For a hiker, I have a few issues with heights — mainly where sheer, death-creating drops are involved.
I’m getting better — while I still have trouble making the descent on Strawberry Peak’s Mountaineer’s Route, I only had moderately severe leg-shaking while going down the Mooney Falls ladder in Havasu. One trail I will probably never do, however, is the Camino Del Rey in Spain.
Besthike dug up this first-person video tour of the hundred-year-old crumbling cliff-side walkway, and it’s guaranteed to give you at least two or three “OMG, no!” moments while you’re watching it.
… or maybe it will make you a little more confident in tackling those less terrifying ascents you’ve been putting off.
If you’ve ever been reading a trail write up and come across a phrase like “class-three bouldering,” you may have stopped and asked yourself, “What the hell does that mean?”
Well, it’s called the Welzenbach System.
“OK,” you say. “Now what the hell does that mean?”
Tom dug up a clear, short, and wonderful video from BackpackingVideos that sets the whole thing straight with footage from Joshua Tree to illustrate exactly what these terms mean.
Now feel free to throw ‘em around when you want to intimidate other newbie hikers.
Canyoneering is not something I do. I am, however, constantly in awe of those who do.
This morning, on the front page of the excellent SummitPost, I noticed the L.A. area user MountainImpulse posted a comprehensive write-up of his trip canyoneering into Fox Canyon.
I’ve done some hikes in the area, and can attest to its seclusion and beauty. But as MountainImpulse knows, to find the really nice stuff, you’ve got to work for it. Fox Canyon has seven waterfalls — including a 100 foot tall “Great Falls.” But it’s out of reach for us everyday hiking-folk.
But reading this description might inspire you to pick up some rappelling gear … and a good helmet.
A short, off-trail mountain scramble and climb near the Wind Caves area of the park. We didn’t go all the way in because my Accord was probably not meant to be on the sandy dirt road leading to the caves.
According to MSNBC, two climbers who were attempting to climb Everest in the same 1920’s-style gear used by George Mallory and Leo Houlding have just given up, donning modern-day threads instead. Which is fine because a). they still made it pretty far up the mountain and b). they won’t end up dead.
Cautious hikers and climbers are living hikers and climbers.
The most challenging peak in the front range of the San Gabriels. This trail loops through a shaded canyon, brush, and exposed rock-face Class Three bouldering before descending to idyllic meadows in the shadow of Strawberry Peak’s dramatic north face. Hands down, one of the best hikes in Los Angeles.
Samantha Larson, of nearby Long Beach, successfully summited Mount Everest this week. She’d been keeping track of her progress on a blogspot blog, and now her story’s hitting the rest of the media.
At 18 years old, she is one of the youngest people ever to summit Everest, and may be the youngest ever to climb the “7 summits (a claim she’s making now, but will probably take a while to actually confirm).
About his controversial climb of Delicate Arch, it is still impressive to watch Dean Potter at work.
I stumbled upon this admittedly-old video of him ascending the Nose of El Capitan in 2006 via the wonder that is the Google Homepage. Makes for good Friday viewing while you’re waiting for 5 o’ clock to roll around …
I missed this yesterday, but Kevin from the Goat is currently Living the Dream.
He quit his job (with blessings), departed the office, and is setting out for a half-year of quality rock climbing.
And of course, this being The Modern Age, he’s blogging it.
Kevin takes the Goat’s usual whimsy with him, doling out helpful advice on how to make the transition from a ‘9-to-5′er, and how awesome it is to live in a van.
A short, off-trail mountain scramble and climb near the Wind Caves area of the park. We didn’t go all the way in because my Accord was probably not meant to be on the sandy dirt road leading to the caves.
According to MSNBC, two climbers who were attempting to climb Everest in the same 1920’s-style gear used by George Mallory and Leo Houlding 
The most challenging peak in the front range of the San Gabriels. This trail loops through a shaded canyon, brush, and exposed rock-face Class Three bouldering before descending to idyllic meadows in the shadow of Strawberry Peak’s dramatic north face. Hands down, one of the best hikes in Los Angeles.
Samantha Larson, of nearby Long Beach, successfully summited Mount Everest this week. She’d been keeping track of her progress on a 
I missed this yesterday, but Kevin from 
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