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Winter Hiking Along the River

winter-hiking-along-the-river

I grew up in Calgary, Canada very close to Glenmore Park and the Weaselhead Flats Natural Environment Park. Lucky me.

We had record snow fall for the end of November. And a cold snap which froze the Elbow River.

I loaded up the backpack and headed out to enjoy the snow.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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Have you Hiked in the NUDE?

have-you-hiked-in-the-nude?

I’ve done it only once — on a dare.

I was on the John Muir Trail in California.

Camping in a remote spot — far from any other people — I took off for about 45 minutes wearing only my hiking shoes.

Nude hiking, also known as naked walking or freehiking, is a sub-category of the modern form of social nudity. More popular in Europe than anywhere else.

Personally, I didn’t particularly enjoy hiking naked. And have not yet been tempted to try it again.

But if you want to know more, there’s an article on Planet Nude that explains the benefits:

Freehiking through a watched world

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Visit British Columbia

visit-british-columbia

For a hiker, B.C. is an ideal holiday destination.

  • Whistler
  • Garibaldi Provincial Park
  • Sunshine Coast
  • Vancouver
  • Okanagan Valley
  • Yoho National Park
  • Kootenay National Park
  • Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park
  • Vancouver Island
  • Gulf Islands
  • Squamish
  • Wells Gray Provincial Park
  • Mount Robson Provincial Park
  • Mt. Revelstoke National Park

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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A Day on the Portuguese Camino de Santiago

a-day-on-the-portuguese-camino-de-santiago

Campbell and Alya, the Stingy Nomads, are two of my favourite hiking bloggers. They live in Portugal and have spent a lot of time on the Caminos.

The Portuguese Camino Coastal Route – a guide & walking stages

Click PLAY or watch a typical day on YouTube.

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Undeniably THE BEST Backpacking Gear TODAY

undeniably-the-best-backpacking-gear-today

😀

If — like me — you are currently shopping Black Friday for Christmas, Steven’s video by will be of interest.

If in Canada, I recommend you browse GearTrade.ca — easily the best high quality gear shop in the nation.

In the USA, Steven recommends Garage Grown Gear.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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Hike the Westweg, Black Forest, Germany

hike-the-westweg,-black-forest,-germany

The Westweg (“West Way” or “West Trail”) is a long-distance hiking trail in Germany, running north–south through the Black Forest from Pforzheim to Basel.

The trail is around 285 km long, and was founded in 1900. …

The route passes through or near numerous villages or small towns, so there is no difficulty in finding overnight accommodation and meals along the route.

It would actually require more planning to walk it while staying in youth hostel-type accommodation, or camping.

There are a number of services that will transport your luggage to the next accommodation by vehicle …

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Don’t have time to hike the whole thing?

The Westweg can easily be divided into individual day hikes.

Due to the sheer number of beautiful trails in the Black Forest, it’s also very easy to add stages of the Westweg to circular hikes over a weekend. …

National Parks of Europe

Cicerone has a dedicated guide book.

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Top 10 Coastal Hikes ➙ South Coast Track, Tasmania

top-10-coastal-hikes-➙-south-coast-track,-tasmania

South Coast Track in Australia is one of our top 10 coastal hikes in the world.

BUT — it’s challenging walk in a region of Tasmania exposed to harsh weather conditions. There are no huts along the track. Track conditions are often difficult. Walkers must be fully self-sufficient, well-equipped and experienced.

Hire a guide if this worries you.

Why?

  • surreal, unique Tasmanian seascapes
  • entirely within Southwest National Park
  • flying in, walking out, the standard route is 82km (51mi)
  • 6-8 days Melaleuca to Cockle Creek
  • best months December to March
  • wild, inspiring, rugged
  • World Heritage wilderness
  • alpine peaks, pristine beaches, alpine meadows, dense rainforest, wet sclerophyll forest, dune communities, dry coastal forest and more
  • no booking required
  • no quotas on numbers of bushwalkers
  • chance to see some of the weird and wonderful — sometimes dangerous — Aussie wildlife

Click PLAY or watchTasmanian Expeditions promo video on YouTube.

For details, click over to our South Coast Track information page.

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Autumn Hiking, Vancouver Island

autumn-hiking,-vancouver-island

My favourite season for hiking is autumn.

The colours, for sure.

Sunlight low in the sky.

But even more is the melancholy of days getting shorter. The year coming to an end.

Most of the trees in the Vancouver Island rain forest are evergreen. But there are enough deciduous to make for wonderful scenes.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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Englishman River Salmon Run, Vancouver Island

englishman-river-salmon-run,-vancouver-island

My parents live very near Englishman River — and I hike, run, and cycle these exact trails when I’m visiting.

You can hike year round in this temperate rain forest climate.

VIPaerials captured the annual salmon run … alongside a black bear. I’ve never once seen a bear at this location as there are a lot of people around. BUT the easily available salmon are a great temptation.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.