By Kelly Gray on a new UK outdoor magazine called Wide World:
Just because there’s no snow on the ground doesn’t mean you can’t go to ski resorts. In fact, it’s a fantastic time for a mountain getaway – plus there are less crowds. White water, raw natural surroundings, forested canopies – perfect for mountain climbing, white-water rafting and challenging hikes. So put away your skis and snowboards and head to the hills in the ‘off season’. Here’s WideWorld’s pick of the 15 best.
1. Telluride, Colorado
The obvious omission that jumps to mind is Banff, Alberta, Canada.
No worries. Banff is hardly underexposed. Better people be reminded of Åre, Poiana-Brasov and Pamporovo that are lesser known.
No RSS feed for Wide World? That’s lame. I won’t be back very often. RSS is essential in 2009.
Pamporovo – the pearl of the Bulgarian mountain resorts, nests in the heart of the Rhodopes, 260 km from the capital Sofia, and 85 km south of the city of Plovdiv. …
The blissful couple at 17,768-foot Thorung La in Nepal.
… The 128-mile horseshoe-shaped route circles Nepal’s heaven-high Annapurna range, and it’s been hailed as the holy grail of trekking since it was first opened to foreigners in the early 1980s. Travel writers and hikers everywhere gush about the trail …
Season
October is the most popular, thanks to reliably pleasant weather (80°F and humid at 2,000 feet; 20°F and dry at 17,000 feet) and clear skies. …
Map and Books
The best trail guide is Annapurna Trekking Map and Complete Guide, by Partha S. Banerjee (Milestone Guidebooks, $10); it can be found at every bookstore in Kathmandu. Use Trails Illustrated map Annapurna #3003 (natgeomaps.com, $17) and Nepal (Lonely Planet, $25) for pre-trip planning.
Permit
Every trekker needs a permit ($25), but no reservations are necessary. Just pick one up in Kathmandu at the Annapurna Conservation Area Project office on Tridevi Marg (open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily). ntnc.org.np/trekking.php
Trailhead
The trek starts in Besisahar (catch a bus at Kathmandu’s Gongabu Bus Park; they leave regularly) and ends in Pokhara (return on a Greenline Tours bus, greenline.com.np).
Cost (Less Airfare & Rental Car) DIY: Less than $500 // Guided: $1,000-$1,499
Cheap and Easy
Annapurna’s teahouses beat the huts on other classic treks in terms of convenience, cost, and local color. Teahouses charge about $12 per day for a room and meals, and they’re never more than three hours apart, making is easy to keep a flexible itinerary. But that’s not to say there aren’t rules. Here are six: Choose a teahouse before 3 p.m. to beat large guided groups to the nicest places; choose a smaller one for better meal service; take showers immediately after arriving (most hot water is solar heated); order breakfast before going to bed to speed your morning departure; and bring a padlock for your room and a ground pad for the beds, which may be foam, straw, or just blankets.
Ski Touring : March – May 1
Road Biking : May – October
Mtn Biking : June – October
Trail Running : June – October
Hiking : June – October
So much in the Dolomites depends on the huts being open. To come to the Region and have the huts all closed would mean missing out on a lot of the culture, it would also mean a heavier pack. May and June can have periods of great weather for cycling, and the roads are empty. But, it can be quite wet as well. Again, the huts are closed from late April to 20 June.
The time frames above are not fixed, only general references. Also, for the off season you can visit lower, nearby areas and hit the Dolomites in periods of perfect weather. The Lake Garda area is a fantastic escape when the weather is bad, or the perfect spot to base yourself off season.
An interesting thing occurs in Italy each August. The majority of the country goes on holiday. Literally. Unless you live in a holiday area (like the Dolomites), you go on vacation. The interesting thing is that Italians like to stay in Italy, they see little reason to leave, they know it is about the best place on the planet. Why risk leaving where the food is bad and the coffee terrible (good point)?
So, they pack nearly everything they own into their tiny cars and head to either the Dolomites or the beach. At about the same time, the Germans, who love the German speaking Sud Tirol Region, arrive en masse in campers, big Audi’s and motorcycles.
Given the option – do not come to the Dolomites in August – steer clear. The roads are frightening, the trails have traffic problems, the huts are full and the locals are somewhat grumpy. …
Want to see the highest and lowest elevations in the continental USA from one vantage?
Telescope Peak is the highest point within Death Valley National Park, in the US state of California. It is also the highest point of the Panamint Range, and lies in Inyo County. From atop this desert mountain one can see for over one hundred miles in many directions, including west to Mount Whitney, and east to Charleston Peak. The mountain was named for the great distance visible from the summit.
Telescope Peak is also notable for having one of the greatest vertical rises above local terrain of any mountain in the contiguous United States. Its summit rises 11,331 feet (3,478 m) above the floor of Death Valley (Badwater, -282 ft/-86 m) in about 15 miles (24 km), and about 10,000 feet (3,050 m) above the floor of Panamint Valley in about 8 miles (13 km). …
Hiking Telescope Peak by the normal route involves a 14 mile (23 km) round trip hike. The trail starts in the cool western part of Death Valley National Park at Mahogany Flat campground. The trail slowly winds itself up to the summit 7 miles (11 km) later at a steady gradient of roughly 8%. …
This superb, popular hike starts a few miles past the famed Charcoal Kilns.
The beehive shaped kilns were built in the 1870s to make charcoal for local mines. Here is the start of the Wildrose Peak Trail, a good alternative to Telescope.
Though often called “challenging”, I found this hike surprisingly easy. Weather is a big factor. And I tented one night rather than doing the entire big trip in one day as most do.
There are some pretty, rolling miles along a ridge walk. Some hikers do not make it to the top due to feeling ill effects from the 3000ft climb.
The lush high alpine contrasts starkly with bleak Death Valley below.
At the peak I found an impressive summit box. To the many souvenirs and prizes that had been contributed, I added a Summit Stone on behalf of artist DSD.
Here’s the sunset view from my campsite.
Mt Whitney and the Sierras
It’s normally snowed in between November and May. You can still hike, but bring crampons.
No hiking permit required. In fact, if driving in from Lone Pine, California in the Sierras, you won’t even be able to buy a Park Pass ($20 for 7-days) which is supposedly required to hike Telescope. This mountain is on the very edge of the Park.
Tom Harrison Maps are available. And several good guidebooks. But this hike is very straight forward. If you can find your way to the trailhead by personal vehicle, you won’t get lost on the trail.
=== Sound too easy? Consider this extreme alternative:
… An established, but more advanced, climbing route is from Shorty’s Well (elevation around -250′) to Telescope Peak. This provides a net gain of elevation of roughly 11,300 ft (3,400 m) The route follows Hanaupah Canyon for over 10 miles (16 km) until Hanaupah Springs is reached. This route can be done in one day by experienced hikers, and has one of the largest elevation gains that can be gained up a single summit. …
The 4.0-mile trail to 11,760-foot Kearsarge Pass switchbacks up a sunny slope towards its namesake mountain pass, providing access to a sparkling High Sierra lake basin, the John Muir Wilderness, and the dramatic backcountry mountain scenery of Kings Canyon National Park—superb destinations for any day hiker.
Begin your hike at the trailhead located at the end of Onion Valley Road (Market Street in town), a 13-mile drive from the town of Independence, California—starting at an elevation of 9,189 feet, you might already feel breathless …
For any hiker wanting to plan a Chomolungma adventure, there is no better resource.
Expedition, Teahouse or Independent?
Route options depending on when you go. And how long you can stay in Nepal.
Terrific maps.
I have no complaints at all. This is an excellent guide.
The author Jamie McGuinness is expert, one of the most experienced trek leaders in the country. Based in Kathmandu, Nepal, he manages a trekking and climbing company. And has summitted Everest three times.
The main alternative, Trekking in Nepal by Stephen Bezruchka, has not been updated since 1997.
My next trip to Nepal will be to the Everest region. I’ll teahouse trek independently, carrying a very light pack, deciding on my exact route once there.
I was looking for a good first hike of the season. And a chance to test my full set of gear.
My original plan of scrambling Ha Ling, then wild camping, was abandoned after I heard about a better option from local hiker Kelly Mock.
In fact, I walked out Kelly’s front door directly to the trailhead and up the mountain to this gorgeous vista.
… Just above the treeline you’ll find a large helicopter landing pad, a steel ramp for paragliders, and the remains of a teahouse that was being constructed but is now abandoned. A gazebo just to the east of the teahouse sits on the edge of a large cliff. The views from here are spectacular. A number of hikers end their hike here as it’s already been a hard push to get this far, and the scree slope above can be daunting for non-scramblers. …
Actually, it’s an easy and popular hike straight up to the ill fated teahouse. Most do not go higher as it’s recommended you have mountaineering skills on the ridge.
That’s not far wrong. The slippery scree takes you up to a knife edge ridge with killer views into the Cougar Creek drainage. In summer it’s merely daunting.
Lady MacDonald is a terrific option for fit hikers. Each in your group can stop where they want. Most will relax at the teahouse or the gazebo until the adventurous return from the ridge.
This is a good hike with dogs. Don’t let them chase after the resident mountain sheep.
Marc Sebastian Pelzer has done 3 TMBs since 2003, in 2007 remembering to bring his wife Romana.
Marc posted an excellent trip report of their 2007 adventure:
Approximately 175 kilometers and 12,000 vertical meters ascent and descent around the mountain massif of Mont Blanc in the triangle of France, Italy & Switzerland. This is Europe’s most beautiful trekking tour. The “Tour Du Mont Blanc”. …
… Each stage was different than the previous one and had its own unique character. Each stage was a sporting challenge. On average, we went about 15 kilometers per day and completed to 1000 meters of altitude ascent and descent. …
Local expert Dave McNeill picks his favourites for Along Highway 395.
The Eastern Sierra provides a lifetime of places to hike. The terrain ranges from very challenging to a mellow walk in the woods and extends for nearly 250 miles along the great eastern escarpment of the mighty Sierra Nevada Mountains.
1. Horseshoe Meadow
2. Onion Valley
3. Taboose Pass
4. Big Pine Canyon
5. North Lake
6. Pine Creek
7. Rock Creek
8. Sherwin-Valentine Trail
9. Red’s Meadow
10. Gem Lake
A must see highilght is the Devil’s Postpile out of Red’s Meadow.
besthike.com 