When we’re not outdoors, we get our adventure fix by exploring social media and the web. Here are some of the best adventure links we’ve discovered this week.
‘Stairway to Heaven’ Hike To Be Demolished: The Haiku Stairs in Honolulu, often called the “Stairway to Heaven,” will be demolished. The popular trail has actually been closed to the public since the 1970s. Despite this, hikers flock to it.
Thousands of images of the photogenic stairs populate Instagram. More importantly, in the last 12 years, there have been 118 rescues. Tourists climb fences and cut through local properties to try and reach the forbidden trail. Now the city has had enough. In the next six months, they will remove the 4,000 steps to stop trespassers and restore the area’s natural beauty.
Photo: Hilary Bradt
The Woman Who Transformed Travel: In 1973, Hilary Bradt and her then-husband were backpacking in South America searching for a hidden trail they had heard about, one that led to Machu Picchu. Their notes on this became the first published description of the Inca Trail in English. It was the start of Bradt Guides.
A few years later, Bradt and her husband divorced and he left the business. She decided to continue without him, to continue exploring and writing guides about far-flung places. Here she speaks about why she always wanted to explore, how the guidebooks came to be, and her love of hitchhiking.
Stormy relationship
Caught in a Storm During a Hike. Who’s to Blame? Two friends went on a three-day hiking trip. On the last day, they added in an extra trail that shouldn’t have taken more than an hour. One of them kept looking at her phone to check the time and weather. She was scared of lightning, and a storm seemed to be brewing.
The second was irritated by the constant phone use. Distracted, they missed a turn, ended up on a longer route, and got caught in a thunderstorm. Now both want an apology and think the other is at fault.
Climber Alex Moore comes face to face with a fulmar. Photo: Robbie Phillips
Wings and Walls: Every crag you climb is home to other creatures, especially birds. In the UK, the number of birds is in a huge decline. Populations have fallen by 73 million in just 50 years.
Climber and naturalist Robbie Phillips has written a guide to climbing etiquette when it comes to birds. He goes into the precautions all climbers should take, the laws around bird protection in the UK, and what to do if you stumble upon a nest.
Booze and climbing
Do Climbing and Alcohol Mix? For many, beer is the post-climbing drink of choice, but sometimes it’s also a pre-climbing libation. While of course there is a huge downside to drinking alcohol, some climbers seem to do fine regardless.
Some scientific studies have found that small amounts of alcohol have very little effect on our performance. One big difference with climbing compared to other sports is the safety aspect. It is a risky sport even for the totally sober. On the other side of the balance sheet is the social aspect that post-climb drinks hold for many people.
Why You Shouldn’t Teach Your Partner to Surf: Brian Sousa has tried to teach his fiancé to surf many times. It has never worked out. They have had a few good sessions out on the water, but while he sees surfing as something that “ignites my soul,” her interest in it has waned.
He doesn’t think he is a bad teacher in general, only when teaching his partner. There are two main reasons. First, the panic that fills him when she disappears from sight, and second, his own ego.
Queen of the Desert Bus rediscovered
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Photo: History Trust of South Australia
The 30-Year Hunt to Find the Priscilla, Queen of the Desert Bus: Priscilla is a cinematic icon. But after filming finished, the silver bus disappeared in 1994. The History Trust of South Australia was skeptical when one man phoned them in 2019 to say he had the bus.
They assumed it was a fake, just another person claiming he owned the famous vehicle. But this time, it turned out to be true. This recounts the bizarre story of how the silver bus ended up in a man’s garden.
Lost in the Woods. Snow Was Falling. Time Was Running Out: Forest ranger Robbi Mecus was at home when she got the call. A woman said her son had gone hiking in the Adirondack Mountains that morning. At almost 10 pm, he had still not returned and 40cm of snow was forecast overnight.
What ensued was a life or death search-and-rescue, as 25 searchers raced against time to find the missing hiker.
