Hiking the Pacific Coast Trail

by Erik Olsen on

America has some epic hikes, some of which get publicity, some of which
don’t. Bill Bryson made the
Appalachian Trail famous, or at least he brought it further prominence
with his book A Walk in the Woods. But the Pacific Coast Trail, while well known to the Pac Coast hiking cognoscenti,
doesn’t often make it into the media.

Well, here’s a story that ran in
the San Jose Mecury News about a small family that walked the train.  Fulfilling a years-long dream Barbara Egbert
(who works for the Mercury News), her husband Gary Chambers and their daughter, Mary, bailed on work and homework,
and set out on an epic 2,658-mile trek from Mexico to Canada. It’s a nice story. Or at least, a nice little
journal about the hike and what’s in store for those brave (or with enough free time) to take it on.  

Photo of the Day: (5/03/05)

by Erik Olsen on

I was thinking about how great it would be to hike the Sierras and so did some poking around Flickr for a great
photo of California’s tallest mountains. I came across several great sites, including this
panoramic photography site. But
this photo seemed to capture the
place the best.

Big Sur Bound

by Erik Olsen on

It is probably the most beautiful parts of one of our most
beautiful states, but when you hear people talk about it, they normally mention the road through it, the famous Highway
1 that wends along the rocky coast.

The road IS wonderful. The views are some of the best you can get on a road trip. Period. But Big Sur itself
and the surrounding region are actually wonderful places to hang out and hike and camp and enjoy some of that
scenery before speeding through it. the Ventana Wilderness is right there, a 167,000-acre stretch within Los
Padres National Forest where mountain lions roam the Santa Lucia Mountains and the sky is free of all that
lung-wrecking smog.

USA Today’s Josh
Roberts checks out the area, taking his time, and offers some advice won where to go, how to get there, what to see and
so on.

Falling for New Zealand

by Erik Olsen on

These days when I think of New Zealand, the first thing that comes to mind is Hobbits.
I admit I am a fan of the Lord of the Rings films (though not oddly so, like some people I know), and having
seen them all, I often think about how great it would be to head to New Zealand. But of course, there is so much more
to the land of Kiwis than the chance to hang in the Shire. For example, one of the things I’ve always wanted to do is
take a float through the magical Waitomo glow-worm caves. 

But there is also rafting, and hiking and bungee jumping and the whole assortment of adrenaline- soaked things you
can do there. To see what I mean, take a look at
Carly Blatt’s piece in Student Traveler. She
talks about all these things and more. Great stuff that will get you thinking about whether your next trip should be in
New Zealand.

Everest Dispatches

by Erik Olsen on

We posted about these guys before, but it’s an ongoing thing so it’s worth reminding. Head over to Great
Outdoors.com to read and listen to
some
excellent dispatches from the top of the world. Dave Hahn and Doug Brockmeyer are calling in from Camp I on Mount
Everest, and posting regularly about their trip. This link is about their second push up the mountain. It is just one
of numerous dispatches that can become addicting if you’re a fan of big mountain climbing.

No “Into Thin Air” episodes yet, thank goodness.