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Coping with Winter In The Desert with Tony Nester

  • Posted on August 30, 2011 at 5:54 am

For info on Tony’s survival books or courses, visit www.apathways.com -Short discussion on how to dress properly for the colder months of the year in the desert.

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Villager and Rabbit Peaks – Peak #28 – Steep Desert Ridge with a View

  • Posted on August 22, 2011 at 8:06 pm

Detailed trip reports at www.100peaks.com This was my first peak summiting with a group (Gut Check Fitness with Joe Decker) and the first overnight trip, as well. I have been wanting to do this hike for along time, since the epic scope of it seems unlike any other hike in San Diego. Although I summited two peaks on this trip, only Villager Peak counts, since Rabbit Peak is in Riverside County. Both peaks, however, are on the Hundred Peaks Section of the Angeles Sierra Club. Unless you camp in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, which we didn’t, you are bound to get a somewhat late start on the trail, since the trail head is nearly two hours from almost anywhere in San Diego. We strapped our packs on and immediately headed across the desert floor to the ridge that rose up in front of us, like a ramp into the mountains. It was pretty warm for a late January morning, so I begun to wonder if I was wearing too much, specifically my Ex Officio Borocade Pants, which seemed like they might be a little thick. However, after people started getting punctured by cacti and the temperature plummeted as we gained elevation, I realized that the pants were a good choice. The first mile was pretty flat and it was pretty evident which ridge line led up into the sky. We were immediately welcomed by various cacti, including cholla, ocotillo, prickly pear and barrel cacti. The trail was hard to see and from time to time I found myself struggling to get back on it. Several members of the group …

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YEP Mongolia (September 2010) – Gobi Desert Sand Dunes

  • Posted on August 11, 2011 at 9:02 am

www.mikehorn.com „Time to wake up! It’s 4am and we are going to climb some sand dunes today!” These were the dreaded words spoken to tempt us out of our warm sleeping bags and do one of the most physical challenges of this expedition to date. Half an hour later all of us set off South towards the Hongoryl Els, which are the sand dunes of the Gobi. In our Scarpa hiking shoes, we quickly walked across the sand towards the dunes in darkness with only our Petzl headlamps and the moon to guide our way. When we finally reached the first sand dune, we took a moment to take in the great height and steep slopes of sand “What? We’ll have to climb countless of these till we reach the highest sand dune?!” So we started our climb up and up and up. When a dune has ripples due to the wind, it is more compacted and we slid less down. We also tried to walk on the ridges whenever possible, as the sand is more stable. Furthermore, on slopes with especially loose soil, it is easier to follow the tracks the people made in front of you. Mike also gave us the perfect suggestion to remove our shoes and walk in our socks. At the start it was strange to walk without shoes, but soon we got used to the feeling of soft sand between our toes. The advantage of walking in socks or barefoot is that you don’t get the uncomfortable feeling of having sand in one’s shoes. While we were climbing up the many sand dunes, it was quite cool due to the constant wind blowing on our faces. So when we saw the sun …

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“Giant sandcastle of the desert” Tallbird_lankey’s photos around Jaisalmer, India (travel pics)

  • Posted on August 6, 2011 at 10:49 am

Preview of Tallbird_lankey’s blog at TravelPod. Read the full blog here: www.travelpod.com This blog preview was made by TravelPod using the TripAdvisor™ TripWow slideshow creator. Entry from: Jaisalmer, India Entry Title: “Giant sandcastle of the desert” Entry: “We arrived in dusty Jaisalmer, at the edge of the desert, after an overdue and overly long night train from Jaipur. Having wearily boarded an hour late at 12.30am, we found two men in our assigned bunks. After prodding them awake and indignantly demanding to see their tickets, we discovered we were in the wrong compartment and beat a hasty retreat before the whole cabin woke up and lynched us. Toddler screams forced us awake the following morning, but once up we got chatting to a very confident young Indian girl (“Ahhctually, we’re Brahmin…but of course I don’t believe in the caste system”) who was travelling to Pokaran for a five day wedding celebration with her extended family. (February is an auspiscious month for Hindu weddings – we’ve seen dozens of them across Rajastan.) For a 13 yr old conversing in a foreign language, she was amazingly articulate and knowledgeable so we swapped notes on life and families and cooking and schools until her stop arrived and the compartment went very quiet. After the disappointments of Jaipur, I was beginning to wonder if our expectations of Rajastan might be too high. However, Jaisalmer has rekindled my love of India; it is an incredible city, a castle-lover’s dream with a …

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