But I now wish I had an electronic version of this new book by Andrées de Ruiter and Prem Rai. They are documenting the NEW Annapurna trail, avoiding the worst of the motor roadways.
It includes Annapurna round / circuit, Tilicho lake, Annapurna Panorama trek & Poon Hill, Annapurna Basecamp trek ABC and the new Khopra Danda and Mardi Himal trek.
Or, you can check out an older (free) PDF version before you buy the new one.
Here’s the road near Chame under construction in 2013.
Brian J. Cantwell of The Seattle Times described hiking expert and author Karen Sykes as “a tough old bird, dogged in pursuit of topics that would get more people outdoors.”
An avid explorer of the Northwest forests and mountains, Sykes wrote about hiking in all of its guises; wildflower hikes, hikes for kids, hikes for novices, you name it. She was a teacher and an inspiration. …
After having been reported missing last week in Mount Rainier National Park, her body was found three days later. She died of hypothermia, according to the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s office. …
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC), 16,911 deaths in the United States were associated with hypothermia between 1999 to 2011. …
… Parks Canada has officially declared Nitinat Narrows the third access point to the iconic West Coast Trail, a place where broken hikers cannot only exit, but where fresh ones can start, choosing an abbreviated trip of a few days while creating new revenue potential for the Ditidaht. …
Anyone entering from Nitinat Narrows must still receive an orientation from the First Nations, and are recommended to be as experienced and prepared as someone tackling the entire trail …
Stretching for more than 1700 km (1056 miles) across Nepal, the Great Himalaya Trail is making a bid for becoming one of the top long distance trekking routes in the world.
While the infrastructure along the trail is still being built, it has already become a mecca for adventure.
In the video below, we get a 4-minute look at the GHT from some mountain bikers …
Just finished reading one of the weirdest and wildest outdoors books.
Not sure whether his prose pieces are the insane ramblings of an arrogant egomaniac. Or genius insight.
KISS OR KILL
Sit back and join the ride with this collection of edge-of-your-seat climbing stories by Mark Twight aka Dr. Doom. “Somewhere out there somebody understands these words and knows they matter. They were written in blood, learned by heart.” –Mark Twight
– BANFF award-winner
Extreme climber. Extreme writer. Extreme personality. No matter what he’s doing, Mark Twight takes a definite, and often controversial, stand. Anyone who knows climbing knows Twight’s name, and anyone who knows Twight’s name will want to read this book. Each story is told in Twight’s taut, in-your-face style. Brand-new epilogues bring each piece full circle , providing updated information and fresh, hindsight perspectives.
Born on November 2, 1961 in Yosemite National Park, California, Mark Twight rose to prominence in the world Alpine mountaineering community in the late 1980s and early 1990s with a well-documented series of difficult, dangerous alpine climbs in various ranges around the world.
He made the first ascent of “The Reality Bath” on the White Pyramid with Randy Rackliff, which is unrepeated and described by Canadian Rockies guidebook author, Albi Sole as “so dangerous as to be of little value except to those suicidally inclined.”
… Twight was nominated for the Piolet d’Or twice during his career, in 1993 for “Beyond Good and Evil” and 1995 for “Deprivation”.
Reality Bath is somewhere centre on this wall
Publishers Weekly:
From Chamonix to the Himalayas to Peak Communism in the Pamirs, extreme climbing has been Twight’s response to “stupidity and mediocrity” and at times it is even “a tool to forestall suicide.”
Following Extreme Alpinism, this volume collects more than 12 years of Twight’s extreme outdoor journalism for such magazines as Climbing, Outside and Men’s Journal.
Punk rock lyrics pepper these essays, providing context and form for his rage, cynicism and obsessive, masculine drive.
Avalanches, rotten ice, the deaths of fellow climbers, the rescue of others, dwindling food supplies, lost tents at 18,000 feet Twight survives mortal dangers and tragedies, writing, “No matter what I did, the suffering I experienced did not satisfy me. I had to have more.”
Twight’s in-your-face style is both his strength and his weakness fans of Henry Rollins or Charles Bukowski may find a sport nut analogue in Twight. Deeply personal, arrogant, grandiose, thrilling and unapologetic, this record of his 15-year career will gratify and repel extreme athletes, their admirers and their detractors.
Andrew Pleavin
Mark Twight is the founder of Gym Jones, where he trains athletes, military personnel, and others for whom fitness goes beyond appearance. At Gym Jones Twight and fellow trainers and coaches work with everyone from NFL players to MMA fighters, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitors (a half-dozen Pedro Sauer black belts work and train there), bike racers, rock and mountain climbers, and a variety of ultra-endurance athletes. …
In 2005 Twight trained the cast and stunt crew for the movie 300. … The training was difficult, Twight pulled no punches, refusing to differentiate between actors, stuntmen, or athletes. After being told the details of a day’s workout Andrew Pleavin said, “It feels like you just killed my dog.”
One training regimen that his crew underwent in the movie came to be known as the 300 Workout, spawning many variations by other fitness personalities and trainers.
Insta-Fire is a safe, simple, and versatile product that starts fires quickly. With its water-repellent properties, fifteen-minute burn time, and thirty-year shelf life, Insta-Fire is sure to be your new favorite fire-starting tool. Use Insta-Fire to light campfires, prepare charcoal briquettes, or as a safe and reliable fuel source for cooking while camping or in emergencies. …
But have you heard of the new alternative, the 6-day Black Cat Track?
The Black Cat Track is closed, and no one—not Koyu up in Kaisinik or anyone in Lagui—thinks it will open anytime soon. The region remains tense. …
Last September, a trekking company’s guided trip through the wilds of Papua New Guinea was shattered when machete-wielding men attacked the native porters, killing two on the spot and injuring many more. The motive appeared to be robbery, but Carl Hoffman knew something else was at work—ancient tribal patterns of violence that, he knew, would inevitably be avenged.
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