This is Laguna de los Tempanos and Glacier Vinciguerra, Ushuaia, Argentina.
Here’s my trip report from that hike. Made on my iPhone X.
my first Panorama photo
Altavista Trail out of Villa O’Higgins, Chile
trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles
There are 3 hikes promoted out of Villa O’Higgins.
Most popular is the short Mirador (Viewpoint) Trail taking you up above town.
Few do the Altavista Trail. On a perfect day I saw only 3 other hikers.
To find the trailhead walk out of town and over the bridge.
Oddly, in 2019, you had to climb over a fence to get to the signed trailhead.
The trail winds up and along the Mayer river. Easy going.
On a clear day there are terrific views to surrounding pristine wilderness.
As skies were starting to cloud up, I stopped at the second and final viewpoint marked on the Maps.me route. El Loco.
Back at the bridge I bumped into some folks from Argentina who’d I’d met on a previous hike. They drove me back to Villa O’Higgins. Nice.
new Torres del Paine trekking guidebook
Paine in Chile is one of the best hiking destinations in the world. No question.
But foreigners are endlessly frustrated trying to organize their trip from abroad. Many — including myself — show up on a hope and a prayer trying to make it happen onsite.
Check our Paine Circuit Information page.
Try downloading Trekking Torres del Paine (2016) by Rudolf Abraham long in advance of your trip. It’s available for Kindle.
NBA star Jimmy Butler tries hiking
Jimmy Butler, shooting guard for the Philadelphia 76ers, was in town a few months ago and decided to hike the Stawamus Chief in Squamish — and it definitely not a slam dunk. …
NBA star Jimmy Butler hilariously documents his struggle to make it through this BC hike
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
NEW – Khopra Ridge trek, Nepal
Annapurna region.
You see 23 big mountains from Khopra Ridge.
… 3 are amongst the 14 highest mountains in the world – Mt Manaslu (8th highest), Mt Annapurna I (9th highest) and Mt Dhaulagiri I (7th highest) …
It costs about $500 for 8 days to join an IndiaHikes guided tour to and from Pokhara. Everything included. Accommodation and meals at teahouses.
Sounds GREAT to me.
hike to Lago Windhond, Isla Navarino, Chile
Quite famous in 2019 is the Dientes de Navarino Circuit out of Puerto Williams, Chile.
It’s billed as the most southerly established hike in the world.
HOWEVER the Lago Windhond hike also out of Puerto Williams goes further south. But it’s far less popular.
From Here to Nowhere:
… Now, after failing to reach the Windhond trail from the Dientes Circuit a few days before due to dangerous snow conditions, my plan was to reach the lake via the Rio Ukika valley and, if time permitted, walk around the eastern edge of the lake to truly reach the southern end of Isla Navarino. Beyond that point Cape Horn is the only land before Antarctica. …
For the first half of the day the Windhond trail follows the Ukika valley, gradually climbing to its head, passing several pretty lakes which are the source of the Rio Ukika, and offering magnificent views of the backs of the mountains I walked along only a few days before on the Dientes Circuit.
Ahead, the Dientes de Navarino slowly come into view – and to be honest, the views of the mountains were better than those from the Dientes Circuit. …
Compared to the Dientes Circuit there was very little elevation change involved, and after my experience on that circuit I decided not to be too fussy about following the path exactly when the markers disappeared because of beaver damage. …
Solo Hike to Lago Windhond, Isla Navarino
related – An Outdoors Family did it coming from the day 1 route of the Dientes Circuit.
I believe this trail is now available free on the Maps.me app.
However … it’s a route, not a trail. You’ll be mucking through beaver damaged, wet meadows for long sections.
Alma Wagen – 1st climbing guide on Mt Rainier
Celebrating girls and women in the outdoors on #InternationalWomansDay.
Alma Wagen was the first female guide to work in Mount Rainier National Park. The bulk of her work as a guide consisted of leading tourists on hikes to nearby glaciers, but she occasionally assisted in leading parties to the mountain’s summit, which she was said to have done “like a master”. …
NEW book – Reaching Beyond Boundaries
A Navy SEAL’s Guide to Achieving Everything You’ve Ever Imagined
I recommend this book for anyone who loves outdoor adventure.
It’s philosophy from the astonishing and inspiring life of
For the last decade, decorated Navy SEAL, accomplished athlete, and bestselling author Don Mann has been traveling across the country giving motivational talks and in the process inspiring hundreds with the secrets behind his awe-inspiring achievements. …
As an elite Navy SEAL, Mann performed seemingly impossible tasks on a regular basis. Here he details the lessons he learned from his training and shows how the rest of us can apply those teachings to our daily lives in terms of learning to push beyond our internal boundaries and achieve the goals we’ve set for ourselves, both professionally and personally. …
I recommend the audio version of the book because it’s read by Don Mann. That ownership makes his extreme stories come to life for me. When you hear Don’s voice, you know he’s the real deal. The kind of guy who could push himself to the point of passing out during extreme exercise. The kind of guy who will not quit.
The book intersperses Don’s life story — hundreds of outdoor races included — with stories of the people who inspired him.
Reinhold Messner, for example.
Before reading this book I’d never heard of the fantastic first American, all-woman summit of Annapurna in 1978. That blew my mind. They were decades ahead of their time.
I recommend this book even if you are an armchair adventurer. It’s going to make you want to get up off the couch and get outside.
day hiking Tierra del Fuego National Park, Argentina
trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles
The day before my main hike — Cerro Guanaco — I traipsed some of the very pleasant trails on the west side of Tierra del Fuego National Park.
All good. All well signed and maintained.
Here I simply post a few of my photos.
Costera Trail:
Laguna Negra Trail:
Senda de la Baliza Trail:
BEST hike Tierra del Fuego National Park
trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles
Cerro Guanaco trail
Unlike most parks in Argentina, there is an entrance fee for Tierra del Fuego National Park. It was 480 pesos ($12.50) in 2019. But the ticket is good for 1 or 2 days. And camping is free in the park so two days is the better value.
There’s no inexpensive way to get from Ushuaia to the Park. Most — including me — book a door-to-door shuttle return for 700 pesos. ($18)
On arrival at the Park I asked which of the 4 campgrounds was best. One Ranger told me Laguna Verde, so I had the shuttle drop me there.
This is Patagonia so I bolted the tent down real good.
Day 1 I did a number of easy day hikes. All pleasant.
Day 2 I headed over to the nearby Alaskush Visitor Center to register (free) for the Cerro Guanaco trail. You are supposed to register before Noon to be allowed to make the climb.
Guanaco is often closed due to high winds, as well.
It’s 4km one way. An elevation gain of 973m.
To and from the Alaskush Visitor Center and back (to confirm you returned safely) it’s about 15km.
You start along lovely Lake Roca. Perfectly calm the day I was there.
Signage says it will take you 4 hours to the top. Hiking steadily it’s more likely to be closer to 3 hours.
There is some significant MUD at one point.
As usual in South America, I used Maps.me for navigation.
Most hikers stop at one of the designated viewpoints.
If you’ve got good weather it’s worth pushing up the scree to the top.
In Patagonia it’s very common to have persistent rainbows. It rains a lot.
Capturing them in a photo is not easy.
There’s Ushuaia in the distance.
At the very top end of February I scrambled the snowy summit for a dramatic finish.
Great hike. If you get to this park be sure to schedule time for the Guanaco climb.
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