guided hikes – Page 21

February 21, 2012February 22, 2012

“A Life Ascending” – the movie

Megan Michelson:

On January 20, 2003, seven people were killed in a class 3 avalanche on a peak called La Traviata near Selkirk Mountain Experience, a backcountry hut and guiding operation outside Revelstoke, BC. The guide that day was SME owner and lead guide, Ruedi Beglinger, a Switzerland native with the highest level of mountain guiding certification and decades of experience. Until that day in 2003, SME had never had a serious injury or death during its then 18 years in business. …

… a new feature-length documentary called ”A Life Ascending” about the life and family of guide Ruedi Beglinger has been released on the film festival circuit. It recently won the audience choice award at Colorado’s Docuwest Film Festival …

ESPN

The DVD goes on sale Feb. 28th.

Click PLAY or watch the trailer on YouTube.

A Life Ascending

social media – Facebook | @alifeascending

I’ve subscribed to the blog, too.

RIP Rob and Mark Glaser, friends of mine killed by avalanche in 2011.

January 30, 2012September 23, 2014

Ganden to Samye trek, Tibet

Peter Soons recommends trekking company Himalayan Leaders:

… The service was perfect, they even carried satellite phones, and foremost the cook knew his job. Group size was 4 pax and from their headquarters in Kathmandu, they called in every day to see how we were doing. …

They did this classic, one of our best hikes in Asia.

… an unforgettable 4 days to walk from Ganden to Samye in one of the most beautiful areas of Tibet. …

The Samye Monastery trek

We trekked Ganden to Samye in 1998, independently and illegally. There were no guided tours at that time. 🙂

And we loved it.

January 6, 2012January 5, 2012

Machu Picchu empty

Here’s the pic everybody wants.

Dave was one of the first four people inside that day. He was there after finishing the Salcantay trek.

… Unlike the classic 3-day Inca Trail trek, which requires you book a spot at least 5-6 weeks in advance (in the low season), the Salkantay Trek can be booked in Cusco upon arrival.

And it can be done for less than half the cost. …

The Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu

To be at Machu Picchu at opening you need come from Aguas Calientes. Know that trekkers on the Inca Trail don’t arrive until mid-morning. 😦

December 20, 2011December 20, 2011

Andalucian International Walking Festival

I’m seeing a trend to hiking festivals where you can learn about local culture. This new event in Spain includes: Olive Harvest & Virgin Oil Production, Andalucian Cookery Classes, Pottery, Bodega Wine Tasting Tour, Oil Painting and several more.

February 26 – March 4, 2012
Malaga Airport, Spain

The White Mountain Village of El Burgo plays hosts to the first Andalucian International Walking & Cultural Festival.

Guided walks will explore the surrounding olive groves and beyond to the stunning Nature Park of Sierra de las Nieves. Take part in a wide variety of activities as well as colourful local fiestas including Andalucia Day and the celebration of Carnaval.

The whole thing is an invention of a company, Frontier Holidays. Looks like fun to me.

details

While you’re in Andalucia, be sure to stop by the blue Smurf village of Júzcar.

December 18, 2011

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.

December 7, 2011

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.

October 14, 2011October 14, 2011

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.

September 19, 2011September 19, 2011

Manaslu Circuit the new Annapurna?

Check out a new website edited by Richard Bull – ManasluCircuittrek.com

It’s about 170km hiked over 2-3 weeks.

… the Manaslu Circuit Trek takes you from just 700m altitudes at Arughat (or Gorkha Bazar) up to 5160m on the pass – a tremendous range of altitudes, temperatures and micro-climates. …

Manaslu circuit is now a tea-house trek. Camping is not required unless you go off the beaten track. Here is a rough outline of the route with some information about where the tea-houses and lodges are. …

Robin Boustead (Great Himalayan Trail pioneer) says:

“Many would argue that the Manaslu Circuit trail is the best general trek in the country, with colourful cultures and dramatic valleys against a backdrop of classic Himalayan peaks.”

manaslucircuittrek.com

Richard has mixed feelings about promoting this excellent alternative to Annapurna and Everest Base Camp. But I feel progress is inevitable. Best it be managed for the maximum benefit of the local peoples.

Andy Bryant posted a terrific trip report.

September 17, 2011September 17, 2011

Santa Cruz Trek, Peru

The most popular multi-day adventure in the White Mountain range of the Andes.

Cordillera Blanca guides this itinerary:

Day 1: Huaraz – Cashapampa – Llamacorral (3700m)
Day 2: Llamacorral – Jatuncocha – Taullipampa (4250m)
Day 3: Taullipampa – Punta Unión pass (4750m) – Paria (3850m)
Day 4: Paria – Vaqueria – Llanganuco – Huaraz

details – cordillerablanca.pe
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Huaraz is our #2 hiking town in the world. An outdoor adventure mecca.

We did Santa Cruz independently in 2005. (PHOTOS)

Altitude sickness is the main risk. You need many days to acclimatize before hiking over 4000m.

Check our besthike Santa Cruz information page.

September 11, 2011

Huayhuash Circuit – Peru

by site editor Rick McCharles

Personally, my guided Huayhuash Circuit trek of 2004 (PHOTOS) was the ‘best’ hike of my life.

Huayhuash is fantastic.

Peruvian Soul guides that trip today:

… The demanding and strenuous trek that has place in this 30km long mountain range is one of the most rewarding in the world. With its breathtaking views of awe-inspiring snow mountain peaks, glaciers, lakes and wildlife, Huayhuash has become a must for all trekkers around the globe.

While trekking Huayhuash you will be able to appreciate all the majesty of Yerupaja (Peru´s second highest peak with 6634masl) and Siula Grande (6636masl) which was the famous scenery of Joe Simpson’s epic book, based on his and Simon Yate’s true story of survival, “Touching the Void”. …

more photos