OAC club trip up to Red Pine Lake and Pfeifferhorn

This was a gorgeous hike, especially near the lower lake, where there were meadows full of wildflowers. I didn’t scale the peak myself, but it photographed really well.

Add comment July 26th, 2006

Annapurna Circuit, Nepal

Last summer, while on a 2-month medical service mission in Katmandu, Nepal, I took a 10-day leave to hike the Annapurna Circuit. The craziest part of the trip was a 7-hour bus ride on winding roads, to the trailhead at 1500 feet. I followed the footsteps of Marco Polo as he made his way from Nepal to Tibet. The trail goes up and over a 17,770 foot pass and then forks; one trail goes into Tibet, the other circles around the Annapurna Range and takes you back into the lush foothills of Nepal. Unlike most hiking trails, this trail is a highway connecting a string of small farming and mercantile villages (50-100 people per village) established mostly by Tibetan refugees. Nearly all of the people hiking are the flip-flop-clad native Nepali people carrying heavy loads from the cities–live chickens, boxes of food, bags of rice, wheat, etc.
I found no one who was willing to do the 135-mile loop in 10 days with me except a scrawny older Nepali guy, about 45, who spoke very little English. He plays great chess though! So, I packed a pocket chess board, a camera, 5 books, a journal, three t-shirts, a sleeping bag, some cash, a water bottle, and a big first aid kit with all sorts of just-in-case medicines. At one point on the trip, I self-prescribed ciprofloxacin, a strong antibiotic used for food poisoning. My guide soon found out I had medicine and I gave him most of my ibuprofen for his toothaches. I stayed in the “tea houses” as they call them, for about $4 to $5 a night, which included dinner and breakfast. The food was actually great, and the weather was just perfect! I cannot describe the feelings I had, though, of walking right up to the 8000-meter peaks of the Annapurna Range and not having the time or money to climb them! I’ll have to return one day for sure.

Of all the hikes to do in Nepal, I’ve heard this is the best. Not only do you see what most say are the most beautiful mountains in the world, but also you stay with the Nepali farmers and experience true hospitality. You travel through historic sites and visit ancient Buddhist and Hindu monasteries, find oceanic fossils in river beds at 11,000 feet, and, best of all, eat lots of yak cheese! What a trip! I would definitely say this is the best trip I’ve ever done so far.
 

Add comment March 7th, 2006

Mt. Rainier - Wonderland Trail

The Wonderland Trail is a 92 mile loop all the way around Mt. Rainier.  It is considered one of the top two or three backpacking trips in the United States.  So, my friend and I decided to give it a try.  We didn’t have enough time to go all the way around, so we only hiked a leisurely 45 miles over 6 days. 

The trail on that side of the mountain goes up and down ridges, past picturesque lakes, raging glacial runoff rivers, over a huge suspension bridge, by glaciers, across rock fields, through high alpine meadows, and in evergreen forests.  There was so much beauty and variety in scenery!  We saw all kinds of wildlife, including small squirrels and marmots, even a bear.  It was by far the longest hike I’ve been on, but also the most rewarding.

Add comment March 5th, 2006

Crossing the Juneau Icefield

Our expedition to cross the Juneau Icefield began after 4 days of intensive training and preparation in Juneau, Alaska. From Juneau we spent an entire day making our way through temperate rainforest, alpine and subalpine vegitation, though the tree line, tundra, and finally onto the icefield (a large interconnected series of glaciers). The trail rugged and beautiful, the cool mist from the sea passed through the dense and dark green pine forest. Ferns covered the ground and signs of animal life were everywhere. There were bald eagles, bear, and we even saw a wolverine. Once we climbed above the tree line and onto the snowfields and ice we stapped on our crampons and placed our iceaxes firm in hands, carfully manuvering around the crevasses. We arrived at our first camp the evening of the day after having crossed the first glacier. Our first camp (and subsequent six camps) were located on a rocky ridge between glaciers called a nunatak an island in the sea of ice. We spent the next six weeks traversing the Juneau Icefield, tavelling from camp to camp. In all, we travelled by foot and ski over 175 miles, ending up in Canada!  We crossed several glaciers, climbed over ridges and skiied snow covered slopes. We even rappelled into crevasses and camped atop icy peaks. Overall, it was an incredible experience, and by far “My Favorite Trip Ever.”

Click here for more awesome Photos For the Juneau Ice Field Story.

1 comment March 1st, 2006

Buckskin Gulch, Kanab, UT

I have heard some interesting things about Buckskin Gulch. I know that it starts from Kanab, Utah and is a “13-mile corridor of stone so deep you can barely see the sky and so narrow it sometimes forces you to remove your pack to get through….in the entire region, there’s no start to a hike as dramatic as Buckskin Gulch’s two-mile squeeze through the two-foot-wide passage of Wire Pass. (Adventure Magazine)” It sounds pretty cool. Peter Potterfield even rates is as one of the top ten classic hikes of the world for 2005 in Adventure Magazine. However, my dad told me about a part of it that is referred to as the “cesspool.” From what I understand, it is a section of the Gulch that is only washed out during the high water of a flash flood. During the rest of the time, the water is stagnating and bodies of animals caught in the flash floods rot in the water. That seems pretty gross to me. My wife said that if we were to go that I would have to give her a piggy-back ride across it. Does anyone reading this know if it is really that bad? Was my dad lying? Worse maybe? Is it bad but worth it for the cool hike? Let me know.

Also, in the same Adventure Magazine article, the John Muir Trail in California is rated in the top ten. That and Buckskin are the only two on the list in the lower forty-eight states. Go Utah! (and California)

2 comments February 25th, 2006

New Blog, New Ideas

My name is ”Summit” (It’s a superhero thing) and I love the outdoors. I have been to many cool places. Most of these places have been around Utah, where I live. Next Saturday I will go rock climbing with a group of friends in Maple canyon. If you don’t know where it is try this link for a map to Maple Canyon. Actually, the map only shows you how to get to Wales, UT, but from there I think there are signs that lead you to the canyon. Email me if you want to come: summitATlivetheoutdoorsDOTcom

Now that I have started this blog I would like many to participate. If you have some additional comments or corrections, please make them. If you have something that you want me to blog about then let me know. Thanks.

1 comment September 10th, 2005