Tripbase.com is drumming up free publicity from link-hungry bloggers spreading the word about its series of awards for notable travel-related blogs. Two-Heel Drive ranks No. 2 in the walking-backpacking category, bested only by a guy attempting 36,000 miles, 4 continents, 25 countries, crossing a frozen sea, 6 deserts, 7 mountain ranges over 12 years.
I’m guessing a few more weekenders to the Sierra would not have pushed me over the top.
More good news: California is oversubscribed in the rankings. Gambolin’ Man comes in at No. 4 and John Soares rates as a finalist (as does Rick of Best Hikes, who has covered far more cool California trails than I have.) Proof that it’s not where you go, it’s how you blog it: all these guys have got way, way more serious trail miles under their shoes.
But anyway: congrats to all who won a place in the rankings. Many quality blogs were left out of the rankings — particularly the lightweight backpacking blogs in the UK. And where is Modern Hiker, the king of L.A. hiking? (Who knows, you might bump into Kevin Bacon on one of his featured trails?)
These things are never fair, of course. But I’m not returning my Oscar, all the same.
Congratulations to all the bloggers out there, whether recognized or not in this awards category. I’m just thrilled and honored to be mentioned in the same company as so many excellent and dedicated writers and photographers out there putting their hearts and souls on the line. . .because the fact of the matter is, we do it because we love to do it and are excited about sharing – not so much our creativity and talent – but our passion for adventure and love of nature.
Just what I needed, more blogs to consume my already too much time in front of my screen. I think you’re an enabler.
Tom,
Your trail summaries are top notch and I refer folks to them! Congrats.
I agree that there seems to be a saturation point on hiking blogs/websites. When do people have time to do anything if they are reading them all?
Oh well – here’s another one that popped up … by the Sierra Club.
http://www.sierraclubtrails.org
Rick D
Mr Half Dome
Congratulations!
and thank you for keeping us updated.
Jana
I’d never heard of tripbase.com, so I checked their homepage and Google page rank (5); they seem legit. Good marketing tactic on their part, methinks.
Tom, you absolutely deserve recognition for the high-quality content you’ve delivered over the last five years. And congrats also to Gambolin’ Man: his posts are always insightful and interesting.
I’ll likely toot my horn about being a finalist later in the week. For now I’m gonna let my Hike of the Month ride for a couple more days.
Thanks all for the kind words, and for reminding me that I’ve been doing this for going on five years now. If I ever get a life you guys are going to need a a new hobby!
Well done sir!