Hiker Blog

At 3:30 a.m. on a mid-June morning my 13-year old daughter, Gina, and I strapped on a fully loaded backpack for the first time. via Des Moines Register

Filed under: Climbing, Hiking, Surfing, Video

It seems everyone is getting into video these days. And if there is one magazine and online site that I've been waiting with bated breath to see enter the online video fray, it's Outside Magazine. I went over to Outside online to check out what they are doing and while I was not blown away, I did spend some quality time consuming some top-notch vids. Take, for example, a an excerpt they've posted from the upcoming film The Ghost Mountain Boys, based on the article "Chasing Ghosts," by writer James Campbell. I haven't read the piece yet (still getting through my April issue, alas), but it's in the May issue of Outside. Then, dear to my Chile-loving heart, there is the five-minute piece called Eco-Trekker on Torres del Paine (one of my favorite spots on earth) with Ian Wrights. Keep scrolling down and you'll find vids on snowboarding, surfing, climbing and more. Most of them are re-purposed pieces from shows like the above Eco-Trekker, but definitely a good way to while away a few minutes. As I say, it's a good start for the much-loved outdoor magazine. Not quite where I'd like to see them ultimately, but worthy of a perusal.

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Filed under: Climbing, Hiking, Surfing, Video

It seems everyone is getting into video these days. And if there is one magazine and online site that I've been waiting with bated breath to see enter the online video fray, it's Outside Magazine. I went over to Outside online to check out what they are doing and while I was not blown away, I did spend some quality time consuming some top-notch vids. Take, for example, a an excerpt they've posted from the upcoming film The Ghost Mountain Boys, based on the article "Chasing Ghosts," by writer James Campbell. I haven't read the piece yet (still getting through my April issue, alas), but it's in the May issue of Outside. Then, dear to my Chile-loving heart, there is the five-minute piece called Eco-Trekker on Torres del Paine (one of my favorite spots on earth) with Ian Wrights. Keep scrolling down and you'll find vids on snowboarding, surfing, climbing and more. Most of them are re-purposed pieces from shows like the above Eco-Trekker, but definitely a good way to while away a few minutes. As I say, it's a good start for the much-loved outdoor magazine. Not quite where I'd like to see them ultimately, but worthy of a perusal.

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Alone, running and hiking in the mountains for almost 50 hours, Brian Robinson's mind had slowly unraveled. via The Washington Post

The music man is about to embark on a long, long journey. 2,650 miles to be exact. via KLEW-TV Lewiston

Filed under: Climbing, Hiking, United States, Camping

There is a long stretch of highway running north/south in California which few out-of-state tourists bother navigating. And yet, the 395 captures so much of what the Golden State has to offer in the natural beauty department.

Highway 1, which winds its way up the coast is perhaps more beautiful, but the 395 embraces a different type of nature than golden sand beaches and crashing waves. The 395 cuts across the desert landscape of California on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevadas. It is a stunning route, with desert landscape stretching out before you and the enormous, snow-capped Sierras looming above.

One or twice a year I drive this route to either go backpacking in the Sierras, or nowboarding at Mammoth Mountain. For most people like myself, the 395 is usually blown through at 80 miles an hour on a Friday night in the dark. Those who take a more leisurely drive, however, will discover that this desert road is rich with a bounty of nature, history, and tourist sites.

The Los Angeles Times recently spotlighted this long stretch of road and the highlights one can expect. Did you know, for example, that the 395 slices right between the lowest elevation and the highest elevation in the continental United States? Yep, Badwater (-282 feet) and Mt. Whitney (14,495 feet) are within spitting distance of each other. In fact, there is an annual, grueling race in which elite runners start in Badwater and run 135 miles to the Whitney portal. Yikes. Count me out.

The LA Times mentions so many cool stops along the drive that it would take a week to visit all the ghost towns, hot springs, fishing holes, Hollywood western locations (400+), lakes, one-horse towns, day hikes, mines, flora and fauna, historic hotels, fish hatcheries, bakeries, and even a couple of museums.

So, next time I undertake the grueling drive, I'll be sure to stop along the way and truly enjoy it.

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Filed under: Climbing, Hiking, United States, Camping

There is a long stretch of highway running north/south in California which few out-of-state tourists bother navigating. And yet, the 395 captures so much of what the Golden State has to offer in the natural beauty department.

Highway 1, which winds its way up the coast is perhaps more beautiful, but the 395 embraces a different type of nature than golden sand beaches and crashing waves. The 395 cuts across the desert landscape of California on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevadas. It is a stunning route, with desert landscape stretching out before you and the enormous, snow-capped Sierras looming above.

One or twice a year I drive this route to either go backpacking in the Sierras, or nowboarding at Mammoth Mountain. For most people like myself, the 395 is usually blown through at 80 miles an hour on a Friday night in the dark. Those who take a more leisurely drive, however, will discover that this desert road is rich with a bounty of nature, history, and tourist sites.

The Los Angeles Times recently spotlighted this long stretch of road and the highlights one can expect. Did you know, for example, that the 395 slices right between the lowest elevation and the highest elevation in the continental United States? Yep, Badwater (-282 feet) and Mt. Whitney (14,495 feet) are within spitting distance of each other. In fact, there is an annual, grueling race in which elite runners start in Badwater and run 135 miles to the Whitney portal. Yikes. Count me out.

The LA Times mentions so many cool stops along the drive that it would take a week to visit all the ghost towns, hot springs, fishing holes, Hollywood western locations (400+), lakes, one-horse towns, day hikes, mines, flora and fauna, historic hotels, fish hatcheries, bakeries, and even a couple of museums.

So, next time I undertake the grueling drive, I'll be sure to stop along the way and truly enjoy it.

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Filed under: Biking, Hiking, History, Stories, North America, United States

I grew up, at least from 8th grade on, living next to Minnewaska State Nature Preserve. Our land was right next to it. My friends and I would hike from my house to Lake Minnewaska the back way, meaning up over the mountain and down to the lake. That was the good part about living near there. Then, though, it was not owned by New York state, but the Phillips family. This is a tale of intrigue, mystery and bankruptcy. Eventually, the Phillips had to bail. (See article about history)

Generally, though, an 8th grader and high schooler, living next to Minnewaska was like living next to Siberia. I'd pay friends money to drive me home since it was 10 miles out of New Paltz (13 from the high school) and I didn't have a driver's license until after I graduated. (How would you have felt if when you were learning to drive your mother grabbed the rearview mirror and made noises like, "Oh! Oh! Oh! At least that's my version of the story.) The last four miles on SR 55 involved an extremely windy road and a hairpin turn (scroll down for picture.) Perhaps this turn had something to do with my mom's reactions. I went through adolescence pining for a life in town.

Now, though, when I go home to visit, I rarely go to New Paltz and always head to Lake Minnewaska, usually walking along the trail that leads from my father's road, past the waterfalls and on up to the lake. The trails once served for horse drawn tourist carriages that went from Mohonk Mountain House to Lake Minnewaka back in the 1920s. They are a mountain biker's dream.

These memories of Minnewaska just came about because my best friend from high school just sent me a travel article on Lake Minnewaska published in The New York Times. "Spring in Your Steps" is a current Escapes feature. Ironically, the place that I always wanted to escape from is written up as a place to escape to. Who knew? Here's more on Minnewaska, including other people's memories.

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Filed under: Biking, Hiking, History, Stories, North America, United States

I grew up, at least from 8th grade on, living next to Minnewaska State Nature Preserve. Our land was right next to it. My friends and I would hike from my house to Lake Minnewaska the back way, meaning up over the mountain and down to the lake. That was the good part about living near there. Then, though, it was not owned by New York state, but the Phillips family. This is a tale of intrigue, mystery and bankruptcy. Eventually, the Phillips had to bail. (See article about history)

Generally, though, an 8th grader and high schooler, living next to Minnewaska was like living next to Siberia. I'd pay friends money to drive me home since it was 10 miles out of New Paltz (13 from the high school) and I didn't have a driver's license until after I graduated. (How would you have felt if when you were learning to drive your mother grabbed the rearview mirror and made noises like, "Oh! Oh! Oh! At least that's my version of the story.) The last four miles on SR 55 involved an extremely windy road and a hairpin turn (scroll down for picture.) Perhaps this turn had something to do with my mom's reactions. I went through adolescence pining for a life in town.

Now, though, when I go home to visit, I rarely go to New Paltz and always head to Lake Minnewaska, usually walking along the trail that leads from my father's road, past the waterfalls and on up to the lake. The trails once served for horse drawn tourist carriages that went from Mohonk Mountain House to Lake Minnewaka back in the 1920s. They are a mountain biker's dream.

These memories of Minnewaska just came about because my best friend from high school just sent me a travel article on Lake Minnewaska published in The New York Times. "Spring in Your Steps" is a current Escapes feature. Ironically, the place that I always wanted to escape from is written up as a place to escape to. Who knew? Here's more on Minnewaska, including other people's memories.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Picnic areas. Fishing holes. Camp grounds. Onsen. Hiking trails galore. The Okutama area, with all that it has to offer, might be called the playground of Tokyo, and a weekend visit proves that the great ... via The Japan Times