Brian J. Cantwell of The Seattle Times described hiking expert and author Karen Sykes as “a tough old bird, dogged in pursuit of topics that would get more people outdoors.”
An avid explorer of the Northwest forests and mountains, Sykes wrote about hiking in all of its guises; wildflower hikes, hikes for kids, hikes for novices, you name it. She was a teacher and an inspiration. …
After having been reported missing last week in Mount Rainier National Park, her body was found three days later. She died of hypothermia, according to the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s office. …
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC), 16,911 deaths in the United States were associated with hypothermia between 1999 to 2011. …
Just finished reading one of the weirdest and wildest outdoors books.
Not sure whether his prose pieces are the insane ramblings of an arrogant egomaniac. Or genius insight.
KISS OR KILL
Sit back and join the ride with this collection of edge-of-your-seat climbing stories by Mark Twight aka Dr. Doom. “Somewhere out there somebody understands these words and knows they matter. They were written in blood, learned by heart.” –Mark Twight
– BANFF award-winner
Extreme climber. Extreme writer. Extreme personality. No matter what he’s doing, Mark Twight takes a definite, and often controversial, stand. Anyone who knows climbing knows Twight’s name, and anyone who knows Twight’s name will want to read this book. Each story is told in Twight’s taut, in-your-face style. Brand-new epilogues bring each piece full circle , providing updated information and fresh, hindsight perspectives.
Born on November 2, 1961 in Yosemite National Park, California, Mark Twight rose to prominence in the world Alpine mountaineering community in the late 1980s and early 1990s with a well-documented series of difficult, dangerous alpine climbs in various ranges around the world.
He made the first ascent of “The Reality Bath” on the White Pyramid with Randy Rackliff, which is unrepeated and described by Canadian Rockies guidebook author, Albi Sole as “so dangerous as to be of little value except to those suicidally inclined.”
… Twight was nominated for the Piolet d’Or twice during his career, in 1993 for “Beyond Good and Evil” and 1995 for “Deprivation”.
Reality Bath is somewhere centre on this wall
Publishers Weekly:
From Chamonix to the Himalayas to Peak Communism in the Pamirs, extreme climbing has been Twight’s response to “stupidity and mediocrity” and at times it is even “a tool to forestall suicide.”
Following Extreme Alpinism, this volume collects more than 12 years of Twight’s extreme outdoor journalism for such magazines as Climbing, Outside and Men’s Journal.
Punk rock lyrics pepper these essays, providing context and form for his rage, cynicism and obsessive, masculine drive.
Avalanches, rotten ice, the deaths of fellow climbers, the rescue of others, dwindling food supplies, lost tents at 18,000 feet Twight survives mortal dangers and tragedies, writing, “No matter what I did, the suffering I experienced did not satisfy me. I had to have more.”
Twight’s in-your-face style is both his strength and his weakness fans of Henry Rollins or Charles Bukowski may find a sport nut analogue in Twight. Deeply personal, arrogant, grandiose, thrilling and unapologetic, this record of his 15-year career will gratify and repel extreme athletes, their admirers and their detractors.
Andrew Pleavin
Mark Twight is the founder of Gym Jones, where he trains athletes, military personnel, and others for whom fitness goes beyond appearance. At Gym Jones Twight and fellow trainers and coaches work with everyone from NFL players to MMA fighters, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitors (a half-dozen Pedro Sauer black belts work and train there), bike racers, rock and mountain climbers, and a variety of ultra-endurance athletes. …
In 2005 Twight trained the cast and stunt crew for the movie 300. … The training was difficult, Twight pulled no punches, refusing to differentiate between actors, stuntmen, or athletes. After being told the details of a day’s workout Andrew Pleavin said, “It feels like you just killed my dog.”
One training regimen that his crew underwent in the movie came to be known as the 300 Workout, spawning many variations by other fitness personalities and trainers.
Kelly lives in Canmore. Ray and Mark from nearby Calgary often join him for hikes.
Sue, Steve and myself rendezvoused at the trailhead. May 24th, this was the first really good weekend for hiking out of Canmore.
Steep and longer than I expected, the only major difficulty comes at the very top.
Kelly, our fearless leader, decided to post hole us up this snow chute.
On top we got a good view of Canmore in the Bow River valley. It started to snow.
Spray Lakes Road.
We opted to descend on the precarious looking ridge.
It’s not nearly as exposed as it looks.
Some snow. We were happy to have brought gators.
Our over ambitious original plan was to run up adjacent Ha Ling Peak from the same parking lot. … Instead we headed for the pub. FREE glass with a pint of beer. 🙂
… You are almost guaranteed mountain sheep on the Spray Lakes Road. … There are restrooms at the Goats Creek Trail head parking area.
Red Tape- There are no permit requirements to enter, climb and/or park in Banff National Park or Kananaskis Provincial Park. This is active grizzly country however. Take bear spray. …
Insta-Fire is a safe, simple, and versatile product that starts fires quickly. With its water-repellent properties, fifteen-minute burn time, and thirty-year shelf life, Insta-Fire is sure to be your new favorite fire-starting tool. Use Insta-Fire to light campfires, prepare charcoal briquettes, or as a safe and reliable fuel source for cooking while camping or in emergencies. …
Mike Howarth posted another of his terrific adventure photo journals, this time the famed Paine Circuit in Patagonia.
… Away from the majesty and spectacle of the W circuit, the southern half of the Paine Massif offers something completely different, a peaceful beauty. As the trails widen and birds chatter I remember why I am here. …
We stumble over the Paso John Gardiner like two drunkards buffeted by the wind. Laughing and whooping at the ferocity.
Afforded amazing views down to Glacier Grey and the Southern Patagonian Ice Field stretching off in to the distance.
Many had already left, headlights bobbing up the mountain in the dark, worried about wind on the high Pass.
My plan was to leave late. To wait for the sun.
I felt great. Had slept warm on 2 mattresses, with 2 extra blankets provided by the guesthouse.
On Manaslu I felt it was a mistake to start hiking in the dark. This time I’d wait to start until no headlamp was needed.
It got bright in no time. I’d heard that Thorung La was higher, but easier than Larkye La on the Manaslu.
We made good time.
On reaching the snow line, some guides and hikers were worried. For me — a Canadian — this was like walking to school.
No problem.
The moon was gorgeous.
Love this bleak landscape.
It’s a surprisingly long way from Thorong Phedi to the Pass. About 1km in elevation gain.
But when the weather is good, you can walk it with your hands in your pocket.
The Annapurna 8,091m (26,545 ft) massif is huge and complex.
… thirteen additional peaks over 7,000 m (22,970 ft) and 16 more over 6,000 m (19,690 ft).This section is a 55 km-long (34 mi-long) …
I couldn’t keep track of which huge mountain I was looking at.
No wind. 🙂
Even the 7000m peaks had no spindrift.
I left a Summit Stone in thanks for safe crossing.
I’d once heard you could scramble a peak (illegally) from Thorung La. But it doesn’t look easy.
The other side of the Pass looked even simpler than the ascent. It’s longer though. About 1.7km of net vertical lost.
And even more Tibetan plateau. I love these colours.
A guide told me this was the “road” under construction climbing up and over Thorung La. We agreed that it was a mistake to take motor vehicles over the top.
Everyone celebrated on reaching a series of small restaurants. For me it was my favourite soup, noodle with egg.
On a sunny day you can melt and even boil water on one of these.
I continued on down to the first town on the other side, bleak Muktinath 3,710m.
I’d last been here 14yrs ago, the highest I got on this side of Annapurna.
Muktinath still has no ATM. Some hikers are running out of cash by this point in the trip. Many spend more than they expect on the Circuit.
Muktinah is an ugly tourist town much worried about the expected decline in Annapurna Circuit trekking. No one is confident that building alternative trails off the road is going to work. Trekkers, in future, might go to Manaslu instead.
Was that a new water tower under construction?
Later I learned they are building a giant Buddha statue. A tourist attraction, amongst other things.
After 15 days continuous hiking, I’d stop here. Ride a mountain bike down the other side.
I felt great. It seemed to me that I could easily hike another 15 days. Continue on the Nepali Great Himalaya Trail.
The high Pass loomed. I was up and packed early, waiting for the restaurant to open at 6am.
Happily, sunlight reaches Manang early.
My stomach felt fine. Weather was fantastic. I spun every prayer wheel in town I could.
I was going to cross the Thorung La.
I really enjoyed Manang. And would happy to go back any time.
It’s high and dry above Manang. True rain shadow. True Tibetan plateau.
I couldn’t resist stopping for brunch here.
Carbo loading for the Pass.
This hiking day was all good.
People had smiles on their faces, happy to be in clear November.
It was looking pretty easy from here. I expected another early arrival in Camp today.
I stopped to take photographs of one unusual Himalayan sight – a burning barrel.
It’s obvious to me that the easiest way to dispose of trash way up here, is to burn it. Instead Nepalis throw it off a cliff. Or into a river. 😦
I’m not sure why George Schaller had so much trouble finding Blue Sheep. If they got any closer to me on this Trail, they’d be on my plate. 🙂
With all this sunshine and mild weather, there were still plenty of Yaks & ponies grazing. Ponies are used for emergency transport of altitude sick hikers.
This pika seemed to be looking for a tourist handout.
Up and up.
The afternoon was taking far longer than I expected.
It was almost dark by the time I reached Thorong Phedi 4420m.
I got the second last available room.
What a location!
Many take an acclimatization hike up towards the Pass after arrival. I was too late. Too tired.
Instead I enjoyed the last rays of the sun.
That night was fun. Japanese girls flirted with their porters in the dining hall.
The last hiker to leave the table, I saw a brazen rodent cleaning up scraps from the floor. It’s almost certain that mice get into the food. Standards of hygene are low in the Himalaya, especially in Thorong Phedi.
Safest would be to sleep in a tent. Cook your own food.
You are advised to drink as much as possible at altitude. I did. But that means a number of trips to pee during the night.
3:00am breakfast … terrible oatmeal, OK pancake, litre of coffee
3:30am intended start
We actually got going nearer to 4am. And it’s plenty cold standing around in the dark.
I was counting on a bright full moon.
Sadly for me, it had set long before 4am.
Finally setting off, we attempted to catch Tasha and Ivan. Breathing was difficult. Vision was worse. I finally had to step out of line to change batteries in my headlamp.
This first 45min was the worst part of the Manaslu Circuit for me, so far. 😦
Whilst moving, you are not cold.
Things got better as the sky lightened.
Glorious when the sun finally appeared atop the high peaks.
It was good to be alive when sunshine hits you in the face this high up.
At this point we were completely confident in crossing Larkya. We could relax.
This was like any winter in my Canadian Great White North.
We were surprised how quickly we reached Larkya La5106m (16,751ft).
Ivan and Tasha
We’d started early to avoid severe wind here. Happily, there was very little wind.
Actually, it was quite challenging on one long, steep section.
Porters, in particular, were slipping and falling. I can see why this Pass could be closed after a snow storm.
It’s a little more treacherous than it looks.
You skirt the glacier before getting back to reasonable footing.
Some make a side trip to visit the glacial lake. We skipped it.
Once finally down down, the trail is easy.
Smiles on our faces, we arrived Bimtang 3720m.
Civilization.
That might be the finest guest house we saw on the Circuit. Private cabins. It was booked, of course. By large groups of French trekkers.
It was early in the day. Mike and I were the 3rd & 4th hikers to arrive. Tasha and Ivan were 1st & 2nd.
It takes most hikers 6-10hrs to make the crossing. Much longer, of course, if you start in Samdo rather than Larkya Phedi.
We took the chance to bathe in the sun. The river was flowing, but water taps at our guest house were frozen.
And do some laundry.
I again walked the moraine ridge above Camp at sunset. But it wasn’t nearly as inspiring as the night before. Things are a bit anticlimactic after crossing the Pass.
We chatted through dinner. Went to bed early. I slept 11hrs straight through.
Note: One woman had fallen the day before we crossed the Pass. Hit her head. Though continuing immediately, she had a suspected concussion. She was resting in Bintang. Make sure your travel insurance covers hiking at altitude.
This is why you want to trek in November / early December.
Mike and I were happy to have the weather. Wanted to get up and over the Pass as soon as possible. If he were to have to backtrack to the start, he’d miss his flight back to the U.K.
The arid terrain that high up was very Tibetan.
Not much can live in this climate. Yet Yaks thrive.
The scenery is fantastic. You hike closer to the big peaks than anywhere else I’ve been in Nepal.
I was one happy hiker.
Some trek from Samo only to Samdo 3690m. Then make a long, long day climbing over the 5106m Larkya Pass.
Sounds crazy to me. But it worked for a German couple we had been hiking with. Their guide doesn’ t like Larkya Phedi 4470m (Dharmsala).
Larkya Phedi is a harsh place. In every way.
It was closed by MCAP in 2011 for being an “illegal structure”. But open since. Open normally until about Dec 15th each season. Food sometimes runs out before that date, however. Some years hikers eat nothing but potatoes before crossing the Pass.
We knew fresh eggs had arrived.
Larkya Phedi is the last place you can sleep with a roof over your head. … On the other hand, there were no beds left when we arrived. When the Pass is closed, it gets very crowded here. 😦
We set up my tent on a snow patch.I wouldn’t be getting much sleep anyway. Wake-up time would be 2am.
Hikers tried to relax in the sun. Nap if they could.
It got very cold as the sun went down.
Toilets are overflowing with feces. They don’t stink. They are frozen.
Ivan saw one Nepali shit into the stream above Camp. The only source of drinking water. That’s how uneducated some of the porters are. That’s why the water is so dangerous in Nepal.
We walked the ridge above Camp for acclimatization. And to stay warm. There were dozens of Blue Sheep up there. Until hikers scared them away.
I practiced various speeds walking both uphill and downhill to maintain an optimal temperature. This in anticipation of the Pass, considered much more difficult than Thorung La on Annapurna.
Wandering alone up there until dark, this was the single highlight of the entire trek for me. 🙂
Wonderful.
Mike and I lingered in the dining hall as late as we possibly could. Staying warm. And avoiding our cold tents. Mike and our guide were forced to share a rent a tent as all beds were taken. Porters slept on these tables and benches starting 10pm.
Last minute I ordered hot water for my Nalgene bottle, using it inside my sleeping bag to warm my feet. Temperature dropped to at least -15C. (5F)
Muktinath still has no ATM. Some hikers are running out of cash by this point in the trip. Many spend more than they expect on the Circuit.
Muktinah is an ugly tourist town much worried about the expected decline in Annapurna Circuit trekking. No one is confident that building alternative trails off the road is going to work. Trekkers, in future, might go to Manaslu instead.
Civilization.
