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Greater Patagonian Trail update

GearJunkie:

The Greater Patagonian Trail (GPT) is 1,300 miles long and counting. It is a growing network of backroads and rutted trails stitched together to form an enormous route across South America, and almost nobody knows about it.

That’s because it’s been built quietly, the entire route put together by one couple who hope to share a love of hiking with the world.

At 1,300 Miles, Remote ‘GPT’ Is Longest Trail In South America

I met Swiss-German hiker and explorer Jan Dudeck and his Chilean wife Meylin Ubilla last January. And hope to get back to Patagonia again in 2017.

Laguna Caracol
Laguna Caracol

 

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Grand Canyon – Thunder River/Deer Creek Loop

Thunder River/Deer Creek Loop is one of the best hikes in North America.

Epic. 🙂

Click PLAY or watch a guided trip on YouTube. (8min)

Read the Backpacker.tv trip report.

This 21.5-mile clockwise loop in Grand Canyon National Park strings together faint trails and an Eden of waterfalls and swimming holes.

Backpacker

map

The biggest problem with this adventure isn’t the navigation, it’s getting one of the few permits available. 😦

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independent trek – Huayhuash Circuit, Peru

Megan “Hashbrown” Maxwell did Huayhuash alone and independently. She’s one tough hiker.

Still … she felt Huayhuash was the toughest hike of her life.

The Huayhuash Circuit is a beast of a trek. I would only recommend it if you have done a trek before and have an idea of what you’re getting into. I would only recommend going guide-less if you are at a confident level of backpacking experience, have taken the time to acclimatize, and are physically fit and able to carry a pack loaded with a week of food.

The guidebook for this trail is Peru’s Cordilleras Blanca & Huayhuash, available on Amazon. I found this to have all the information I needed …

This circuit goes over a pass everyday, ranging from 15,400 to 16,500 feet (4,690 to 5,050 meters). This means you will be hiking slower than usual, due to the altitude, and the walking itself is physically taxing. This also means that you will have spectacular views of the Andes every single day. …

Cordillera Huayhuash Circuit: Planning and Preparing

Huayhuash
Huayhuash

Huayhuash map

That adventure was the best hike of my life. If you want know more, click over to our Huayhuash information page.

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Swiss Haute Route with a TENT

CHELSEA and JOSEPH did not want to stay in Alpine Huts. They tented the entire route. Nine days.

From Chamonix to Zermatt, from Mont Blanc to the Matterhorn, how could you go wrong with a hike like this! The Walker’s Haute Route is an absolutely stunning trail that offers what I would consider to be the classic Alps experience: beautiful mountain hamlets, green flower-rich valleys, gorgeous snow-capped peaks and almost constant access to great food and drink. …

In many European countries, wild (not in a designated campsite) camping is illegal and the number of legitimate campsites are few and far between.

In addition, other trip reports for the WHR were claiming that tenting the whole way was impossible due to the terrain and/or that all camping in Switzerland was illegal. Looking a bit closer though it became clear that while wild camping in Switzerland is highly discouraged, it is not “illegal” in all places. You are generally allowed to camp high , but should avoid camping outside of designated sites in the valleys as each canton and town has different laws and can impose a fine for wild camping.

Armed with this information we decided to go ahead with our plan and hike the trail with our tent. We hope this guide will help others who are looking to do the same. …

You should pretty much always have a map when you go hiking (and know how to use it), but the maps for this trail were just stupid expensive and big. Instead, we relied solely on the Kindle version of the Kev Reynolds guide, Chamonix-Zermatt: The Walker’s Haute Route. While we disliked Kev by the end of the hike for his nonchalant writing style, he did manage to get us to Zermatt without major incident or getting lost. …

The Walker’s Haute Route: Unguided, Unmapped and with a Tent

verbier

chelsea

We’ve updated our Haute Route information page with this excellent trip report.

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Canada’s Great Divide Trail

The Great Divide Trail (GDT), is a wilderness hiking trail in the Canadian Rockies. The trail closely follows the Great Divide between Alberta and British Columbia, crossing the divide no fewer than 30 times.

It begins in Waterton Lakes National Park at the Canada-US border (where it connects with the Continental Divide Trail) and ends in Kakwa Provincial Park north of Jasper National Park. The Great Divide Trail is 1,200 km long …

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Fewer than 20 people a year thru hike the GDT. If you might be interested, try to get a copy of the only guidebook.

guidebook

Work your way through the official website – GreatDivideTrail.com. Especially the FAQs.

Check Erin ‘Wired’ Saver’s 2015 trip report.

Floe Lake
Floe Lake
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Ausangate and the Rainbow Mountains, Peru

travel to walk:

The Ausangate circuit is a trek that is relative untouched by the massive tourism industry in Cusco. Because of that, this is one a hike where there is plenty of solitude. On the flip side, it is much tougher as it is about 1 km higher than Cusco with passes that go over 5 km in elevation (16k ft). …

… the trail is not marked and there are no signs to discriminate trails the locals use trail around the mountain. So, map skills, GPS, or a guide is imperative for a trek like this. All of this is pretty manageable for experienced backpackers.

However, we decided to add an additional layer to this already challenging task. There is information out there that the Rainbow Mountains are nearby and provides a side trip possibility. …

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Rainbow Mountains

Read the entire trip report if you are planning to do this trek yourself one day – Ausangate and the Rainbow Mountains

It’s one of our top 10 hikes in the world.

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Sunshine Coast Trail – day 4

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

Elk Lake to Lois Main

day 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Sunshine Coast Trail information page

I left Elk Hut as early, quickly and quietly as possible. Alex was still sleeping upstairs.

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Mice are a problem in some huts. You still need to hang your food.

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This would be my last day. I hoped it would be easier hiking, descending back to sea level. And it might have been if I’d not been lost once and diverted twice.

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Road building and logging operations are ongoing. It’s not unusual to have to detour around sections of the SCT.

I’d complain more stridently … but one of the detours ended up being a favourite section. Lovely off-trail through temperate rain forest.

Signage is actually very good on this new, rapidly changing trail. But I still wished I’d brought my GPS.

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I left a Summit Stone at one lovely creekside lunch spot.

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If you can put up with the bugs, the SCT is endlessly entertaining. Something new around ever corner.

I’ve got one big chunk of the SCT left to do – the Troubridge Trudge (41km for me). I plan to do that in October or November one year to see if the bugs are hibernating.

day 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Sunshine Coast Trail information page