Where To Go To Truly Get Away From It All

by Kraig Becker on

Everyone has different reasons for why they like to travel, and their destinations of choice vary just as much. Some love to visit noisy, bustling foreign cities, others prefer the quiet tranquility of a secluded beach. Then of course, there are the travelers who truly like to get away from it all. They prefer to visit remote wilderness places, far off the beaten path, with few, if any, amenities.

Veteran traveler and adventurer Jeremy Lazell has put together a list of the best wilderness getaways for the Sunday Times of London, spotlighting some of the premiere spots on the planet for those that prefer their journeys to take them to unique, and out of the way places. These are true backcountry destinations, some of which are still very wild and untamed.

All told, there are 12 dstinations on Lazell’s list, from all corners of the globe, including Mongolia, Morrocco, Patagonia, and more. His personal favorite is a place called Knoydart in the Scottish Highlands, which we learn boasts “85 square miles of Highland heather, mountains and midges”. The place has one pub, which requires an 18 mile hike to reach, and the deer outnumber the people 10-1. Paradise for any adventure traveler.

The other places offer a similar level of remoteness, as well as a variety of activites, such as trekking, dogsledding, white water rafting, and camping. Any of these destinations would serve as a perfect escape for the active traveler looking for isolation and adventure in their next vacation.

The Very Best Foreign National Parks

by Kraig Becker on

The Coalition of National Park Services Retirees (yeah, I didn’t know they existed either) put out a press release yesterday listing the organizations favorite national parks from around the globe. The list was compiled by the more than 700 members of the CNPSR, who voted on their favorite places to visit while traveling abroad. Each of those members is a former employee of the U.S. National Park Service, and the members have an average of nearly 30 years of experience each, giving them a broad understanding of what makes a great park. Amongst their numbers are former rangers, park directors and deputy directors, regional directors and more.

The ten top parks according to the CNPSR is as follows:

1. TONGARIRO N. P., New Zealand
2. KAKADU N. P., Northern Territory, Australia
3. SNOWDONIA N. P., Wales, Great Britain
4. KRUGER N. P., South Africa
5. TIKAL N. P., Guatemala
6. IGUAZU N. P., Argentina
7. SAGARMANTHA N. P., Nepal
8. MADAIN SALEY NATIONAL HISTORIC PARK, Saudi Arabia
9. PLITVICE LAKES N.P., Croatia
10. HORTOBAGY N.P., Hungary
The actual story goes into more detail as to which each of the parks was selected, and what makes them stand out in the crowd. For instance, Tongarirro in New Zealand is a World Heritage Site with three volcanos, one of which is active. The park also lets visitors get up close to the Maori culture, with many members of the tribe still living within the park itself. By contrast, Kruger National Park in South Africa, is listed as one of the best places on the planet to view wildlife, with hundreds of different species on display.

Overall, a great list, and some good suggestions on places you can visit while traveling abroad. It’s nice to see some of the lesser known parks make the list, like Plitvice Lakes in Croatia. These kinds of lists sure don’t help the personal life list however, as every time they are released, I add two or three new things to my agenda.

Lincoln’s boyhood home is well worth the trip

by Jamie Rhein on

Because Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial in Indiana near the Kentucky border is not on a main highway, it’s not crowded. At least it wasn’t crowded the sunny Sunday afternoon in August when we swung into the parking lot after winding our way along the shady road that led there from Indiana Highway 162.

I was surprised by the size of the park’s visitor’s center. It’s scope is impressive–massive amounts of limestone and lumber. Inside, the interpretive displays and the short film about Lincoln’s life offered background information to frame our visit–one I recommend.

Our son was most impressed by the size of Lincoln’s shoes. Replicas, available for trying on in front of a life-size cardboard figure of grown-up Abe, offer the chance for a boy (or a girl) to see how he or she physically measures up. But, it’s through the woods where one sees what helped make the 16th president, who was born today 200 years ago, so unique.

Across the parking lot in the midst of the woods on a hilly spot is a cemetery with a simple grave marker. It belongs to Nancy Hanks Lincoln, Lincoln’s mother. Although the actual burial site is not known, the marker is an estimation of the grave’s location. Nancy died of milk sickness when Lincoln was nine years-old.

Caused by drinking milk from a cow that ate white snake root, milk sickness was more common during dry spells in certain sections of Indiana, Illinois and Ohio when there was not much else for cows to eat. As the story goes, Nancy knew she was dying, and afterward, Lincoln helped his dad bury her.

Down the hill from the cemetery is the site of the original house’s location. The size of the foundation’s outline attests to Lincoln’s humble beginnings. A short distance away, the Living History Farm shows what life was like for Lincoln as he headed towards his teen years. The one-room house, out buildings, barn, animals. and people dressed in period clothing tell about the days when Lincoln sat reading by firelight after a day of chores.

In a clever form of story-telling, a walk through the oldest stand of oak and hickory trees in the forest goes along the Trail of Twelve Stones— stone markers from various sites that were significant in Lincoln’s life. The first stone is from his birthplace in Kentucky, for example. One stone is from the battleground at Gettysburg. Another, my favorite, has four bricks from his wife Mary Todd Lincoln’s house. When you follow the trail, you get a sense of the scope of Lincoln’s experinces.

As majestic an awe-inspiring as the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. may be, I was inspired by walking through the woods where Lincoln once walked. Because this is an off-the-beaten-trail location, largely untouched by development, a lot of it looks, smells and sounds the same it did almost two centuries ago.

How To Buy A Backpack

by Kraig Becker on

Whether you’re floating around Europe for a couple of months or trekking through Asia, your most important piece of equipment will of course be your backpack. It’ll be your constant companion, your lifeline, and it will protect and carry all of the rest of your belongings for the extent of your journey. That’s why it’s important that you pick the right one, and have an idea of what you need before you buy.

Backpacks essentially come in two design types, internal and external frame. Most modern designs are of the internal frame variety, which offers the most flexibility and versatility of use. In fact, it’s rather difficult to find external frame packs any more, and for the sake of travel, they are not all that desirable. They don’t stow away as neatly, and they don’t fit in over head compartments as nicely either.

Knowing that you’ll most likely be purchasing an internal frame pack, the next thing to think about is size. Packs really do come in a wide variety of sizes now days, and the size you’ll need really depends on the length of your trip. For an extended journey you’ll be looking for an expedition length pack or a pack that is in the 5000 – 6000 cubic inch capacity. Remember, it’ll be holding all of your clothing and other gear, such as a sleeping bag, possibly a tent, cooking equipment, and more. Bigger isn’t always better however, so don’t just rush out and buy the biggest bag you can find.Armed with this information, the next thing you’ll want to do is go to an outdoor store and try on some of the bags. Any reputable gear reseller, such as REI, should have someone on staff who can measure your torso and help fit your properly with the right pack. It’s essential that you get the proper fitting, which is why I generally don’t recommend that you order a pack off the Internet without first having tried it on. If you do decide to order online, Backcountry.com and Eastern Mountain Sports often have great deals on packs.

It’s likely that you may be a bit overwhelmed with the dizzying array of backpacks that are now available. There are dozens of companies, making hundreds of different packs, and in a larger store you could have far more of them to choose from than you ever thought possible. However, knowing the size and style that you want will help whittle the selection down quickly, as will having your torso measured. From there, it’s a matter of finding a pack that has all the options you want and fits comfortably.

The level of comfort when you are wearing the pack is the single most important factor when deciding what to buy. When measured properly and adjusted for your body, something the staff at the store can help with as well, the pack’s weight should rest mostly on your hips. A good outdoor store will fill your pack with some weight to simulate what it’ll be like when you have it full of gear. This will help you to determine if the pack will be comfortable over the course of long days and carrying heavy loads. Try on as many packs as it takes to find the one that is most comfortable to you personally and fits your body the best.

The gear companies have come up with a ton of options for backpacks as well, some are gimmicks, and some are real. They put pockets in all kinds of locations, and they design special suspension systems to make the load more comfortable. The one option that I recommend that you absolutely do not go without is that your pack is “hydration ready”. That means that it has a special pocket that allows you to slip in a hydration bladder, a plastic reservoir that holds liquids, allowing you to carry your water easily. A small tube from the bladder will extend out of the pack and over your shoulder, connecting to one of the straps, and making it easy for you to take a drink at any time. The usefulness of this feature can not be over stressed, but it’s also common in most packs these days, so almost anything you buy will be hydration ready.

It should also be noted that most gear manufacturers now make women specific packs. This was not always the case and in the past ladies were often forced to endure a bag that didn’t fit well nor allow them to carry their gear comfortably. Now there are plenty of packs, in all sizes, that are designed to fit the female form, providing more comfort for extended time on the trail. They even come in more feminine colors so the girls won’t feel embarrassed to be seen wearing them. The Deva line of packs from Gregory are excellent as are the Aura packs from Osprey.

The last thing to consider is price. Go in with an idea of how much you want to spend ahead of time, as these days there are backpacks for all budgets. You can spend as little as $100 and get a decent backpack, or as much as $500+ and get an amazing piece of gear. But not everyone needs the top of the line item, and the packs found at the lower end of the spectrum these can be really good, although they tend to lag behind the higher end gear in features and fit by a few years. High Sierra has made a name for itself with it’s high quality packs at reasonable prices. Obviously price is an important consideration, but I wouldn’t recommend trying to save a few dollars at the expense of comfort. If spending a bit more gets you a noticeably better fit, then it’s worth dropping the dough. I personally own packs from The North Face, Osprey, and Mountain Hardwear, and while a bit more expensive, they are definitely worth the money.

Remember, buying a backpack is a major investment in your travel gear, but if you buy a good one, it can last you for years. You’ll can take it with you on your travels no matter where they lead, and you’ll come to realize that it really is the most important piece of gear you’ve ever purchased.

Bowermaster’s Antarctica — Elephant Island, South Shetland Islands

by Jon Bowermaster on

Six a.m. and the sea is clouded by a morning mist, making the always mysterious-looking Elephant Island appear evermore … mysterious. Its sharp rocky peaks climb out of the Southern Ocean in inverted Vs; the tide is high, washing out the few shallow beaches that ring it. Just off Point Wild – named for Frank Wild, Ernest Shackleton’s right hand man – penguins feed near the surface of the gray sea and a solitary Weddell seal curls up in the rocks. Just around the point we watch a leopard seal rip a penguin to bits for breakfast, flopping it around on the surface like a rag doll.

I wonder how Elephant Island would have fared historically if this weren’t the very beach where Shackleton and the twenty two men from his crushed “Endurance” had pulled and sailed to back in 1916. It is impossible to land on the beach this morning, due to the high tide, but I have been here before. Even when the seas are calm and the tide low it is a narrow, rocky, inhospitable place. That they managed to sail their trio of tiny lifeboats here, to the far eastern end of the South Shetland Islands at all is a miracle. That they survived for many months on this thin sliver of rock is testament to … well … I’m not sure what exactly. Fortitude? Patience? Belief in myriad higher powers?

%Gallery-40580%
Minus the Shackleton quotient, I doubt many around the world would have ever heard of this rocky lump. But today it holds a historical context far larger than its minute circumference. Bobbing in the rough seas just offshore, I can make out the monument built by the Chileans who sailed to the rescue aboard the “Yelcho” to rescue Shackleton’s men.

As we rock in the morning mist I try to imagine the scene as Shackleton and his crew prepared the small, twenty-three foot, six-inch lifeboat “James Caird” for its last-gasp, 800 mile sail to South Georgia. I envision them chasing down seals as they slid up onto the rocks, both for the sustenance they would give and the warmth their just-slit bellies held for the men’s long-frozen hands. I can imagine the men gathering in small groups to discuss among themselves the wisdom in the choices made by “the Boss” of who would go … and who would stay behind.

Today the pack ice is far from Elephant Island, but in April 1916 it was threatening to return any day, trapping the entire crew for another winter. They’d already been “lost” for fifteen months and were nearing the end of … everything … food, health, sanity. Which meant as they pounded nails straight, gathered provisions (matches, paraffin, extra socks) and filled the bow of the small boat with rocks for ballast there was an urgency that we cannot imagine from this vantage point. They all knew the risks of trying to sail a gerry-rigged lifeboat across the stormiest seas in the world with the scantest of navigational tools and a tiny, homemade sail. In the quiet of this morning I can almost hear their last conversations as they readied to push the “James Caird” off into the rising seas.

Click HERE for more dispatches from Antarctica!