Of the two, I prefer the Ladigin as it is more accessible to beginners, friendlier in format and … weighs only 8oz. (It’s published by Falcon, a company we often criticize on this site. Good job with this book.)
In Australia I was surprised to see the vast majority of hikers with heavy, traditional (out-of-date) gear. The lightweight movement clearly has not reached Down Under.
Experienced ultralight hikers will find more of interest on-line. But the inexpensive Ladigin book would be an ideal gift for any hiker you know who could easily reduce the size of their base pack weight.
Cramming 18 pounds of food into a canister may, at first, seem impossible. However, following these instructions and a little planning and patience will accomplish the task.
It was a Merit Prize winner in the most recent National Geographic contest chosen from 15,000 entries.
John Dranchak—until recently, an aerospace engineer in Long Beach, California—took this image in Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia, where he was traveling with friends. Dranchak says the guide is holding onto his friend’s belt to keep him from falling into the water.
“I was afraid to go down there and stand in that crevasse,” he says. “I walked up to the top of the ridge, and I thought, ‘This is just gorgeous.’ The colors of the image caught my eye.”
Baxter Gillespie is just back from 3 weeks walking to a trekking peak in the Himalayas.
Yes he encountered the Maoist rebels.
Yes he still recommends Nepal.
In fact, Baxter is planning to return next season to bag another peak.
…
Our plan was to carry all our own equipment but to hire a guide and stay in the guest houses for the three week trip to the 18,192′ summit of Kala Pataar which overlooks Everest Base Camp.
Over the course of the trip our guide, Depak, became a great friend and ambassador to his mountain world.
The Nepali people were very open and taught us much about their culture. The scenery was overwhelming. Even after seeing photos of the Himalayas for years, I was awed by the magnitude when viewing them in person. …
The trip turned out to be a fantastic experience. We had incredible adventures from snake charmers in Kathmandu to dealing with Maoist rebels on the trail and bargaining with Tibetan traders in the town of Namche City. We are completely hooked on traveling in Nepal and are now planning a more technical climbing trip back for next Fall.
If you are even contemplating going to Nepal, do it. I’ll see you there next year!
* PERU, all things considered, offers the best alpine hiking in the world
* the remote, forbidding Huayhuash range was made famous when Joe Simpson & Simon Yates climbed Siula Grande in 1985. The book & film Touching the Void were both hits.
* getting high at Punta Coyoc pass 5490m (18,012ft) !!
* Peru’s second highest summit, Yerupaja (6634m)
* non-stop vistas — entire Circuit is above treeline
* intensely glaciated, intensely beautiful
* condors and other wild birds
* fantastic natural hotsprings half way round the Circuit
* limited road access, few people
* travel in Peru for as little as US$20 / day
* a trip with pack animals is good value
* lifetime experience you will never forget
CONSIDERATIONS
Huayhuash is dangerous. Hikers have died there. This is arguably the best hike in the world but is appropriate only for robust, experienced high altitude trekkers.
The greatest danger is altitude sickness. We hired horses instead of mules so we could evacuate by horse, if necessary.
I woke up to find a steaming pile of purple bear crap no more than 2 feet from where I had been sleeping….I can only assume that my snoring had put him off coming into our tent!
Note to self – “remind everyone to bring along their mobile phones”
The 34-year-old had gone hiking on Dec. 24 in East Sooke Regional Park, about 25 kilometres west of Victoria. After losing his way in the heavily wooded area, he called the 911 emergency number on his cellphone. …
The hunt failed to turn up the hiker overnight but searchers continued in the morning and found him at 9:20 a.m. on Dec. 25.
…
It’s not the only time in the past week that a dying cellphone has been used by someone to facilitate a rescue in British Columbia.
A man trapped by trees in Vancouver’s Stanley Park during recent storms remembered he had a cellphone in his backpack and called rescuers. He had been trapped for six days.
Huayhuash is the best hike this blogger has ever done.
To include it in the top 10, however, is to promote it too lightly.
It’s remote and forbidding. This is where Joe Simpson & Simon Yates climbed Siula Grande in 1985. The book & film Touching the Void were based on that disastrous misadventure.
You need high alpine experience and an excellent guide. People get in trouble in the Huayhuash.
The Circuit is a minimum 140km (87mi) plus numerous sidetrips.
We spent 11 days with horses carrying our gear. A fantastic experience.
Don’t even think of booking a ticket to Peru without first checking with the experts on the Huayhuash. Start with La Cima Logistics, based in Huaraz, Peru. Then check Peaks and Places.
Why we love it:
getting high at Punta Coyoc pass 5490m (18,012ft) !!
Peru’s second highest summit, Yerupaja (6634m)
non-stop vistas — entire Circuit is above treeline
intensely glaciated, intensely beautiful
condors and other wild birds
fantastic natural hotsprings half way round the Circuit
limited road access, few people
a trip with pack animals is good value
lifetime experience you will never forget
Considerations:
Huayhuash is not a National Park.
it is almost completely unpoliced
a few hikers are robbed every season
best months are May to September
many passes over 4600m (15,092ft) will challenge you
weather is not nearly as good as in the nearby Cordillera Blanca
actually, the weather is terrible
prepare for cold & wind. Hypothermia is a risk.
no toilets — you should hire a proper toilet tent and shovel
toilet tents should be at least 50m from the nearest stream or lake
dogs will steal food right out of your tent
campsites are badly littered. Carry out your trash.
many hikers get lost. Map, compass & guidebooks are essential.
May – Sept is spawning season for trout. Do not fish nor buy fish from local herders. The once terrific trout fishing has been decimated.
if you like Huayhuash, you would also like Alpamayo and Ausangate in Peru, both easier treks to organize
Our favourite hike in Peru is still one of the least well known.
It’s wonderful, but dangerous.
Ausangate Circuit is 70km (43.5mi) plus sidetrips. It’s recommended only for confident, self-sufficient hikers experienced at high altitude. If you tolerate cold & altitude symptoms, the trails themselves are little trouble. Some route finding is necessary, but it’s entirely above the treeline with vast views.
Most groups hire pack animals, at least to get them up to the first pass. Worst case scenario — altitude sickness — you can ride your horse back down to lower elevation.
Why we love it:
PERU, all things considered, offers the best alpine hiking in the world
circle the sacred Ausangate massif (6372m, 20,905ft)
besthike.com 