Best hikes, treks, tramps in the world.
I’d love to get to the top of the world’s highest waterfall.
original – flickr – MaurÃcio Marques
Two teams at least have climbed the Rainbow Jambaia route up behind the Falls.
Far easier would be to hike up, rapel down.
more photos of this adventure – flickr – Cathy Beloeil
Cathy did climb nearby Roraima (photos), as well, on that same trip.
Need additional incentive to book a flight to South America? See more wonderful Angel Fall photos on Dark Roasted Blend.
A great video previews Todd Carmichael’s November 2008 attempt alone over the “cruelest territory on the planet”.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Expedition Earth Mission 2008 The South Pole – blog
Despite the turmoil and controversies of the Olympic Torch being carried up Everest, it’s been a relatively “good” year for successful climbs from the Nepal side. And comparatively few deaths.
I have no interest in climbing the world’s highest peak myself. But hiking in Nepal is back in full swing.
The peace accord signed by Maoist rebels seems to be holding.
Here’s the kind of articles that are being posted in 2008:
… The tourism industry has much to celebrate as foreign travelers are reappearing in the once almost deserted mountain destination with the return of peace.
Consider this. It is late night at the Shisha Bar in Thamel. The band is playing at full blast rocking the tightly packed dance floor. Tourists could be seen swaying to the music, dragging on hookahs or swilling exotic drinks. Thamel, the major tourist hangout, was in an upbeat mood. And so are Kathmandu’s restaurants, shopping districts and cultural and heritage sites as the tourists are coming back.
Nepal’s tourism industry is seeing a return of the good old days. Tour operators, trekking agencies and handicraft sellers are doing increased business. Hotels are reporting a surge in bookings. And foreign airlines are crowding into Nepal’s skies with the growth in tourist traffic.
Nepal’s tourism industry bounces right back
In fact, Nepal’s government has announced a public holiday for three days, from May 28th to May 30th, to celebrate the country becoming a Republic. They’ve abolished the monarchy that had reigned for 240 years.
I’m looking for my next chance to get back to Nepal, the favourite country I’ve visited. … OK, tied with New Zealand.
Gandruk – flickr
from the top of Gokyo Ri – flickr
A 32-year-old Perth trekker has died from a suspected heart attack, soon after setting out on the gruelling Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea.
The Kokoda Spirit trekking company says Shane Green died last Sunday, during the steep ascent to the Deniki campsite, several hours south from Kokoda.
It says the young man just keeled over, and trekking masters tried CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
The company says every walker has to have a doctor’s certificate that proves they’re fit to walk. …
This year around five thousand Australians are expected to take on the challenge of the historic 96 kilometre track, where Australian troops resisted invading Japanese forces during World War Two.
History of the Kokoda:
Between 21 July and 14 September 1942, 2,000 Australian troops defended the Kokoda Track leading to Port Moresby against 10,000 elite, battle-toughened Japanese troops. The Australians were ill-equipped, poorly supplied, and facing an enemy determined to brush them aside … These circumstances forced the Australians to stage a fighting withdrawal lasting four weeks across the ridges and valleys of the Kokoda Track …. During those four weeks of bloody fighting on the Kokoda Track the Australians suffered very heavy casualties.
This cross-section map of the Owen Stanley Range may assist viewers to gain an appreciation of the rugged terrain …
… conditions on the Kokoda Track were appalling. The narrow dirt track climbed steep heavily timbered mountains, and then descended into deep valleys choked with dense rain forest. The steep gradients and the thick vegetation made movement difficult, exhausting, and at times dangerous. Razor-sharp kunai grass tore at their clothing and slashed their skin. The average annual rainfall over most of the Kokoda Track is about 5 metres (16 feet), and daily rainfalls of 25 centimetres (10 inches) are not uncommon. When these rains fell, dirt tracks quickly dissolved into calf-deep mud which exhausted the soldiers after they had struggled several hundred metres through it. Sluggish streams in mountain ravines quickly became almost impassable torrents when the rains began to fall. …
Thanks Dave Adlard. This freaks me out.
Cliff walk El Camino del Rey (King’s pathway) in Spain.
Originally built in 1901, this walkway now serves as an approach to makinodromo, the famous climbing sector of El Chorro.
… The walkway has now gone many years without maintenance, and is in a highly deteriorated and dangerous state. It is one meter (3 ft) in width, and is over 700 feet (200 m) above the river. Nearly all of the path has no handrail. Some parts of the walkway have completely collapsed and have been replaced by a beam and a metallic wire on the wall. Many people have lost their lives on the walkway in recent years. After four people died in two accidents in 1999 and 2000, the local government closed the entrances. However, adventurous tourists still find their way into the walkway.
Caminito del Rey – Wikipedia
I want to do it!
Tom Mangan’s Two-Heel Drive is the most popular hiking blog on the Google.
But does Tom Mangan actually carry Tom Mangan’s 10 Essentials for Day Hiking the Bay Area on the trail?
I’ve assembled my version of the 10 things I need for a happy hike in the Bay Area, where the notable absence of such climate annoyances as blizzards and hurricanes means we don’t have to dwell on the 10 Essentials for Wilderness Survival unless we really, really screw up.
1. A water supply
2. A reliable map
3. Comfortable socks
4: Comfortable shoes
5. Underwear that doesn’t chafe
6. Something to keep crud out of your shoes
7. Nylon hiking pants
8. Something to block the sun
9. Nourishment
10. The real 10 Essentials
I’d love to tell the world that Tom actually hikes barefoot — with only a Diet Coke for provisions. But it was not so on our hike last weekend.
Tom Mangan
Unfortunately for me, Tom walked the talk on the first 9 of 10. (I’m only assuming his underwear were comfortable.) Tom even had healthy snacks. (I stopped at Rotten Ronnie’s on the way to the trailhead.)
Once again, Tom Mangan makes me, the best hiker, look bad by comparison.
Dang.
Here are a few of the 10 real essentials Tom left at home:
3. INSULATION.
4. ILLUMINATION.
5. FIRST-AID SUPPLIES.
6. FIRE.
7. REPAIR KIT AND TOOLS.
10. EMERGENCY SHELTER.
Mangan’s 10 Essentials for Happy Hiking – Two-Heel Drive
Most do only the 4mi return from the trailhead at stunning Ke’e Beach through to Hanakapiai Beach (one drowning / year). This is the glorious, but dangerous, Na Pali coast.
Serious hikers definitely want to overnight on the Kalalau Trail, the best hike in Hawaii. The highlight of my 3wks on Kauai.
I was there 3 days, 2 nights.
You need a camping permit ($10 / night). I picked mine up in person at the DOFAW office in Lihue. They sell maps, as well, but a guidebook map is enough. Far better would be to apply for your permit months in advance as the quota is often sold out.
I hiked all 11mi (17.7km) the first day. That’s the best itinerary — but you should get an early start. There’s a public bus on Kauai, but it does not go all the way to the trailhead. The closest campground is Haena Beach Park about a mile from the start.
Kalalau is surprisingly more difficult than it looks.
I fell once each day. Total, I saw 3 seriously injured hikers. This was in PERFECT weather. It would be very sketchy in wet weather.
The trail is sometimes closed due to rain. But most often storms like this blow in and right over the trail, settling on the high peaks above.
Even in perfect weather, there are a many places where an unexpected stumble could hurtle you to your death.
Some say the cliff trails are eroded to the point where the Kalalau should be closed. I wouldn’t go that far. And I did see maintenance guys working on it while I was there.
It’s dangerous. But not as dangerous as the West Coast Trail in Canada, in comparison.
I thought the views might be wonderful, but similar. All massive green cliffs.
Not at all. It is terrifically varied. Over the 11mi you go from lush rainforest to an almost arid environment.
I set up camp at the very end of the Kalalau. Paradise?
The camping area is over a mile long, the beach huge. It was not particularly crowded when I was there.
Here I had something of an odd experience. Logically I knew, “It doesn’t get any better than this.” Yet I was emotionally unmoved by paradise. (Perhaps being a blogger is making me too analytical on these trips.)
Next day I moved on to investigate side trips including Hanakoa Falls.
Gorgeous.
Just as good, I thought, but further to reach, is Hanakapiai Falls.
There’s too much to highlight in one post. If you’ve been waffling about heading to Hawaii for hiking, I say go for it. Kauai, of course.
I did get back safe-and-sound to my rent-a-car at Haena Beach Park campground.
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I used Kathy Morey’s guidebook, the best overall, Kaua’i Trails.
Great on flora and fauna. Less than perfect when it comes to written descriptions of trails.
Here’s what Kathy’s got to say about this hike:
“The Na Pali Coast’s Kalalau Trail is sometimes touted as one of the world’s most beautiful hikes, but I disagree. Those wishing to see the Na Pali Coast as it’s typically shown in calendars, travelogues, and coffee table books may find that helicopter of boat trips are better at providing the experience and scenery they expect. Being on the Na Pali Coast’s Kalalau Trail is a very different experience, often far from idyllic. It’s the difference between looking at a beauful animal from a distance and being a flea on that animal.
… Camping areas are filthy, overused, crowded, and bug-and-toad infested. …
… once notorious for its resident population of hippies and their ultra-casual, clothing-optional lifestyle. Those days are over. Nudity has always been illegal at all Hawaiian beaches. Expect to find a resident caretaker in the Kalalau area who will keep an eye on visitors and educate them …
… Call me an iconoclast, but I regard backpacking the Kalalau Trail … As a poor use of the limited time most visitors probably have on Kauai. … you’re better off day hiking it.†…
I beg to differ. Everyone I’ve spoken with loved this hike. Many told me it was the greatest hike of their lives.
Certainly in March I saw no mosquitoes, no toads, no bugs. The campsites are littered as is much of Kaua’i, but it in no way ruined the experience for me.
One “hippy” approached me for leftover food. Another I saw fleeing inland. (The police were around organizing the evacuation of a hiker with a sprained ankle.) Since Kathy wrote the book, authorities have cracked down on illegal camping.
I did see both topless and nude women at the beach and in the waterfall — that in no way ruined the experience for me, either.
Had a wild boar checking out my campsite at dusk. I took care of that brute, though.
Chased after him with my camera. (This pig some hunter had left to dry beside the highway.)
Check the annotated photos from my Kalalau hike on flickr.
If you’re wondering if this trail is safe enough for you, read more on these two posts:
Kalalau Trail Conditions – A Kaua’i Blog More Kalalau Questions – A Kaua’i Blog
Often included on lists of “best hikes in the world” — deservedly — is the Kalalau Trail on Kauai. It’s widely considered the best hike in Hawaii.
Many non-hiking tourists get a taste of the Kalalau by doing the challenging first 2mi (3.2km) from the trailhead at Ke’e Beach through to gorgeous Hanakapiai Beach.
Ke’e Beach
Hanakapiai Beach
We took a group of kids. Everyone enjoyed the adventure. All had a great day.
But I was somewhat shocked how unprepared many are on this day hike. This is a very dangerous adventure in many ways.
In fact, on the way out we met one woman with a lower body injury of some kind. The Fire Department was hiking in to evacuate her with this rig:
In other spots on the Kalalau Trail they evacuate by helicopter.
Fantastic hike for everyone, including kids. But please people, be careful on the Na Pali coast.
See the rest of our photos from that day hike on flickr.
details on the side trip to Hanakapi’ai Falls – Trailspotting
more information – Kauai Explorer
A local recommended an excellent, unique — but extreme — hiking adventure:
Get used to the mud. Most of the time, it’s easier just to go right through the middle while looking for submerged rocks and logs. If you do have hiking boots, it’s best to avoid overtopping them.
Maybe too extreme, or too dirty, for me.
What’s reassuring is that the 0.9 mile-long (1.5 km) tunnel is perfectly straight and you can see the light at the other end the whole way. It takes 20-30 minutes to reach that light. When you get there it is like a door onto another world.
details: Kaapoko Tunnel Hike (part 1) – A Kauai Blog
It’s called Secret Tunnel to the North Shore in the The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook
There are actually a second. And a third tunnel. Rarely visited. Difficult to find.
details: Kaapoko Tunnel Hike (part 2)
Thanks to Andy Kass for posting these trip reports.
I think I’ll go lie on the beach instead.
There are manuals on “how to build trails”.
I wish the guys who built Canyon Trail on Kauai, Hawaii had read one.
Have you seen this “danger” on the hiking trail in the past?
The spikes are used to hold the step logs in place. Works great … until the rains come.
Here the kids were simulating a “worst case scenario” injury.
besthike.com 