Hiking

Great Andrew Skurka Completes Far North Mega Hike

/ Andrew Szalay / Leave a comment

In case you have not already heard (and you probably have), Andrew Skurka, a graduate of Duke University in North Carolina, completed his 4,700 mi./7,564 km. hike covering Alaska and the Yukon back on September 5th.

Here are some good links that recap his accomplishment:

His travels are epic, but I am sure that there are a few purists out there that snicker at his approach and use of media.  Well, I guess his ability to manage his communications and business operations keeps him doing these mega hikes.  Regardless, nicely done, Andrew!

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Mount Fitz Roy: A Mountain Day Dream for Hikers and Climbers

/ Andrew Szalay / Leave a comment

Scattered among the usual errands between the condo and the new super supermarket wearing a comfortable pair of loafers with tassels, I do what I enjoy most – pretending I am getting ready for a eco adventure I don’t have the time or money to go on.  Where now?  Mount Fitz Roy (11,073 ft./3,375 m.) in Argentine Patagonia.

Patagonia is romanticized a great deal for its rugged and basic qualities.  Charles Darwin made observations there that lead up to his theory of evolution.  The weather is legendary for being capable of intense wind, intense rain and intense sun, and never when you prefer it.  The landscape is mixed forest, tundra and alpine mountains, comparable to the Dolomites in Italy or parts of the Karakorum in Pakistan.  But what makes it so beautiful is the contrast of the vertical spires of granite against crisp, lush blue skies and green landscapes.

It is a land of mountains without being exclusively or isolated among the mountains, such as in the heart of the Alaska Range or parts of the Rockies.  You can find isolation if that is what you seek, no problem, but the towns in the region, like El Chalten, can provide some amenities for those of us traveling with significant others and children that prefer to “hike” and “climb” from a rocking chair and binoculars (not that there is anything wrong with that).

Fitz Roy is so iconic for Patagonia that if you’re a climber there are few new things to do; all news about climbing Fitz Roy is about variations of routes or linkups, like the climbs Freddie Wilkinson and Dana Drummond made in February 2008.  Regardless, it has been a great day dream.  Here are some facts that I have accumulated about Fitz Roy over the years in case you decide to go:

  • Location: Parque Nacional Los Glacieres, Argentina, South America
  • Summit Elevation: 11,073 ft./3,375 m.
  • First Ascent: February 2, 1952 by the great French alpinist, Lionel Terray with Guido Magnone
  • Traditional Climbing Routes: 15 accepted “standard routes” have been established, including the Franco-Argentine route, 600 m., VI/VI+A2, and most new ascents are actually only variations of established climbs on Fitz Roy
  • Hiking Trails: Several trails can take travelers to backcountry locations with spectacular views like the Laguna de los Tres trail
  • Camping: Several campgrounds including near the village of El Chalten; a climbers-only camp is located en route to Laguna de los Tres
  • Getting There: Fly (US$3,000-6,000 airfare from North America) to El Calfate and board a bus for the ride just under four hours to El Chalten
  • Outfitting: Suppliers carry most goods, but do not depend on isobutene fuels for your stove.  Instead pack a multi-fuel stove like the Whisperlite International
  • Recommended Reading: Mountaineering in Patagonia by Alan Kearney (1993)

I hope this provides some inspiration or at least some escapism.  Now it is time for me to head for the subway and grab a latte from the café before work.  Have a good week, everyone!

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NPR: Consumers Buying and Getting Outdoors

/ Andrew Szalay / Leave a comment

National Public Radio reported earlier this month that despite the recession, the outdoor gear and apparel industry has been doing okay.  To me this illustrates two things: 1) Financially-enabled consumers continue to spend on their hobbies; 2) People want to enjoy the outdoors, possibly above other activities. 

The second point has the most significance to me.  I like to think that our collective interest in the outdoors and our sports of hiking and climbing are coupled with conservation and reducing pollution and waste.  If we are still buying that new headlamp for our next trip, are we also forward looking enough to invest in other “green” efforts?  I hope…

Recycle Camp Stove Fuel Canisters

/ Andrew Szalay / 1 Comment

When we return to camp, cold, dry food doesn’t cut it.  We prefer a hot meal. But my concerns for unnecessary waste and the environment always had me worried about what to do with the fuel canisters from my camp stove.

In the 90s, my uncle and I used a couple of different camp stoves, that at the time the only thing to do with the canisters once they were spent was sit on a shelf in his garage for a year before his wife, my aunt, made him clean them out and put them in the trash.  There must have been a couple dozen of them.

Nobody knew what to do with spent fuel canisters at the time.  Recyclers that could recycle steel were worried about excess fuel and true recycling for such products was not available everywhere.  Today, however, the fuel for Primus, MSR, Soto, Snow Peak, Coleman and other canister fuel camp stoves can be recycled more easily because the knowledge of the canisters (both to hikers and climbers as well as recycling facilities) has been raised.

When the canister is spent, take some additional time to be sure to burn off any little bit of remaining gas.  Then unscrew the canister and puncture it.  Backpacker magazine said you can use a rock to just smash it (that ought to do the trick!) but for a more elegant approach there are tools available, such as the Green Key for Coleman canisters.

I now prefer a white gas stove, like the Whisperlite products.  The fuel is liquid and is easily refillable, though the amount of work is double or triple of using a canister, because of the priming of the fuel and timing of lighting.  The green advantage is that the canister for white gas stoves are reusable and the fuel comes in large containers, meaning less waste.  In addition, the aluminum cans the white gas comes in looks like a can of turpentine, which the local recycling facility is familiar with.

If you need to find a recycling facility near you, go to Earth911.com and type in either “steel” or “aluminum” depending on the canisters you are using and your zip code.

Lastly, here are some informative links on recycling and the canister versus liquid fuel stoves:

How to Recycle Spent Fuel Canisters

http://www.backpacker.com/february_2008_how_to_recycle_spent_fuel_canisters/gear/12084

Canister vs. White Gas

http://www.gorp.com/parks-guide/travel-ta-canister-vs-white-gas-sidwcmdev_053437.html

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Mount Washington: Avoid the Crowds and Take-in Two Consolation Peaks

/ Andrew Szalay / 2 Comments

Last week I covered an ambitious hiking route to the summit of Mount Washington (6,288 ft./1,917 m.) in the White Mountains of New Hampshire from the eastern flank and south along the Presidential massif.  It was not the common way up, but it gave the hiker a lot of terrain above treeline and the potential for an epic adventure.

Another way to get up to the summit is by using the Caps Ridge Trail from the west and bagging two other peaks via the Gulfside Trail.  These paths avoid the two more commonly traversed hiking ways to the weather observatory (and the gift shop), the Jewell Trail and Ammonoosuc Trail.

While the Ammonoosuc Trail is a nice route and brings hikers to within spitting distance of Mount Monroe, and even offers some light scrambling, so does the Caps Ridge Trail.  Plus it is steeper and exposed longer.  This is because the trailhead for the Caps Ridge Trail is the highest trailhead off of a public road.  The trail is steep and portions are made up of narrow ledges for excellent scrambling (if I sounded excited, I could not help it).

This trail is not suitable as an escape route in degrading weather, however.  The warnings I provided last week apply here too.  Bring the Ten Essentials plus a full rain suit, gloves and a wool hat.  If things get dicey (or just breezy) you won’t regret the extra weight in your pack.

In good conditions, and before the ice and snow make it a traditional mountaineering “problem,” the way up is an exciting jaunt up the slope.  Just two-and-a-half-miles distance from the trailhead and a mere 3,000 feet higher, the summit of Mount Jefferson (5,716 ft./1,742 m.) is reached.  In good weather this will provide good views to Mount Clay (5,533 ft./1,686 m.) and Mount Washington to the south, as well as the Great Gulf, the east’s largest glacial cirque to the east.  From Jefferson, travel south on the Gulfside Trail, over Clay, and on to the summit, a total of 5.2 mi./8.4 km. from the elevated trailhead.

  • Roundtrip to Mount Washington: 10.4 mi./16.8 km.
  • Total elevation gained: 3,700 ft./1,128 m.
  • Roundtrip to trip to Mount Jefferson alone: 5 mi./8 km.
  • Total elevation gained: 2,700 ft./823 m.
  • Best Map: AMC White Mountains Map 1 of the Presidential Range

Of course, this route can always be cut back if the gift shop and Niagara-Falls tourists on the summit of Mount Washington are what you are seeking to avoid.  The summit of Jefferson is still a great objective, but if some other peak-goals are in order, then head north on the Gulfside Trail and take a quick detour to Mount Adams (5,799 ft./1,768 m.) and perhaps even Mount Madison (5,366 ft./1,636 m,).  Both peaks and the routes between them are also exposed above treeline.  Happy scrambling!

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Keep the Parks What they Are — Parks

/ Andrew Szalay / Leave a comment

Karl Stevenson of the Vancouver Sun wrote a brief opinion piece on the proposal to permit business enterprises to operate within provincial park boundaries.

I agree with Karl.  I also agree with Bill Bryson.  In his book A Walk in the Woods he explains how America’s parkland is always complaining of being under funded.  It would mean that trails cannot be maintained and visitor facilities may lack some conveniences.

But he and I also worry about overfunding the parks.  If they had too much money I would hate to see the number of building projects that would be launched across Yosemite or Glacier or provincial parks like Garibaldi.  I fear for large, modern parking garages and visitor centers and new roads.