Best hikes, treks, tramps in the world.
Outside reports:
In celebration of its 40th anniversary, Mountain Travel Sobek is doling out 40 free adventures. Travelers who book a trip by Apr. 17 can bring a friend for free. Destinations include: Machu Picchu, Morocco, the Swiss Alps, and more.
home page – Mountain Travel Sobek
There are some good deals out there for guided hikes. Shop around.
Leave a comment if you’ve seen any good value deals on treks.
I’ve never entered Disney World.
Since I’ve never owned a house, I could not spend the “profit” on rapidly escalating market value on a holiday.
Now many others in North America join me in comparative poverty.
Kurt Repanshek on National Parks Traveler posted on this topic – With or Without a Stimulus Package, National Parks Can Be Economical Vacation Destinations.
… If you take a family of four (three members age 10 or more, one under 10), to Disney World for one day, you’ll pay nearly $300 (you can do the calculations at this site) for the privilege of passing through the gate. The Universal Studios theme park in Orlando, Florida? Buy online and one park for one day will only cost you $73 per ticket.
How much more you’ll spend on hotels and meals, well, you can imagine. …
Now, if you go to Yellowstone National Park, it’ll cost that same family of four just $25 to pass through the gate — and that entry pass is good for seven days. Go to Great Smoky Mountains National Park and it won’t cost you anything, as there are no entry fees at that park. …
read more – With or Without a Stimulus Package, National Parks Can Be Economical Vacation Destinations
I travel a lot.
Normally I search for flights on two sites:
Mobissimo Yahoo Travel Farechase
Both are good in North America. Internationally Mobissimo is better.
Recently Mobissimo has added a killer feature – Activity Search. One of the choices is Trekking.
screenshot
I was shocked at the excellent search results from my city, Calgary. These guys know trekking!
screenshot
I shouldn’t be surprised.
Blogger climb_ca on the Getoutdoors.com Outdoor Blog GoBlog is associated with Mobissimo.
David Roberts was air rescued in Alaska this past summer at a cost of over $90,000.
Though he had a lot of experience with arctic wilderness in Saskatchewan, the media is reporting that he was totally unprepared, and a “goofy guy”.
Roberts, a 54-year-old Australian, was trying to walk almost 100 miles across the Brooks Range wilderness when he set off a long-distance distress call on Friday. He’d been out there alone for two months.
…He hauled a 140-pound sled full of supplies behind him, he said. A persistent stomach bug left him dehydrated while frequent, stabbing pains pierced his cold feet.
He traveled fewer than 40 miles in two months — far less than he’d expected.
…
Alaskans have little patience for seemingly ill-prepared adventurers, and news of the rescue prompted comparisons to another explorer who trekked into the wilderness 16 years ago — Chris McCandless. McCandless starved to death after trying to survive on his own for more than three months near Denali National Park.
…Roberts didn’t know who would have to pay for his rescue when he made the decision to get help, he said. “I didn’t presume that somebody else was going to pick up the tab on that.” …
Anchorage Daily News – Adventurer’s wilderness trek ends with air rescue, free hotel
Roberts will not be billed for the rescue costs.
… Minnesota, New York, Massachusetts and Illinois are thinking of selling or leasing toll roads, parks, lotteries and other assets to raise desperately needed cash. …
As reported in Treehugger:
57,000 New Jobs Could Be Created in US National Parks
With the economy foundering at the moment, it’s not surprising that many people are proposing projects to the incoming Obama administration that will create new jobs and benefit the economy as a whole. A new report from the National Parks Conservation Association does its part for promoting reinvestment in the US National Parks system as another worthy area for green investment.
The report says that they are $2.5 billion worth of job-creating projects in the National Parks, and furthermore that for every dollar invested there it could bring back four dollars in value to the public. …
Certainly spending money on infrastructure is a good strategy for economic recovery over the coming years.
I’d be thrilled if building up the National Parks infrastructure is part of that. In the USA and around the world.
larger version – flickr – SC Fiasco
Next … we need to convince State governments to invest in State Parks. Florida, for example.
My old hiking buddy from South America 2004, Canadian Grant Assenheimer, just climbed down from the high Himalayas. He was on a “holiday” between assignments for Doctors Without Borders.
From Grant’s email:
Just got back from ABC and had a fantastic time. The ‘scare’ tactics used by the tour companies almost had me convinced that I should take a guide but it is TOTALLY NOT NECESSARY. Pass the word! Even if you are only moderately fit, you can easily do any of the teahouse trekking without a guide or porter.
larger version – flickr
My favorite day was a scramble up from the Annapurna Base Camp (ABC). Although most people stop at ABC, I rounded up a couple of New Yorkers and the 3 of us did this great day trip UP to the base camp for Tent Peak, one of the smaller ‘trekking peaks’ in the area. We started at 4100 m, went down and crossed the stone-covered glacier and then climbed to 4800 m via a steep morrain, icy river through a narrow gorge and finally a bit of a slog through steep high-altitude grassy slopes. This gave us GREAT views of the Annapurna Range, Machapuchre and some other ‘lesser’ 5 and 6 thousand meter peaks. The way UP was a bit challenging (ie. GREAT) because we didn’t see the PATH until we were already pretty much at the top. Lets just say that the way down was MUCH easier and didn’t involve navigating that icy river in that steep canyon or the 60 degree grassy slopes…
I also read Annapurna by Herzog during the hike. Wow. All I can say is that the Nepal of today is NOTHING like the Himalayas of the early mountaineers. I mean, they actually walked in from India. No apple pie or internet cafe waiting at 4000 m for them. What a story.
I started in Phedi, walked to ABC and then came out via Gorenpani and Poon hill. Truly spectacular and worth putting up with everyone else for the views. Definitely NOT a wilderness experience but if you go in without expecting one, its a great time.
larger version – flickr
Thanks Grant.
The Base Camp is the best side trip off the famed Annapurna Circuit.
A regular occurrence at the Mfuwe Lodge in the South Luangwa National Park in Zambia where the lodge was unwittingly built on the Elephant’s traditional path through to some wild mango trees on the property.   The herd of a dozen or so elephants walk through the lodge’s reception area at least twice a day for about 4 weeks and then sporadically for about another 3 weeks to feed on the trees.  No incidents reported to date!Â
more photos – Elephants march through hotel lobby after it was built on their migration trail – Gossip Rocks
I’d love to spend a night there. ($300 / night during high season.)
larger original – flickr
Thanks Rocco.
I hiked Hawaii for the first time this past Spring. And it’s been much on my mind since.
When can I get back for more?
My friends Lexi and Kelly hiked in Kauai this past year too. They very much liked Polihale State Park:
Also the Nualolo and Awaiawaipuhi trails:
We agreed that Hawaii can be VERY inexpensive. You only need a tent, a rent-a-car and hiking packs. Beach campsites in Kauai cost $3-5 / night.
My inexpensive lunch with a view:
The Grand Traverse starts on the shores of Lake Wakitipu and stretches the length of the Greenstone and Routeburn Valleys, crossing the main divide twice in the process. The Greenstone and Routeburn Tracks have long been New Zealand’s most accessible and popular routes into the spectacular South Island high country.
The Grand Traverse passes through two national parks: Fiordland and Mount Aspiring, and is part of Te Wahipounamu, South West New Zealand World Heritage Area. The pristine bush is home to a myriad of native birdlife: the Robin; Kea; Fantail; Parakeet; Bellbird; and Yellowhead, just to name a few. The sheer isolation and raw beauty of the Greenstone provide the perfect stage for the breathtaking scenery of the Routeburn. An unsurpassable combination to make a memorable walking experience. …
=====
Sure you could sign on with the tour (above). It costs between $1,600 and $2,500 New Zealand, depending on what optional extras one prefers. … Or you could do it independently like Scottwoz for about $100.
Here’s his independent trip report:
… Most of the scenery and landscape we covered was nothing short of spectacular and over the course of the five days we got to see a lot more than we should have, certainly more than the law of averages would normally allow. We hiked, on average, around six hours each day and covered an incredibly diverse terrain. …
In the Thick of it … The Grand Traverse, New Zealand – trip report
Sign me up.
I’m planning a return to New Zealand in 2011.
besthike.com 