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Highest Rated Sets

• Overnight Ski Trip last March Overnight Ski Trip last March

  • From: JMohrmann
  • Description:
    Last March my wife and I (sufering from cabin fever) got the itch to do some backpacking, however there was still quite a bit of snow on the ground. We broke out the cross country skis, backpacks, and yes...sleds. Since we were bringing sleds we could pack a tad bit heavier than normal, and yet keep the packs on our backs very light by putting all the heavier gear in the sleds to be dragged. The system worked out VERY well at first, that is until later in the day when the snow started getting very soft and wet. The skiing progressively became harder and harder throughout the day and I simply attributed the drudgery to the progressively steepening terrain and simply getting worn out by the end of the day. That is, until I noticed about 6 inches of snow stuck to the bottoms of our skis, covering the whole length of ski, It must have added a good 15 pounds per ski, not to mention it was being dragged and plowed through the fresh snow in front of us. I gave the sides of my skis a good whack to knock off the snow, and proceeded onward, A few steps later I picked up my ski, and again saw a massive ball of snow stuck to the bottoms. It made forward progress VERY difficult, but not impossible, so we trudged onward for another 1/2 mile or so, until we finally decided to switch out to snow shoes. After switching out, I was kicking myself for not doing that miles ago as the forward progress was incredibly easy again. At that point we were too worn out to make any more significant progress so we stopped and carved in a camp for the night... Right in the middle of the road/trail. The night was cold, but not TOO cold. lows were down in the teens, cold enough to freeze up any water bottles not in our sleeping bags. In the morning, we woke to 10" of fresh cold powder. It was simply beautiful. After breakfast we broke down camp and set off back to the car, this time, all downhill. Going in took about 6 hours to do 3 miles, going out took about 45 minutes to cover the same distance. In the end, we were completely wore out, but entirely thankful we live in such an awesome place, and are able to go for a quick overnight backpacking ski trip only 20 minutes from home.
  • Set (11 items)
  • 10 months ago
  • Views: 97

• Excursion - South Island, New Excursion - South Island, New Zealand

  • From: colebingham
  • Description:
    Completed: Skydiving, Bungee Jumping, Four Summits, Kayaking the Fjordlands, River-Caving the Cave Stream, Glacier Climbing, Hammock Lounging, Camping in Extreme Conditions, Soup and Crumpet Rations for a week. Absolutely fantastic conditions in the dead of winter - Snow everywhere, often 2-3 metres! It was the most epic adventure I've ever had the privilege of being a part of. Myself and two other American students studying in New Zealand took our three-week winter break and backpacked the South Island. Between incredible fellowship, breath-taking scenery, and some really intense experiences, it was the most dream-experience I've ever had. I even got to write and act out a bedtime story for a 75-kid ski trip of some local kiwi schoolkids. The photo I'm submitting to the challenge documents a single moment when I walked out on a smaller mountain off to the side of Mt. Roy, in completely untouched snow, and stood overlooking some of the most remarkable lakes and mountains in the world. Truly a beautiful moment!
  • Set (22 items)
  • 10 months ago
  • Views: 187

• Auyuittuq National Park - Baff Auyuittuq National Park - Baffin Island

  • From: lkuracina
  • Description:
    My first backpacking trip in 1990: two week hike on Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic. Includes crossing the Arctic Circle. What a blast! I purchased my first gore-tex jacket and pants for this trip. The jacket has since been retired while the pants still get occasional use. None of my friends were hikers and I had only done some light day hikes. Growing up, our family did a lot of camping in the summer. My father was a school teacher and we took a family camping trip every summer. It was always car camping but we would do day hikes in a lot of the places that we went. Nothing fancy though. I'm not sure what gave me the bug about growing to the Arctic but the pictures that I had seen looked neat and the hike description sounded awesome. I read the book "Give Me My Father's Body" about an Inuit boy who father's body was taken to a museum by the early explorers looking for the Northwest Passage. I signed up for a guided trip, I loved photography so I figured out how to carry my gear. I made my own hiking/walking stick by cutting a broken hockey stick length wise and I put a screw in the top so that it could also be used as a mono-pod for my camera. I also had my tripod strapped to the side of my pack. I think to this day I can find bits of sand from that trip in my tripod. I had some issue with pack fit and comfort the first couple days and the others suggested that I cash my tripod for the hike back but I stubbornly refused and we did some adjustments to the pack and continued. I took 14 rolls of Kodachrome 64 (36 exposure) in 12 days. I have some fantastic memories and when I put on a slide-show a few months later we all laughed about carrying that tripod and they agreed that it was a good thing to bring along. We hiked approximately 10km each day. Being above the treeline made it a little more interesting setting your distance perspective. The first day we had a light mist and fog with low clouds for the next couple days. On day six when we were at the furthest most point in our hike (at the foot of Turner Glacier it snowed over night). Re-tracing our steps back along the route we had a whole new perspective as there were no clouds and the tops of all of the mountains could be seen. We camped across the river from Mount Thor and listened to it thunder as mini rock falls came down. I recently had my set of slides digitized and now I get to re-live the experience all these years later. What a fantastic trip on multiple levels!
  • Set (15 items)
  • 10 months ago
  • Views: 77

• New Zealand - Bottom to Top New Zealand - Bottom to Top

  • From: peerbolt
  • Description:
    Arriving in the country on November 9th I had some idea of what I wanted to do over the duration of my year long work and holiday visa. Fresh off the plane I found myself sitting in an office, in front of a computer, and already discussing my future employment and endeavors. Before the jet lag even had a chance to wear off, I found myself being flown to Queenstown in the southern centre of the south island to drive a 1996 Land Rover Defender back up to Auckand, 2000 kilometres to the north. Over the next five days I managed to see, albeit quickly, a good portion of both the south and the north island of NZ. The first day on the road took me from Queenstown to Christchurch, the second from Christchurch up to Picton in the far north of the south island, stopping in the Marlborough wine country along the way. From Picton I took the Interislander car ferry from Wellington across the Cook Straight and into the north island. The north island was done in two days, stopping over for the night in Wellington and then heading up to Lake Taupo, the world capital of trout fishing. After some brief river time it was back to Auckland to deliver the truck.
  • Set (19 items)
  • 10 months ago
  • Views: 57

• Climb for Captives 2009 Climb for Captives 2009

  • From: jch1972
  • Description:
    Two years ago a group of friends started Climb for Captives. We have reached the summit of Mount Rainier in Washington State twice in order to raise money and awareness to fight human trafficking. Human slavery is worse today than ever in the history of our planet. We decided that we would use something that we love in order to play a role in fighting this terrible issue. We want to take our passion to the next level. If we were to win the experience challenge we would use the funds and equipment to climb Kilimanjaro in an effort to raise $100,000. our desire would be to use the prize not for ourselves but to increase it exponential and rescue many more women and children out of human trafficking. Please take a second to check out our site http://www.climbforcaptives.com and our blog @ http://blog.climbforcaptives.com
  • Set (10 items)
  • 8 months ago
  • Views: 735

• Big Surf in Wells Big Surf in Wells

  • From: Max_Speed
  • Description:
    We went to Florida and experienced the Big Freeze, only to come back to a big Blizzard in VT. Then went on vacation in Maine just in time for Hurricane force winds. Lots of surf kicking up and Sea Foam all over the place, yes that's not snow in the Videos. Power out for days. No Excuses @ Amore, they cooked this fantastic breakfast on a gas grill. The Chain Restaurants were closed due to power out..... Big bounty at the outdoor gear stores, spring clearance. She scored Gore-tex jacket at LL Bean, Me some Gore-tex gloves, North Face and Kittery Trading post nearby, need I say more?
  • Set (10 items)
  • 7 months ago
  • Views: 184

• Rain, Sleet, and Snow on Mt Ke Rain, Sleet, and Snow on Mt Kenya

  • From: Karstendelap
  • Description:
    Guiding Mount Kenya in late October of 2009 we had a "full-on" alpine experience! We found the conditions to be absolutely heinous with veriglassed rock and snow every where! We only saw sun for about 10 hours on the 9 day expedition! We were able to climb higher than any other party this season on the North Face of Batian. This was probablly due to the Gore-Tex gear we were using. ;) The video shows a rappel station that was suspect and turned out to be not very good as you will see! All in all the trip was a great adventure!
  • Set (4 items)
  • 9 months ago
  • Views: 1235

• exceriencing more with team si exceriencing more with team sight unseen

  • From: teamsightunseen
  • Description:
    For me experiencing more started 3 years ago when I became involved with a group of blind, vision impaired, and sighted climbers, called team sight unseen. I had for years been very actively climbing, backpacking, mt biking, snowboarding ect., when I suddenly became fixated on the idea of somehow helping others to experience my love for the outdoors. I got involved with a local outdoor club, I began volunteering with a search and rescue unit, I helped teach climbing courses, and I organized trail maintenance parties. However I still felt I needed to do something else, but what? I began to think about why it was that I felt this need to help other people to experience more of the outdoors, when I realized it was in part because of the fortune that I can see! My mother is vision impaired, as is my younger sister. I had watched both of them go through all of the challenges that being vision impaired brings, and all the while I was enjoying perfect eye sight, in fact I even worked in the arts a luxury afforded me by my vision! So for several months I made contacts with groups, and people working with blind and vision impaired athletes. I emailed with Bill Irwin who hiked the App. Trail with his seeing eye dog! I contacted Erik Weihenmeyer, who is the only blind man to climb mt everest. Still I was without the project I wanted, when I opened up an issue of backpacker magazine, and there on the inside page was a photo of a blind climber on the summit of Killimangaro. From here a most organic evolution took place, I contacted Kyle, he told me of his plans to come out to the pacific northwest to climb with his newly formed team sight unseen, I told him I live and climb in the north west and would love to climb with his team, and it was on! Over the last few years we have climbed on Mt Hood, St Helens, Mt Adams, and this past summer summited Mt Rainier. Ironically, it has been through these young men who experience less in the way of vision, that I have experienced more! our team has a goal of climbing Aconcagua in south america, which could be greatly helped with the suport of Gore Tex and the experience more challenge
  • Set (14 items)
  • 8 months ago
  • Views: 873

• High and light in the Sierra N High and light in the Sierra Nevada

  • From: riv_rock
  • Description:
    After a pretty good summer of climbing on nice short crags, we decided it was time to have a nice outing on a longer route. After talking over a few options with fellow Mountain Tech Sarah, we decided on the North Arête of Matterhorn Peak in Northern Yosemite. This route is a five star 6 pitch 5.7 that ascends a striking arête on an amazingly majestic peak. However with a 6 mile (partly cross country) approach and after reading several epic trip reports for this route, we decided that two days would definitely be in order. Six miles is a long way to carry climbing gear, and I have carried enough heavy packs to know that I don’t like them, so I made a very small list of things I deemed necessary for a night out and 6 pitches of 5.7. Heck I bet my pack was only going to weigh 15 lbs. After reading Lightweight Alpine Climbing With Peter Croft, I figured I would be heading out with just a bagel and some approach shoes. However after Sarah saw this list, she decided we needed rather more. We left the trailhead armed with: 7 hexes, 5 stoppers, harnesses, climbing shoes, 12 carabiners, a 45 meter rope, one mountain house meal, titanium pot and pocket rocket stove, a bag of no bake cookies, a 640 calorie energy bar, two pop tarts, two 45 degree sleeping bags, and two foam pads . . . more than enough. The night before we drove down to Bridgeport, a very small town on the east side of the Sierra and crashed on a dirt road. That morning we started the day with the requisite coffee and a soak in the local hot springs, just in time to get a permit when the ranger station opened. Then off to the trail head at Twin Lakes. This is a private RV resort at a beautiful meadow, which charges $10 to park your car. Neither of us thought $10 was very fair, and Sarah decided to inquire what we were paying for since there was not even bear boxes available. The staff did not take kindly to these probing questions and suggested the “Little Lady take her car elsewhere.” But No Parking Signs everywhere we looked made that impossible. So, ten dollars poorer we found a place to park and hit the trail. The trail description stated we should expect 2 miles on trail and 4 miles cross country to the base of the climb, however the trail was quite good well past 2 miles. It began getting steeper and we slowed quite a bit looking for an elusive “tarn” that is suppose to provide good camping. We trudged on and had lunch at the lake where we probably should have camped, but for some reason we were convinced there was something better and continued up to the Matterhorn glacier. Soon all that was left was the final glacier before the 1st pitch. We camped on a large flat rock perched on the tongue of the glacier, although it would have been much nicer lower at the lake in the forest (but we didn’t want to go down just to climb that hill again the following day), It was 2 pm and we still had plenty of time for naps, reading, and even a swim had we not climbed past the lake and were now hours from any swimming holes. At least we got those naps. After our rigorous afternoon of resting, it started getting cold and we were hungry. It was time to fire up that stove and give Mountain House a try. Now I don’t know if you have ever tried this stuff, but somehow an apparent tin foil bag of air was going to turn into dinner for two just by adding hot water. Ironically enough, dinner tasted pretty good, but was kind of lacking in the shear quantity department . . . good thing we had those no bake cookies. Now that dinner was done and the sun was well below the horizon, temperatures were dropping and it was time to jump into those 45 degree sleeping bags. We thought we were in for a cold night, and were trying to remember that we brought them because they weigh 1.5 lbs and are about the size of a nalgene. We definitely got the light part down. It turns out despite the fact that the mercury was well below 45 that night, I only woke up about 5 or 6 times during the night and that was from trying to sleep on a rock. More important than what the cold did to us was what it did to the glacier. While in the late afternoon it was quite easy to walk around on the snow of the glacier in tennis shoes, at 6 am (post pop tarts) when we started up to the base of the rock, the snow had hardened up and gotten down right slippery. At first this posed a bit of a problem, but necessity is the mother of invention and we each fashioned some ad hoc ice axes out of sharp rocks (read: we carried rock in our bare hands) and soon enough we were across the snow and roping up for the rock pitches. The rock turned out to be quite good, two pitches of easy fifth class and we were staring straight up the prominent arête of Matterhorn Peak. We were also doing quite well with just the hexes and nuts, evoking a little pride in our old school style. (Most folks replaced their hexes with camelots in the 1980’s). As a matter of fact the climbing gods must have been happy with our pure climbing style too, and left us a nearly new #1 Camelot halfway up the fourth pitch (in a clean 5.7 hand crack). Of course not wanting to anger the climbing gods we neatly tucked our only cam on the back of our the pack for a different day. The next pitch was the crux and we had several tied hexes to protect the left leaning dihedral. It went well, and personally I think the chimney above the corner was actually a tad harder than the dihedral that is supposed to be the crux. A bit more easy climbing and we were at the summit, which we ended up reaching just in time for lunch. Well, ten minutes and 640 calories later, we started the decent, and this is where things got interesting. That long snow slope that we had climbed earlier was now starting to look steeper as we started down it with our old sneakers. I gingerly took a couple steps on the snow and said, this is not too bad, plus there are no rocks to hit at the bottom. So a couple more steps and whoosh, I was on my butt cruising down the 30 degree slope. Fast. Really fast. I dug my heels into the slope, snow started kicking up and basting my face, which turns out was a blessing in disguise because then I did not have to see what was ahead. I am not totally sure what was sitting on that slope, but my rear tells me that there were probably a few loose rocks to provide me with a couple bruises. Not soon enough I found myself on the flatter runout and slowly came to a stop. Perfect, I was down. Sarah yelled down asking how it was, of course I said it was exillerating and she purposefully glisaded to me using my track to get more speed, lucky I have her whole run on video. All and all, a good adventure. I don’t think we earned any speed records, but we definately gave going light (extremely light) an honest shot.
  • Set (7 items)
  • 8 months ago
  • Views: 732

• Southeast US ice climbing! Southeast US ice climbing!

  • From: Karstendelap
  • Description:
    Yes there is ice in the Southeastern US! Here are a few pics from exploring the ice in the southeast the last 2 years. Most of the pics are from last week though! Ice season is here!!!
  • Set (7 items)
  • 9 months ago
  • Views: 504

• Lost and Found on the Long Tra Lost and Found on the Long Trail

  • From: Moxie
  • Description:
    In the fall of 2007, by choice and chance, I was adrift. After a summer leading hiking trips at an overnight camp, I had planned a cross-country road trip with some friends to discover America, and perhaps ourselves along the way. Tragically, outside of Manasses, Virgina, our Ford Econoline imploded and I found myself on the bus back to Boston, my home, with little money and even less idea of what I wanted to do with my life for the next couple years. I had gone to college in Williamstown, MA, where the Long Trail begins (or ends, depending on your perspective). Something about Vermont had always drawn me, and I am an avid outdoorswoman and inclined towards purposeful wandering. I bought a Long Trail Guide upon my return home, and pored over the trail notes and hand-drawn pictures. Three days later, I was on a friend’s couch in Williamstown, a borrowed stove and 5 days worth of PB&J shoved in my ancient backpack. As I lay awake late into the night, listening to rain on the roof, I wrote the following hopes in my journal: I hope the sunsets are good and I make it up for sunrises. I hope I meet only interesting and/or quiet people, and nobody scary. I hope my body loves me for doing this at the end. I hope I don't get sick of peanut butter and noodles. I hope I get to have one good communal campfire with people I’ve never met. I hope I have good dreams. The following morning dawned misty and cold. I said goodbye to friends and hefted my 40-lb pack, tied on my old boots, and hit the trail. My back started to hurt almost instantly, and the woods were eerie. I scared up a ruffled grouse, and screamed as it exploded upwards beside the trail. After that, every noise in the woods sounded like a hungry wild animal. 13.3 miles later, I walked up to the first shelter I would stay at. It was empty, dark, and damp, and the shelter log was full of entries about a resident black bear. I was not to be alone for long, however; an AT-southbounder showed up near dark and promptly started a roaring fire in the ring and handed me a newspaper with Red Sox news and a crossword. Words cannot express my joy and relief, and I actually slept all right that night – with no dreams. The next day I was sore and the going was hard, lots of uphill (or so it seemed). Upon arriving at my destination for the night, I was confronted with several people jabbering away in the log hut – and I settled in to join them, tacking noodles for the first time. One of the gifts the Long Trail gave me was a basic working knowledge of cooking things in or with hot water. The next day, I took it easy and walked only a few miles (9). I camped with some of the people I’d met, next to an unnamed stream, and we sat around for a while, throwing sticks in the fire and telling stories. The warmth I felt that night wasn’t just from the fire – it was starting to come from within me. I was feeling like this was where I belonged. For five more days, I hiked with a posse of thru-hikers – until Maine Junction, where the AT splits off. I stayed for two days at the Inn at Long Trail, drinking Guiness and playing cards and savoring the new friendships, which I still maintain today. Kindred spirits, those guys are; outdoorsfolk are my people, I began to realize. From the Inn, I turned north, fitter and stronger and having shed a few pounded from my pack. Among other things my friends had given me, I was no longer Anna, but Moxie – so named for my spirit as well as my love for the grape tasting soda native to remote parts of Maine. I began to walk alone for longer over the wilder parts of the trail, through the Breadloaf Wilderness, over the Middlebury skiway, and finally up and over Lincoln Peak and through Appalachian Gap. The lean-to’s gave way to actual huts, and the leaves began to turn. I was happier than I had been in months, even years, with the simplicity of hiking, the joy of meeting new people and sharing experiences at each new shelter, the rush of discovering hidden waterfalls, leaping deer, and fresh moose prints around each new bend in the trail. Thoughts of hiking the AT, the PCT, and even the CDT raced through my mind. I was hooked! I spent a weekend with a friend in Burlington, gushing endlessly about the magic of the trail - to which she listened politely, probably thinking I was crazy. After a hard climb up and over Mt. Mansfield and through Smuggler’s Notch, I found myself at a beautiful shelter on the shores of Sterling Pond with just 90 miles left to hike. It was dark when another hiker walked in, cooked up his meal, and asked if I’d like to help him gather firewood. Always a sucker for a good campfire, I helped him collect wood and light a roaring blaze. Over dinner, as he told me about his recent stay in West Africa as a peace corps volunteer. Before that, he told me about a wilderness program he’d worked at in North Conway, NH, leading wilderness trips for at-risk teenagers, where the community of outdoorspeople was as fantastic as one could ever hope. I tucked away the name of the company in the back of my mind and waved him off the next morning, sad to see him go, sure he would walk out of my life forever. The last section of the trail was sublime. In over two weeks, it hadn’t rained but a single day, and the sun continued to shine down as I neared the Canadian border. The sunsets, as such, had been incredible; I’d taken to walking to nearby vistas to watch them and write in my journal to close my day. By now, I was a walking machine, and my pack weight had dropped to 28 pounds with a full load of food and water – I was a trail woman to the core. On my final ascent, up Jay Peak, I actually began jogging as I neared the top, passing several shocked tourists with fanny packs. I took the ski tram down to have a beer and a slice of pizza to reward myself. My last night on the trail, I met two women who shared their veritable feast of pesto pasta and fresh pastries with me. We laughed and chatted late into the night, strangers who had become friends, only to part the following morning as I headed for the Northern terminus, they for my starting point. I felt a vague sense of remorse the entire day, and I remember writing in my journal that had it not been for an impending trip to Europe (for which I’d already booked a plane ticket), I would have flip-flopped; done the whole trail again in reverse. As such, I touched the sign at the end, looked out into Canada, and met two friends on the ending road. They took me to Montreal, where I went out and re-experienced the world as we know it, among people and buildings and schedules and cars. All of my goals on the trail had been accomplished, and I left with many new ones. Two months later, having returned from Europe, I was again lost, but had an idea of where I might be found – the trail me, Moxie, knew that I’d find happiness with the people who shared my love of the wilderness. Something came up in the back of my mind; that place the guy at Sterling Pond had mentioned. I googled it. I called them up. I went up for a visit. And a week later, I began working there as a wilderness guide. Within a week, I had met friends that today I count as my closest friends, and my partner, with whom I’ve had countless adventures. For two years, I did this work, traveling all over the country in between and for new jobs. And now I am in medical school, determined to work with children and adolescents and also as a wilderness medicine specialist. And when I look back, I realize that the Long Trail, in its entirety, put me where I am today. And more importantly, that shared experience gave me some of my greatest supporters and friends. It may have been a “Plan B”, so to speak, but I could not have imagined a more wild and perfect twist of fate.
  • Set (6 items)
  • 8 months ago
  • Views: 469

• Evererst Trek Off-Season Evererst Trek Off-Season

  • From: Kathy_Dragon
  • Description:
    I had a wonderful but very short 6 days trek this Feb in the Lower Everest Region...staying at comfortable teahouses that offered HEAT!! as the weather was -10 at night. Beautiful hiking weather with clear, cool days...until the snow and wind came in! Very few tourists and only local people on the trails. Wonderful Fly to LUKLA (9000’/2743m), Trek to MONJO (5-6 hrs) The exciting flight from Kathmandu to Lukla and the landing at its small mountain airstrip is something you will remember for years to come. After landing on the newly resurfaced airstrip, a warm welcome with refreshing tea, served with cookies at our Lukla lodge before commencing the trek. Pass through several villages before stopping for lunch at a beautiful spot alongside the Thada Kosi river, below the base of the Kusum Kangru Himal. The second half of the trek to Monjo should take no more than 3 hours. The next big village on the way is Phakding (8700'/2652m) but the trail passes many smaller settlements on its way. The entire walk from Lukla to Monjo is an easy hike over gently undulating hills. Warm welcome tea served with cookies and cakes await you at the Monjo lodge. Day 2 : Trek to, TASHINGA (11,023 ft / 3,450 m) 5 /6hrs. Five minutes beyond the lodge, one enters the Everest National Park, where entry formalities will have to be completed. Today will be one of the tougher days of the trip, but we take it slowly, enjoying the scenery as you climb slowly up to Namche Bazar . Along the way there are two suspension bridges to cross as you zig zag along and across the Dudh Kosi river before reaching the base of the Namche hill. The trail is well marked, comfortably broad. Walking in the cooler part of the morning, it is easier to breathe and gradually get used to the increasing altitude. After an easy-paced three hour walk, arrive at Namche Bazar (3450) the heart of the Khumbu . A well deserved break is planned over lunch and time enough to explore this interesting small town. Above Namche, the trail to Tashinga follows the classical approach to Everest. Keep to the almost level winding trail for about 2 1/2 hours before taking a slight detour off the main trail and arrive at the lodge in the next 15 minutes. Day 3 : Sherpa monastery Tengboche and on to Pangboche ( /3985 mts) The descent to the Dudh Koshi river and the gradual ascent to the Tengboche plateau (3870 m) is no more than three hours walk. On the way up to Tengboche through rhododendron forest it is quite common to be accompanied by monks, trekkers and traders. During the lunch break visit the most famous monastery in Khumbu. Bypass Deboche, where you find a nunnery and shortly thereafter walk along the Imja Drangka River to Pangboche. For most part it is a comfortable and scenic walk. Our lodge in Pangboche is located right along the trail to Everest and almost at the base of the Mt. Ama Dablam Day 4: Pamgboche to Namche, overnight Namche: Along the way cross the Mengbo and the Dudh Koshi rivers to the quiet trail on the other side. The panoramic vista with old stone houses and the absence of the usual trekkers along the way is bliss until you reach Tengboche. We continue over familiar terrain, water powered prayer wheels and prayer flags, to the village of Khumjung and on to Syangboche, At one time Syangboche was considered as an alternate airport for Lukla. Because of the seldom trodden trails, pheasants, wild chickens and thars are quite common sighting on the way to Namche. Day 5: Namche to Lukla, overnight Lukla The flights were canceled on my final day...due to high winds and snow. I was fortunate to get out once the snow fell a the morning was clear.
  • Set (10 items)
  • 7 months ago
  • Views: 207

• Powder Skiing in Chamonix Powder Skiing in Chamonix

  • From: Greg_Loniewski
  • Description:
    This year I chose not to return to Patagonia but instead to tour some of Europe. The weather in Europe may have been a little better than down south but the climbing conditions were still pretty bad. My trip was from Feb. 14th - Mar. 8th, 2010. My main goal was to climb The Eiger North Face. This winter the route was barely climbable all season. I did climb some great waterfall ice tough in Austria, Italy and Switzerland. The last week of my trip was solely dedicated to skiing and the weather cooperated. It was actually great. The rain down in the town of Chamonix proved to be all powder high up in the Alps. It definitely made for one of my best ski weeks ever..
  • Set (14 items)
  • 6 months ago
  • Views: 154

• Hiking and Backpacking Hiking and Backpacking

  • From: Maia_Josebachvili
  • Description:
    Hiking is where it all started really. I fell in love with the Whites in New Hampshire while in college and haven’t stopped hiking since. I’ve done numerous cross-country roadtrips on a mission to hike in every National Park and I recently took a 14-month sabbatical around the world in an effort to add the world’s greatest hikes to that list. Highlights include hiking to Everest Base Camp in Nepal, backpacking across the Andes, and a four-month hiking stint in New Zealand. But the real thing that stands out is what came out of my love for hiking—Urban Escapes. I started Urban Escapes as a hiking and backpacking guiding company for nature-starved New Yorkers. In just a year and a half, we’ve taken thousands of ‘Escapers’ on hundreds of different outdoor trips, ranging from rock climbing clinics to week-long backpacking trips out West. And I seriously mean it when I say it all started because I love hiking.
  • Set (5 items)
  • 11 months ago
  • Views: 143

• Meet Our Community Moderators Meet Our Community Moderators

  • From: GORETEX_admin
  • Description:
    These folks are helping us moderate our new community. If you have any questions while navigating the site, feel free to send them a message.
  • Set (11 items)
  • 10 months ago
  • Views: 142

• Skydiving Around the Globe Skydiving Around the Globe

  • From: Maia_Josebachvili
  • Description:
    Skydiving is on most people’s bucket list. For me, one jump wasn’t close to enough. Four years after my first skydive, I had logged more than 650 jumps in over twenty-five states and five countries. What started as a college hobby turned into a life-long passion and I’ve enjoyed taking hundreds of people on their first skydive, either as an instructor or through my company Urban Escapes.
  • Set (6 items)
  • 11 months ago
  • Views: 130

• Zansakar and Ladakh Trek, Indi Zansakar and Ladakh Trek, India

  • From: Kathy_Dragon
  • Description:
    This remote region of Northern India was a dream trek of mine after reading "Journey in Ladakh" by Andrew Harvey. Zanskar, together with the neighboring region of Ladakh, was briefly a part of the kingdom of Guge in Western Tibet. The trek begins in Manali and can end in Padum or continue on from Padum to Leh. The highest point is Shingo La Pass at 5100 meters. The Phugtal Monastery or Phugtal Gompa is one of the highlights along with the Mani Walls and row of Chorten which lead into the most remote villages that inhabit this high desert terrain.
  • Set (12 items)
  • 9 months ago
  • Views: 124

• Backpacking Nicaragua Backpacking Nicaragua

  • From: thepatweir
  • Description:
    e-mail entry 1: last week I got sick, I had heat exhaustion from the trip from Managua. We got packed on one packed minivan, followed by an extremely over packed bus in Rivas. They wait until the bus gets full before leaving, no schedule abided, and by packed I don´t mean your mannerly 2-3 people per seat and then we drive off into the sunset...the bus waited untill we were jam packed with people sitting standing, leaning, around the sacks of rice and potatoes of course, while vendors magically found a path to weave through selling snacks, bevies, and sandwich bag chicken, while we waited. I was sitting by the window sweating balls. Then about 45 minutes and several bottles of water later, the bus pulled out bursting at the seams with people only to stop on the highway to let on 10 more people from another passing bus. I don´t know were they fit, they just did. e-mail entry 2: So some of you already know that I saw my first wild monkee(s) the other day. We took a trip up to a beach south of San Juan on a water taxi and got a glimpse of some raw nicaraguan beauty. We were supposed to camp but we got rained out and pat is too used to the cheap prices here and didn´t want to dish 8 bucks to camp. I agreed, it is a bit to pay for these standards, but secretly I was not keen on camping aflter I saw the most strangest crabs I´ve ever seen. I must have seen at least 6 different species of crabs in that one day, there were transparent ones that you absolutely could not see against the white sandy beach unless they ran rally close to your feet...but the strangest ones by far were the reddish orange crabs, with purple claws that lived in the jungle AWAY from the water. Jungle crabs that were strangely bright against an infinite green canvas of fauna, with no camouflage abilities whatsoever so you could only imagine they were highly poisonous to eat. It was strange to see such a daring crab so far form the water but I got used to it untill I realized their impressive climbing abilities. They lived in dug out tunnels, rock crevases, and high up in the trees. creepy. They are quick to hide or raise their claws at you when you approach but if you stay still and pay attention, you can see thousands of red dots all over the jungle skiddling about. Like an infestation. There was no place for me to camp in that jungle haha... In other news, pat is a little sick with something. He´s been in bed all day. If he is not feeling better by tomorrow I´m going to take him to the clinic. I´m sure he´s fine, some other travelers have also been getting sick I think it may be the heat... e-mail entry 3: We´ve been trying to plan a trip to La Flor since we left vancouver but could never sort out the mirad of details. But the other day we were bored and just hopped up and decided to pack our camping gear and get to el coco, the neighbouring beach, whichever way possible. I ran around a shopped for camping food while pat figured out a way to get us there. A pack of weiners, and some potatoes later (we were roughing it), pat came up to me and said: ´´ we have two choices, the maintenance guy that works at our apartment said we could hire his friend who is a cab driver for $45 american for a trip there and back with pick up tomorrow, or we can take the bus whith a chance getting robbed on the road´´ We left our valuables behind and took the bus. It was actually one of the better bus rides we´ve ever had here, breezy, not too chaotic and it was only a dollar each. But talk about washboard dirt roads! It would take a veteran bus rider to have the ability to fall asleep on those buses and I happen to be sitting right next to one. You hit pot holes and rivets so deep you actually get air time when your stomach comes up and makes an appearance in the rib cage. Dude next to me almost landed on my lap a few times. Pat had to stand most of the way. We got off at a convenience store on the side of the road walked down to the beach. The beach we went to, el coco, was supposed to have an unofficial free campground according to the lonely planet guide book. The book also said ¨turltle poachers live here, so be polite¨. And we were. There was no ´unofficial campground` we could make out so we went up to this construction site where they were building beachfront condos and asked if we could camp on the some of the ground they had cleared. The foreman said sure,fine...no fire and be careful. Be careful! He said that the site had a guard that would roam the area every few hours. Did I mention that the security guards here carry machine guns? Anyway... e-mail entry 4: So guess what? I have a story but you can't tell mom or dad. Aside form surfing the coolest waves, and sizzling under the sun on the sand with the crabs, last night pat and i were robbed at gun point. WE were driving home from a nearby beach and we unintentional left when it was already getting dark, that's a no-no around here. So there was 6 of us in an SUV and we were driving on a little dirt road and as we were driving, we came up to a huge log blocking the road and we already knew someone had intentionally put it there. So we debated what to do but it all came down to that stupid log blocking our way home so everyone got out to move it as a team. Just when we were all out of the vehicle 2 men wearing t/shirts around their faces appeared out of the shadows and started yelling and pointing guns at us. They told us to get our hand in the air then went through the truck and took all our stuff. It was mostly scary because there were more people we could hear in the bushes, and we were all standing in front of the headlights blinded by what was going on. But we are all fine, just a little shaken up and few possessions and dollars less. They weren't going to hurt us though, they just wanted our money and stuff, which they took. The only thing that sucks is now pat and I are even more broke in a really poor country but it just makes it even more of an adventure. You have to promise not to tell mom, I will. Eventually.
  • Set (25 items)
  • 8 months ago
  • Views: 123

• Trail Running Trail Running

  • From: Maia_Josebachvili
  • Description:
    I ran the Motatapu Off-Road Marathon in New Zealand. An epic twenty-six miles of trail running across mountain ranges and chest-deep rivers, this race is one that’s definitely on my repeat list.
  • Set (2 items)
  • 11 months ago
  • Views: 116

• Dad and the Bucket List Dad and the Bucket List

  • From: JMohrmann
  • Description:
    This isn’t a story about an epic climbing trip, or traveling to the ends of the earth. This isn’t a story about a heroic adventure, or pushing the limits in some daring journey. This is a story about the little things in life. It’s a story about family. It’s a story about helping my dad check off one line from his bucket list. This story started last August when my wife and I decided it was time to stop paying rent and start building a home. We found an old 1950’s dilapidated cracker box that we thought had endless “potential”. At least, I could see potential. My wife on the other hand needed A LOT of convincing. The closing day finally came, and the work started immediately. One little problem with the house led to another and by the end we had nearly re-built the entire house from the ground up. We replaced most of the plumbing, and most of the wiring. We tore walls down, and replaced every window in the house. We re-finished the floors and re-roofed the house. Nearly every free second of my life was consumed with working on our home. It took four months just to get the main floor finished enough to move in. While we were working on the house, we lived in my parent’s basement. My dad was there every step of the way, teaching me how to wire outlets, and making sure I didn’t screw anything up (too badly). Ever since I was a kid, my dad took me fishing, hunting, and camping. He helped develop a passion for the outdoors in me, and taught me to respect the land and all living creatures. Many times, while sitting on the shore of a lake, fishing for trout, we would talk about dream vacations and other outdoor adventures. Halibut fishing in Alaska was always near the top of this list for him, but it was always something that seemed too distant, something he would only ever dream about. As a present for helping build our home, my wife and I decided to fulfill this dream. On June 5th, my dad and I hopped a flight to Anchorage, rented a car, and started driving south. We ended up fishing for 3 days for both King Salmon and Halibut. Apparently 2009 is currently one of the worst years in recorded history for Kings, and it ended up being the wrong time of year for Halibut. The bigger (female) halibut move into the area we fished, around July. And to top it all off, we accidentally happen to book the trip over a full moon, so the tides were extreme, meaning we had a very narrow window to fish every day during the slack tide because of the strong currents at all other times of the day. After returning home, people kept asking how the trip was, and I started responding, “well the weather wasn’t great, the fish weren’t there, and the flights were long…” But after reflecting on the whole trip, and the past few months of hard labor, I’ve decided that even though we didn’t catch any salmon, and the halibut we caught were all very small, it was still an incredible trip. We got to see a new part of the world. We got to get out of land locked Montana and experience ocean fishing for the first time. And most importantly, we got to spend some great quality time together. What I learned from the whole experience is that it doesn’t always take an extreme, epic, adventure to make for an incredible trip. Enjoy every minute of quality time you get to spend with family. Smile big in the face of adversity, and even when things don’t go as planned, and aren’t what you expect, Enjoy Life! It’s pretty cliché but something I can’t tell myself enough, “It’s the journey that matters, not the destination.” In the end, it’s not the big trips and adventures that will mean the most to me, it’s the little things, like time spent working on the plumbing with my dad.
  • Set (7 items)
  • 10 months ago
  • Views: 109