Category Archives: Trails

AMC Huts & Unification of White Mountain Trails

See Introduction below.  The primary content of this post is this link to a reprint of Chapter 36 “Unification of the White Mountain trails” from the book Forest and Crag (AMC Books, 1989) by  Laura and Guy Waterman.  This chapter is reprinted with kind permission of Laura Waterman and AMC Books.  Forest and Crag is the Waterman’s magesterial history of hiking and trailblazing in the Northeastern US.  Chapter 36 is preceded by a chapter on the Long Trail and followed by a chapter on the Adirondacks region.

 

Introduction to Chapter 36 reprint

by Sam Demas

Huts and trails:  you can’t have huts without trails, hut building usually follows trail building, and the presence of huts inevitably shapes patterns of hiking in a region.  How does this work?  The AMC’s system of eight huts and the network of trails in White Mountains of N.H. were developed concurrently.  Chapter 36 of Forest and Crag (Appalachian Mountain Club Books, 1989) offers a fascinating look at how a cohesive regional trail system evolved over a period of about 20 years, 1910 – 1930 along with the AMC huts, the first in the USA.

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Alta Via 1 (Italy) Trip Report

by Marlies Souverein, from movesbynature

ALTA VIA 1

The route I’m about to describe is not the full Alta Via 1, but an adaptation to fit it in one full week. This route is also known by the name Alte Via Dell Adamello. It is a 8 day hike and 1 resting day, 9 days in total. It is possible to skip the resting day if you are fit.The route starts out easy and gets tougher every passing day. This helps the participants that aren’t that experienced in this terrain to prepare before getting into the heavy stuff. It is possible to do the route the other way around, although it might get a bit boring at the end. If I have to repeat the route I would do it again south to north. I walked this route in 2016 and it might not all be the same in a year’s time. Also a different time of year or different weather might make that you will experience this route completely different.   

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Island Trek in the Azores & Eco-Cottages

ISLAND TREK IN THE AZORES

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“To awaken in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world” — Freya Stark

Island Trek in the AzoresI wake up to the sound of the surf — waves crashing on rocks somewhere outside my window.  As I come out of my dreamstate I remember that today is a day for walking.  Not just any walk at that — the Grand Route of Santa Maria Island in the Azores is in my sights for the next five days.  The “Grande Trilho Santa Maria” is about 80 kilometers (50 miles) of walking around the circumference of the island with a hike up over the highest peak on the island, Pico Alto, thrown in for good measure.

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Hut-to-Hut in Mallorca, Spain: trip report

A MULTI-DAY TREK IN THE SERRA DE TRAMUNTANA

{Note: this trip report contains many beautiful photographs.  Keep on scrolling as you enjoy them and you’ll come to more
of the text of the article interspersed among them.–Sam}

Serra Traumuntana, Mallorca, Spain

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

I love the idea of long-range hiking routes. Typically arranged to support multi-day itineraries, these kinds of routes let you go out and lose yourself on the trail (Note: not the same as getting lost). My latest look into the world of long-range hiking routes had me checking out Spain’s “GR” or Gran Recorrido routes. There are 13 GR routes in Spain and two of them, GR221 and GR222 are located on the island of Mallorca.

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Wicklow Way Case Study

Case Study: Wicklow Way, Ireland

by Sam Demas, January 2016

Purpose, methodology, and notes

These case studies are building blocks towards a broader “Country Study” examining long distance walking in Ireland. The intent of the case studies is to paint a picture of the most salient features of each walk and to delve somewhat into operational details. The idea is that from these case studies a broader national picture will emerge.  Wicklow Way Case Study….

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Burren Way Case Study

Case Study: Burren Way, Ireland

By Sam Demas, April 2016

Purpose, methodology, and notes
These case studies are building blocks towards a broader “Country Study” examining long distance walking in Ireland. The intent of the case studies is to paint a picture of the most salient features of each walk and to delve somewhat into operational details. The idea is that from these case studies a broader national picture will emerge.

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Kerry Way Case Study

Case Study: Kerry Way, Ireland

July 2016

By Sam Demas with advice from Patricia Deane, Rural Recreation Officer

Purpose, methodology, and notes
These case studies are building blocks towards a broader “Country Study” examining long distance walking in Ireland. The intent of the case studies is to paint a picture of the most salient features of each walk and to delve somewhat into operational details. The idea is that in looking across these case studies a broader national picture will emerge.

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Trip Report: Kerry Way, Ireland

Trip Report: Kerry Way

May 2016

Overview: The Kerry Way affords beautiful coastal views, passes through upland moors and bucolic agricultural areas, and passes under Ireland’s highest mountain and one if its most spectacular mountains ranges, the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks. The full Kerry Way is 130 miles long, beginning at Killarney and proceeding inland towards Glenbeigh, after which the trail generally follows at a distance the shoreline of the Inervagh Peninsula and circles back to Killarney.  Walkers usually allow 9 or more days for the full walk, though it can be done more quickly by very strong walkers.   Having only four days for this walk, I cut out certain sections and hitch-hiked ahead to get a sense of the range of terrains covered.  This was a research trip so I stopped fairly often to talk with people who work on the trail.  The trail passes many villages and accommodations are plentiful. 

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Profile of Rural Recreation Officer Patricia Deane

Meet Rural Recreation Officer Patricia Deane
By Catherine Murphy

reprinted with permission from Outsider Magazine, July 2016

Patricia Deane swapped her office job for a life in the great outdoors working as Rural Recreation Officer in South Kerry and has never looked back. Catherine Murphy catches up with her to find out more about the role and what’s happening in the Kingdom, from the ‘Friends of the Reeks’ initiative to ‘The Uphill Downhill Trail’ which was named and worked on by local school children.

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Burren Way Trip Report

Burren Way Trip Report

By Sam Demas

Overview:

As part of my research for a “Country Study” of long distance walking in Ireland, I walked much of this 132km classic Irish National Long Distance Waymarked Way through the sublime Burren landscape.  While this walk is 73% on little-used roads due to access rights limitations, it passes through a magical cultural and natural landscape abounding in historical, archaeological, botanical, geological, and habitat features.  The Burren is part of the UNESCO recognised Burren & Cliffs of Moher Geopark.  In addition to walking on the Way, its well worthwhile to depart from the Waymarked Way to take in some of the excellent National Looped Walks and nearby features. This is a brief sketch of the route I took and some wonders encountered.

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