Category: long hikes

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The 400 mile Jordan Trail

Though segments of the 400-mile trail have existed for decades, the official “Jordan Trail” was announced earlier this year …

It’s the most epic, most ambitious trail in the region, stretching from Umm Quais in the north, passed 52 villages (including well-known Wadi Rum and Petra), before terminating at the Red Sea in the south. The 40-day hike was inspired by Petra’s architects, the Nabataeans, who used the route primarily for the spice trade. It follows King’s Highway (a trade route mentioned in the Bible), plus ancient Roman roads. …

The 55-mile stretch that connects Wadi Rum to Petra is among the most popular.  …

The Manual

In some sections you may have to carry 5 litres of water.

We’ve added the Jordan Trail to our list of best hikes in Africa and the Middle East.

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A Walk with Mud – PCT north to south

I rated this trip journal 2/5 on Amazon.

Not enough hiking detail. Too much on the weird, strained relationship of Mud and Bug.

By the end I mostly felt sorry for Mud who seemed to be simply dealing with PTSD with marijuana and thru-hiking.

He might have been better off hiking alone.

It was the first north to south trip report I’d read. Sounds much more difficult than the usual south to north.

If you are vegan or vegetarian you might be interested. Both tried to observe a vegan diet on the trail.

A Walk with Mud: a story of two friends hiking from Canada to Mexico on the Pacific Crest Trail

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Evliya Çelebi Way, Turkey

Candace Rose Rardon:

… while it was tempting to spend weeks getting lost in Istanbul, or exploring the dramatic rocky landscapes of Cappadocia, I eventually decided to devote my time in the country to a 350km (217 mi) trek. Solo.

When I set out for the journey from Istanbul, I had a sleeping bag, tent, and cooking essentials in my backpack, and was fully prepared to camp on all 22 nights of a cultural walking route called the Evliya Çelebi Way, which is named after a 17th-century Ottoman traveller and writer.

What actually transpired along the trail was a different story. In the end, I pitched my tent just four nights.

On the remaining nights, I was invited into the homes of more than a dozen Turkish families in the rural region of Anatolia, who always offered me a couch or bed to sleep on, a place at their round silver dinner tray, and endless cups of steaming tea, or çay. …

LOST AND FOUND: TURKEY AND THE ART OF HOSPITALITY

Here’s the guidebook — The Evliya Celebi Way

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The Last Englishman: A Thru-Hiking Adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail

I enjoyed Keith Foskett’s Appalachian Trail book so much I downloaded his earlier memoir on the PCT.

This one is good too. Both humorous and introspective. The real deal.

Washington and Oregon are the highlights. He and two other last Englishmen were the last 3 hikers to make it to the Canadian border that year.

I’m continuing on to another of his books — Travelled Far: A Collection Of Hiking Adventures — available free from the author.

 

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Sarah Jackson completes the Trans-Canada Trail

Alberta woman arrives in St. John’s to complete cross-country trail trek

After two years, 21,500 kilometers and hundreds of pictures, Sarah Jackson has finally made it from Victoria, B.C. to St. John’s, Newfoundland by walking the Trans-Canada Trail. She’s one of a small handful who have decided to tackle the whole length and the only woman to complete the whole thing from one end to the other. …

The trail (also known as The Great Trail) is the longest recreational trail in the world and currently connects 91% of the country. …

Jackson also documented her entire journey across Canada on Instagram and it looks BEAUTIFUL. …

The first woman to walk all 21,500 km of the Trans-Canada trail came back with some stunning photos

Grand Beach in Manitoba – the halfway point
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Greater Patagonian Trail documentary

4 travelers. 4 months. No support team. A documentary following an adventure into Patagonia for exploration and conservation.

Garrett Martin launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $15,000 for an adventure-travel documentary on the longest continual trail network in South America.

They started December 22nd, 2016 on a 4-month journey through Chile.

I’m planning on returning myself to section hike parts of the Greater Patagonian Trail January 2018.

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Balancing on Blue – Thru-Hiking the Appalachian Trail

By Englishman Keith Foskett 

I’ve read a number of AT books, my favourite being A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson.

But this may be my second favourite. Foskett does a superb job of explaining the big question: WHY are you doing a thru-hike. 

I enjoyed too the brief entries written by some of his thru-hiking friends.

‘Be prepared for great story telling, unique and interesting characters, humour and insight.’
Andrew Skurka – National Geographic Adventurer of the Year.

I’ve now downloaded his earlier PCT book – The Last Englishman.

 

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Black on the Appalachian Trail

Rahawa Haile:

What happens when an African American woman decides to solo-hike the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine during a summer of bitter political upheaval? Everything you can imagine, from scary moments of racism to new friendships to soaring epiphanies about the timeless value of America’s most storied trekking route.

Going It Alone 

related – 4 Things Female Thru-Hikers Need to Hear

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Turkey’s Lycian Way – day 4

2017 trip report by site editor Rick McCharles – day 4 / 6

day 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

I was enjoying my pension in Çıralı. No rush getting back on the trail this morning.

This is the very end of the slighlty rainy season. It was again hazy, but I got no more than a few drops over the entire week.

A morning stroll up the beach towards the Hippy colony found dozens doing some sort of chanting dance.

Good exercise, I guess.

I finally left at check-out time walking the 4km across town for the 3rd time.
There are people cycle touring here, but not as many as I’d expect. A mountain bike would be ideal.
It was Noon when I started the next section of trail.
As usual, up and up.
As usual, a series of beautiful beaches.
This one was astoundingly clean. Some camping group had decided to pick up the trash.
This is my kind of hike.
This was the first water source I came across. An old well.
At the bottom was a giant bullfrog.
I’d not seen any hikers for some time when the recently rerouted trail took a turn inland.

I was soon lost.

My only option seemed to be a scramble up this waterfall.
It was a route, but the paint colour was wrong.
I finally decided to backtrack from this point.

In no rush now, I did a little side trip site seeing.
And set up my tent when I found a beach with a water supply. And a resident hermit from Istanbul who spends many weeks a year here.

I wandered the beach. Scrambled rocky headlands. Read two different books. Poked washed up jellyfish.

My only option was to backtrack to town next morning and take an alternative Lycian Way trail.

Navigation is the biggest problem on this trail. The guidebook is simply not sufficient. There is an iPhone app that is better but still not perfect. BEST would be GPS tracks from previous hikers.

Happily a Ukrainian group arrived to camp. The guide would be pleased for me to follow them onward next day. 🙂 He’d done this section many times.

I cooked up dinner at dusk.

Sat around the beach fire with my new friends. And had a great night’s sleep.

day 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6