Follow-up from our trekking Svaneti in Georgia, Asia post.
These mountains really are fantastic. A few more examples:
Tetnuldi
Mt. Ushba (“Matterhorn of the Caucasus”)
Taklamakan – 150km across the Desert of Death
A new company wants you to sign-up for a trek across the dunes.
Taklamakan Desert, the Desert of Death
A desert is a dangerous place. It is bleak, barren and inescapable. Sand storms are terrifying. Yet over the ages people have been drawn to the desert. Perhaps it is precisely this sense of fear that attracted explorers.
Taklamakan desert lies within the Tarim Basin in XinJiang (China).
Covering an area of 272, 000 km square, it is one of the largest sand-only deserts in the world. The ancient silk routes pass through this region along the northern and southern edges of the desert. …
In this trip, you will trek 150km across the vast expanse of sand dunes spending 7 days and nights out in the desert.
… Logistic support is provided.
We will be doing this as an exploratory adventure. So join us today to be one of the first to experience desert crossing!
Alvin Low – Founder and Operations Manager
Taklamakan Desert – Wikipedia
Taklamakan up close – flickr – Kiwi Mikex
trekking Svaneti in Georgia, Asia
Ever since speaking with a woman from Kazakhstan, I’ve been reluctant to recommend treks in the former Soviet Union.
She told me, “Kazakhstan has wonderful trekking, but you will be robbed and possibly killed your first night in the mountains if you go alone.”
But I found an impressive website from Georgia. I would happily hike with these guides in Svaneti, surrounded by 3,000-5,000m peaks, the highest inhabited area in Europe.
Given the diversity of its relief and the richness of its history and the unique ethnic identity of its residents, Svaneti is one of Georgia’s most outstanding regions.
It had long attracted many tourists, but the political and economic decline experienced by Georgia following the fall of the Soviet Union and independence has hampered efforts to revive and further develop Svaneti’s tourist and recreational potential.
In order to achieve this, it is necessary to foster the development of the family-run tourism business, especially given that this business employs much of the population (host families, providing tourists with products and traditional crafts, vehicle transport, horses, guide services, museums, folk music ensembles and more), and provides the local people, many of whom live near the poverty line, with additional incomes.
Svaneti Trekking – About Us
They recommend a number of dayhikes in the region, all which look great. I’d love to get there.
Their longest route recommended is a horse trek called ZHABESHI-USHGULI.
Svaneti Trekking – English, German, Russian and Georgian
Ushba (4710m) larger original – flickr – Patricia Scherer
contest winning hiking photo – Bluepeak
Rogier of Bluepeak.net won an award and had a couple of other captures nominated in a BC Parks Photo Contest.
His winning pic.
“young explorer†– Golden Ears Provincial Park
If you are not subscribed by RSS yet to Bluepeak, I recommend it.
trouble descending Mt Saint Helens
Great trip report and photos on the Shot from the Hip blog.
Mt. Saint Helens is the famous volcano close to Portland, Oregon.
• 11.6mi (18.7km) return
• 4565ft (1,392m) elevation gain
• summit at 8365ft (2,550m)
• 7-12 hours
Ignoring good advice from Rangers, two hikers raced up the mountain without ice axes or crampons. Then got lost and separated on the descent.
I’d like to smugly denounce them. But, instead, I relate.
In June I too would expect to be able to get up and down without heavy mountaineering gear.
Theirs were mistakes easy to make.
first trail marker on the scree
The guys did get to the top quickly and enjoyed fantastic views.
Mount Adams as seen from the summit.
On the way down the blue sunny skies we had at the summit quickly disappeared into a fog of clouds.
Hmm… Where are those markers? …
At one point, the boulders got bigger and more difficult to navigate. We then took a route that we thought would be an easier path. We had walked down the wrong side, but we did not know it. This side was definitely different. As we got farther down, we realized that it would be more and more difficult to go back.
At one point Eric and I got separated as we could no longer navigate the rocks and had to try to go through the snow. He slid down a ways and from his vantage point, he saw the weather station and realized we were on the wrong side.
Since we did not have crampons and ice axes, continuing to slide would not have been a good idea. So we decided to climb back up. …
To make things worse it started snowing. Not just the soft fluffy stuff dropping from the skies, but the heavy kind that pelts you with stings as it flies horizontal. Something we did not need. If I had slipped, the drop would have been quite disastrous, and the snow only made matters worse. Eventually, by the grace of God I made it up to the top, but Eric was nowhere to be found. I called out his name and no answer.
… Eventually Eric found his way up. This little adventure added about an hour to our trip.
Ah, no harm done — this time.
Our information page – Mt. Saint Helens – besthike
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photos – Tibet and Xinjiang, China
Our list of the best hikes in China is weak for a number of good reasons.
Researching hiking in remote Xinjiang Province, I came across the website of a top notch photographer.
Jian Shuo Wang from Shanghai posted details on a popular hike to Kanas, China’s deepest freshwater lake.
Lake Kanas lies near the Altai mountains, an imposing range where China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan meet.
map – Shangrila Adventure
Weather is the determining factor here. Best window for hiking is late September – mid-October. It’s high altitude.
Though horse trekking is far more popular than walking in this culture, I want to hike.
Just a small taste of his photos from that trip.
81 years old woman in Riwa
Xiannairi, the holy mountain.
photos © Copyright 2002 Jian Shuo Wang. All rights reserved.
See many more from this trip on his personal website.
Even better, I think, is a related collection by Bian Ka.
Dream Like Tibet photos – copyright © 2002 Bian Ka
And more terrific captures by Maphis Cheng.
More photos – copyright © 2002 Maphis Cheng.
It’s well worth the time clicking through some of these photo pages.
China and Tibet are HUGE. The hiking possibilities boggle the mind.
Parunuweap Canyon – Zion
The independent Zion National Park website has added an attractive blog.
This endorsement by Bo for a slot canyon walk caught my eye:
Parunuweap Canyon “is my favorite hike of all times. After hiking just about everything in Zion and nearby and doing this one several times using different ways in and out, I can say without a doubt that Parunuweap is my favorite hike!”
High praise.
So much so that we’ve added Parunuweap to our list of the best hikes in North America.
I would recommend this hike to anyone who is fit!
Parunuweap, the south East fork of the Virgin river, is far, far less visited than much more famous Zion Narrows off the North fork.
Zion National Park – Wikipedia
larger version on flickr – WillsCreek
UPDATE:
Several hikers have written to say that access is not allowed for Parunuweap. Too bad.
UPDATE: Check the comments. Tim states: Actually, you’re allowed in through a technical route called “fat man’s misery.†The only reason the east fork is inaccessible is because of private land ownership on either side.
Canada’s newest National Park – Torngat Mountains
My mind’s turning increasingly “north” as weather improves here in Canada.
We have such a short hiking season, every day is precious.
Rogier of Bluepeak.net alerted me to Torngat in Labrador, Quebec.
Canadian Geographic of May/June 2007 …
The article includes an online in-depth backgrounder. This is definitely a must-visit park, if one can manage the polar bears, who seem to be as thick as rabbits in the park.
I see Labrador as one of Canada’s hottest new destinations – I’ll have to find a way to get there.Bluepeak: Travel, tourism and photography » Torngat Mountains National Park
That article describes a kayak tour.
But there is unusual, challenging climbing and hiking, as well. A number of outfitters can arrange a trip there.
The Torngat Mountains are entirely above the Arctic tree-line so there’s nothing to obstruct your views. (Or block the cold wind.)
Rainbow above Cirque Mountain – Hazen Russell, Iapetus Ocean Expeditions (1982)
More photos from that collection.
Torngat Mountains – Wikipedia
GONE HIKING …
Website editor Rick McCharles is kayak hiking off Bamfield, British Columbia. Back on-line June 21st.
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