It looks like a flute, I know, but it’s actually a compact camping/hiking grill called the Grilliput. When not in use, it’s small enough to fit in your back pocket. Assemble it above a campfire, and you can easily cook a meal for four or more. The only downside I can find is you’d want to make sure the grate is completely clean before packing up, otherwise you might have some greasy leftovers seeping into your bag.
The Grilliput, $29 from REI. [via]
Here’s a cool group project — a mini-army of dedicated volunteers have come together to create a definitive map of the Continental Divide Trail that runs from Canada to Mexico through the Rocky Mountains, Great Basin Divide and New Mexico desert. There are, of course, maps in existence already, but a number of discrepancies exist and none of them have been declared authoritative.
So, back in February, Backpacker Magazine editor-in-chief Jonathan Dorn called on hikers to help the Continental Divide Trail Alliance and federal agencies tackle a massive undertaking–to give this King of Trails an official map. Over 3,000 willing folks applied to help, and 300 volunteers where chosen.
There’s a blog where you can follow along with their progress. At this point, almost 300 miles of the 3,100 mile trail have been reviewed. There are 52 teams assigned to different lengths of the trail, some have been at it since April, and the work will continue through September. They’ll be snapping photos, producing video and plotting points of interest for the entire length of the trail.
One of my favorite Web sites about the National Parks, National Parks Traveler, has received both a face and content lift, and I highly recommend you give it a spin. It is lovely and they have a much more sensible web address now.
NPT is run by the ever-diligent, park-loving Kurt Repanshek who has done a stellar job over the years bringing to light issues and developments within our nation’s national parks. Seems he has teams up with the folks that do Park Remark to create a fantastic new site dedicated to the parks.
I wax rhapsodic about the parks frequently here because I deeply believe they are the crown jewels of our national heritage. We should all thank Teddy Roosevelt Ulysses Grant for having the foresight all those years ago to set off Yellowstone as a place that would be protected from development and where all Americans (and others) would be welcome3 to enjoy. The parks are in peril…well, there is a large backlog of much-needed repairs, and it is our duty to pay attention to what is happening to them. Now, that said, I am a realist. My first job out of school (my first REAL Job…after being a photographer in Tahoe) was with the Department of the Interior, the government agency that contains the National Park Service. At that time, there was a serious backlog of repairs, a shortage of qualified rangers and various threats to the sanctity of the parks (i.e. snowmobile issues, planes over the Grand Canyon, etc.). So many of these issues are not new. Not that we shouldn’t continue to pay attention, especially during these “difficult” years.
Anyway, I’ve given the new National Park Traveler a once-over and it is loaded with new features and lots of useful, interesting info. So I urge you, as we move swiftly into summer during which time your plans might include a trip here and there to the parks, to check it out.
Reading Justin’s post about the world’s longest tunnels made me think of Taroko Gorge near Hualien, Taiwan. Taroko Gorge’s Tunnel of Nine Turns isn’t the longest in the world, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s one of the curviest. The tunnel cuts through the rugged mountains of the middle of Taiwan that separates the eastern part of the island from the western part where most of the people live.
The tunnel is exactly what its name says. The ruggedness creates the curves and makes for an interesting walk. Because this section is only open to pedestrians, you don’t need to worry about getting mowed over by a truck careening around a corner. In a few spots you can look through natural windows to the marble and granite rock face and lush trees that cover the gorge. Just walk a few steps; you’ll figure out where the lushness comes from. It is HUMID!! Bring water and a bandana to wipe off sweat.
Besides walking through the tunnels, there are hiking trails to explore and some temples that offer a view when you get to them. Of all the places I went in Taiwan, Taroko Gorge is perhaps my favorite because I didn’t expect its beauty. The first time I went here I was on a bus that crossed the country from west to east. I remember I had to drink a Coke to settle my stomach. The second time we took a tour from Hualien. We got to Hualien from Hsinchu, the city where we lived, on the train. [photo: Morgan Calliope, Flickr]
We’ve been posting here about the amazing exploits of Karl Bushby who is in the middle of an extraordinary journey to walk around the world.
As if this isn’t cool enough, Karl aimed to do so by being the first person in modern history to walk across the Bering Strait from Alaska to Russia.
Although no one has been able to do so in recorded history, Karl and his travel buddy Dimitri Kieffer gave it their best shot and emerged wet, cold and successful on the Russian side–where both were promptly arrested for not properly processing their paperwork upon entering the country (obviously there is no customs/border station on the shores of the Bering Strait).
That’s the last I heard about the daring crossing of the Bering Strait until recently returning to Karl’s website where I discovered that the BBC had been on hand to film part of the crossing and had put together an amazing program with the footage.
The program is now available in six parts on Karl’s website. And let me tell you, it is amazing. Even before they get to the actual crossing of the strait, the footage shot in this remote part of Alaska is simply breathtaking. The reporter then follows Karl and Dmitri for the first couple of miles over the frozen sea before wimping out and heading back as the ice began to get thinner. Karl and Dmitri then power onwards with their own video camera capturing a surrealistic landscape and the kick-ass spirit of an adventure never accomplished before.
Much of their journey is spent swimming in float suits across bone-jaring water that looks like someone dumped a bunch of massive ice cubes into an even bigger slushy. They’d swim from ice chunk to ice chunk, heaving themselves up with pick axes and towing their gear behind them in some type of improvised floaty.
The 57 miles they had hoped to cross in a couple of days, turned into 150 miles and 14 days as they drifted north (see photo). When they did finally make it, they were arrested, put on trial, and deported–hardly the hero’s welcome they expected. Everything is back in order now, however, and they are continuing the journey across Russia.
The Bering Strait video is really remarkable footage and I recommend that you spend 30 minutes viewing the entirety of the program. Until I did so myself, I never fully appreciated the challenges involved in such a journey. Simply Amazing!