Category: long hikes

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hike or bike length of New Zealand

Love in a Tent comments on a New Zealand government plan to draw even more outdoor enthusiasts to that fantastic country.

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… New Zealand’s Prime Minister, John Key, held a “job summit” to try to find ways to save jobs during this global recession. He gathered together a bunch of business and labour leaders to see if a day of brainstorming could produce a miracle solution.

While many ideas were bounced around, one of the ones that seems to have really caught the PM’s attention is a proposal to build a cycleway the entire length of New Zealand. This would become a major tourist draw, and help to boost falling visitor numbers. It would also create jobs building the trail, which was estimated to cost around $50 million. (Sounds low to me.) …

Love in a Tent – Cycling to Save the NZ Economy?

nz-hikeLove in a Tent advises that New Zealand not neglect the Te Araroa tramping trail. That’s 3,000km of gorgeous Kiwi walking. Volunteers are hoping to officially open it in late 2010. (One reason I’m planning to tramp New Zealand in 2011.)

The Te Araroa Trust posted a response March 14th. An interesting point of view: The Pedal Corridor

Personally, I’m happy to do the best parts of both routes. Hiking. And biking.

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7800mi backpacking the Andes

Deia Schlosberg & Gregg Treinish were named Adventurers of the Year by one of the National Geographic magazines.

Congratulations.

did-itTwo 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. …

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It was a struggle at many times. There are no fixed long distance trails.

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home page – Across the Andes

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Mongolia or Baffin Island?

Kraig on The Adventure Blog profiled two upcoming projects:

  • Expedition: Mongolia 2010
  • Expedition: Baffin Babes 2009

    • … 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. …

    //www.flickr.com/photos/tiarescott/33324648/sizes/l/">larger original</a> - flickr - tiarescott
    larger original - flickr - tiarescott

    Expedition: Mongolia 2010

    … 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. …

    baffin_babes_kort_fin_lowres

    Baffin Babes 2009

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    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.

    BestHike JMT information page.

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    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.

    map

    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.

    foggy-coast
    Trail Database

    Of course you need not hike the whole thing. It’s very easy to section hike.

    south_west_coastal_pathawb_158_h
    National Trails

    official website – South West Coast Path National Trail

    maps and guidebooks

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    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”:

    rebel.jpg

    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:

    kids.jpg

    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.jpg
    Manaslu

    Annapurna Circuit information page.

    Annapurna is one of our top 10 hikes in the world.

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    adventurer rewarded for stupidity?


    map-of-brooks-rangeDavid 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.

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    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. …

    get_allforweb-1.jpg
    larger version

    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.

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    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

    top-7-treks.jpg

    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.