Category: alpine

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Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail, Glacier Park

Colleen Contrisciane-Lewis, of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania won an all-expenses-paid grand prize from Backpacker magazine: an assignment to hike—and report on—her dream trip.

Read about her 85-mile, weeklong transect of Glacier National Park on the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail:

Naturally, Rowan and I want quality time alone–we eloped just weeks before our hike, and this Continental Divide-crossing route will not only be my Reader Leader dream trip, but also our honeymoon. …

… When I backpack solo, I can do breakfast and pack in 30 minutes. With Rowan, it takes two hours, and my frustration is building to a boil. …

… “Would you mind silencing your bear bell?” Rowan asks. “The incessant jingle is grating. And I’d love to see a bear.”

Who am I to argue with a man who’s lived with lions? So, against my better judgment, I silence my bell, and zip my lips. We hike 30 minutes before seeing a grizzly 20 yards off the trail …

read her trip report – GLACIER MAGIC

Bowman Lake in Glacier National Park (Jeremie Hollman)

That’s one unforgettable honeymoon!

Backpacker posted 7 more reader submitted trip reports:

Shoal Creek Loop, Gros Ventre Wilderness, WY

International Appalachian Trail, Parc National de la Gaspesie, Quebec

Creekside Loop, Pisgah NF, NC

Evolution Loop, Sequoia and Kings Canyon NP, CA

Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail, Castle Rock SP, CA

Grasshopper Glacier, Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness, MT

Appalachian Trail, 100-Mile Wilderness, ME

details

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barefoot to Kilimanjaro

The barefoot movement is going too far with this project.

Ross on Science of Sport:

Only 3 days to go before I jet off to Kilimanjaro to tackle Africa’s highest summit, and the world’s highest free-standing mountain…barefoot…

My mission is to help get ONE person to the top barefoot, and to do it safely. …

The Barefoot Kilimanjaro Challenge

It’s an attention getter, that’s for sure. Funds raised go to the Red Cross Children’s Hospital in South Africa.

related – Killian Jornet record for summitting Kilimanjaro in light shoes – 7 hours 14 minutes return. (VIDEO)

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Corsica GR20 update

I hiked half the GR20 last summer.

Mike saw my trip report and comments:

… treat the water. Very often the Corsicans pump their water directly from nearby streams so the water “might” be infected due to the heavy grazing. I’m speaking from personal experience 😦 …

… bed bugs are a recurring problem with most of the refuges … I agree with you. Tents are much safer!

Mike’s got a 55min video documentary on the northern section linked from corsica.forhikers.com/gr20 and the equally detailed southern section sequel on vimeo.

Or you can see both on Mike’s GR20 blog.

Watching those would be ideal preparation for the “toughest long distance trail in Europe”.

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Hillary Trail, New Zealand

It ain’t Everest but it ain’t easy!

• 70.0 km (43.5 mi)
• 4 days, 3 nights recommended
• opened 11 January 2010 to commemorate the 2nd anniversary of Sir Edmund’s death

Bookings are required for the Hillary Trail campgrounds, but not for the trail itself.

The last day is LONG, be warned. But you can give it a go year round.

Click PLAY or get a preview on YouTube.

• official web page

• detailed map (PDF)

(via Our Hiking Blog)

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Great Himalaya Trail – celebrities needed

… On January 15, two of Nepal’s prominent mountaineers will embark on a 1,700 km trail lasting 120 days with the aim of bringing tourists and investment to less visited and underdeveloped parts of the country as well as highlight effects of climate change.

To do this, Apa Sherpa, who holds the world record of summiting Mount Everest 21 times and Dawa Steven Sherpa, who has reached the peak twice, will take part in the marathon walkathon starting in Ghunsa in easterner Nepal and ending in Darchula in the far west. …

Hindustan Times – The mother of all treks and climate change

They are looking for … “global sports personalities and Hollywood and Bollywood stars to join some such portion of the trail and give the much needed publicity to the effort.”

The Great Himalaya Trail

(via Adventure Blog)

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Batad rice terraces, Philippines – day 2

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

Day 1 saw me reach Batad, a remote village of fewer than 1500 people, one of the best places to view the UNESCO World Heritage Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras.

Day 2, I slept in until everyone else had departed (with guides) to the Tappiyh Waterfalls. … At a quiet moment, I rushed off in the opposite direction on my own. I didn’t want a guide.

Though the trails look easy and obvious, I was quickly lost.

Over 3wks in the Philippines I never once saw a trailhead sign, nor a “hiking trail” sign. No wonder most hikers hire local guides.

I was intending to find (on my own) the back-route to the village of Bangaan. And find it I did — eventually.

It was fun to be in the paddies on my own.

En route I saw only 2 other hikers, with guide, headed in the opposite direction.

The biggest industry in the region seems to be construction, both road and trail construction. These steep slopes must often get washed out.

It was a truly wonderful hiking day, especially when I finally reached intensely scenic Bangaan.

From there I was prepared to walk out of the mountains (with full Pack) and try to catch transport back to civilization. By luck the very first vehicle — a dump truck — offered to drive me out. I got the cab. Other locals hopped into the back.

Here’s a Jeepney driving in the opposite direction, delivering more happy tourists to Batad.

See more photos from my 2 days in Batad.

There is no hiking guidebook for this region. The best resource I’ve found in English is travel-philippines.com Batad.

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Hanging Coffins of Sagada, Philippines

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

Sagada … has a population of 10,930.

It is located 275 km. north of Manila …

Sagada is one of the most popular tourist destinations, undeveloped as it takes at least 11hrs by bus and Jeepney to get there.

Sagada is famous for its “hanging coffins“. This is a traditional way of burying people that is still utilized. …

These coffins are carved by the elderly before they die; if they are too ill or weak their son or other close relative will do it for them. This ritual involves pushing the bodies into the tight spaces of the coffins, and often bones are cracked and broken as the process is completed. …

Pilot Guides

Most intriguing of all are chairs dangling alongside the coffins.

Later I learned that families who cannot afford a coffin use a chair, instead. The recently diseased is tied to a chair, attends an all night wake, and then is lowered down from the top of the cliff by rope.

This hanging coffin has a Crucifix, as well. Christians in this region have the choice of a graveyard or being hung.

In fact, the short hike to those hanging coffins takes you right past the impressive church and graveyard.

more photos

The other adventure out of Sagada is a guided tour of the Sumaguing Cave.

related – Weird Asia News – The Hanging Coffins of Sagada: An Ancient Tradition

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trek the High Tatras, Slovakia

High Tatras or High Tatra (Slovak and Czech: Vysoké Tatry, Polish: Tatry Wysokie) are a mountain range on the borders between Slovakia and Poland. …

travelslovakia.sk guides long adventures across the peaks. And also day hikes.

For the independent hiker, they also have recommendations for self-guided-tours.

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hike the Haute Route, Switzerland

The Chamonix-Zermatt Haute Route is one of our top 10 hikes in the world.

Greg Witt of Alpenwild:

Like you, I love the Haute Route. I have a popular video series on the Haute Route and my company, Alpenwild, is the leading US tour operator doing hiking and walking tours in the Swiss Alps. It’s our specialty. That’s really all we do.

Last year we did the Haute Route 7 times with guided groups and had self-guided clients on the trail every day between June 28 and September 20. Our 2012 season is already well ahead of last year. In addition to our guided and self-guided tours, with Chamonix or Verbier starts, we are also offering a Deluxe Haute Route for 2012—a kinder, gentler itinerary for those who want the scenery but less elevation gain and without the huts. …

Check their guided tours for 2012.

Alpenwild plans to publish Best Hikes in the Swiss Alps: An Alpenwild Guide to Hiking in Switzerland as an e-book by year end. That will be a terrific resource.

If you lack language skills (French, German, Italian) the self-guided option is worth considering. All of the fun of independent hiking, but none of the hassle of finding a place to sleep each night.