It must be late October because small-circulation newspapers are starting to report on thru-hikers returning from six months on the trail. In Racine, Wisconsin, a guy returning to his parents’ home walked the last six miles from the train station.…
Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve
Winehiker revisited
by tmangan • October 22, 2006 • 1 Comment
This week we revisit Russ Beebe of CaliforniaWineHikes.com, whom I accompanied last month for a swell hike at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, followed by a wine tasting at a vineyard near the park. Russ was a co-conspirator in my…
Hikes of the world
Let’s hear it for Japanese hikers
by tmangan • October 20, 2006 • 4 Comments
From a Japan Times story about hiking in the countryside northwest of Tokyo: The fellow passengers on the weekend “holiday special express” from Shinjuku to Okutama or Musashi-Itsukaichi — an hour northwest of Tokyo — are a strange melange: There…
Pacific Crest Trail, Through-hiking
For all you Whitney wannabes
by tmangan • October 20, 2006 • 1 Comment
If you haven’t hiked to the highest point in the Lower 48, WildeBeat tells you how to get there. When I first started hiking I figured I had to do Mount Whitney. After all, there is a trail right to…
Hikes of the world
In Everest’s shadow
by tmangan • October 20, 2006 • 0 Comments
Buddha is back in Katmandu after trekking up near the Everest base camp. But seriously, and I’m not exaggerating, our hike up to the Kangshung Face of Everest was the most amazing hike I’ve ever been on. We had spectacular…
In the news
Trail named for John Donovan
by tmangan • October 19, 2006 • 2 Comments
Donovan, you may recall, was the guy who got lost on the Pacific Crest Trail in May 2005, got trapped in a canyon and eventually perished, and the gear left in his pack helped a couple lost hikers summon help…
In the news
Getting the kids out of the house
by tmangan • October 19, 2006 • 0 Comments
A Christian Science Monitor report on declining outdoor participation among young people notes that the state parks in Connecticut have a program designed to mirror something kids (and, ahem, their parents) understand — a reality TV show — to get…
In the news
GPS news for geocachers
by tmangan • October 19, 2006 • 0 Comments
Outdoor Weblog has a blurb mentioning Boeing is supposed to be behind an effort to make GPS signals much more accurate: The rumor is out that The Boeing Co. is behind a massive upgrade of the Global Positioning System so…
Hiking
Hiking with the hounds
by tmangan • October 18, 2006 • 6 Comments
Sharon Allen defies conventional wisdom and plans take her dog along on her 2007 thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. Her rationale: I’ve heard various arguments about why not to bring your dog hiking. The two major arguments put forth…