
• They need to do a lot of work on the West Coast Trail, Capt.. It might have to be rerouted and it might not open on time this year due to those damn wind storms. But that's a hike I'll do one of these days.
• > For the purposes of discussion, assume no limits on time, money, or skill. The Aberdare range in Kenya.
• I've done a few of the Virginia bits. So who's this Virginia when she's at home?
• If you ever get up that way, check out the Harbor Mountain/Gavan Hill trail in Sitka, Alaska.
• Welcome to the Monkey House, horn*star!
• I bicycled from Logroño to Santiago de Compostela a couple of years a ago and am probably going again by foot someday. It's a true hiking trail only in the mountains, as the route typically goes from one village to another across the fields. Skipping the middle part might be a good idea if you don't have a month to spend, and the last 50 kilometers are a bit anti-climatic as the route becomes quite crowded. Other than that, there are very few negative things I can say, and my last trip was probably one of the most meaningful things I've ever done in my life.
• I did Offa's Dyke path, 20 years ago. Totally inexperienced, after a bad break-up, I went to Chepstow by train, on the banks of the Severn, filled a film cannister with water and transported it towards the Irish sea. It was a very hot summer, with record breaking highs, and my untrained feet were full of blisters, my back was hurting because of too much weight (18 kilo without water and food!) and because it was cheap and badly padded. So after a couple of days (yes that is two days) I took a day of rest and then continued on my sandals with pieces of my sleeping pad under my backpack straps. And that went pretty well. The hardest section, over the black mountains with no house/water/living soul for 24 km, I was in such good shape and mood I actually walked 47 km. My all time record, probably helped by the bouncy nature of the soil. The last days were tough, because it was raining without ends, and everything I had was soaked. So I was happy I could at least dry my sleeping bag and some socks when I passed a Laundromat in some small village. After crossing many, many stiles, I finally, after 11 days, arrived in Prestatyn and that was a big deception. A English beach after a week of rain, is no pretty sight. I hitchhiked back towards the Netherlands and back home I started the first of many depressions. Now I just do shorter hikes, also because of port and general fatness after an injury. And my knee starts to hurt after I go downhill for more than 20 minutes. Old age, it aint pretty...