Brakeman & Grasshopper posted a succinct summary of their 2175mi 2008 thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine.
Congratulations guys!
7800mi backpacking the Andes
Deia Schlosberg & Gregg Treinish were named Adventurers of the Year by one of the National Geographic magazines.
Congratulations.
Two years. 7,800 miles. No roads. That was how Deia Schlosberg, 28, and Gregg Treinish, 26, vowed to trek the length of the Andes. They had no idea what they were getting into. Beginning in Papallacta, Ecuador, the two Montana-based wilderness educators cobbled together a route of llama tracks, old Inca roads, and forgotten trade paths down the spine of the world’s longest mountain range. It was an Andes few outsiders had seen before. For good reason: “We were lost the entire time,” Treinish says. “Every time we wanted to quit, we were so far in the middle of nowhere that it wasn’t even an option.” …
National Geographic Adventure – Trekking the forgotten Andes
As I write I’m listening to their audio interview on Wend magazine.
… successfully completed the trek, after covering 56 degrees of the globe, trekking more than 7800 miles, we became the first two people to backpack the Andes Mountain Range, the first two to walk it through the mountains without relying on roads, and Deia became the first woman to have walked South America. …
It was a struggle at many times. There are no fixed long distance trails.
home page – Across the Andes
Mongolia or Baffin Island?
Kraig on The Adventure Blog profiled two upcoming projects:
… former British solider Ripley Davis will set out on a solo, unsupported trek across Mongolia in an effort to raise funds and awareness of the Hope and Homes for Children project, and UNICEF.
The expedition is slated to get underway next April, with Ripley pulling all of his supplies behind him in a wheeled cart. He anticipates that he’ll be towing more than 100kg (220 pounds) of gear over a 3000km (1865 miles) course between 47º and 50º north latitude. The journey is expected to take roughly 90 days. …
… And for the ladies:
… 80 day ski expedition through Baffin Island beginning in March. The plan is to ski over 1400km (870 miles) as they survey the impact of climate change on the fragile environments on the island, while visiting three remote Inuit villages along the way.
The team consists of Vera and Emma Simonsson of Sweden and Ingebjoerg Tollefsen, and Kristin Folsland Olsen of Norway. …
backpacking the John Muir Trail
An entertaining 6min HD video by Pete Bell.
… an end to end hike of the JMT this past summer. It features 5 high school students from Chapel Hill, NC and their experience along the trail. We took 16 days at about 15 miles of hiking per day to hike all 220 miles from Yosemite Valley south to Mt. Whitney. We had one resupply at Vermilion Resort where the group cleaned out the small store there trying to stock up with 9 days of food.
It includes one bear encounter.
Vodpod videos no longer available.
more about "High Sierra HD – Backpacking the John…", posted with vodpod
BestHike JMT information page.
UK – South West Coast Path
Mark Owen, South West Coast Path National Trail Officer, emailed to recommend his “best hike” in the world:
The South West Coast Path National Trail – 630 miles of superb coastal walking. From Minehead on the edge of the Exmoor National Park to the shores of Poole Harbour in Dorset it is the best way to enjoy the wonderful coastal scenery, wildlife and heritage.
He’s convinced us. We’ve added it to our list of the best hikes in Europe.
We love coast trails. The vistas are non-stop. Unless it gets foggy.
Of course you need not hike the whole thing. It’s very easy to section hike.
official website – South West Coast Path National Trail
trekking Manaslu and Annapurna, Nepal
Wow. Check out a 39-day mega-trek photo trip report posted by Tubby.
And this is only PART 1 of their adventures in Nepal.
Tubby’s group connected a trek around Manaslu with the Annapurna Circuit. AND the sidetrip to Annapurna Base Camp.
They had wondrous moments. And many challenges.
Here’s the receipt from Maoist rebels for the group “donation”:
This extortion is supposed to be ended. But I expect the odd local in Nepal will still be asking for cash for the cause.
As always, the charming people were a highlight:
I can’t find a way to summarize this monster trip in a short blog post. You need to check it out yourself: Trekking our arses off in Nepal #1
Manaslu
Annapurna Circuit information page.
Annapurna is one of our top 10 hikes in the world.
adventurer rewarded for stupidity?
David Roberts was air rescued in Alaska this past summer at a cost of over $90,000.
Though he had a lot of experience with arctic wilderness in Saskatchewan, the media is reporting that he was totally unprepared, and a “goofy guy”.
Roberts, a 54-year-old Australian, was trying to walk almost 100 miles across the Brooks Range wilderness when he set off a long-distance distress call on Friday. He’d been out there alone for two months.
…He hauled a 140-pound sled full of supplies behind him, he said. A persistent stomach bug left him dehydrated while frequent, stabbing pains pierced his cold feet.
He traveled fewer than 40 miles in two months — far less than he’d expected.
…
Alaskans have little patience for seemingly ill-prepared adventurers, and news of the rescue prompted comparisons to another explorer who trekked into the wilderness 16 years ago — Chris McCandless. McCandless starved to death after trying to survive on his own for more than three months near Denali National Park.
…Roberts didn’t know who would have to pay for his rescue when he made the decision to get help, he said. “I didn’t presume that somebody else was going to pick up the tab on that.” …
Anchorage Daily News – Adventurer’s wilderness trek ends with air rescue, free hotel
Roberts will not be billed for the rescue costs.
The Great Eastern Trail
From Section Hiker:
I love the Appalachian Trail, but on weekends and in the summer time, it can feel really crowded.
In fact, the ATC estimates that 4 million people hike on the AT each year, and a lot of their trail maintenance and stewardship efforts go toward mitigating their impact on the surrounding environment and other visitors’ experiences. Repairing overuse damage, building privies, and adding more campsites is necessary to contain an ever increasing number of visitors each year.
So when I learned about the Great Eastern Trail (GET), I was intrigued. It’s a new 2000 mile, long distance trail that will lie west of the AT and pass through Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virgina, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York, linking the Florida Trail to the North Country Trail. …
click through for more information on this terrific under construction thru hiking adventure – The Great Eastern Trail
It will (eventually) link the Florida National Scenic Trail in the south to the North Country National Scenic Trail in New York.
TOP 7 THOUSAND-MILE TREKS
A headline in ALL CAPS ??
Am I CRAZY !!
A list this over-the-top deserves them.
Adventure Journey — The Extreme Traveler’s Handbook — makes 7 bold picks … DESERVING OF ALL CAPS.
7) Heysen Trail – Cape Jervis to the Parachilna Gorge, South Australia
6) Pacific Northwest Trail – Cape Alava, WA to Glacier National Park
5) Tarifa, Spain to the border of Switzerland
4) Nouakchott, Mauritania to Timbukto, Mali
3) San Carlos de Bariloche to Rio Gallegos, Argentina
2) Jammu > Srinagar > Leh > Shimla, India
1) North-south full traverse of Madagascar
details – TOP 7 THOUSAND-MILE TREKS
Actually, I am quite impressed with their list. It’s gutsy and informed. That walk in Argentina would be FANTASTIC.
I’d like to subscribe to Adventure Journey … but they have no RSS feed. Ah ha, Google Reader could not discover an RSS feed … BUT, it’s right there on the top of the page. (if I had only looked.)
Thanks MadMardigan.
16,500mi National Scenic Trails treks
Bart Smith completed over 37 million steps this morning, plus nearly 100,000 photographs in his 16-year shooting trek of all the National Scenic Trails (NTS). No other person can boast this astounding photo/hiking feat, covering over 16,500 miles and 34 states. …
Appalachian Trail (AT) – 2,175 miles
Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) – 2,650 miles
Florida Trail (FT) – 1,400 miles
Ice Age Trail (IAT) – 1,000 miles
Natchez Trace Trail (NTT) – 500 miles
Potomac Heritage Trail (PHT) – 990 miles
North Country Trail (NCT) – 4,600 miles
Continental Divide Trail (CDT) – 3,100 miles
To celebrate, Smith flies immediately to Washington, D.C., where he will join the 40th National Trail System Anniversary festivities.
Legacy of 16-Year Trail Adventure Highlights Largest Solo Photo Project in History – PR Web
I like Bart’s photo site: Walking Down a Dream.
(via Florida Hikes)
besthike.com 