Video of the Table Rock and Chimneys Hike Now Online! Check out some of the gorgeous scenery of the Linville Gorge Wilderness — in our opinion , the best place to hike in North Carolina — on our new hiking video. This is at the top our list of Best Places to Hike in the Southern Appalachians and Carolinas. The cast […]
The Crossbow Islands: A Nautical Hijink
Islas Ballestas, Paracas, Peru *BecauseItzThere is primarily a hiking blog, but from time to time we do feature other types of outdoor adventures, including ‘nautical hijinx.’ The following nautical hijink occurred in 2015 as part of the same trip that included the Santa Cruz Trek. We hope you enjoy it! There is more to do in Peru besides hiking. After […]
Climate Change Resources for the Skeptical
New Page Added — Climate Change Resources for the Skeptical Climate Change — aka Global Warning — is a very complex subject over which there has been significant debate in recent years. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being skeptical about this or any other subject, especially one as highly politicized as Climate Change. But when ‘skepticism’ continues even in the face […]
Is the Santa Cruz Trek for You?
The Santa Cruz Trek: Logistics and Planning What about me? Can I do the Santa Cruz Trek? This is what you may be asking yourself. The scenery looks great, sure, but can I do it? How hard it is really? If you are an experienced hiker with lot of time spent at high altitude the answer is an emphatic yes, […]
…And Of Course the End is Always a Downer
Santa Cruz Trek Day 4: The Final Day **An older version of this post originally appeared in 2015 on the old legacy blog. We hope you enjoy this updated version! The last day of our hike is here! I emerged from the tent to clear blue skies and three freshly deposited cow turds. Folks I will say this up front…if […]
Landscape With a History of Violence
Santa Cruz Trek, Day 3: The Santa Cruz Valley **An older version of this post originally appeared in 2015 on the old legacy blog. We hope you enjoy this updated version! Waking on the third morning I was greeted, as I stuck my face from the tent, by a cow. This animal, standing about twenty feet away, took one look […]
The Other Side of the Mountain
The Santa Cruz Trek, Day 2: Punta Union We awoke the next morning to the sound of the guides already up and busy with the camp chores. Sylvia had, as she often does, suffered through the whole night from cold feet. We had brought along a pair of hand warmers to counter this but, considering the next campsite promised to be […]
Nevado Huascaran
The Santa Cruz Trek: Day One **An older version of this post originally appeared in 2015 on the old legacy blog. We hope you enjoy this updated version! Before we began our hike we had to get some logistical complications out of the way. In Peru, almost all logistics involve complications. These can involve traffic, cars not showing up at […]
A Slowly Dying Lake of Ice
Pastoruri Glacier…or, what’s left of it **An older version of this post originally appeared in 2015 on the old legacy blog. We hope you enjoy this updated version! Most trips to Huaraz include a side trip to Pastoruri Glacier, one of the few glaciers remaining in tropical South America. Except that nowadays, it’s more correct to say, what’s left of […]
Where the Roads Fade to Paths
The Santa Cruz Trek: Huaraz, Peru…Arrival *This is the third in our series of “reboot posts” of our Peru trips that were featured on our old legacy Blog, but have never appeared on BecauseItzThere.com. The first was our Trek to Machu Picchu via the Salkantay Route in 2012. The second was our successful hike of Colca Canyon and somewhat less […]