US Outdoor Maps and Books

The Salt Lake Tribune’s hike of the week takes you to Mid-Valley Trail in Tooele County, Utah.

Duration : 0:1:12

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A TripAdvisor™ TripWow slideshow of a travel blog to Denali National Park and Preserve, United States by TravelPod blogger Jennasmith titled “Savage River Hike”

Jennasmith’s travel blog entry:

“Today’s is a long one.

So today I went on my first hike into the National Park. Very cool. We (my hiking buddy, Cindi – she’s from Colorado and used to the altitude and hiking) decided on Savage River. It’s about 15 miles into the park and relatively moderate hiking once you leave the maintained trail and head on the social trail. The weather was perfect, except for the wind.

(Here’s my nerdy side coming out) Savage River trailhead: 63.73916°, -149.29111°.
Denali National Park: There are over 1200km of faults in the park.
Generally there are over 600 seismic events in the park every year,
most are less than M1.5 and are rarely felt by humans. Because of the
ongoing activity, Denali (the mountain) is growing about 1mm every
year. The oldest terrane and rock, the Yukon-Tanana, are actually found
near the park entrance. Most rock seen in the park are basalts,
rhyolites, and other volcanic and/or metamorphic rock. As of today,
almost 2/3 of the roads into the park are open, with the last 20 miles
still undergoing rennovations from winter. The rangers are looking for
“discovery” trail volunteers – people to go with the rangers on unknown
trail (ie trails that have not been open since last year or before) to
see if they are in good condition; or to go into the backcountry to
clear parts of the land. No, I will not do that – quite beyond my skill
level of hiking/climbing. But it sounded fun anyway.

On the way there, we came across some Caribou. Also, we were some of the few lucky ones – “the 30% percent club” – that saw Denali (or Mt McKinley). She was hiding partly behind a cloud, but we could make her out behind another hill. That’s 2 for 2 with me. Guess I’m part of the 100% club, ha ha.

(Here’s your lesson for the day) The blue ice: “ice is blue for the same reason water is blue: it is a result of an overtone of a oxygen-hydrogen (O-H) bond stretch in water which absorbs light at the red end of the visible spectrum”. Touching the ice can cause serious results. It can freeze to your moist skin instantaneously; cause frostbite 5x times faster; the list goes on. The blue ice we found was not quite this cold, as we were only at 3400 feet. Really neat, none-the-less.

We hiked about 4 miles total. Long for me, who’s not used to being 3000+ feet in elevation, going on some 40 degree angles up and down, with the patches of snow and ice. Of the animals we found were the Dalls Sheep, Snowshoe Hares, Ptarmigan birds, Swallows, and Marmots.

We decided to start walking along the road back towards the entrance, mostly because we were bored sitting, waiting for the bus and didn’t want to miss it (again). We walked about 2 more miles. When we flagged down the bus, the driver said that they had seen a Grizzly on mile 12. (You with me here?) Wow, we thought, how cool. Savage River is 14.5 miles into the park. We walked a little over 2 miles. We were less than 1/2 a mile from the Grizzly. We couldn’t help but laugh in our fear that we were that close and it had started walking our way apparently. Creeped us out. On the bus back, we saw a couple of female moose walking around through the trees.

Anyway, once back from the hike, we went to a local coffee shop (which had remarkably good tortilla soup) to hang out for a little before heading back to the Village, where I got to spend my evening doing laundry. Fun times ”
Read and see more at: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jennasmith/1/1244001367/tpod.html

Photos from this trip:
1. “Caribou”
2. “Denali”
3. “Attack Snowshoe bunny”
4. “Savage River”
5. “Dalls Sheep”
6. “Me (finally)”
7. “Check out the avalanche shoot”
8. “Blue ice”
9. “Avalanche shoot”
10. “Small waterfall”
11. “Denali Park”
12. “Ptarmigan”
13. “Hitching back”

See this TripWow and more at http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-00bb-a6e0-639e?ytv4=1

Duration : 0:2:38

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http://www.hikingequipmentsite.com/hiking-poles/hiking-equipment-all-about-hiking-poles – Learn more on Walking, Trekking or Hiking Poles and how to use them on my blog post.

Hiking Poles, also known as walking poles, trekking poles, hiking sticks, walking canes, hiking canes are an increasingly popular item of hiking equipment. Poles are perhaps your best friend when walking on relatively difficult, snowy or muddy terrain. On uncertain terrain, or steep slopes, they are useful for stability, and many people say they help to minimise knee pain. They can also be used as aids when climbing rocks or boulders, to check the depth of mud and water and help facilitate a safe crossing.

http://www.HikingEquipmentSite.com/hiking-equipment – For more information on hiking equipment visit my hiking equipment category.

http://www.HikingEquipmentSite.com – Visit my blog for hiking gear guides, hiking trip guides and more…

Duration : 0:3:45

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I have a new profile.. follow the link below.. plenty of more adventure vids on there-

http://www.youtube.com/user/AusAdvent…

Duration : 0:6:33

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Sub-zero temperatures and a hard hike in with snowshoes. Funny how as time passes, you forget all the hard work and effort, and remember the fond memories of time well-spent in the snowy wild. Come on along for the memory with Nutnfancy, Cr0cket20, and the faithful Allie the Mountain Dog.///////////////// Awesome Music licensed from a cool TNPr: www.youtube.com/user/bryanisms

Duration : 0:7:17

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Re: The music used. I use Pinnacle Studio to create the video slideshows. This program includes some music along with the option to purchase additional individual musical scores. There are hundreds from which to choose. And that’s what I did here. The tune is called Until Forever. The artist is listed as Daniel Ho.

I’m not sure if it’s just a regularly tuned accoustic guitar or a Hawaiian tuned slack key. But, amazingly, it sounds like kīhō’alu. That’s why I chose it.

Now, back to the video: The Nā Pali Coast sits along Kaua’i's northern shore. It is the most dramatic and awe-inspiring place on the island and draws the attention of just about all visitors who come here. This demand to see it has local businesses scurrying to supply all sorts of site-seeing services from which tourists may choose.

By air you may go by helicopter, small plane, or even an ultralight. By water you may go by sailing catamaran, large boat, hard-hulled inflatable, or — maybe — a kayak (if you have the strength and know-how).

We have enjoyed seeing this beautiful coast a couple times from a couple different angles using those services. However, one method we have joyfully employed on each of our three trips to Kaua’i was hiking.

There is no better way to experience Nā Pali Coast than getting up-close and personal. And you will not find a better way than to hike the eleven-mile trail that follows this beautiful coast — from Ke’e Beach to Kalalau Valley/Beach. That trail is called the Kalalau Trail.

For day-hikers, you can freely hike the two miles to Hanakapi’ai Beach. For the more rugged among you, from that beach, you may choose to go inland an additional two miles through Hanakapi’ai Valley to Hanakapi’ai Falls. It’s supposed to be a great experience, but I’ve never done it.

That detour is an eight-mile round trip on foot in rugged terrain! Are you up to it? Most people simply choose the first two miles to Hanakapi’ai Beach.

If you’re not the big outdoors person, you do not even have to hike that far from Ke’e Beach to get some really awesome views of Nā Pali. Within the first mile or so you will find enough to satisfy yourself. It’s definitely worth a look since you will not have to expend too much time or effort and you may not even break a sweat! Just don’t blame me if you get there and feel the urge to hike further.

If you want to hike beyond Hanakapi’ai Beach along the Kalalau Trail, you will need a camping permit from the state. I’ve never done it so I am not sure about procedures, but I have read that the permits are limited and require many weeks of advance reservation.

One thing is for sure when hiking here: EVERYTHING is further than it looks! As the trail follows this zigzagged coast, everytime we came to an apex out towards the water, we could peer down the coast towards our destination. However, the view seemed like it never changed! We were hiking and hiking along yet it seemed as if we were not making any progress. This was one aspect that made it seem much further than the actual two miles hiked.

Hanakapi’ai Beach is dangerous if you plan on entering the water. Many have drowned here because of the rip currents. Be cautious.

The safest bet is to stay out of the water.

As a testament to ferocity of the ocean here, there is a hand-written sign at Hanakapi’ai Beach that reads: “In memory of all those who have drowned at Hanakapi’ai Beach, a warning of very strong and dangerous currents – most were only wading, these are just a few!” It is then followed with a short list of victims who have drowned here. Their names and hometowns kind of made me feel uneasy. I felt that it gave the place a hallowed feeling.

Coupled with the actual warning signs, they stand as reminders that Mother Nature’s rules can sometimes be tough — and deadly. Please, heed the warnings. Also keep in mind that rogue waves can also change the dynamics of what may appear to be a peaceful-looking ocean. Just keep your guard up and you shall have a great time.

Duration : 0:6:0

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In the first of a series of videos to share the amazing hiking trails of Arizona (especially around Tucson), here’s an apx 8 minute winter hike to Romero Pools. With a trailhead in Catalina State Park, the Romero Canyon Trail takes you high into the Catalina Mountains where you find remarkable pools of water.

Duration : 0:9:27

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Travelogue video of hike to Rocky Top and Thunderhead Mountain. Video shows key features from this classic Great Smoky Mountains National Park trail.

The video follows two hikers as they climb 3665 feet to the summit of Thunderhead Mountain. Highlights include Spence Field, Rocky Top, the Appalachian Trail and Thunderhead Mountain.

For more detailed information and pictures from this hike, please visit:

http://www.hikinginthesmokys.com/thunderhead.htm

Duration : 0:5:27

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Pictures from my northbound, 2009, Appalachian Trail thru hike. Springer Mountain, Georgia to Baxter State Park, Maine (March 25-August 1).

Duration : 0:9:28

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This majestic lake lies on a mountain cliff with water cascading from a spouting rock and feeds the waterfalls in the clear and cold water lake below, before overflowing the rim and settling into the stream below. See more: http://www.shutterfly.com/pro/Vail/Nature

Duration : 0:9:57

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