Unfortunately, Twain and ex-husband Mutt Lang separated shortly after. But it seems they are committed to the hiking trail. In fact, Mutt has purchased more land.
Yet another reason to return to New Zealand for hiking. I’m thinking … 2011.
UPDATE: Maple Kiwi of Love in a Tent heard rumours the couple were not all that happy about the Track. They are famously private people. … But that it was a condition of them purchasing the land.
I was disappointed not to see this beautiful animal in Nepal on my recent Everest trek.
The Himalayan Tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus) (or Himalayan Thar) is a large ungulate related to the wild goat. Its native habitat is in the rugged wooded hills and mountain slopes of the Himalaya from Central Asia in northern Kashmir to China. …
… Adult Himalayan Tahrs range from 135 to 180 kg (300 to 400 lb) in weight, 120 to 170 cm in length, and 60 to 90 cm in height. They are herbivores, subsisting on grass, shrubs, and trees. …
Feral Himalayan Tahr are an introduced species in the South Island of New Zealand, with herds forming in the Southern Alps. In large numbers tahr are regarded as a pest because their browsing has an impact on native vegetation. Tahr hunting is a recreational sport and commercial activity. It has also been introduced to New Mexico, California, South Africa, and Ontario.
• The Walker’s Haute Route
• Chamonix-Zermatt Haute Route
• “High Route”
• Mt Blanc to the Matterhorn
• Chamonix to Zermatt
It’s official. The Haute Route in the Alps replaces the Tour de Mont Blanc at the #9 position in our list of the top 10 hikes in the world. The TMB is awesome, … but too crowded.
Long live the Haute Route!
“the greatest collection of 4000m peaks in the alps!”
Why we love it:
the best hike in Europe!
Alpine charm: valleys, lakes, glaciers
great food, history, culture
from Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Europe (4810m, 15,781ft)
… to the Matterhorn, the most beautiful peak in the alps
staying in huts, and eating your meals there, you can hike with a very light pack
see ibex and chamois in the wild
finishes with the 2-day Europaweg – a true high-level path opened in recent years (and sometimes closed due to avalanche)
some mountaineers use this trek for altitude acclimatization, climbing Mt. Blanc, the Matterhorn or, best, Weisshorn, after they finish
Considerations:
Rain is highly likely. It can even snow on high passes any day of the year.
mid-July through August accommodation may be full
mountain huts can be crowded & noisy (we prefer tenting, to be truthful)
in 2009 cost was around $70 for bed, bedding, breakfast and an evening meal
iron ladders bolted into the mountain en route, though there is a way to bypass them
cable-cars and chair-lifts are cheating, but you certainly may want to use them to shorten some hiking days
German is the main language of the Haute Route though French is useful too. Anglophones may struggle.
High on my list of future hiking destinations is the Indian Himalaya.
Good news on Gadling:
Adventure travelers were given even more incentive to travel to India recently when it was announced that the government would begin allowing access to previously restricted areas in the remote Jammu and Kashmir provinces. …
Backpackers will find plenty to love in this remote and stunningly beautiful region as well. High altitude passes and trails that have previously been off limits are now open to foreign travelers, including a route that leads to the village of Turtuk in the Nubra Valley. …
The author’s favourite trek is Markha Valley in Ladakh. I’d like to do some of the recently opened region on the same trip.
If interested, be sure you get the most recent edition. It’s great to see Lonely Planet updating their excellent trekking guidebooks.
I may even buy, for the first time, the PDF version. You can “Pick & Mix“, buying only the chapters you need. I’d put those on my iTouch for the trek rather than carrying paper.
The PDF version has free samples including the Table of Treks (PDF).
Now … when will independent hiking be allowed in Bhutan?
You can tell we are SERIOUS from the all caps typeface.
Kelly Bastone in Backpacker posted this list in 2008:
From a slippery Sierra catwalk to a treacherous Hawaiian paradise, we name the country’s 10 most hazardous hikes. Then we break down the dangers and provide local beta for conquering each route.
The Maze, UT
Flash flood is a greater worry to me than getting lost or being avalanched. Recall April 2008 when 7 of 12 “canyoneers”, most students, were killed in a flash flood in New Zealand.
The new North Coast Trail is close to the top of my MUST HIKE BEFORE I DIE list.
The North Coast Trail is a 43.1 km wilderness hiking trail in Cape Scott Provincial Park on northern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
… in Cape Scott Provincial Park runs along beaches and in forest around the northern tip of Vancouver Island from Shushartie Bay to Nissen Bight. At Nissen Bight it links up with an existing 15 km trail which leads to the trailhead at San Josef River. The total distance for hikers between the trailheads is 61 km. The trail is in a wilderness area and hikers may see deer, elk, black bears, cougars, wolves, sea birds, seals, sea lions, grey whales and sea otters. In two failed attempts, Danish pioneers tried to settle the area at the turn of the twentieth century and the trail incorporates some of their original routes.
Detailed route information is available on the BC Parks – Cape Scott hiking page.
Number of miles hiked: 417.4 miles
Longest hike: 15.9 miles (Hike #48 – San Gorgonio Mountain)
Hardest hike: Hike #21 (Telescope Peak, Death Valley)
Furthest hike from home: Hike #86 (Villarrica, Chile – 5,864 miles from Arcadia, CA)
Jotunheimen (English: The Home of the Giants) is a mountainous area of roughly 3,500 km² in Southern Norway. Jotunheimen is a part of the long Scandinavian Mountains range. The 29 highest mountains in Norway are in Jotunheimen, including the very highest – Galdhøpiggen (2469 m). …
The Jotunheimen area contains the Jotunheimen National Park, ….
Jotunheimen is very popular among hikers and climbers, and the Norwegian Mountain Touring Association maintains a number mountain lodges in the area, as well as marked trails between the lodges and to some of the peaks. …
Hikers normally stay in cabins. Some of the popular trails out of Bessheim:
traildatabase.org - click for larger version
What about nearby Rondane?
Rondane National Park
… Rondane is a typical high mountain area, with large plateaus and a total of ten peaks above 2,000 m (6,560 ft). The highest point is Rondeslottet (“The Rondane Castle”) at an altitude of 2,178 m (7,146 ft). The lowest point is just below the tree line, which is approximately 1,000 to 1,100 m (about 3,300 to 3,600 ft) above sea level. The climate is mild but relatively arid.
Apart from the White Birch trees of the lower areas, the soil and rocks are covered by heather and lichen, since they lack nutrients. The largest mountains are almost entirely barren; above 1,500 m (5,000 ft) nothing but the hardiest lichens grow on the bare stones. …
It would be convenient to hike both these National Parks on one trip.
besthike.com 