Itchyfeet on Rarotonga

by Adrienne Wilson on

Itchyfeet is an excellent travel log and source
for divers planning their next big vacation. Though
the site isn’t geared directly towards divers, featured articles on diving the Yucatan,
Roatan, and Dry Tortugas National Park certainly set the tone that it may be. I fished through a few before stopping at
this primer for folks planning a trip to Rarotonga in the
famous Cook Islands. The sleepy island, inhabited by the Maori people, is known for it’s lush tropical
volcanic landscape, coconut palms, reefs, and lagoons. We’ll call it paradise in Polynesia for now and how
I’d love to be there now. Whether you’re hiking, swimming, or diving a little ways away from the island there
is tons to do to keep one entertained.

 

This being my first run in with the little piece of paradise and several other unique locales to
escape to, I’ll definitely be back to Itchyfeet in the future.  

Good Spas for Hiking in Arizona

by Kelly Amabile on

Spa Finder’s

Readers Choice Awards picked these three Arizona spas as the best for hiking:

Mii amo, nestled within Boynton Canyon in red rock
Sedona. The spa is surrounded by the Coconino National Forest and ancient ruins of cliff dwellings. The Native
American phrase “mii amo” means “journey”.

Miraval is located on 300+ acres north of Tucson in Catalina. Their next Challenge Adventure
Week begins October 2. This outdoor wilderness experience teaches mindfulness through the practice of orienteering,
survival and indigenous spiritual rituals for healing. They offer night climbing on their 32-foot Miraval Rock and
their adventure page has details on loads of hiking,
mountain biking and horsemanship activities, including trail riding and vaulting.

Canyon Ranch’s flagship location opened in Tucson in 1979.
Hiking through the Sonoran Desert or mountain regions of the
area is a popular activity. Their next Hike Week begins October 29 and another one will take place during
Tuscon Hiking Week in January 2006.

Mount Athos

by Kelly Amabile on

Last week, Vladimir Putin took a previously cancelled
pilgrimage to a male-only monastic community on
Mount Athos in Greece. He visited the Russian Orthodox monastery of Saint
Panteleimon, pictured here, one of over 20 monasteries that make up Mount Athos, the oldest monastic republic still in
existence.

Located on the Athos peninsula of Chalkidiki, east of Thessaloniki, Mount Athos is home to over 1,500 monks of
Serbian, Bulgarian, Russian and Romanian decent, who are entitled to Greek and European citizenship, regardless of
their country of origin. By order of the protocol of the monastic state, only men are allowed to visit, and even female
animals are kept to a minimum on the Holy Mount. There are specific
instructions on how to request a visit to this center
of eastern orthodox monasticism, which looks like a beautiful place, although I guess I’ll never know…anyone ever
been?

The Macedonian Heritage site gives a
comprehensive history of the holy city, including descriptions of the art and architecture of the twenty distinct
monasteries. There is also a handy link
to Mark Dubin’s trekking guide 
of the region from a 1993 Lonely Planet guide book.

Tim Cahill’s Audio Report on Kenya

by Erik Olsen on

One of our favoite travel writers around, Tim Cahill, is making a trek across the Kenyan bush and talks about the
experience in this short but sweet audio
clip over at Nat Geo.

It’s not the greatest clip in the world (it was done by phone), but it’s fun to hear the master himself speak. The
story of Cahill’s trek will be in this month’s National Geographic Adventure. A
short piece about the
trip can also be found online.

Hiking the Long Path Outta NYC

by Erik Olsen on

I blab a bit about the stress of city life here in Manhattan and dream often of trips out of the city which these
days are too few and far between.  And when I think about getting out, I usually contemplate trips West, heading
into the open spaces in Colorado, Utah or even California. But there are places around here that can make a weekend
getaway less of an ordeal.

One of the places I’d like to head soon is written up very nicely in
this Backpacker article by Johnathan
Dorn. Dorn takes us along the Long Path, the aptly named 329-mile trail running from the George Washington Bridge (on
the Jersey side) along the Palisades escarpment and deep into the heart of the Shawangunk Mountains (or Gunks),
Catskill Park, and on, before it almost reaches the Adirondacks.

I’ve read about the Long Path before, but it had kind of slipped my mind before I read this article, and was very
pleased to read more about it. Over numerous weekends Dorn and buddy James foot it along more than half the trail’s
total length, and savor the sights and smells of the near-city getaway. I’ve just bookmarked the story for future
reference, because I plan to take on some of the trail myself. Soon. So stay tuned.