The Times online just posted an article on the top 50 walks in the world, ranked from easy strolls to tough mountain treks. The Snowman trek in Bhutan was listed as the most difficult trek in the world. It indeed is no easy stroll in the park; supposedly less people have completed this trek than have climbed Mt. Everest. I can think of harder treks, especially those in the highlands of Papua, but it ain’t easy.
Interestingly, the Tour du Mont Blanc is ranked as the second most difficult. Now I really want to walk this trek too.
Sadly, no other Canadian treks, such as the West Coast Trail, are mentioned. It is certainly tougher and more classic than some of the listed treks!
(Via Besthike.)
Most people take 5-7 days to walk the West Coast Trail, enjoying the scenery along the way. But Wanetta Beal is the first woman to run the trail in less than 24 hours, 19 hours and 13 minutes, to be exact. Oh, and the record time is 10 hours 13 min, set in 1997. Crazy.
Two poorly prepared hikers were rescued in the Stein Valley yesterday. Luckily neither were harmed, but it shows that this is no hike for the faint of heart. it turned out they didn’t have appropriate clothing for the high altitude, didn’t tell anyone of their exact trip plan, and most importantly, didn’t have a map or GPS. The alpine area to the west of the Stein Valley is extremely rugged, with barely a trail. The area just outside of the park is more a route, that requires advanced route finding skills. Going into this area without a map and compass and/or GPS is a recipe for disaster.
National Geographic Traveler magazine recently covered the top 50 wellness destinations in the world. Canada got two entries:
Carmichael Inn & Spa: An island of calm in downtown Ottawa.
Hollyhock Spa: A “refuge for the soul,” a retreat on British Columbia’s Cortes Island.
BC is the first province in Canada to give Google access to its aerial photography. This means that a large part of BC will soon be covered by hi-res imagery in Google Earth. Very good news for us avid outdoors people. Currently, large areas of BC are already available in hi-res.  They are also working on additional BC themes.
I sometimes wonder why I lug around my large camera when hiking, but a while back the work paid off when one of my photos won a photo contest for BC Parks. Today I picked up a copy of the 2008 camping guide for BC, and was happily surprised to see the photo on its cover.
I think it fits well – encouraging young people to go out and explore our provincial parks. The photo was taken in Golden Ears Provincial Park, just outside Vancouver.
The UBC Varsity Outdoor Club has a good wiki on hiking and climbing trips around Vancouver. Yet another source for hiking ideas.
Earlier this year, National Geographic Adventure Magazine published a list of top-ten green destinations around the world. It includes Canada’s Tatshenshini River as one of five eco-successes world-wide.
I was living right at the source of the Tatshenshini on Chilkat Pass when they were exploring at the Windy Craggy minesite; a DC3 with supplies would fly over my study area every single day for most of a year. Cancellation of the permit and creation of Tatshenshini-Alsek park was a huge victory for conservation groups, creating the world’s largest protected area (together with Kluane in the Yukon, Wrangell-St. Elias in mainland Alaska, and Glacier Bay in SE Alaska).
A little while back, National Geographic Adventure magazine posted an article on the best places to go in the Pacific Northwest, including BC. Some cool trips! Check out the heli-biking and exploring Haida Gwaii on the Duen, an historic Norwegian ketch.
The new Adventure Trip e-zine just ranked Vancouver as #3 among top adventure cities in the world, behind Kathmandu and Arusha. Their description of Vancouver:
Vancouver sits at the confluence of the Strait of Georgia, the Fraser River, and the Coastal Mountains in British Columbia Canada. It’s close proximity to those natural resources make it a paradise for outdoor nuts. Few other cities in the world can boast such close proximity to an ocean, rivers, lakes, and mountains, affording residents and visitors great hiking, backpacking, kayaking, climbing, and just about any other outdoor activity you can think of. Great skiing is a short drive away to the North Shore, and the same region offers unrivaled mountain biking in the warmer months. Speaking of which, the relatively mild temperatures make for warmer winters and cooler summers meaning that the outdoor paradise accessible year round.
Via Besthike.
BC, Bhutan, Canada, Indonesia, trekking, West Coast Trail | Rogier | 
September 20, 2008 22:00 | 
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