Hiking the Indian Himalaya

It’s easy to hike Nepal. Not so in India.

The hiking infrastructure for foreign tourists is not nearly so well developed. There are far fewer hiking guidebooks.

You need to do much more research when planning a hiking trip to India. The easiest jumping off point is Leh, Ladakh — a region administered by India as a union territory, and constituting a part of the larger region of Kashmir.

AT A GLANCE

Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttaranchal in the west
Darjeeling and Sikkim in the east
many peaks over 7000m (23000ft)
every serious hiker wants to travel to Nepal. The savvy trekkers to the Indian Himalaya, as well.
though challenging, India is a wonderful tourist destination
English is widely spoken
public transportation is slow at best, downright terrifying at worst
getting to the trailhead may be much more dangerous than anything you do on the trek. Take the train rather than a vehicle whenever you can.
best for experienced, confident, self-sufficient high altitude hikers
hiking season somewhere May-Nov (though micro-climates vary greatly). Many treks are not recommended Jul-Aug — though you can hike most places in Ladakh most of the year.

Our list of BEST HIKES in INDIA is on our Asia information page.

April 8, 2020April 9, 2020

West Coast Trail is #1 in the world

UPDATE – About 7500 hikers have permits for the West Coast Trail starting May 1st. But the hike is not being prepped right now — my guess is that it will be closed for all of 2020.

Since the start of this website we’ve ranked the West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island our favourite multi-day hike anywhere.

wct_logo_large

Click PLAY or Jeff Pelletier’s 2017 hike on YouTube.

If you’d like to plan to do the WCT yourself, check our information page.

Reservations start in early January for June – September of the same year.

(via Adventure Blog)

April 6, 2020April 3, 2020

Bill “One Gallon” Nedderman 50,000 miles

Bill “One Gallon” Nedderman is the the first person ever to complete North America’s big three hiking trails (the PCT, Appalachian Trail, and Continental Divide Trail) four times each.

He’s hiked 50,000 miles. Paddled 44,000 miles. Cycled 64,000 miles.

Camped more than 6,000 nights.

He doesn’t post anything online nor does he keep a hard copy journal.

Read an interview on Adventure Journal.

April 3, 2020April 2, 2020

K2 Base Camp and the Gondogoro Pass

I was planning on making this trek August 2020 …

… not much chance it’s going to happen this year. #COVID-19

Atlas & Boots was there in 2019:

My 14-day K2 base camp trek in Karakoram mountains of #Pakistan, followed by a crossing of the technical Gondogoro La Pass.

At 8,611m (28,251ft), #K2 is the second highest mountain in the world.

The K2 base camp trek route is via Concordia, the confluence of the Baltoro and Godwin-Austen glaciers at around 4,700m (15,419ft).

It is one of the few places in the world where you can see four 8,000m peaks: K2, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum I and Gasherbrum II.

Read the trip report.

Click PLAY or watch their trip on YouTube.

April 2, 2020March 25, 2020

HOW to trek Paine in Chile

UPDATE – National Parks in Chile have been closed.

If you’ve ever researched the Paine Circuit in Chile, you know that it’s complicated.

Difficult to make reservations from overseas.

Happily, Kraig Adams arrived March 2020 with no reservation and yet had a terrific hike. The last half of the video is TIPS on how you could do the same.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

AT A GLANCE

close to the southern tip of South America
100km (62mi) Paine Circuit is unique & gorgeous
recommended 9 days, 8 nights
shorter, easier 5-day alternative called “the W“

Read more on our Paine Circuit information page.

(via Adventure Blog)

March 31, 2020March 29, 2020

Hiking your own house

Sheltering in place is NOT going to stop BRIANA VENSKUS from hiking.

No way. 😀

Click PLAY or watch it on Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-SqHo-FgBW/

March 30, 2020March 29, 2020

Hiking in Place: Inspiration Near Home

Hike in Place: What It Means

Hike in place does not mean to literally walk in place. No, instead, the Superior Hiking Trail Association encourages people to rediscover hikes and nature in your neighborhood. …

GearJunkie

As I’m physically isolating in a small town on Vancouver Island, each day I’m cycling, running or walking the closest parks.

March 26, 2020March 25, 2020

documentary – Surviving the Outback

Michael Atkinson places himself in the historic predicament of two stranded German aviators in 1932 to see if the his skills as a survival instructor, pilot and adventurer will allow him to escape to the nearest civilization.

It is a gripping film.

I learned a lot about surviving in the harsh Australian coastal wilderness.

The most remarkable feature of this documentary is its mode of filming. It is not performed by any film crew that follows his journey. It is single-handedly managed by Mike through drones and cameras so it preserves the natural element. The breathtaking pictures of the ocean, varied shades of the waters, flora and fauna of marine sea and the natural cliffs along the coast paint an excellent landscape for the viewers. It manages to take one to an unexplored world …

Documentary Review: ‘Surviving The Outback’