Meanderthals

Live and Learn: A Lesson In Trust

Jeff — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:29:54 +0000

Those of you who are regulars here may have noticed there is a black hole of missing content from February 6th through today. Unfortunately my web host encountered a series of errors with hardware failures that made complete recovery impossible. They suffered a disk failure on the server that hosts Meanderthals and their disk array recovery mechanism did not work properly to enable data mirroring on another drive in the array.

It seems they also put too much faith in their hardware technology to consider regular backups, so the most recent backup they had for data recovery was two weeks old. I asked about incremental backups, which they apparently use, but were not available for this recovery. The technology sounds good on paper, but if you can’t use it during times of crisis, you end up with a sad situation. So here we are, back on February 6th, with a valuable lesson learned.

I have been using the BackWPup plugin for WordPress database backups just in case this very situation occurred. I take an automated backup every night that works well and only takes a few minutes. That’s the good news. When I started looking into actually using one of these backups to forward recover my WordPress data, I ran into a mish-mash of technical procedures for restoring over top of my existing installation that concerned me. I think it would work great if I were moving to a new server and wanted to restore there, but from what I could gather it doesn’t save any of the local modifications I have made to WordPress code and the theme that I am running. I’d rather not reapply all those mods.

So I made the decision to live without the content updates I have made since February 6th. The good news is I hadn’t written any major new trail reports during that period, just updates to existing reports. I can recreate those updates without much difficulty. The Hiking News section will be missing a couple dozen blog items, but that is all content that exists elsewhere on the web.

So this isn’t a major blow for Meanderthals, but one that gives me pause. I am asking for your advice for dealing with a similar situation in the future. Those of you who run WordPress blogs, how do you protect your data? If you have done a restore of your WordPress installation after a failure, how did you do it? I kinda miss the days of static HTML files when I always had a copy of my site on my PC, but that would eliminate all the terrific content management facilities inherent to WordPress.

Please use the comments feature below to share your advice and experience.

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Custer State Park, SD to Host Snowshoe Hike

Jeff — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:39:42 +0000

Visitors to Custer State Park will have the opportunity on Saturday, Feb. 11, to experience the winter sights and sounds of the popular park, by way of a pair of snowshoes.

The Lover’s Leap Snowshoe Hike will guide participants through a dense pine forest, meandering near Grace Coolidge Creek. The three-mile hike is geared toward beginners, allowing participants the opportunity to try the recreational event and explore some of the park’s most beautiful winter scenery.

Two hikes will depart on Feb. 11, leaving at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. from the Peter Norbeck Visitor Center. Snowshoes are provided, but reservations are required to borrow snowshoes.

There is no cost for the hikes; however, a park entrance license is required. If the amount of snow does not allow for snowshoeing, a guided hike will be held.

Read full story…

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5 little hikes get you closer to some big Northwest legends

Jeff — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:29:48 +0000

There’s no telling what you might stumble across when hiking in Western Washington. Bigfoot, vampires, bundles of cash. Maybe even Paul Bunyan. The region is steeped in nearly as much intriguing pop culture as it is in good options for cool-weather hikes.

Here’s a list of lowland hikes that will get you in the right frame of mind to meet up with legends around the region.

Paul Bunyan’s backyard
Barefoot Bandit land
Bigfoot country
D.B. Cooper’s world
Vampires and views

Get details here…

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Hiking the ancient trails of Greece

Jeff — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:22:13 +0000

The deepest gorge in the world, towering limestone cliffs and ancient Zagori stone villages are all part of the Pindus Mountains of Northern Greece.

The Pindus Range stretches from Albania to central Greece. Scattered throughout these mountains are Zagorian stone villages nestled on the sides of precipitous mountains. The inhabitants are descendants of semi-nomadic people and their inaccessibility allowed them some autonomy during Ottoman times. Trade routes were established by building stone paths and roads to accommodate mule caravans. The Skala of Vradheto is a stretch of cobbled stone stairway winding steeply up a cliff between Tsepelovo and Vradheto that was, until recently, the only access to Vradheto.

Our six-day trek began in Monodendri where a Guinness Book of World Records sign states that the Vikos Gorge is the deepest gorge in the world at 1,650 metres. Just a few minutes into the descent we came across an uninhabited stone monastery perched on the edge of the cliff, and we mean on the edge!

Read full story…

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Hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

Jeff — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:14:05 +0000

As the sun rises and the mist settles, we make our way over Inti Punku, the Sun Gate Pass, and get our first glimpse of Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas, nestled deep within the Andean mountain range in Peru. The descent past ruins, terraces and sacrificial altars is the culmination of a four-day and three-night backpacking trip over three mountain passes and 26 miles.

There are two ways you can get to Machu Picchu. You can backpack the Inca Trail, which is part of a 14,000-mile network of roads and trails built by the Incas stretching from Colombia to Argentina, or you can take a bus and train. My wife and I thought about it — walk or ride. We could hike on a 600-year-old trail, passing through native Peruvian villages, seeing ruins you would never see in a travel book, all while dodging llamas on the trail used to transport goods to market, or we could take a bus and train.

The answer was easy. We hiked. We thought that the opportunity to combine adventure, culture and history while hiking with people from other countries would turn out to be a trip of a lifetime. We were right.

To say we backpacked to Machu Picchu may be a bit of an exaggeration. Our group consisted of 34 — 13 hikers, 19 porters and two guides. The porters carried the food, tents and provisions. For a small price, they also carried our personal gear, meaning all that we had to do was carry a day pack with some snacks, a camera, rain gear and water. All meals were prepared by a gourmet chef.

Read full story…

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100 Miles from Los Angeles, an Elysian Isle

Jeff — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:01:25 +0000

Channel Islands National Park is an archipelago of five almost entirely undeveloped islands that remains one of the least visited parks in the country.

Much like the park’s farther-flung islands — San Miguel to the west and tiny Santa Barbara to the south — Santa Rosa Island receives only about 5,000 visitors annually, despite its impressive sprawl: 53,000 acres, more than three times the size of Manhattan.

That’s likely to change gradually. Until this year, 90 percent of the island was shut down for half the year for deer and elk hunting. Those animals have since been eradicated, the latest in a long line of projects to remove nonnative species from the Channel Islands in favor of endemic ones, like the Santa Rosa Island fox; it has rebounded from a population of just 14 in 2000 to more than 350 today.

Hikers can now travel pretty much anywhere they please, whenever they please, save for certain beaches, which are closed seasonally to protect species like the snowy plover. And that access may grow in years to come, as the park is considering changing a historic family ranch property into a small inn and running a shuttle to the south side for day hikers.

Read full story…

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Volunteers help clear Columbia River Gorge hiking trails

Jeff — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:50:51 +0000

In the wake of a storm that hit the Columbia River Gorge, volunteers with the Mt. Hood Chapter of the Pacific Crest Trail Association helped clear blocked hiking trails last weekend.

The chapter’s volunteers care for 221 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mount Jefferson Wilderness to Mount Adams. And that help is critical considering that only one U.S. Forest Service worker is hired to serve the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, said Ron Goodwin, a Gresham resident and Pacific Crest Trail crew leader.

Although the Forest Service plans to hire a second worker dedicated to the scenic area, recent winds, snow and rain downed trees, making many trails impossible to pass.

Read full story…

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Twelfth Annual Hike for the Hardy on Brushy Hills Feb. 18

Jeff — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:45:10 +0000

The twelfth annual “Hike for the Hardy” on the Brushy Hills trail system west of Lexington, VA is planned for Saturday, February 18th, starting at 10:00 a.m.

Area residents will have an opportunity to enjoy the natural beauty of Lexington’s 560-acre Brushy Hills woodlands during the traditional late-winter hike sponsored and led by members of the Friends of Brushy Hills. Everyone is welcome to come!

“The route planned for this year’s hike will again take participants from the spring house at Union Run Road up to The Knoll, one of the highest points on the Brushy Hills property. This was a very popular hike last year, providing some excellent winter vistas as we hiked up The Knoll!” remarked David Zwart, one of the hike organizers,“ This year’s hike will take a different route that will be slightly longer than last year’s route (about 4.25 miles total), with an overall elevation rise of about 540’ from the starting point on Union Run Road.”

For those wishing a less strenuous trek, a shortcut that produces a 2.3 mile hike will be offered. It should be noted that this alternative loop still has an elevation rise of about 300’. Hikers are advised to wear shoes with good tread and to bring a walking stick if they have one, as some of the route will be on uneven ground and may be snow-covered.

Read full story…

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Physician assistants to “prescribe” healthy hikes

Jeff — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:59:32 +0000

Everyone knows that exercise is one key to being healthy, but not everyone enjoys going to the gym. Georgia’s State Park system has teamed up with the Georgia Association of Physicians Assistants to make healthy living a bit more fun. Through the new “Rx for Fitness” Program, physician assistants can prescribe healthy hikes in the great outdoors, and patients can turn in their “prescriptions” for free park passes.

“Rx for Fitness” is part of the State Park system’s new Tons of Fun Fitness Challenge which encourages citizens to use outdoor recreation as part of their regular exercise. Park visitors may find that exploring a canyon is more fun than a step machine, and that hiking along a waterfall burns more calories than a treadmill. The parks also offer less traditional exercise, like lake swimming, geocaching and disc golf. Even some state historic sites offer walking trails in beautiful settings.

Read full story…

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Asheville area hiking challenges assist nonprofits, offer dose of history

Jeff — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:52:27 +0000

Hiking isn’t just for fun in the woods anymore. After putting one foot in front of the other, and the other, hikers tend to look for a challenge.

They are in luck. The mountains are filled with hiking challenges, from speed-hiking — more people are now trying to hike the Mountains-to-Sea or the Appalachian Trail faster than the last person — to tests of endurance.

The Carolina Mountain Club hosts several challenges including the SB6K, aka South Beyond 6,000, which acknowledges hikers who climb all 40 Western North Carolina peaks above 6,000 feet, and the Smokies 900 — all the miles of trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Coming up are a couple more, including the CureSearch for Children’s Cancer Ultimate Hike and the Swannanoa Rim Explorer Hiking Series.

Read full story…

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