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#9 best hike in the world is …

Actually, the TMB was demoted from #9 to “Honourable Mention”. That happened after site editor Rick McCharles was flabbergasted at the big crowds on that adventure during the summer of 2009.

The TMB was replaced by The Walker’s Haute Route, Chamonix to Zermatt, as Europe’s best hike.

The Tour of Mont Blanc

The best hike on the continent? Some still argue.

Every hiker has Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps (4810m, 15,781ft) on their must-see-before-I-die list.

The standard TMB is 9-14 days, 170+kms (106mi) though most folks only hike sections. Parts are accessible to all levels of fitness and experience.

Why we love it:

  • a terrific challenge, but with creature comforts en route
  • by staying in huts (refuge in French, rifugio in Italian) and hostels (gîtes), and eating your meals there, you can hike with a very light pack
  • frequent opportunities to buy food & supplies
  • good trails

  • good signage (though you still need a map)

  • visit France, Italy and Switzerland on one hike

  • you can carry your own tent, if you prefer, even tenting close to the huts so you can buy meals

  • chance to see ibex and chamois in the wild

  • fantastic glacier views
  • the hard core can add on an ascent of Mt. Blanc after acclimatized by hiking!

    Considerations:

  • it can snow on high passes any day of the year

  • off-season footing can be treacherous. Crampons and ice axe may be necessary.

  • late afternoon thunderstorms are common. Be ready for rain every day.

  • mid-July through August accommodation may be full

  • mountain huts can be crowded & noisy (we prefer tenting)

  • in 2004 cost was around 40€ (US$52) for bed, bedding, breakfast and an evening meal

  • you need climb iron ladders bolted into the mountain

  • cable-cars and chair-lifts are cheating, but you certainly may want to use them to shorten some hiking days (available June-Sept during daylight hours)

  • French is the main language of the TMB though Italian is useful too. Anglophones may struggle at times.

  • in places there are several different paths all heading the same direction. Route finding can be confusing.

    But terrific guidebooks (and mountain guides) are available.

    Details on our Tour of Mont Blanc information page.

    Original photo by Jaap Stronks – flickr

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    Kungsleden Trail, Sweden

    Saskia and Jan sent us some of their favourite photos from their adventure on one of the best long hikes in Europe.

    Read the very complete trip journal.

    Sweden harbours some of the last real wildernesses in Europe. We spent four weeks on the Kungsleden trail that runs for about 450 kilometers from Abisko to Hemavan.

    We thoroughly enjoyed the silence in the mountains and the company at the Swedish mountain huts. The Kungsleden is not really the toughest trail in Sweden. It is a real classic for the Swedes themselves and it is not the quietest of trails by any means. However, crowded has a different meaning for Swedes, than for Dutch people like us.

    From the Kungsleden the Kebnekaise massif and the Sarek massif are visible. The best time to hike this trail is in high summer, or on skis in the spring. This summer was exceptionally warm, but it can be quite cold, even in July or August. It can also be wet. Some of the Swedish hikers wear rubber boots as hiking boots because of the marshes. And because of that wetness, it can be buggy.

    Sweden supports ‘All People’s Rights’, which mean that anyone can camp anywhere. In most places you are also allowed to pick berries and mushrooms, which is very popular among the locals. We did not know which mushrooms or berries were edible, and which were poisonous, so we did not pick any.

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    See ALL the photos high resolution.

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    couple hiking the Great Wall of China

    Emma Nicholas and Brendan Fletcher saw our post warning people off hiking the Great Wall of China.

    That must have been somewhat amusing to them as they are in the middle of a 5-6 month trek along the Wall. (Walls, actually, as we learned.)

    In 2002 the couple hiked the John Muir Trail, getting engaged on the summit of Mt. Whitney.

    Though Brendan had hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 1992, China is an entirely different kind of challenge.

    Starting at the remote western end, their website and blog are filled with fantastic photos and insights into fascinating China.

    Check it out: Walking the Wall

    great-wall.jpg

    UPDATE:

    Brendan is aware of 3 other groups travelling the Great Wall:

  • Aspen Aerogels Great Walk – PrimalJourney.com
  • The Great Wall Nut (rather than the Appalachian Trail)
  • runners David Grier and Braam Malherbe – Miles for Smiles
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    #10 best hike in the world is …

    The Overland Track

    We last hiked Tasmania’s Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park in 2007. 🙂

    The best & most famous walk in Australia.

    Our consultant in Taz is none other than Aussie’s finest guidebook author John Chapman. He and wife Monica wrote the book on Overland.

    Why we love it:

    • Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, a World Heritage Site
    • Tasmania is 40%+ protected wilderness
    • easy-moderate hiking, if the weather cooperates
    • quota system keeps the Track from getting overrun: 50-60 hikers / day (about 34 independent, 26 guided)
    • ever-changing landscape, rainforest and alpine
    • Mt Ossa, Tasmania’s tallest mountain
    • boat trip on Lake St Clair, Australia’s deepest lake
    • good sidetrips, weather permitting
    • seeing the beech trees turn golden end of April / early May
    • taking photos of The Acropolis and The Labyrinth

    Considerations:

    • you can choose whether to tent or sleep in huts, each night, space permitting.
    • some hikers do this walk with no tent — we do not recommend it. If there is no space in the hut, or for some reason you are forced to camp away from a hut, a light tent can save you.
    • Tasmania is latitude 40° S, directly in the path of the “Roaring Forties” winds. Hikers have turned back due to wind.
    • plenty of snow falls on the highlands during the winter
    • waterproof everything
    • hypothermia is a real danger
    • no fires allowed
    • bring a stove as none of the huts have them
    • hang your food safely or animals may chew holes in your tent
    • currawongs and ravens can open zips, clips and Velcro

    Details on our Overland Track information page.

    Atop Cradle Mountain. Original photo from Andrew Purdam – flickr.

    Andrew’s Lake St Clair to Cradle Mountain (via 7 peaks) trip report photo journal.

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    what’s the best headlamp?

    Turk (a.k.a. – Ryan Miles) of ekho.info posed an important question on the Around the Campfire forum:

    … when it comes to flashlights and headlamps. Wide beams, focused beams, 9 bajillion lumens, tactical lights, every color of the rainbow LED etc etc.

    So here is my question. Seriously… what is everyone doing that they need so much light?

    I am not against headlamps by any means. But really do you need one unless you are on trail after sun down? Or big powerful flashlights for that matter?

    All I have ever used is a maglite solitare, pelican L1 and photon freedom micro. Its plenty of light for me.

    So. This is not a slam to anybody with a big powerful light. But convince me, educate me if you will, explain to me … what exactly you do with that light, and what aspects of hiking life does it make better?

    Whats the deal with Light? – Around the Campfire

    In my defence, Turk, I do like a bright light for reading in the tent. In fact, I’ve been known to wear 2 headlamps! My eyes are not as good as they once were.

    Princeton Tec Quad 4-LED Headlamp (Black or Blue)
    Princeton Tec Quad 4-LED Headlamp (Black or Blue)

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    top 10 hikes in the world – countdown

    top10.jpgStarting tomorrow, December 16th, besthike.com will post our list of the very best hikes in the world starting with #10.

    We’ll reveal one each day culminating Christmas morning with the #1 hike on Earth.

    The good news is that some of the old horses trotted out on lists like these will be missing. Do NOT expect to see: Inca Trail, Peru, or Milford Track, New Zealand.

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    organize to hike Mt. Whitney Trail, California

    We just posted an information page on how to hike Mt. Whitney.

    Obviously this is a fabulous hike, attracting about 30,000 every year. A big percentage of those are non-hikers who simply want to say they have stood on the highest point in the continental USA.

    What’s not to like? No climbing gear or experience is needed. The vistas are fantastic. (see photos of our Aug. 2006 hike.)

    Getting an permit overnight permit is a hassle, however, one of the most backward reservation systems we know.

    You must snail mail an application after Feb. 1st to arrive by Feb. 15th. Then you may or may not get picked by lottery.

    If you do not luck out, there are two other ways to snag a permit after the lottery.

    Some, frustrated by the process, opt to do the entire 22mi (35.4 km) round trip in a tough 10-16hr day. We do not recommend it, mainly due to the 6100ft (1859m) elevation gain.

    Instead, look at some of the alternate, longer hikes which still get you to the summit of Whitney but which do not have the same kind of demand.

    Mt. Whitney Trail information page – besthike.com

    whitney.jpg
    more photos of a trip on the climbing route – Ben Rohrs

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    $80 “America the Beautiful” Pass a mistake

    UPDATE: I was surprised to see GetOutdoors approve of the new pass, pleased with the simplification of pricing.

    I disagree.

    Even the name reminds me of “Enduring Freedom” — an over-the-top Bush-linked euphemism destined to be the sad punch line of a joke one day.

    If you are following the storm of controversy over the US National Park pass price increase from $50 to $80 / year, this is the best, most focused piece I’ve seen yet.

    It’s written by Scott Silver, commenting on an article in the current edition of High Country News.

    Numbers of visitors to Parks is in decline. Why increase the price now?

    I’m with you Scott.

    Wild Wilderness – Time for truth about park visitation – Scott Silver

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    (via GOAT)

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    free language MP3s – World Nomads

    Our travel insurance affiliate World Nomads offers free language guides as MP3 downloads. In fact you can subscribe to them via iTunes, if you like. Perfect if you are planning a hiking trip to a foreign land. (I recall hiking in South America practicing my Spanish on the trail.)

    Languages so far: Spanish, Thai, Indonesian (Bahasa), French, Vietnamese, Japanese, Italian, Indian, Lao and Chinese.

    World Nomads : Learn the Lingo – Category – Language guides

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    hiking the Great Wall of China

    It’s not yet on our list of the best hikes in the world. But … someday.

    Hiking in China we still do not recommended … unless you speak Mandarin.

    Of course you can sign on with dozens of different hiking tours of the Great Wall. But what if you really want to hike independently?

    The Rucksack guide is your best bet.


    “Explore the Great Wall” (Jacquetta Megarry)