Mountain Watch

by Kelly Amabile on

The Appalachian
Mountain Club has enlisted the help of hikers to track ecological patterns on Mt. Washington in New
Hampshire. The Mountain Watch program is a
great way for hikers to learn more about the environment of the trails they use, and the data they gather is
instrumental to the AMC’s research.

As this CNN
article explains,
the collaboration is a perfect way for hikers to become more engaged with the environment that
surrounds them. As “field scientists” for the AMC, the
hikers monitor plant or
air quality trends and, at the same
time, become better educated about the environmental concerns that exist in the areas they frequent for
outdoor enjoyment.

Abel Tasman Coast Trail

by Erik Olsen on

Travelers to New Zealand know that the island nation has some of the finest rambling terrain in the world, but those
who have never been yet are eager to go might be scratching their heads where to start. Well here’s an idea.

The Abel
Tasman Coast Track takes you along 32 miles of dun-colored beaches and sweet-smelling forests, where during certain
months (May to October) the solitude is so great you might think you’ve just stepped back into the Pleistocene. Located
in Abel Tasman
National Park, the Track is one of the country’s “Great Walks”. The trail runs along the northern tip of the South
Island, and there are park-managed huts along the3 way where you can snooze to the melodious tunes of tui songbirds.
When you reach Awaroa, sack out at the luxury lodge there and get a nice foot massage to soothe your weary
dogs.

Southern California Trail Maps

by Erik Olsen on

The LA Times is offering a rather cool online feature to hikers and trekkers (what’s the difference between the two,
anyway?) who live and ramble in Southern California. This
page
features a series of downloadable trail maps of some of the finer hikes around the region.

They include maps to The Deer
Canyon Park Reserve,
Towsley Canyon, and the
epic Pacific Coast Trail
(among others). Although they are not very detailed, they are at least nicely designed so that you can print them out
and fold them. Each map has a little narrative along with it giving directions and also a small dose of history.

Yosemite Visitor Poses for Photo, Dies

by Erik Olsen on

Talk about tragic.

A visitor to Yosemite National Park was
posing for a photo last week at Upper Yosemite Falls and tumbled to his death. Shane Kinsella, a 21 year-old tourist
from Dublin, Ireland, was standing on the edge of the falls waiting for his friend to snap the picture when he lost his
footing and fell 1430 feet over the waterfall. Rangers recovered his body in a pool at the bottom of Upper Yosemite
Fall. Ugh.

Another hiker, Rachael Neil, 22, of Mesa. Arizona, also slipped when jumping across the rocks at  John Muir Trail
above Nevada Fall. I guess this is a reminder that Yosemite can be a dangerous place.  In fact, this is the fifth
accidental death in Yosemite National Park this year, according to the park. Folks, be careful out there.

Solar Backpacks

by Erik Olsen on

You knew someone would do this eventually. They’ve already put water into backpacks (with a handy little over the
shoulder straw to boot), and now you will be able to charge your ipod by one. Several companies have developed solar
backpacks, backpacks essentially embedded with photovoltaic cells that convert the sun’s energy into electricity.

Clear Blue Hawaii offers the Blue Sun Solarpac ($260, battery not
included) and another company called Voltaic Systems (guys, you might have
to change that. Sounds very geeky. Maybe Ray Walk, or SunStride…call my attorney if you like these names ;-))…wait,
where was I? Oh yeah, Voltaic Systems offers the Voltaic Backpack ($229 battery included).

So both packs operate with an internal lithium battery; the Blue Sun uses a $50 or $150 lithium-ion (the more
expensive battery stores more electricity) that put out up to 12 volts, while the Voltaic’s included battery puts out
3.5 to 7.2 volts.

The Blue Sun sounds like the better bet since the solar panel is said to be higher-quality and the $50 battery will
pretty much charge all the hand held devices (GPS, cell phone, iPod, Gameboy) you might bring with you into the
wilderness. While I have not yet tested either of these packs, I do see one drawback right off the bat: their size.
They packs would work nicely for day trips or overnight trips, but you would likely need a larger pack for week-long
wilderness expeditions, and right now neither company makes a pack that fits the bill. But stay tuned.