The Meandering Mayans just posted their 2017 trip report:
Though the trail doesn’t offer the “classic” high Alpine experience, it makes up for it with crazy amounts of bare rock, stunning sunsets and mountain top sea views. …
It’s hard to imagine a more beautiful setting for a trail than the semi-autonomous French island of Corsica.
With a single mountain chain occupying almost two-thirds of the island, Corsica is a rugged place that hosts miles of beautiful beaches and untamed wilderness. The GR 20 spans roughly 180km, North to South …
What makes hiking trails with waterfalls so great is the initial roaring, rumbling sound in the distance, followed by the sight of a powerful yet beautiful, formidable yet awe-inspiring, cascade of white water disappearing into the misty river below.
Ah yes, you are right where you want to be – at one with nature. …
Hank and Susan put together a terrific video of their guided Base Camp trip. The three passes are Renjo La, Cho La, and Kongma La, all more difficult than Base Camp itself.
Alastair Humphreys believes we should live a little more adventurously:
When I first got a taste for adventure it was simply for the fun of it. Climbing hills and looking around at the view from the top, riding a mountain bike downhill as fast as you can, leaning hard in a heeling dinghy: these things are fun and exciting …
By the time I was in my 20’s, however, my relationship with adventure had changed. “It doesn’t have to be fun to be fun” was my mantra. “Miles not smiles!” …
Adventure became about the challenge. Pushing my body and my mind …
After the masochistic personal challenges came the curiosity phase. I wonder if it’s possible to hitch a lift on a yacht across the Atlantic? What is running an ultramarathon in the Sahara like? Can I go have a look at life in a random part of India, far from the nearest tourist hotspot? …
Distance: 42.8 miles
Elevation Gain: 9406 ft
Minimum Elevation: 12498 ft
Maximum Elevation: 16,828 ft
Time: 5 days
Permits: No
Visa: Single entry tourist visa to Peru for US citizens
Trail Condition: Wide fired road on the start which narrows to single track and alpaca trails
Cell Phone Reception: None
What happens when an African American woman decides to solo-hike the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine during a summer of bitter political upheaval? Everything you can imagine, from scary moments of racism to new friendships to soaring epiphanies about the timeless value of America’s most storied trekking route.
Trip report by site editor Rick McCharles | day 1 | day 2
day 2 – 6:45 am I hoisted the pack.
Unsure of exactly how I was going to get back for my 4pm ferry departure , best get an early start.
In my dreams I’d hoped to get all the way to Palamutbuku … but there is one earlier exit if I am running out of time.
The first section is scrambling over headlands. A series of deserted coves.
Rocky beaches. Much of the stone is conglomerate.
My sunrise.
I was lost briefly several times. The official guidebook and map are not sufficient to keep you on the trail. GPS is pretty much essential on the Carian Trails. And I didn’t bring my GPS to Turkey. Doh!
So few hikers pass this point I left the next one a Summit Stone. There’s no way to miss it.
If you like this kind of solitude and scenery, plan a hiking trip to Turkey.
The beaches are not littered. But they are full of plastic and junk washed ashore.
Here’s the toughest headland. My guidebook authors nicknamed this scramble Death Valley.
Whew. Civilization.
I was slow getting here. But the only other walkers I saw on the trail were even slower.
This village was the end for me. I’d need to find the mini-bus back to town to be sure not to miss my ferry.
During lunch at a pleasant restaurant I learned that the mini-bus does not run on Sundays. I’d need to hitchhike. A crazy dentist in a beat-up van picked me up.
I was tired on the ferry home. The two days had taken more out of me than they should.
Bodrum castle is most impressive from the sea.
Trip report by site editor Rick McCharles | day 1 | day 2
Only 2 days on the Carian Trails. But it was enough.
I decided to return April / May 2019 for 2-3 weeks most likely on the even more remote Bozburun Peninsula section. (141km)
I’ll have two GPS devices and several downloaded routes. I’ll carry the right gear. And I’ll bring some of my food from home. Turns out they don’t sell dehydrated mashed potatoes in Turkey.
