Summiting Mt. Whitney: A Photo Gallery

by Neil Woodburn on


At 14,496 feet, Mt. Whitney is the tallest mountain in the continental United States.

It has always been a dream of mine to climb Whitney and last summer I finally had the opportunity thanks to my friend Patti who collected $15 from me and my friends and applied for a permit. Unfortunately, the date we finally received from the Forest Service was the same weekend I was going to be in Alaska fishing. Damn!

And so last August I jumped on a plane and headed north while my friends drove up Highway 395 and pulled off something far greater than hauling in an 8 pound salmon.

“It was grueling,” Patti told me later, “but a tremendous accomplishment.” And then she added with a laugh, “and one I will never, ever repeat.”

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Mt. Whitney is not a technical climb, but it is a truly exhausting one due to the high altitude and thin air which makes your lungs work overtime for less oxygen and your muscles burn with fatigue.

Although Whitney would have kicked my butt, I was nonetheless disappointed I wasn’t able to go. I was even more disappointed after seeing Patti’s photographs. The group had lucked out with perfect weather and the cloudless skies and crisp mountain air made for some stunningly beautiful shots.

So, do yourself a favor. Spare a few moments to check out the gallery and summit Mt. Whitney in the same manner as I did this summer: virtually.

Related:
Packing out Last Night’s Dinner
Photo of the Day
Pack it out… All out on Mt. Whitney

Lacing your shoes for the best performance

by Neil Woodburn on

I never really thought about it before, but properly lacing your shoes is one of the most important, yet often neglected preparations one can make for travel.

Sure, you can laugh at the idea of a post telling you how to tie your shoe, but did you have any idea that there are 2 trillion ways to do so? And, that there is specific lacing technique to maximize performance for various activities?

I had no idea either, but thankfully there is someone on this planet who can teach us all about it. Ian Fieggen is a man with a serious lacing fetish that runs a site dedicated entirely to the different ways one can lace up their shoes and boots.

Take, for example, the Bushwalking Lace (above). This majestic design “distributes pressure evenly” and keeps “the knots and ends to the side… away from snagging undergrowth.”

Such an intricate lace is typical of what one can find on Fieggen’s site–although I was equally impressed with some of the vanity, checkerboard lacing that serves no purpose other than simply being fashionable.

(Via Wired.com)

Gift idea: Clear System by 3-1-1 Travel Bag

by Jamie Rhein on

Here’s a traveler’s gift idea that has use. The Clear Bag System by 3-1-1 Travel Bag was made with the air traveler in mind. Instead of loading up 3 ounce prepackaged travel size bottles into a zip lock bag, you fill the various bottles of the Clear System with shampoo, mouthwash, lotion, etc. then slip them into the system’s clear plastic carrying case that meets TSA standards. There are a few options to choose from depending on how many products you take along with you.

One thing that I like about this system is that you can fill up the bottles with the products you need and just top them off between trips. It also cuts down on waste because instead of buying travel sizes over and over again, you can fill these from your larger, regular size bottles.

The numbers 3-1-1 refer to the TSA rules for carry-ons.

  • 3 ounce or smaller liquid container or gel
  • 1 quart-size clear plastic , zip-lock bag holding 3 ounce or smaller containers
  • 1 bag per passenger placed in security bin.

Clever, huh? Works kind of like a mnemonic for a spelling bee or some method used to remember the Periodic Table. If you want an explanation for these regulations, the link leads to that as well.

Exposed in a Travelpod: The world’s first mobile hotel room

by Kelly Amabile on

Writing about normal rooms reminded me of another possible (albeit odd) sleeping alternative to traditional hotels. I first learned about the Travelpod from this Age article by Benji Laynado: For those too posh to pitch recounts Benji’s experience sleeping in one of Travelodge’s mobile hotel rooms — a transparent glass structure with clear polycarbonate walls, carpeting, AC, double bed and other furniture, but no shower. This is the second generation Travelpod, a revised version of the original room that was trialed in 2006, with added design features.

For about $65 bucks a night, the mobile hotel room can be transported from one of Britain’s Travelodge hotels to any destination that allows permission for the room to be placed there. Benji chose a field for his out-of-the-box-while-in-a-box travel experience, and had a good night’s rest in what he calls “the top of the camping chain.” Interesting concept, but confusing, as Benji notes: “I came here to get outdoors, yet everything around me is trying to convince me indoors is great, too.”

The book Sex in a Tent reviews love-making tips for locations other than a typical tent — canoe, beach, sturdy tree — but what about the Travelpod? Would hooking-up in one of these count as an outdoor sexual experience if the structure was simply plopped down in a rural location? Something unimportant to ponder, eh? And how come I can’t find anything about similar structures in the US? Has any American hotel chain experimented with transportable hotel rooms yet? The whole thing seems quite silly to me, but still fascinating to follow these outlandish travel trends.

Adventures for women

by Neil Woodburn on

Female over 30 seeking adventure and good times.

This might sound like a personal ad for an online dating service, but in reality it’s the cry of an oft-neglected travel niche: the female adventure traveler.

There aren’t too many travel outfitters that specialize in women who would rather kayak in Greenland than shop in Paris. But, they do exist.

One of the most established ones is Adventure Women. This very cool outfitter has been around for 26 years and serves up adventures for “women traveling solo, or with sisters, mothers, daughters, and friends.” In other words, no dudes allowed–nor for that matter, prissy girls.

That’s because the women who sign up for these “small, congenial, non-smoking groups” are those that seek far more from a vacation than just sitting on the beach and ordering room service. Instead, these are women turned on by bear sightings, rafting in the Grand Canyon, trekking in the Himalayas, going on safari in Botswana, and more. Oh, and they have to be over 30.

If that’s you, consider a different vacation this year where you take off with the girls and leave your man at home watching the game. It’s a win-win situation if you ask me!