WELCOME.

Stella is a bad ass thru hiker. Plenty of experience.

Former host Eric Hanson is now over on his personal YouTube channel.

Click PLAY or watch Stella on YouTube.

I’m happy my edit shows the MAGIC and CHALLENGES of Iceland’s best volcanic hike in just 4 minutes.

Laugavegur Trail

I did it twice in September.

Trip report.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

A few hours after I posted that video, on of my favourite hiking vloggers — Harmen Hoek — posted his own.

He was there a few weeks before me. In August.

Harmen hiked in the opposite direction. And added the spectacular Fimmvörðuháls hike.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

My favourite layer for hiking — and almost anything. I wear this jacket most days of the year.

I bought 2 MORE Men’s Helly Hansen LIFALOFT Hooded Insulator Jackets.

I fear Helly might stop making them one day.

The LIFALOFT jackets have been my favourite since 2019 when Kraig Becker sent me one.

LIFALOFT is not down. It’s arguably lighter and warmer.

The idea is to trap a maximum amount of air in a small space. And due to the hydrophobic properties of LIFA®, LIFALOFT has an inherent water repellency that seems to keep me warm, even when wet.

And I’ve drenched these jackets over the years.

They are light. Durable. Machine washable.

And relatively inexpensive. About half of what I would pay for a Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer/2 Hoody.

West Coast Trail is our top hike in the world.

Click PLAY or watch a 1-minute preview on YouTube.

West Coast Trail

Challenging in many ways.

So much VARIETY in pristine Canadian coastal wilderness.

Mystic dawns and mind-blowing sunsets. Hidden pocket coves and weird coastal geology.

You’ll never forget the West Coast Trail.

AT A GLANCE

• 75 km (47 mi), 5-7 days Pachena Bay <> Gordon River
• 3-5 day routes possible via Nitinaht Village trailhead
• southwestern edge of Vancouver Island
• Pacific Rim National Park
• Permits required 
• May 1 – September 30
• extremely rugged, requires a high level of fitness
• 6,000 backpackers / year

Read more on our WCT information page.

I wait all year for the next Banff Festival video.

So skillfully done. So entertaining.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I finally got my hands on a copy of Cam’s excellent coffee table book from 2017.

It’s only available in hard copy. Inspirational.

Highly recommended as a gift for a hiker.

Wanderlust: A Hiker’s Companion

It includes 32 of the BEST HIKES from around the world. A quick summary. A starting point for those planning future adventures.

I’ve done all or parts of 19 of those 32 — and found the description very accurate.

The list in this book is a mixed selection of some of Cam’s favourites. It includes thru hikes like the Appalachian Trail and Great Divide Trail. Some classic multi-day hikes like Laugavegur and Walkers Haute Route. And even some shorter walks like Zion Narrows and Tongariro Crossing.

In my opinion, Cam Honan is the greatest hiker of al time. He’s done more of the BEST HIKES in the world than anyone else.

2015

I interviewed him in 2015.

One of the worst things that can happen in the mountains.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The 2023 Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival is in Banff, Alberta, from October 28 to November 5.

… 84 films from 13 countries.

Online film screenings during the Festival are also back, bringing on-demand films to your homes in Canada/USA from October 28 through November 5, plus some award-winning films online from Nov. 6-8.

Get your tickets for events in Banff or your Online Film Pass today https://www.banffcentre.ca/film-fest

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Perhaps the most famous multi-day route in Europe.

• Alpine charm: valleys, lakes, glaciers
• great food, history, culture
• circumambulate Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Europe (4810m, 15,781ft)
• 9-14 days
• 170 kms (106mi)
• best months June-Sept
• gains 10,000 m (32,800ft) elevation

Check out our TMB Information page.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. (39min)

related – the main alternative to the TMB is the Chamonix-Zermatt Haute Route.

This resort is off-putting to some. Ignore the posturing Eurotrash, conspicuous in brightly coloured expensive outdoor apparel, unsoiled.

Instead, turn your gaze up to the Matterhorn, “iconic emblem of the Swiss Alps and the Alps”. This valley is one of the great natural wonders of the world.

Zermatt … is in the German-speaking section of the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It has a population of about 5,800 inhabitants.

The village is situated at the end of Mattertal at an altitude of 1,620 m (5,315 ft), at the feet of Switzerland’s highest peaks. …

Zermatt is famed as a mountaineering and ski resort of the Swiss Alps. …

To prevent air pollution which could obscure the town’s view of the Matterhorn, the entire town is a combustion-engine car-free zone. Almost all vehicles in Zermatt are battery driven and almost completely silent. Electric vehicles are allowed for local commerce. …

More interesting photos tagged Zermatt, Switzerland.

Our favourite hike hikes out of Zermatt:

• Chamonix to Zermatt – Walkers’ Haute Route TOP 10 <guidebook> <trip>
• Tour of the Matterhorn
• Tour of Monte Rosa

Weisshorn 4506m from the Europa Hut at sunrise

Actually, there are trails everywhere in the Alps. It’s awesome.

More “best hikes” in the Alps.

Best time to hike is late June to early October.