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Category: Backpacking / Hiking / Tramping / Trekking / Camping (Page 1 of 9)

Popular hiking app HiiKER has made 27,000 trail maps available for download for free in a bid to increase hiker safety

2023-07-18 /

Used by over 600,000 hikers worldwide.

Hiiker app now offers offline maps for free

Hiiker app makes offline maps available for free

From the Hiiker blog »

One of the most staggering things we noticed over the past few years, is the number of rescues that are carried out by emergency services, that could have been avoided if the hiker had a good quality map. While we are developing an app to help more people get into the outdoors, there are still many that are exploring without the adequate gear/equipment to do so.

So by making offline maps free, we are breaking the status quo of all hiking apps, charging for this service and saying that safety shouldn’t require a subscription!

Offline maps means you have the freedom to us them while in the outdoors. Once you download the map to your device, you don’t need signal while hiking. So you can save that essential battery life!

 

Building the Pamir Trail

2023-05-14 /

Note: Clicking the above image will load and play the video from YouTube.

Andrew Marshall, Explorersweb »

So far, the coalition has identified over half the route — roughly 850km. It’s hard to say how long the final trail will be.

Knowing that, in America, a problem with creating long-distance trails often springs from securing rights across privately-held land, I asked Baaker if he’d run into the issue.

“Actually, [the real problem] is the complexity of the terrain,” he said.

It seems a few spots in Tajikistan are so rugged that nobody has made trails there yet. That’s saying something for a country that’s been inhabited more or less constantly since the Bronze Age. Puzzling out how to get through certain passes, or around certain landslide-prone areas, is the primary problem Baaker and his team faces.

River crossings are another.

 

Eight multi-day hikes in Iceland 🇮🇸

2023-05-08 /
  • Laugavegur Trek
  • Fimmvörðuháls Trail
  • Volcanic Trails Trek
  • Askja Trail
  • Kjölur Trek
  • Shadow of Vatnajökull Trek
  • Viknaslodir East Fjords Trek
  • Hornstrandir Trek

Claire Whitters, writing in 10 Adventures »

Beckoning the thrill-seekers and intrepid adventurers, Iceland offers some of the most beautiful trekking environments in the world. Unrivaled in its natural beauty, visitors can indulge in geysers, waterfalls, fjords, glaciers, lava fields, black sand deserts, rhyolite mountains, natural hot springs, and more.

This incredible destination floating in the North Atlantic Ocean boasts the perfect opportunity for outdoor pursuits, presenting three national parks, numerous nature reserves, and an uninhabited district. One of the greatest ways to explore the moonscape is by trekking—thus, we curated a list for you. Keep reading the discover the best long-haul hikes in Iceland and begin planning your next big adventure!

Read More »

How Kristine Tompkins and some 300 of her closest friends helped protect 15 Million acres in Chile and Argentina

2023-04-13 /

Doug Tompkins; the Tompkinses on the coast of Chilean Patagonia

Outside »

The only way forward was to dive even further into her conservation work. With the help of a roughly 300-person staff at Tompkins Conservation, she exceeded her late husband’s dream of creating 12 national parks. The current count: 15, along with two marine parks and a total of 14.8 million protected acres in Chile and Argentina—an area roughly the size of West Virginia. Those numbers keep expanding, along with Kristine’s seemingly endless supply of energy to continue the work she started with her husband. “I carry Doug around in my pocket. If I get really stuck on something, I simply ask: ‘What would you do?’ I am just grateful that we have this marriage,” she said, still speaking of their union in the present tense. “It’s given me unbelievable strength.”

Pre-season backpacking kit and clothing maintenance tasks

2023-04-13 /

Some things to do and make sure is working and up to date at the beginning of the backpacking season and periodically thereafter.

  • Pre-Soak Your Water Filter
    • If your water filter has dried out in storage over the winter, or it’s brand new, soak it in water overnight to saturate the fibers so that water can flow through it freely.
  • Update Navigation Apps and Maps
  • Inspect and replace water bottles, reservoirs, hoses, and bite valves
  • Inspect and replenish your fire-starting kit
  • Donate, give away, or sell backpacking gear you’re not using it

More tips at the Section Hiker »

Bert terHart is Canoeing 7,000Km Across Canada

2022-05-09 /


Note: Clicking the above image will load and play the video from YouTube.

Follow Bert terHart Live

63-year old Bert ter Hart is trekking and paddling his canoe across Canada, from west to east, using only a sextant and compass. He’s following routes that Canada’s Indigenous people travelled for thousands of years; they later helped guide the fur traders and explorers like David Thompson. He’s also carrying a petition that seeks to recognize these Indigenous guides.

Learn more about the Bert’s solo adventure at his website.

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Be.

Do interesting things. Be bold. Respect. Adventure. Explore. Question. Listen. Learn. Try. Fail. Try better. Your mileage may vary. You are unique. Be yourself. Appreciate. Be kind. To others, with an equal measure to yourself. Do good. Do what’s right. It’s a one way ticket. Enjoy the ride. You are limited to one.

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