Category: alpine

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hiking Cordillera Apolobamba, Bolivia

Two places I really want to hike:

1) Bhutan
2) Bolivia

I keep waiting for Bhutan to open to independent trekkers. … sigh …

Bolivia I’ve actually hiked once, but did not have nearly as much time as I wanted.

Bolivia is Peru, but still little visited by trekkers.

… South America’s highest nation is known as the “Tibet of the Andes” for its altiplano, a plateau where valley bottoms sit at 13,000 feet. Above that, mountains are so big and buried in snow and glaciers that you really could mistake them for the Himalayas. And the best place to see it all is western Bolivia’s pristine and barely known Cordillera Apolobamba. Hard against the Peruvian border, the region is home to Andean condors, herds of vicuñas (related to alpacas), endangered speckled bears, and the 65-mile Apolobamba trek, which runs from Curva north across Apolobamba National Park to Pelechuco. The weeklong high route crosses five passes between 15,400 and 16,728 feet. …

Backpacker – CORDILLERA APOLOBAMBA, BOLIVIA

Safety is a real issue in that range. I’d likely sign on with local guides, like trek apolobamba

They are advertising a new adventure, by the way, … the Kallawaya Circuit.

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Fantastic Four – Waterton-Glacier

Blast.

I’m still not on the Glory Board for Waterton’s Triple Crown.

And now they’ve launched a new challenge – the Fantastic Four:

… 4 days, 4 trails, 2 countries– challenge yourself to two of Waterton’s favourite hikes: Crypt Lake and Alderson-Carthew, followed by 2 of Montana’s most scenic treks through the Garden Wall and Siyeh Pass …

read more on – Experience Waterton

Next year for SURE.

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fleeing Mt Yari, Japan

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

Day 2

I awoke before dawn in one of the best tent sites of my life.

This truly is the land of the rising sun.

Dozens of hikers were already atop nearby Mt Yari. It’s tradition to climb in the dark.

Personally, I was in no rush. The crowds were gone by the time I headed up.

In fact, I had the summit to myself. Nice.

I left a Summit Stone at the Yari summit shrine.

A helicopter arrived. That’s Fuji in the distance.

helicopter and Fuji

An elderly gentleman was evacuated. He looked OK to me but had been on oxygen earlier in the morning.

I’m hoping he had insurance. Choppers are very expensive in Japan.

Here are the famous Yari ladders, trickier on the descent than the climb.

Though the weather could not have been finer, the forecast was for rain next day. I gambled, hoping it would hold off long enough for me to finish the Kamokochi – Yari – Hotaka circuit early next morning.

It was too tempting to spend the day walking the ridge towards Murado. Can you blame me?

This region is wrongly compared with Yosemite. In fact, it’s much like the GR20 in Corsica.

The nearest water to Yari I could find was at Sugoruko-goya.

They have quite an elaborate system ensuring a drinking supply for the hiking season. (But you may need to filter out the insects.)

2pm was my turnaround time. It was even prettier on the way back.

I did not see much wildlife. A pair of Rock Ptarmigan were the highlight.

Can you believe this stunning view from Yari-dake-sanso at sunset?

Here’s my last photo of the day — my tent.

_____

In fact, that was my last photo of the trip.

Going to sleep at 8:30pm, I was awoken at 10:30pm. The storm had arrived.

Wind and driving rain all night kept me up. I listened to an audio book until first light.

It was all I could do to stuff my wet gear and flee back the way I came, the easy way down. This means I MISSED the infamous Diakiretto:

… hole in the ridge
… ladders, chains, big drops …

This is, without doubt, the most exhilarating (or the scariest) bit of hiking in Japan that doesn’t require any specialist skills.

Lonely Planet

That route is too dangerous when wet. I’d been warned by Wes Lang, editor of the Hiking in Japan blog.

See all my photos from day 2 of this adventure on Flickr

Or check Day 1 if you missed it.

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climbing Mt Yari, Japan

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

I’m in Japan for up to two months — including 3wks with an all-you-can-ride Japan Rail pass.

First up — Kamikōchi:

… a remote mountainous highland in the western portion of Nagano Prefecture …

… the entire highland is protected as part of the Chūbu-Sangaku National Park, access is only granted to bus, taxi and local workers’ vehicles. …

Off to climb Mt Yari.

Lonely Planet tells me that the cheapest and easiest way to get there is by night bus from a big city.

We arrived 5:30am.

I was one of the few who took breakfast. Most dashed off up the trail. Japanese love to hike early.

The most popular trail to Yari starts leisurely.

Trees are starting to change colour end of September, but not as spectacularly as I had hoped.

Little of the signage is in English — mainly WARNINGS.

This walk along the Asuza-gawa river is famous in Japan.

The “spear” of Mt Yari compels. But it’s not nearly as close as it appears.

It seemed to take forever to reach my destination — the hugely popular complex called Yari-dake-sanso — every step getting steeper. It seems the 1500m (4500ft) elevation gain all happens over the last few kms. 😦

What an amazing location for an alpine hut, only 120m (about 360ft) below the summit.

The highlight of the day, however, was the shocking location of the campground.

Check the sunset view from my tent.

Exhausted, I couldn’t be happier with the adventure so far.

See all my photos from day 1 of this adventure on Flickr

related:

• kamikochi – official website (ENG)
• Yari Lodge (ENG)

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advice – the GR20 trek in Corsica

by Rick McCharles, editor of besthike.com

I’ve hiked many of the best treks of the world. The GR20 compares favorably with the best of the best. But it’s very physically challenging, in fact the toughest hike I’ve ever done.

Read my 7 day trip report.

» day 1 | day 2 | day 3 | cirque | day 4 | day 5 | day 6 | day 7 | advice |

For me the start was extremely grueling. But at the summit of Mt. d’Oro, last day, I was feeling terrific.

Rick McCharles

If YOU are interested in taking on the “toughest hike in Western Europe”, here’s my advice.

Browse the best websites in English:

• Corsica.forHikers.com/gr20
• le-gr20.com/gb
• Wikipedia GR20

Order one or both of the two best Guidebooks in English:

• Trailblazer Corsica Trekking GR20 by David Abram (2008)
• Cicerone GR20: Corsica: The High-level route by Paddy Dillon (2010)

Both those books describe the trek north to south, but there’s no real reason you couldn’t do it in the opposite direction, leaving the most spectacular and difficult sections to the end.

I also bought Lonely Planet Corsica as a travel guidebook, but was less impressed than usual. The long predicted decline in quality of LP may be proven by this edition. If you are only going for the GR20, you may not need anything more than a trekking guide.

There are no dedicated “hiking maps” for the GR20 that I saw in 2011. The guidebooks are sufficient if you are going to stay on the main trails.

The trail is possible from early June through mid-October.
Best month to hike is June when water (and snow) is more available.

July and August can be VERY HOT. And crowded. Lightning storms frequently drive you off the heights by afternoon.

Keep to the highest (most difficult) route as much as possible.

Due to the wonderful climate, I’d recommend you sleep in a tent. Those can be rented at Refuges, but it’s safer to carry your own. I refused to stay under roof, myself. Refuges are noisy, crowded and unsanitary. That’s just me. Most hikers seem to like them.

Very little English is spoken on the GR20. You’ll need at least a smattering of French to survive.

My biggest mistake was carrying too much food and liquid. My pack was too heavy. Instead I should have carried more Euros and simply bought meals along the way at Refuges.

Most do this adventure independently, but you can sign on with a guiding company. Try …

• Walks Worldwide
• KE Travel Adventure

The easiest, cheapest way to get to Corsica is by Air. Try EasyJet first. Personally I enjoyed taking the overnight ferry to and from the island, saving the cost of accommodation both ways.

Questions? Suggestions?

Leave a comment if you’ve done the GR20 and have advice to add.

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GR20 Trek Corsica – day 7

trip report by besthike editor Rick McCharles

» day 1 | day 2 | day 3 | cirque | day 4 | day 5 | day 6 | day 7 | advice |

Saturday, July 2nd, 2011

I was up early, following the rush of hikers up the mountain.

By now the 670m (2200ft) climb before breakfast was ho hum. It felt quite easy.

There’s no water (aside from snow) so everyone had bottles maxed out.

Simple. Follow the ridge. Scramble the peak on the left.

From here it’s only another 300m and some tricky scrambling to get to the summit of Monte d’Oro. On this perfect day, nobody opted for the lower (easier) route.

Soon I was caching a Summit Stone.

And enjoying the big view from 2389m.

All I talked to agreed the ascent was surprisingly easy that day. All dreaded the 1469m (4800ft) descent to the train station at Vizzavona.

I managed to find the steeper, shorter route. Knees and ankles feeling strong, it was not all that bad. My motivation was high knowing that I was going to finish today.

A couple of glisadding sections saved time. That’s the famed pyramid of d’Oro directly behind.

Arriving back in civilization, I joined fellow trekkers for an overpriced glass of wine in a restaurant. They had checked in to a hotel for one night, a splurge before continuing south on the GR20.

I, instead, tried to wash up at the (crappy) campsite.

And caught the next train to Ajaccio, birthplace of Napoleon.

By luck a ferry was leaving that night to return me to Nice, France. I enjoyed the nightlife (VIDEO), had a few too many Gelato cones and got on the boat. …

See more annotated photos from day 7.

Tomorrow I’ll post a wrap-up of the GR20 with advice for anyone who wants to test themselves on the “toughest hike in Western Europe”.

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GR20 Trek Corsica – day 6

trip report by besthike editor Rick McCharles

» day 1 | day 2 | day 3 | cirque | day 4 | day 5 | day 6 | day 7 | advice |

Friday, July 1st, 2011

Good morning GR20.

Another perfect day. I’m loving the view from this ridge.

Up at elevation, the wild flowers were even better than down in the valley.

From the pass — Bocca Muzella — I could see the trail climbing the ridge across the valley. Sweet.

After scrambling down to Refuge Petra Piana, hikers asked where I had slept. … And were were envious.

The water source there was highly appreciated.

From here it’s a high, dry ridge walk. This is what the GR20 is all about.

I liked the looks of the pig proofed tent area. So decided to stop earlier than any other day.

That’s Refuge de L’Onda. The first campsite where I wasn’t totally exhausted on arrival.

… By this point I had resolved to hike only one more day, catching the train at Vizzavona. That would be enough GR20 for me.

See more annotated photos from day 6.

_____

Shout out for David Abram’s guidebook. Normally I hate cartoon not-to-scale maps, but the ones in this book are excellent. Very descriptive.

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GR20 Trek Corsica – day 5

trip report by besthike editor Rick McCharles

» day 1 | day 2 | day 3 | cirque | day 4 | day 5 | day 6 | day 7 | advice |

Thursday, June 30th, 2011

The woods where I had tented were incredibly chewed up. Seems the forest floor is excavated by 45,000 feral pigs (VIDEO), though I saw none in a week.

Turned out I had camped quite close to the only road I would cross in a week, bringing hikers to Castel di Verghio ski station. There’s a hotel and camping, but most GR20 hikers slept in this Refuge.

Buses do stop here. But I’d decided to continue for at least 3 more days.

I joined the crowds departing at about 8am, descending into a lovely woods.

After about an hour in the trees, an easy trail winds up the hills to this oratory.

Like yesterday, it’s very easy hiking. This was the most rugged section.

I’d been waiting days for my first glimpse of Lac de Nino.

David Abram:

… an exquisite high-altitude lake cradled by 2000m+ peaks. … grazed by herds of wild horses. … this unique spot has an air curiously reminiscent of the Central Asian steppes. …

It’s certainly uniquely different than any other part of the GR20. But are these horses actually wild?

A treat. The only significant section of flat trail I tramped.

You could mountain bike this!

Mangaru Refuge was easily the tidiest of those I checked out.

It even has a modern recycling system.

From there it’s a 650m ascent to Breche de Capitellu 2225m.

The ridge section between the famous Breche de Capitellu (at 2225m the GR’s highest point) and Bocca Muzzela is a non-stop parade of stupendous scenery.

Capitellu and Melu

With the clouds blowing in and out, it reminded me of Machu Picchu.

Here’s the night view from my tent, my favourite camp site on the GR20.

See more annotated photos from day 5.

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Kamikochi – Yari – Hotaka Circuit, Japan

by site editor Rick McCharles

Already in Tokyo, I’m looking at tomorrow heading for the Northern Alps to hike out of Kamikōchi:

… a remote mountainous highland in the western portion of Nagano Prefecture, Japan, which has been preserved in its natural state. …

It is sometimes referred to as the “Japanese Yosemite,” although it is considerably smaller than its American counterpart. …

Lonely Planet Hiking in Japan:

34km

Japan’s classic alpine route.

Leave a comment if you’ve hiked here.