Best hikes, treks, tramps in the world.
Chill in the air. Sun low in the sky. Autumn colours.
September & October are my favourite months for hiking Vancouver Island.
This video is composed entirely of still images. Transitions turn it from a normal (boring) slideshow to something more entertaining.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Guest post:
The Mountain Company is based in the UK although we spend the peak trekking seasons staying in Kathmandu (Nepal). We organise trekking holidays and expeditions to the Himalaya and Karakoram.
We specialise in exploring very remote areas of Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan and India.
Roland Hunter is owner and founder.
Roland has a lifelong passion for mountaineering and trekking in the high mountains. He enjoyed four expeditions to 8,000m peaks and made it to the summit of Mount Everest and Mount Makalu (no supplemental oxygen).
After starting The Mountain Company in 2004 his interest shifted more towards trekking.
Over the years Roland has led or recce’d most of our portfolio of treks and expeditions. Since 2009 his main focus of our interest has been The Great Himalaya Trail (GHT).
The media often portrays trekking in Nepal as overcrowded on all trails throughout the country. It is still possible to find wilderness with very few, if any, other trekking groups especially by following the GHT.
Section 1 starts in the East and it takes 36 days to trek from Kanchenjunga Base Camp to Makalu Base Camp.
Section 2 from Makalu to Everest is the technical crux as it crosses three technical high passes. Our favourite section for its unique culture and vast landscape on the border with Tibet is Upper Dolpo to Jomsom.
In Pakistan we organise K2 Base Camp & Gondogoro La. This is an incredible trek past Karakoram giants and over a high pass to Hushe village.
We have been regular visitors to Pakistan since 2004 when Roland led an expedition to climb Broad Peak (8,051m).
In Summer 2019 we organised the remote Snow Lake & Hispar La trek. This connects Baltistan with Hunza following the Hispar and Biafo glaciers.
Since 2008 we have enjoyed organising ten groups on the Lunana Snowman trek in Bhutan. This is a 28 day trek across the north of Bhutan on the border with Tibet and crosses many high passes. You are unlikely to see many other trekkers after Laya village.
During Covid lockdown we have spent a lot of time looking at maps and dreaming up new places to explore. We have lots of exciting future plans for new treks.
In Nepal we are in the process of setting up Nepal Far West and Limi Valley GHT.
In Bhutan we recently launched remote treks to Dagana & Lawagu Pass and Haa Valley.
We have uploaded videos for some of our treks on our YouTube channel and plan to upload more soon.
Recently we started a new Blog on The Mountain Company’s website with articles and news about trekking in the Himalaya and Karakoram. Hopefully we will see you in the mountains soon! .
Click PLAY or watch a sample adventure on YouTube.
Planning for future hikes often means considering the possibility of forest fires.
As global warming increases, we’re likely to have bigger and more dangerous fires. 😕
‘We already see the initial signs of climate change, and fires are part of it,” said Dr. Amber Soja, a biomass burning expert at the National Institute of Aerospace (NIA) in Hampton, Va.
And research suggests that a hotter Earth resulting from global warming will lead to more frequent and larger fires.
The fires release “particulates” — tiny particles that become airborne — and greenhouse gases that warm the planet. …
Click PLAY or watch 2020 American fires on YouTube.
As publishers of nearly 400 outdoor travel guidebooks, Cicerone Press are a specialist team who love the outdoors and want to inspire and guide you on your next outdoor adventure.
In this episode, hosts Amy Hodkin and Hannah Stevenson introduce themselves and speak to Joe Williams about the history of Cicerone, our team of expert authors and the areas and activities covered in Cicerone guidebooks.
Whether walking, cycling, trekking, scrambling, mountain biking, running or skiing, Cicerone offers guidebooks written, edited and tested by outdoor experts.
Find out more and view our full range of guidebooks on the Cicerone website, www.cicerone.co.uk.
You can also search for @CiceronePress on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and join our Facebook community group, Cicerone Connect.
I used their Aconcagua guidebook, for example, when hiking independently to French Base Camp.
2020 Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival is going virtual.
October 31 – November 8, 2020.
75 films. 40 events including curated film programs, authors and guest speakers.
One price, but you can enjoy the Festival with friends & family..
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Here’s our list of the best hikes in Strathcona, so far:
I spent over 3 weeks hiking Strathcona Provincial Park on Vancouver Island June – October 2020.
Fantastic.
The real experts on this park are Mike Blake and his team at MB Guiding.
If you are looking to organized a guide trip — climbing the Golden Hinde, for example — go with MB Guiding.
If you’ve never been to Strathcona before, easiest access is via the Paradise Meadows trailhead out of Courtney / Comox which gives easy access to the Forbidden Plateau.
Well signed, well organized, well maintained, there are loops of increasing difficulty depending on your time and the weather.
One loop is wheelchair accessible, for example.
There are trails ideal for kids, as well.
Three campsites on the Forbidden plateau are first-come, first-served. Great value at CAD $10 / person / night.
If you want to tent, I’d recommend you head for the furtherest campsite – Circlet Lake.
From there are fantastic day hikes to Moat Lake, Castlecrag and/or Mt Albert Edward.
There are even better trails in Strathcona in the more remote section of the park around Buttle Lake. That’s where you find the main car campgrounds.
My favourite was Cream Lake via the Bedwell Lakes trails.
Nearly as good for me was Elk River with a tough side trip up to Elk Pass.
There are many, many more great hikes, of course, well documented in the best hiking guidebook – Exploring Strathcona Park by Stone.
I’ll return to do more.
Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles.
Seal Bay Regional Nature Park, Courtenay, B.C. offers some of the best walking in the Comox valley.
Easy access. A city bus gets you to the trailhead.
Many of the trails are hikers only. A few allow bikes and horse.
Click PLAY or get a glimpse on YouTube.
– Easy transportation of luggage on bus, train or airplane
– Prevent common hiking injuries from carrying weight
– Easy to manoeuvre on a variety of terrain
– Easy to handle on steep and rocky ascents and descents
– Ergonomically designed for easy of use and hiking with an armrest
– Holds enough gear to support one, two or three hikers
– Easy to take apart and reassemble
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Radical Design made that one. Not inexpensive.
This father and son walked Camino de Santiago keeping the gear for both in one trailer. 40KG is maximum load.
Della Falls is located within Strathcona Provincial Park on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. … total height of 440 m (1,440 ft).
The Canadian Government recognizes Della Falls as the tallest officially measured waterfall. That’s certainly not correct. James Bruce Falls in B.C. is much taller by any criteria, for one.
Meg Cuthbert:
Access: Boat access only, from the far end of Grand Central Lake near Port Alberni.
Canoe Distance: The canoe from Scout Beach Recreation Site is about 20 kilometres, the lake is tip-to-tip 35 kilometres long.
Hike Distance: 16 kilometres one-way from the trail head to Della Falls.
Canoe Difficulty: The wind on the lake tends to pick up in the afternoon, so at times the paddle was quite difficult. Be prepared to lock it in.
Hike Difficulty: The hike is a moderate difficulty, mostly due to the pack on your back. The elevation gain over the 16 kilometres is only 350 metres
Her group paddled in by canoe.
Read her 2019 trip report – Della Falls – Canoe, Hike, Canoe
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Most hikers book rides on the Della Falls Water Taxi. Both ways.
The real experts on Strathcona Provincial Park are MB Guiding. If you want to hire a guide or get up-to-date information, be sure to check their Della Falls page:
besthike.com 