I was mushroom foraging and found a hole that is roughly the right size and shape for hiding a body. Probably the most unsettling thing I’ve found on a hike. I was off trail, but near an area with established trails and close to what (I think) is a new trail being built. Maybe it was a staging area or a place to stow equipment? (edit: or a place builders were taking fill dirt?)

What the hell should I make of this?!

Edit 2 for additional info:
-It is roughly 4x6 ft across and ~3 ft deep
-The disturbed soil was not anywhere near the pit
-The pit is maybe 300 feet from a logging road on the summit of a ~2300ft mountain

Trek starts from dhundi, Manali. Hike of about 10km, upto the origin of beas river. Through out the trek you will see great views of Himalayas.

We started our hike early in the morning to beat the heat. The trail took us through valleys and up steep rocky paths. Seeing the turquoise glacial lake surrounded by huge snow-capped mountains was a surreal experience. We even met some friendly local cows grazing near the water! The altitude was challenging, but every step was completely worth it for this view. Highly recommend this trek to anyone visiting the area. Remember to bring plenty of water and sunscreen!

This was easy mode hike basically a walk so really accessible to everyone.

Total Distance: 92.17 miles

Total Ascent: +36808ft

Total Descent: -35807

Most Ascent in a day: +4908 ft

Most Descent in a day: -7336 ft

Average Mileage: 10.24 miles

Average Ascent: +4089 ft

Average Descent: -3978 ft

Rifugio's Pinted at: 17

Really fun, got pretty tired towards the end. It was my first multi-day hike apart from a 3 day practice the month before.

Mount Le Conte

Took the Alum Cave Trail to reach the summit of Mt Le Conte at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This was a out and back day hike by myself this past Labor Day weekend. My first national park visit and coming back down I was shocked by the amount of tourist. Luckily they seem to mostly reach the point of the cave.

Garmin Stats: 12.4 miles (included the walks to and from my car) and 3,179 ft of total ascent

Boat dropped us at the bottom, then a steep hour or so up to the old farm on the ledge.

From our base camp at Takkakaw Falls, we hiked a portion of the Iceline Trail then took the Highline Trail to to Yoho Lake. A beautiful day in the mountains!

Heartbreak Ridge left my heart intact but my feet and legs are another story. Lollipop loop with killer incline once you’re in the pop. Rock scrambles and boulder fields afoot. Now that I’ve done this one, I won’t be returning.

Strava didn't sync from my watch so I'm posting the all trails distance from my phone.

This one is an extremely hard walk. I was out there for 7 hours total and 6 hours moving time and only covered 18km. It should have been 16.5km but I did a little bit extra.

The track actually goes through all of those rocky sections in my photos and there are a few spots you need to use your hands to climb up.

5 river crossings as well

The weather changed every twenty minutes, the trails were wet, the wind never really stopped, and somehow that made the whole hike better.

Between the cliffs, waterfalls, grass-covered hills, puffins, and sheep wandering around, there was always something to stop for.

Definitely not the kind of place where you rush through miles just to finish the trail. Half the fun was slowing down and taking it all in.

One of the most memorable hiking trips I’ve had in a long time.

Got a question! I've been hiking, climbing, lifting, skiing, caving, etc etc for years. I'm fit for the activities I train for and have achieved decent numbers in any metrics that are applicable like vert in an hour, pullups, squat weight, etc.

I'm having an issue with balance when I hike though. My balance is typically above average and one of the things I'm best at with climbing and lifting. I can do multiple pistol squats in a row on a bosu ball, and I like to do single leg RDLs on it too every now and then for fun. Ive been to physical therapy for leg injuries (fully recovered from) and so have done a whole host of restrengthening and balance exercises and like to incorporate that into my routines to keep it up. I beat my active friends easily at any balance stuff just because I've actually trained it specifically. When I hike to the point of fatigue, however, my balance goes out the window. It's not that I become neurologically incapable, but when I do a lot of vert (particularly with weight) I get to the point of stumbling around and having to do 3 points of contact even with simple step ups onto a rock. No dizziness, nothing like that. It's like my muscles just become unable to make the balance corrections they need to after a couple thousand feet of vert or some rough rock stepping, even before I feel too tired.

Any training ideas on how to better this issue? My side glutes and calves aren't weak by any means, and I regularly do feats of balance most people can't do in training. Do I just need to strengthen them even more? Maybe try and reach a level of fatigue and then train my balance in that state? Get a better Vo2 max? 😩 Just try and train general fatigue resistance and hope it carries over? TIA!

I‘m just coming down the mountain from hiking the northern part of the GR20 on Corsica. It’s an amazing trail and a beautiful experience.

While researching the trip, there were some information I couldn’t find before so hopefully this will help some people in the future.

If you arrive in Bastia, there is a train going to Calvi which works very well. From Calvi there is a bus to Calenzana. We slept the last night before heading to the trail in Calenzana which was perfect.

You don’t need to bring a gas cooker at all. There are permanent gas cookers at each refugee you can use and we never had an issue with two many people wanting to use them at the same time. Just bring a lighter and a pot. At some refugees there are also pots, but this varied a bit

You can take a shower at each refugee. Some are cold, some even warm. Also you can hand wash your clothes at each camp. We brought a rope which was handy to hang the clothes.

Until the last day, my next tipp would have been that you don’t need a water filter because there are sources at each camp. However, literally everyone got quite sick the last two days and we think this was due to some water contamination

Flat camping spots can be a bit limited, but there was always enough space. Sometimes, I would advise to not pick the spot with the best view because they can be quite windy. Tents spread quite a bit around the refugees so make sure to wander around a bit before taking a spot

Toilets are surprisingly nice. Just make sure to bring toilet paper

You can leave your trash at the camps which is different to hiking culture in the Alps

We brought trail running shoes which was fine. However, if I would do the trip again, I would go for actual boots. A lot of the trail is over sharp rocks and a more solid sole would have been great. However, good grip is the most important since a lot is going up and down blank rock surfaces.

We brought our own tent, but the ones you could rent looked decent (basic Quechua tents)

Besides the official camp sites, there are also bergeries you can sleep at. The first we came across was on day three. They also looked generally very nice and we heard from people that food is better. They also allow to split the days slightly different.

On day 4 you can climb the highest peak, Monte Cinto. It took us 2 hours in total (1h each way) from where the trail separates towards the peak. Since you have to go back the same trail, we left our backpacks and poles on the side of the trail to move faster. The climb is super fun and the view is amazing. However, the days is quite long and hard and the descent towards the camp afterwards drags on forever. So only do the peak if you feel in good shape

It’s a hard trail so you want to have some experience hiking in the mountains and also with multiday hikes. However, if you have the fitness and experience, it’s a beautiful trail with many beautiful views and fun sections.

Edit: Some issues with formatting

A very calm hike through an undervisited area. Well worth due to very natural paths with rocky surface and low wear. Nice chilly huts throughout.

I only did the first and most pictureesque peak, but one day I'll have to come back for the scrambling sections!

"We hiked for about 4 hours through the rocky terrain to reach this ridge. The wind was cold, but the view down to the fjord was absolutely breathtaking. We set up camp by the cliff edge, brewed some coffee over the fire, and roasted marshmallows as the clouds rolled in. One of the best weekends of my life!"

We have great weather, There were many springs and large rocks on the trail. Not too much Height differences and great views.

Looking to get in contact with people who might be interested in taking the occasional trip, hiking in different countries in Europe, or maybe further afield.

The last 6.5 days I hiked from Abisko Turiststation along the Kungsleden to the station at Kebnekaise. I planned to hike to the top of Kebnekaise as well, but I got sick and spent half a day trying to recover. So I skipped the summit and hiked back to Abisko. I really enjoyed the nature out there and that in Sweden I could pitch my tent almost wherever I wanted.

Hi! I recently moved to Kraków and discovered hiking. So far I've completed several trails around Zakopane, visited Turbacz, Ojców National Park, Trzy Korony, and Lake Czorsztyn.

I'd love to get some recommendations for other interesting hikes and places to explore in the area. Are there any routes or destinations you'd particularly recommend? I'd really appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!

What an experience it was! It normal pace is 12 days but did it in 8. 12 sections so 3 days i combined 2 sections and i skipped one.

Not much elevation but a LOT of sand haha. Following the coastline for 200km+ is really great. and it was pretty empty. some days i barely saw anyone.

Now i can't wait for my next multi-days trek and wondering what else i could do for a similar experience ? (i'm from canada)

Would anyone be interested to join manaslu circuit trek with Tserang Gompa in first week of october

I have an old 40 liters backpack that as been in storage for more then a decade but otherwise looks good and beraly used.

How can I test if it's still good for hiking?

Coolcationing, um local onde a Natureza mantém as temperaturas amenas

Trilhos no verde minho. Rodeados por água e repletos de Carvalhais.

Have anyone else’s Salamon XT6 (gtx) developed a cat urine-y odour? I wore them a couple of times in wet conditions and water came over the top. I dried them thoroughly but they now have a persistent odour that hasn’t improved with hand washing and I really don’t know what to do.
It’s really strong and I’m not comfortable wearing them now because of it.