UPDATE – National Parks in Chile have been closed.
If you’ve ever researched the Paine Circuit in Chile, you know that it’s complicated.
Difficult to make reservations from overseas.
Happily, Kraig Adams arrived March 2020 with no reservation and yet had a terrific hike. The last half of the video is TIPS on how you could do the same.
Ramblin’ Boy posted a detailed trip report on the famed Snowman / Lunana Trek.
He was guided by Yangphel, a Thimphu adventure travel agency though he had booked through the trip through World Expeditions.
Snowman is one of the best treks in the world. However, the cost to trek in Bhutan was$300 / day.
If money is no object, go for it.
… Covering over three hundred kilometres in twenty-three days at high altitude means there is lots of time for something to go wrong –
There were 16 in our trekking party, most with a tent of their own. As well, perhaps ten locals – guides, cook team, tent team, horse handlers. The horses made up the single largest group – there were 43 of them. We were a village on the move! …
Narethang campvista on the Narethang-Tarina sectionvista en route to Rerethang after crossing Tempe La, the last pass
Has the Overland Track, Australia’s most famous long-distance walk, just been usurped? Edging along the tops of cliffs that soar more than 300m above the unruly Southern Ocean, the Three Capes Track (threecapestrack.com.au) has quickly assumed the mantle of Australia’s most intriguing bushwalk.
The four-day, 46km track opened to huge expectations at the end of 2015 …
… criticisms that have hounded the track are the cost (at AU$495 per person, it’s more than double the price of the Overland Track) and initially there were no camping facilities for traditional bushwalkers. …
To regulate walker numbers, which have been capped at 48 setting out each day, Tasmania’s Parks and Wildlife Service has established a permit system. Bookings should be made at threecapestrack.com.au/booking.
The walk officially begins at the Port Arthur Historic Site, about a 90-minute drive from the Tasmanian capital of Hobart.
Mac posted his 6th annual Pacific Crest Trail (2018) Thru-hiker Survey, a terrific resource. It’s interesting to see what gear successful hikers carried and liked best.
In the era where Trump and his appointee Zinke are happy to sell off protected public lands, these proposals from Backpacker magazine might not seem modest to all.
Odds are better in the other (more difficult) direction.
This superb trip report is recommended for your planning.
Brown Gal Trekker:
I completed my solo thru hike of JMT’s entire length of 210 miles plus 11 miles climb up from Whitney Portal starting from Whitney on July 29, 2018 and ending in Yosemite Valley on August 21, 2018, a day ahead of my schedule …
JMT northbound wasn’t the original intention. The start supposedly had to occur in Yosemite heading southbound and ending with the highest passes like most thru hikers do. Many proclaim southbound route trains you best for the harder climbs and higher altitudes. And yet northbound JMT took shape due to the permit limitations. Hence, northbound became the journey.
… Whitney greeted me on the 2nd day. Forrester pass at 13000 feet came in on day 4. Kearsarge at 11750 feet came the next day. I hauled 40 pounds all the while. …
The regular SOBO permits can be obtained solely through a lottery. You can apply 170 days prior to the start date of your choosing. Application form must be completed and faxed. For the SOBO permit, you must fill out your starting and ending dates plus your trailheads of preference. The instructions are straightforward but the chances of getting a permit are rather slim. You can learn more about applying via this website.
Because we weren’t the lucky 2% who scored a SOBO permit, we ended up taking our chances on the unclaimed permits going NOBO via Whitney Portal. If you wish to go for overnight Whitney permits from the start, the application usually starts in February. See details on how to apply for Whitney overnight permit lottery here. We searched for permits on May 1st, when the unclaimed permits were released. These permits can be booked via Recreation.gov. To learn more, go to this site.
In applying for the permits, you will need to guesstimate your itinerary. The most important part is the entry date and entry point. In our case, we were seeking to secure the overnight Whitney permit for our desired date. When you get to Lone Pine, CA, make sure to stop by the Eastern Sierra Park office to pick up your permit. …
If interested in doing the John Muir Trail yourself, check our JMT information page.
I’ve was very happy overall with my OutDry layers purchased December 2017. But within a few months the decals on both jackets started flaking off.
After about 7 months the OutDry coating on the down jacket began peeling off.
Columbia was very responsive when I contacted them. They want me to send them the jacket at my expense … then they’ll assess whether it is normal wear-and-tear or whether it’s my fault. That’s too much time, cost and bother for me. Especially if they somehow determine this was my fault.
I’m not sure I want an unreliable replacement.
Instead I’ll warn you here about the OutDry on the down jacket. It’s too sticky, I feel. Don’t buy that product.
The OutDry rain shell I really like. And I’m still using it as my main waterproof layer.
Here’s their email response:
All of our Outerwear and Equipment products benefit from our “Limited Lifetime Warranty”. This covers any manufacturing defects in the material and workmanship but excludes normal wear and tear and does not cover products that have been misused, neglected and the natural breakdown of materials over time. Receipt of purchase may be required. This Limited Lifetime Warranty lasts for the expected lifetime of the product from date of purchase. Coverage ends if you sell or transfer the product.
Shipping Information. Customers are responsible for shipping items to Columbia Sportswear. We will cover the cost of return shipping. We recommend that you ship your product with a reputable carrier that can provide tracking information and proof of delivery, such as Purolator or Canada Post. Customers are responsible for their product until we sign for delivery. Columbia Sportswear cannot be held responsible for packages lost in transit
All warranty claims are subject to evaluation by our warranty department and if your product is deemed out of warranty, it will be returned to you as is. If your product is deemed defective but unrepairable within a reasonable amount of time you will receive a Virtual Merchandise Credit equivalent to the MSRP value. Depending on the season or product, it may take longer to repair certain items. We will discard your product if it is covered under our applicable warranty when we provide you with a Virtual Merchandise Credit. If you would like your original product returned to you, you will not receive a Virtual Merchandise Credit, please check the box on the printable warranty form.
First option when possible is to have it repaired locally and send us the receipt for reimbursement up to $35 plus taxes per repair. All receipts require stamp of retailer/business and a clear description of the product and the repair that was performed.
The second option would be for you to send your item to our warranty department. Please proceed to the brand specific website and follow warranty instructions as it pertains to your item to receive your claim #. Furthermore, we ask that our clients pay for the initial one-way cost of shipping and we will cover the return cost. If product is not repairable a Virtual Merchandise Credit will be emailed to you to shop online, as stated above.
All our inspections are taking approximately 4-6 weeks from the received date.
Please note: Your products must be cleaned prior to shipment according to its care instructions. Products received that are deemed insufficiently cleaned will be returned to the customer unprocessed.
____ Original post from May 2018:
GearJunkie posted a sponsored ad from Columbia. This is the opposite of transparency in advertising. I’m disappointed. ☹️
The article, at first glance, looks a legit review.
For most hikes I will bring this along, replacing my usual down hooded parka.
The most compelling reason I decided to go this direction is the OutDry™ EX outer layer. It seems obvious to me that down jackets should be waterproof. The down is not hydrophobic, but doesn’t need to be as it won’t get wet.
I’m confident I’ll never be wet nor cold with this system. The hoods are excellent.
Some feel the fit is boxy. I’d agree. But I like the extra room for more layers underneath.
The sacred valley is a lush agricultural region about 15 km north of Cusco (Peru) which extends all the way to Machu Picchu. …
This 2-day itinerary will take you from Cusco to the ruins of Ollantaytambo, the Salineras de Maras, the village of Maras, the Moray Terraces and the town and ruins of Pisac. …
The route is in fact almost unknown to most tourists. …
The app offers offline support for both guided and independent trekkers.
Guest post by Ashish Shrestha:
Phuraphuti Sherpa runs the homely Namaste Lodge at Monjo, one of the many small villages that trekkers pass through on their way to Everest Base Camp.
The number of trekkers is close to fifty thousand per year, but only a handful know the fact that Phuraputi also runs a small kitchen garden and serves organic vegetables to her guests.
As she says, “I run a small lodge but I make sure every trekkers leave happily when they go. I even grow my own vegetables and serve organic food. I hope that now even small lodges like mine get equal opportunity to be noticed!”
In traditional dress for the photo.
She is one of the 80 lodges in the Everest Region that has signed up for HoneyGuide, an online community that connects mountain lovers with people who depend on the mountains for their livelihood.
The inspiration behind HoneyGuide is to:
Make sure that porters, guides, and lodges get paid equitably and get business transparently.
Make sure that trekkers get enough options and information to run a trek the way they see fit: from going independent without any bookings to a fully guided trek.
AT A GLANCE
