Just booked. I fly to Santiago, Chile January 12, 2016.
Having already done many of the most famous Patagonian hikes 10yrs ago (Paine, Fitz Roy, Cerro Castillo) , this time I’ll be more off the beaten trail.
During the last Patagonian summer I continued the investigation and publication of the Greater Patagonian Trail. The trail has now a total length of 1400 to 1500 km – depending on the options chosen – and the trail description contains may updates. I.e. section 17 and 18 were added this year and KMZ and GPX files with plenty of waypoints and several alternative routes are published for all sections.
Also the first hikers have completed the trail or parts of if base on this publication. One Israeli hiker walked sections 1 to 16 in about 50 days (all that was published at this time) and at least 8 more hikers did substantial parts of the Greater Patagonian Trail based on this trail description. …
This trail is not finished yet. There is plenty of terrain left till this trail finally reaches the southern tip of Patagonia and ends either on the shores of the Magellan street or even on Tierra del Fuego. But what is published so far can be hiked by a well experienced self-reliant hiker without much seek and search.
I also look forward that other hikers contribute to this trail by verifying some of the options and adding more sections. The publication on “wikiexplora” permits and facilitates such contributions because “wikiexplora” allows like “wikipedia” a collaboration of multiple authors.
… in South America leads right through the heart of the legendary Patagonian Andes. It’s a stunningly beautiful and diverse trail that crosses volcanic fields, idyllic Andean valleys, snow covered mountain ranges, lush green forests and deep blue lakes and rivers. …
The complete trail can be hiked in one summer season and requires approx. 90 to 120 days …
The generally recommended trekking direction is southbound …
The Greater Patagonian trail is not an official trail that is set up and managed by a government agency. Is simply a compilation of horse trails, minor roads and some cross country sections …
The trail is mostly unmarked, partly not visible and only smaller fractions are documented with maps. Therefore a GPS is essential for navigation. In addition an electronic topographical map is recommended. …
section 1section 2
River Crossings are possibly the greatest hazard …
… Malaysia’s Mt. Kinabalu, a 4095 meter (13,435 ft) trekking peak on the island of Borneo, was struck with a 5.9 magnitude earthquake that claimed the lives of at least 16 people, and left dozens of others injured and stranded on the mountain for a time.
There are believed to be at least two others still missing, and the death toll could rise even further as search and rescue teams continue their efforts. …
Of the 16 climbers who perished on the mountain, reports indicate that seven of them were from Singapore, Six were Malay, with the additional causalities coming from the Philippines, China, and Japan. …
I’ve been working my way through Cam Honan’s trip reports. He might just be the the world’s most traveled hiker. By the end of 2012 more than 50,000 miles (80,467 km) in some 55 countries.
Here’s a sample. From New Zealand.
Distance : 50km approx. (including side-trip up Mt. Taranaki)
Avg. Time : 3 days …
Sleeping : Outside of holiday times, the huts are rarely crowded. Leave the tent/shelter at home. …
In clear weather, the views on this trail are stunning. Definitely go for the High-level, rather than the Low-level route. …
Arenal Volcano National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Volcán Arenal) is a Costa Rican national park in the central part of the country …
The park encompasses the Arenal Volcano, which “was” the most active in the country, which had previously been believed to be dormant until a major eruption in 1968. …
The park also contains a second volcano, Chato, whose crater contains a lagoon. It is also called Cerro Chato (literally Mount Chato) as it has been inactive for around 3500 years …
Looks great. Unfortunately I got rained out May 9th, 2015. May is the start of the rainy season. 😦
The most popular trails are short day hikes. Perhaps 4 miles in total.
jungle section
It’s been mostly inactive since 2010. Might remain dormant state for the next 600 or 800 years.
… When selecting the route for the Climb for Valor, the team at Tusker Trail decided that they wanted to do something a little different. The idea was to give the climbers on our team a complete unique look at the mountain, along a route that is seldom hiked. We began by entering Kilimanjaro National Park at the Londorossi Gate and proceeding up the traditional Lemosho Route along the western flanks of the mountain. …
On Day three we began to divert from the Lemosho Route at last and ventured out onto the all-but abandoned Northern Circuit of the mountain. At this point, we left all other teams behind and had the trail completely to ourselves. …
Two brothers search for eternal life in the Icelandic wilderness during what may be the last time in history anyone is able to see all of Iceland’s natural, untouched beauty.
Because my brother and I live so far apart (he’s in New York; I’m in Los Angeles), we have agreed to reunite once every year, somewhere in the wilderness. We’ve been to Alaska’s Denali, Chilean Patagonia, and even Everest Base Camp, but, for our most recent trip, we set our sights on a hard-to-reach lake in the Icelandic wilderness called Eilísvötn, which, in Icelandic, means “Lake of Eternal Life.” …
Brian and I start by trekking two classic, connected Iceland treks: the Fimmvörðuháls and Laugavegur Trails, the first of which begins at a huge waterfall called Skógafoss on the southern coast.
We feel almost disappointed to be enveloped by the sublime, rolling, green hills and plethora of waterfalls, because it feels like we’re in the most beautiful place in Iceland already — we’re getting a fantastic payoff way too early in our trip. Soon enough, though, as we continue through the snow and glaciers near Fimmvörðuháls Hut, it becomes obvious that there’s no chance Iceland will ever disappoint us no matter where we go. …
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