Pacific Crest Trail

 

Official Pacific Crest Trail Website:

 A good overview of the entire Pacific Crest Trail:

This Pacific Crest Trail thru hike documentary follows a journey from Mexico to Canada across more than 2,650 miles of desert, mountains, forests, wildfire closures, storms, and emotional uncertainty along one of the most iconic long-distance trails in the world: 

Nathan Brooks' amazing documentary:  "On May 9th, 2022, I began my 5 month long thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. It would end up being the greatest adventure of my life. This film, Every Single Step, is the raw and real story and documentary of a first time thru-hiker hiking from Mexico to Canada on the PCT and absolutely everything that comes with it. From run-ins with bears, summiting snowy passes, dealing with wildfires, making wild wanderer friends, seeing some of the most beautiful places on Earth, and surviving yet thriving in these truly wild spaces, I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I did creating it":

 

 Our route takes us north from Three Points, through the Angeles National Forest and ends at the Pacifico Mountain Trailhead:  

 

Our trek begins at the Three Points Trail Head.  Just follow the guide with the blue and white baseball cap:

 

 

  

Teotihuacan, Mexico

Panorama from the Pyramid of the Moon

Teotihuancan (pronounced tay-oh-tee-wah-KAHN) is located just northeast of Mexico City:

Teotihuancan is considered to have been the largest city in the Ancient Americas.  At its height in ca. 400 CE, the city covered eight square miles and was home to an estimated population of 125,000–200,000 residents.

The Ancient Americas Channel provides a good introduction to the site:

History.com also provides a good overview:

Teotihuacan by History.com

Teotihuacan is a UNESCO World Heritage Site:

UNESCO Teotihuacan Page 

 

The Sideprojects video is also very informative:

Now take a virtual trek around Teotihuacan:

Start the trek at the

City Entrance

Or at the

Top of the Pyramid of the Sun:

Further Reading and Viewing:

TEOTIHUACAN

Rome of the Ancient Americas

Dr Simon Martin:

Some of the reconstructions featured in Dr Simon Martin's presentation:

Sandra Baltazar Martínez provides a fascinating account of the animals of Teotihuacan: 

How animals, people, and rituals created Teotihuacán

And related video:

Evidence of rabbit farming helps explain how such a large population was sustained:

The Rabbit Farms of Teotihuacán

Recent research suggests that severe earthquakes may have led to the abandonment of the city:

Teotihuacan ancient culture affected by megathrust earthquakes

More in depth articles from UNCOVERED HISTORY:

Teotihuacan

History of Teotihuancan

                  

Pyramid of the Sun & The Orion Mystery

Pyramid of the Moon & the Teotihuacan World-Order

Temple of the Feathered-Serpent

The Palace of the Jaguars

Tepantitla & The Paradise of Tlaloc

Tetitla: Jaguar Lords, Owl Warriors & the Great Goddess

Teotihuacan and the Making of a World City 

In the first century CE, Teotihuacan became the capital of the area known today as Central Mexico. The city grew to include 100,000 people, drawing immigrants from Western Mexico, the Valley of Oaxaca, Veracruz, and the Maya region.  Deborah Nichols will discuss how Teotihuacan became the largest and most influential city in Mexico and Central America; how it maintained this position for 500 years through diplomacy, pilgrimages, military incursions, and commerce; why modern scholars consider it a “world city”; and what challenges exist in advancing an understanding of its legacy.

Famous Castles Series

 

Explore some of the great castles of the world:

Framlingham Castle, Suffolk

Chillon Castle, Switzerland

Orava Castle, Slovakia

Almourol Castle, Portugal

Cahir Castle, Ireland

Hohenwerfen Castle, Austria

Osaka Castle, Japan

Malbork Castle, Poland

Spiš Castle, Slovakia

Alnwick Castle, Scotland

Citadel of Qaitbay, Alexandria

Chittorgarh Fort, India

Mehrangarh Fort, India

Craigdarroch Castle, Victoria, British Columbia

Kronborg Castle, Denmark

Warwick Castle, England

Chateau des Baux, France

Tintagel Castle, Cornwall

 The Queen's Stepwell:  Rani ki Vav

Gujarat, India

  

A Video About the Site:

The Incredible Subterranean Temple of Rani Ki Vav, India: The Queen's Stepwell

 

 You can use Streetview to explore the site:

 

 Start at the top and descend into the stepwell:

 

Explore the Queen's Stepwell using Streetview

 

Abel Tasman Coast Track - New Zealand

 

 The Abel Tasman Coast Track is a spectacular 60 km coastal hike in Abel Tasman National Park on the north coast of New Zealand's South Island.

 

 

Join some Canadian hikers on the track:

 

Join Ryan and Rachel for a three day, two night hike:

We start our hike at the southern end of the track near the town of Marahau:

Trail head for the Abel Tasman Coast Track

You can also take an exciting boat ride up the coast paralleling the trail:

Start of the Coastal Boat Ride

 

Famous Castles: Framlingham Castle, Suffolk

Framlingham Castle is located in Suffolk, northeast of London.

 

The English Heritage site provides an excellent aerial overview of the castle:

Postcard from Framlingham Castle, Suffolk

The Tudor Travel Guide provides an excellent history of the castle as well as a reconstruction of how the castle looked in the 16th century:

Framlingham Castle, Suffolk: A Tudor Stronghold 

 

In WWII there was an important RAF air base near Framlingham and the castle provided an invaluable navigation point for returning aircraft.

 

Flying Fortresses of the 95th Bomb Group pass over Framlingham on their return from a mission.
Picture: Horham 95th Bomb Group Heritage Association. Colour by colouriser.co.uk

The 95th Bomb Group (pictured above) arrived in England in the spring of 1943 and stayed briefly in Framlingham. They entered combat on 13 May 1943 by attacking an airfield at Saint-Omer. After suffering disastrous losses in its daylight air attacks on the Continent, the 95th was transferred to nearby RAF Horham on 15 June to regroup.

The Memorials Foundation provides an excellent website about...

The 95th Bomb Group 

The East Anglian Daily Times provides a fascinating article on WWII in Framlingham:

The War Years in Framlingham

Framlingham Castle was used by the British military as part of the regional defenses against a potential German invasion.

 

We begin our trek by entering the castle through the main gate:

 

Or we can walk the picturesque trail around the outer walls:

 

Famous Islands: Iona, Scotland

 

 Iona is a small island off the west coast of Scotland with a long and fascinating history, and a magical ambience.

The shelters on the island have a wonderful set of map and information boards:
 

BBC Scotland presents an excellent overview video:

 

View Iona from above:

The light and colors of Iona are magical in any weather, and the following documentary tours the island to show the colors that inspired the local creation of the Sound of Iona tartan:

 

Historic UK presents some History of Iona and St Columba

 Electric Scotland presents a more detailed History of Iona

A history video set to the Mike Scott and Waterboys song Peace of Iona:

 

Many believe that the famous illuminated manuscript the Book of Kells was begun or even completed at the monastery on Iona.

Join us for an exploration of...

The Beautiful and Mysterious Book of Kells

 

We begin our trek on the road leading up from the dock:

From here you can follow a circuit trail passing the famous abbey and continuing around the island:
 

A 360 degree view of the abbey and surrounding area:
 

See inside the abbey with another 360 degree view: