The 10 Most Dangerous Hikes

Backpacker Magazine has put a new feature up on America’s ten most dangerous hikes.  The list has it’s customary highlights like Mist Trail in Half Dome, CA, or Muir Snowfield on Mt. Rainier, but there are also a couple of surprises.  One of the surprise trails on this list comes to us from the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.

Abrams Falls, in SMNP, has been featured for it’s somewhat dangerous river and falls.  A few commenters to Backpacker Magazine have already taken exception to Abrams Falls being included in this list.  Most of their reasonings come from the fact that you don’t have to cross the river while on trail, or swim in the “dangerous waterhole” below the falls.

Backpacker Magazine goes on to give us details about not swimming in unknown creeks in the Smokey Mountains.  They state that flash flooding is one of the biggest causes of death while in the park.

I also find myself taking objection with this article and the trail that they picked.  In my personal experience, there are many more trails in the SMNP that could have been highlighted, but were passed by for a relatively normal trail to highlight flashflooding.  Yes, there can be flashfloods in SMNP, but they are on a rare occasion, and even then, generally a park ranger will be around to warn people before the waters get high.

On a more dangerous note, I found many trails that led to sheer cliffs of 60 or more feet.  The only thing separating you from the rocky bottom was your uncanny knack at balancing and not venturing to close to the cliff.  Out of the deaths that were mentioned on the Backpacker Magazine site (29) since 1979, they did not mention how many were flashflood, or falling related.  My guess would be that the danger of falls far outweigh the number of people who have drowned in SMNP.

Generally, that is the only problem i see with this list.  Each trail has it’s own link with an in-depth article about each.  It really is worth checking out.  Perhaps you have ventured along some of these trails yourself and have a differing viewpoint, or perhaps you have a trail of your own that you would like to highlight, either way, you can leave your thoughts below.

Tony Federer Completes 50 Year Quest To Hike Every Trail In New Hampshire’s White Mountains

Stamina, determination, and sheer will helped lead Tony Federer to accomplish an amazing 50 year journey to hike every trail in New Hampshire’s White Mountains.  His quest began in the 1940’s, when Federer first began keeping track of his hikes.  His guide was a 600-page volumn of the Appalachian Mountain Club’s White Mountain Guide.  For the next 50+ years, Tony Federer would complete more than 1,400 miles of trails and lay claim to being only the third person to ever finish this quest.

Congrats, Tony, on sticking with it and completing your journey!

It is not known what the future holds for Tony, but he tells WMUR Channel 9 (New Hampshire) that he still has plenty of hikes left in him.  It will be interesting to see what he comes up with for his next feat.

Rafting Oregon’s Notorious Rogue River

Oregon’s Rogue River is a National Wild and Scenic River, designated by our U.S. Government.  It is also a river that has been garnering quite a reputation for killing rafters and kayakers this summer.  Thus far, four people have drowned after trying to navigate some of the rapids towards the Lower Rogue River.  Many people think this is due to the river running unusually high this time of year, others think it is just part of the cycle.

“I think we should continue to have fun. I think we’ve done these rapids and this river for years with no problems and to have a few bizarre incidents happen in a short period of time is very rare and it’s really unfortunate.”

This quote is coming from an article on  Oregon’s NBC News affiliate, KOBI Channel 5 website.

The problem seems to be that the river is flowing at a higher level, hiding some of the rocks that rafters and kayakers are use to navigating around.  Four people have died in the exact same spot in an area known as “The Devil’s Staircase.”  The name is quite menacing.

Luckily, we have the great Backpacker Magazine to show us a different side of the Rogue.  For those of us that don’t live in Oregon and have not ventured out that way, this can open our eyes to other possibilities.  Backpacker Magazine has done a fantastic job of mapping out the Rogue River.  This 40 mile waterway runs majestically through the middle of the Wild Rogue Wilderness and the Siskiyou National Forest.  It is sort of a breaking point before entering one or the other.

The article and trail view talks a little bit about the river and the scenery, but then it is all river from there.  If you have never ventured into or around the Rogue River, perhaps you should put that newspaper down, quit relying on freak accidents, and take a closer look at one of our Nation’s truly wild and natural waterways.

Backpacker Magazine gives you everything you need to plan a fun and successful venture down the Rogue River.  There are maps, river guides, guiding companies that will actually set everything up and adventure with you, and even an outline of every single point on the trail.  You can either raft it, kayak it, or  hike the trails around it if “The Devil’s Staircase” isn’t your cup of Joe.

Bart Smith: 16,000 Miles in 16 Years, Nears End of One Great Hike

Bart Smith began an epic journey more than 16 years ago that would take him through 38 states and over 16,000 miles of trails.  This journey started simple enough.  In the beginning, it was just Bart Smith and the Pacific Coast National Scenic Trail.  Sixteen years later, Smith has now hiked close to every mile of the United States’ National Scenic Trail System.

Currently,  Bart Smith is in Montana lugging almost 70 pounds of gear and photography equipment towards his next destination:  Yellowstone National Park.  That leaves Bart only 2, 180 miles to go, of which he is planning to finish up this summer and fall.

During this tremendous journey, Bart Smith has become quite the celebrity.  He has published four books of photography that he has taken during this huge excursion, with a few more in the works.  His eventual goal is to land a photography exhibit of his photography in the Smithsonian.

Bart Smith plans to end his journey on October 2nd, staring Old Faithful in the face.  October 2nd is a pretty exact date, but it coincides with the 40th Anniversary of the law creating the national scenic trail system.  That is something that Bart Smith thinks could be a good ending to a spectacular hike.

For more information on Bart Smith’s journey, including some of his favorite spots along the way, click on over to the Tacoma News Tribune.

Hiker Attacked By Bees Falls 200 Ft. Into Ravine

Talk about a tough hike!  CBS News Channel 5, out of Phoenix, Arizona is reporting that a hiker who was hiking the South Mountain Trail was attacked by a swarm of bees, which eventually caused the hiker to slip and fall some 200 feet into a ravine.

The hiker eventually had to be rescued by local fire and rescue personnel donning Bee Proof outfits and a helicopter.  Oddly enough, when rescuers first reached the victim, he was STILL covered in bees!

From CBS News 5:

Phoenix police Officer Craig Churella was the first responder. He tried to reach the hiker but was forced to retreat.

 

“He was absolutely covered in bees. It was quite the sight. I couldn’t get any closer — they started attacking me,” Churella said.

The rescued hiker was said to be suffering from broken bones and cuts.  The cuts were mostly the result of the Cholla Cactus, which the hiker seamingly fell into after he had tumbled off the trail.  After being rescued by a medical helicopter and taken to a local hospital, the hiker is now expected to make a full recovery

By the way, it was 110 degrees in Phoenix yesterday.  When you get atacked by bees, out hiking alone, then slip and plunge into a ravine, albeit landing on the Cholla Cactus–I am pretty sure that 110 degrees was just the topping on the cake.  We all know how bees like cake.

The article also reminded hikers that the number one thing to bring on a hike was a cell phone.

Fall Colors Spring to Life

In the next week or so many areas will be experiencing the peak Fall foliage season.  This is a great time for a late season hike into the backwoods–trying to hit those few trails you may have missed in the spring and summer.

One of the highlights of a Fall hike have to be the changing of the leaves.  I ran across an interesting article on the Camping Earth website today that goes into quite a bit of detail about where to look for the fall colors in all 50 states.  I personally didn’t know that all 50 states have a Fall Foliage hotline–I guess that would make finding these hotspots a bit easier.  Nothing is more frustrating than setting out on a journey for a late season hike–only to be surrounded by Pines.  Just kidding.  I like those hikes as well, but preferrably in the winter…

Anyways, stop on over and check out the article–Find your state’s hotspot and plan a late season hike, or perhaps even a camping trip.  These cooler nights make for fantastic sleeping weather!

An Adventurist Editorial: The Stephen Fossett Debates

We should have all seen this one coming from a mile away–

Going into days 5 and 6 for the ongoing search of legendary adventurer Steven Fossett, people are starting to take their focus off of the search and more onto the debates surrounding these types of events when they occur–

First it began with how great of an adventurer Steven Fossett is.  Over the past few days this focus has slowly moved to the motives of a “Risk-Taker” and if Stephen Fossett’s family should be charged for the search currently taking place.

Both of these items are highly debatable and both of them generally always surround a high profile search, especially if the person involved was also a part of anything that has a certain risk-factor to it or has been the focus of media attention in the past.

Personally, I began taking notice of these debates around December of last year when three climbers became lost on Mt. Hood.  The ensuing search, that garnered massive media coverage, soon became a debate for a cause. 

It may be the cause of the general media’s focus to always provide something new to a highly viewed (and rated) story.  Running out of new leads, they hop back on the bus and get everyone involved in raging debates that once again spark interest to previous stories of the same general nature.

Two questions always emerge:  Should the families of the person being searched for have to pay for this service?  And secondly–the risk involved.  How could they do this to their families and loved ones?  What is it about risk that triggers these people to always endanger their lives? Read more

The Adventurist Forums Take Off!! Adventurist Polls Launched!

I posted yesterday that I have started my own Adventurist “Community” so to speak.  It is open and it is Progressing.

The first member of The Adventurist Forums happened to be my good buddy Kraig from over at The Adventure Blog.  He also gets the designation of making the first post in the community to get things kicked off proper and well.

So what is so exciting about The Adventurist Forums?  Now we all have a place to share our thoughts and views!  All of the following topics have their own areas:

• Climbing
• Mountain Biking
• Hiking
• Camping
• Kayaking
• Training
• Adventure Racing
• Expedition Notes
• Extreme Sports
• Mt. Hood
• Mt. Everest
• The Environment
• General Sports
• Random News

As you can see, there is quite a bit there to go through.  Feel free to post what you like in the areas that suit your interest.  Have a question?  Post it, someone will have an answer!

Here are some of the good things being said about The Adventurist Forums so far:

Awesome! Nice move adding the forums Jason. Hopefully they’ll become quite a place for all kinds of discussion.

And Another:

for the record, this is probably one of the coolest forums I’ve ever been on, looks wise at least.

The rest will come in time, I have no doubt!

I have recently introduced The Advenurist Polls as well.  The first Poll is up.  Stop over and check it out.  I will be using the results of these Polls on The Adventurist.  I will be posting a new one weekly.  Should be fun to see what everyone out there is thinking.  Now stop on over, sign up, and take part in hopefully what will become the best Adventure Forum out there–The Adventurist Forums.

Laura Bush Injured While Hiking Zion National Park

First Lady Laura Bush has suffered an injury while hiking in Zion National Park.  The injury, while not life-threatening, will keep the First Lady from going to Australia in the coming days with President George W. Bush.

The First Lady’s spokesperson, Sally McDonough, revealed that the injury sustained actually came from a hiking trip the Bush’s were taking in the spring of this year at Zion National Park.  During a routine hike in the wilderness, First Lady Laura Bush sustained a painfully pinched nerve.

“The nerve is in her neck area and it is uncomfortable,” McDonough said. The spokeswoman said Laura Bush is not taking any medication for the injury “that I’m aware of”

Mrs. Bush, who did accompany her husband on a recent trip to Africa in June, has been going through physical therapy sessions with the White House doctors.  The White House doctors have recommended that Mrs. Bush not make the trip to Australia due to the long plane rides to and from the country.

Mrs. Bush has been allowed to continue her domestic flight schedule.  She has also contacted the Prime Minister of Australia’s wife and expressed her regrets for not being able to make the flight.

Sources:  ABC News and Earthtimes.org

4WheelBob’s White Mountain Success: 14,246 Ft. in a Wheelchair!

Some people find mountain climbers to be a bit on the crazy side.  They risk life and death trying to get to the top of high places–for the simple fact of doing it.

A few weeks ago on one of my favorite blogs Two-Heel Drive, a plan was enacted.  Two-Heel Drive is a hiking blog.  One of the members that frequents the site, 4WheelBob, wanted to try to scale White Mountain–this would be his third attempt.

4WheelBob, as he has famously come to be known , spent a courageous 10 hours scaling a 14,246 ft. peak—in a wheelchair.  A lot of people wouldn’t even do this that could walk!

I love stories like this.  They show us that with enough drive and determination, that anything can be done–yes, it might be hard–yes, it might be painful–but that is all part of the fun of setting goals and going for it.

This is a great story.  4WheelBob actually got to sign the summit register–and he could very well be one of only a very few people to ever summit a 14,000 ft. mountain in a wheelchair.  A great honor for a great guy.  Congrats Bob!

If you will click this link, you will be able to see 4WheelBob’s amazing push to the summit of White Mountain and hear his story.  Some great photos.

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