Category: alpine

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Tongariro ALPINE Crossing, New Zealand

Entertaining trip report from one of the best and most popular hikes in the world.

… We weren’t exactly sure what to prepare for in terms of climate, and timing to complete the hike but we knew it was going to be quite the challenge.

The Tongariro Crossing is actually rated New Zealand’s BEST one day hike. Now imagine, New Zealand is an absolutely amazing jaw – dropping country, so to nominate it the # 1 Day Hike is quite optimistic on the Department of Conservations’ behalf.

It’s an 18 Km Hike through and UP both active and dormant volcanoes, and average hiking time is 7 hours. IN addition, to this hike, we planned to conquer Mount Ngauruhoe – a 2287 M active volcano, which from here on end, I will refer to as MOUNT DOOM ( I have no idea on how to pronounce and I can not expect you to!!!) Keep in mind that this volcano is not included in the hike, and is a climb at “your own risk”…since there are no paths or trails, you’re litterally crawling up a steep mound composed of volcanic ash and rock on your hands in knees. …

Tongariro Alpine Crossing! – Stefarr from Montreal

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original – travelpod

It may be that I liked the author’s photo even more than her trip report:

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location unknown

Tongariro Crossing – best hike information page

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5 of the Best Walks in Europe

The Rambling Traveler posted 5 major hikes he would like to do in future.

  • Italy- Alpe di Siusi in the Dolomites between Val di Fassa and Val Gardena (many day hikes)
  • Switzerland- Alpine Pass Route from Sargans to Montreux (350km/220 miles)
  • Norway- Hardanger Plateau DNT Trail from peak to fjord (5-7 day hike)
  • Scotland- West Highland Way from Milngavie to Fort William (152km/95 miles)
  • England- Coast to Coast Walk (C2C) from St Bees to Robin Hoods Bay (304km/190 miles)

    • If you have other recommendations, please share them in the comments on the Rambling Traveler blog post.

    Cabin in the middle of nowhere, Alpe di Siusi, Italy

    siusi.jpg

    original – flickr – Alaskan Dude

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    bears disappearing in Europe?

    I only recently grasped the fact there are bears in the European Alps.

    Now I learn they are disappearing:

    bear.pngWhat — or who — is behind the mysterious disappearance of 20-25 Austrian bears? While that number may seem small, it in fact represents four fifths of the bear population that makes its living in the forests of Lower Austria and Styria. The disappearances, which started occurring in the late 90s, have caused sufficient consternation among local residents and environmentalists to lead to an investigation by the Austrian police.

    Christoph Waldner of WWF attributes their disappearance to one of three reasons: natural mortality, migration or hunting — which is illegal because of the bears’ endangered status. To Waldner, it seems pretty clear that hunters are to blame for the bears’ disappearance. …

    Treehugger

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    National Geographic: best hike in the USA?

    Kraig Becker linked to a great contest for hikers:

    Most hikers, trekkers, and backpackers have a particular trail that sticks out to them as being their favorite for one reason or another. Sometimes it’s the scenery or the wildlife they encounter along the way. Perhaps it’s the challenge or the solitude it provides. No matter what reason your favorite trail keeps you coming back, National Geographic Adventure wants to know about it.

    The editors over at Adventure are compiling a list of their reader’s favorite trails for a feature on “America’s Best Hikes” which will be the cover story for the April issue that hits newsstands on March 18th. …

    read more – The Adventure Blog

    I instantly nominated The North Circle in Glacier National Park, Montana. It’s one of our top 10 hikes in the world.

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    Iceberg Lake in Glacier National Park – flickr – by The Lilac Breasted Roller

    Details on how to nominate your favourite American trail on National Geographic.

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    hiking the Canadian Rockies in October

    Any guidebook will tell you yer crazy to consider hiking the Rockies in “winter”. Too dangerous.

    Of course that’s nonsense. Tough Canadians ski, snowshoe and even hike year round.

    For example, from Ewen on the Outdoor Video magazine site:

    Length: Approx 23km
    Time: 2 Days
    Elevation Gain: 900m total (excluding sidetrip)
    Max Elevation: 2330m, (2500m side trip up Saddleback Mt)
    Rating: 7/10, some tedious spots though it was overcast and cloudy
    Done: End of October 2007
    Book: Classic Hikes in the Canadian Rockies, Graeme Pole

    Route: From Lake Louise Chateau over Saddleback Pass, into Paradise Valley, up Paradise Valley via river bottom (lower trail), return via Lake Annette and Paradise Valley Junction.

    Towards the end of October 2007, UAOC (University of Alberta Outdoors Club) headed to the Lake Louise area of Banff National Park for a late-season two-day backpacking trip. The target: Paradise Valley.

    …

    We finished off the drive along the Icefields Parkway and registered at the Park Office in Lake Louise. Then, after a quick drive to the trailhead at Lake Louise Chateau, we were ready to get going (you can start from Morraine Lake in summer, but the Morraine Lake road is closed to cars in autumn, winter and spring). Having assessed snow conditions, we decided to leave the snowshoes at the car…a good choice seeing as we barely had to hike through any snow at all! Yet at the same elevation on the Skyline a few weeks before, we had several feet.

    paradise.png

    … read more – Paradise Valley Backpack – Hiking in Banff National Park

    There’s something about Ewen’s trip reports I like. They are succinct, honest and entertaining all at the same time.

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    Mt Lafayette, NH – Bridle Path Loop

    At besthike we are western snobs. No doubt about it.

    But there really are fantastic hikes east of the Rocky Mountains. For example:

    Where: Bridle Loop Path, Mount Lafayette, New Hampshire

    What: The nine-mile Bridle Path Loop in New Hampshire’s White Mountains takes in two of the state’s tallest peaks, Lafayette and Lincoln. I love this particular trail because it rewards you with all the best elements of hiking in the Northeast: an extended traverse along an exposed ridge, a series of roaring waterfalls, and breathtaking views of the Presidentials and Pemigewasset Wilderness all the way to Mount Washington.

    …

    Here’s how I described it in the September 2006 edition of my American Adventurer column: “The trail climbs, steeply and steadily, over exposed rocks and up through a forest of beech, birch, and maple to the knife’s edge of rocks and windswept ledges that is Franconia Ridge … There you stand, a mile high, with the world spread before you and nothing between you and the next peak but a narrow, undulating ridge. The next mile and a half is all ups and downs, all jagged rocks and tumbled boulders, with every step of the way punctuated by loose rubble, patches of dwarf pines, and vast stretches of hardy alpine scrub.”

    If that doesn’t sound like fun, I don’t know what does. I love hiking!

    p1010083.jpg

    The Tuesday Traveler # 5: Mount Lafayette, New Hamphire « chapter11studios.com

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    Edmund Hillary dead at 88

    Farewell Sir Edmund.

    You’ve been a great inspiration to us all.

    hillary_norgay_1953.jpg

    When I lived in New Zealand we visited a museum housing all of his original mountaineering gear from 1953. He had kept it in his basement for decades.

    Those men were tough.

    Sir Edmund Percival Hillary, KG, ONZ, KBE (20 July 1919 – 11 January 2008) was a New Zealand mountaineer and explorer. On 29 May 1953, he and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers known to have reached the summit of Mount Everest. …

    profile piece – Everest legend Edmund Hillary dies – CNN.com

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    climb Kala Patthar – see Mt Everest

    Matsamuel posted an excellent trip report of his trek to Everest — actually to the summit of Kala Patthar near Everest. Ideal reading for anyone considering that trip.

    Unfortunately he posted it on the confusing cluttered Travelpod website. (Actually, that site is very functional.)

    Best starting point on Travelpod is his table of contents.

    Or jump directly to the highlight of the trek — Everest Trek Day 10, Loboche to Kala Patthar:

    … I have to admit I was a bit worried about climbing Kala Patthar. Yesterday, as we were trekking to Loboche, Noori pointed at a mountain in the distance and simply stated “Kala Patthar”. …. That’s Kala Patthar?! How the heck were we going to climb that? It looks sheer on all sides and the fact that the top is covered in a layer of ice is not easing my mind. We don’t have any equipment to make that sort of technical climb let alone the know-how or the guts.

    kala-patthar.jpg
    photo source

    … the top of Kala Patthar was in view and it was close. It was a real scramble across rocks upon nearing the summit but finally I had made it. I turned around to see Everest under a perfect sky. After 10 days of trekking I had made it to the top of Kala Patthar and was gazing at what is arguably the best ground view of Everest possible. That was my reward. It is just a magnificent mountain to look at. Stark black with hardly much snow with its classic triangular shape. It truly is a natural wonder. I could have stayed up there all day if it was for the fact that I was truly freezing my ass off. …

    nepal_20071197034200pc070340.jpg
    photo source

    …Everest, the king of all mountains, right in front of me. I was hard to believe that I was seeing all this live and with my own eyes.

    Everest Trek Day 10: Loboche to Kala Patthar     – trip report

    His trekking partner Mazen was sticken with severe altitude sickness and did not try for this summit. They descended as quickly as possible.

    Stories like this make me want to trek at lower elevations. The heavily glaciated peaks of New Zealand or Patagonia, for example, which have almost no risk of altitude sickness.

    Kala Patthar – 5545m (18,192ft) – Wikipedia

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    New Zealand Tramper photos

    We named New Zealand the best hiking destination in the world on Christmas day.

    I was expecting some heckling from the “California is the center of the Outdoor Universe” crowd. (Perhaps they’re still hung over from the holidays.)

    Here’s more evidence that New Zealand is the real centre of the Outdoor Universe:

    Looking across at Mt Tutuko and Madeline across a cloud filled Hollyford Valley. This is during a rest on the traverse from Lake Nerine to North Col …

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    Location – Mount Aspiring National Park. By pmcke, 30 December, 2007.

    more gorgeous pics from this tramp – Photographs | New Zealand Tramper

    New Zealand Tramper is, overall, the best source of photos from that country. Unfortunately they post only one / page and the RSS feed does not include the image. Due to those barriers, I only have time to look at a few of them.

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    Pindari glacier trek, India

    Ajay Shah signed on with a company called KMVN for the Pindari Glacier trek southeast of Nanda Devi in India.

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    at the chai shop en route to the trailhead.

    I love the photos. From his trip report:

    Overall, the trip had height gain from Song (1300 m) to Zero point (3660 m), i.e. 2360 metres or 7740 feet. The linear distance of the entire trip Song – Zero Point – Song is 90 km. It was a grand trip and well worth it. …

    If you think of doing this trip, the following ideas will help:

    * Get the Survey of India Trekking Map Series map of Kumaon.

    * Dress in layers that are convenient to add and delete. The temperature can swing around by 10 degrees in a few minutes. It rains almost every day, so it’s useful to have a raincoat or a windcheater. Gore-tex would be ideal.

    * There is electricity at only one place: A generator at Khati. Carry spare charged batteries.

    * You don’t need the KMVN package trek. At Bageshwar, you can line up the unbundled components. The components are: Porter (can carry 30 kg, and costs Rs.200/day), beds at KMVN huts (Rs.150/night), a guide (who is voluble, unlike porters, and acts like a majordomo at the camps), transportation to and from Song, etc. This gives you more flexibility in designing your own trip, and making changes on the fly. The package treks are too restrictive; they are useful if you have never ever done a trip in the region before and have no clue about how things work.

    * The maps identify all KMVN huts. You can landup at a KMVN hut without any advance warning. If they have a bed, you’ll get it. If they don’t, they’ll spring a sleeping bag and/or a mattress and accomodate you anyway. They will make dinner for you. It’s cool.

    * The water is not clean when it is near human habitation.

    * If you must contract with KMVN in Delhi (or anyplace other than Bageshwar), be sure to have a written definition of what you have contracted. We experienced a serious failure of communications between Delhi and Bageshwar, where the things agreed-to by KMVN staff at Delhi (verbally) were not honoured by the folks at Bageshwar.

    * It is nice to have a tent, that gives choices other than the KMVN huts.

    * KMVN food planning is low on trail chow and protein.

    * There are leeches and flies-that-bite. Full sleeves and long pants make sense. Plan on DEET.

    You don’t actually get to see Nandi Devi on this trip. But the surrounding mountains are beautiful.

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    Pindari glacier trek – trip report – Ajay Shah

    besthike Indian Himalaya information page.