Best hikes, treks, tramps in the world.
ANTONAMON from the Netherlands loves to photograph mountains and rivers, rocks and sea. He says at 73 he is now too old for hiking trips but he browses the internet to see what’s out in the world.
“I stay at the coast and try to picture the eternal struggle between rocks
and waves.”
Hoo hoo!
First time ever besthike.com has reached #1 on any of the 3 major search engines.
Microsoft Live ranks us #1 for the search term “best hikes”. Google #9 and Yahoo #2.
Our list of the best hikes in the world is the best we know of on the web. It’s nice to know people can find us.
Many call Paine in Patagonia the single best hike in the world.
We don’t refute that claim.
But organizing an independent hiking adventure in that far off part of the world can be frustrating. Management of the Park is convoluted & confusing. Two private companies (Andescape & Fantastico Sur) share responsibilities with the federal government & run the mountain huts (refugios). A third company Vertice Patagonia runs one large Lodge and campground. Pathagone has some role, as well.
Some of these companies have websites, but none are particularly helpful — unless you want to sign on for a guided trek.
In Dec. 2004 we finally had to travel to the jumping off point for Paine, tiny Puerto Natales, Chile. Once there (speaking to the many hikers everywhere in town) it turned out that independent hiking is simple. No reservations are needed of any kind — so long as you are tenting. Every campsite is first-come, first-served.
If you want to hike and stay in the huts, good luck. Those beds are generally taken by guided groups. And we have still found no way to book them in advance from abroad.
So … what to do.
The happiest hikers in Paine are carrying their own packs and tents. No hassles. That’s what we did. <photos>
The next best way to do Torres del Paine is to sign on with one of the major trekking companies. For example, Path@gone will take you 5 days, 4 nights staying in refugios for US$330 / person — a pretty good price. Email Pathagone@entelchile.net to get a quote from them for your own adventure. No hassles.
For more details, check Paine Circuit and “W” on besthike.com
“I built a castle in the swamp and it sunk. I built a second castle and it sunk too. I built a third castle and it burned down and then sunk. But the fourth castle, Ahhhh! That one stood.â€
—Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Well-written account of an attempt to speed hike the JMT by 49-year-old Al Shaver.
Before my attempt, Reinhold Metzger held the unsupported, unresupplied speed record for the 208 mile John Muir Trail at 5 days 7 hours. I hoped to best his time this September. After three valiant attempts, his record still stands.
I knew I wasn’t necessarily the person best suited to break Reinhold’s record, but I was drawn to the challenge and I thought it was possible. …
As it turns out, the third time is not always a charm. I could take the advice of Mssrs. Cleese et al and try one more time, but I fear I took on a 40 miles a day challenge with 30 miles a day feet.
Results: John Muir Trail (JMT) Record Attempt – Unsupported, Without Resupply @ Backpacking Light
Al Shaver and the gear
(via The Adventure Blog)
He hikes. He blogs.
My new friend Tom Mangan is IMHO the top hiking blogger on the internet. (He must browse more RSS hiking feeds than anyone else.)
Tom’s one of the original bloggers, posting long before the word “blog” had been coined. Yet he is a relatively recent devotee of hiking. (Disclosure – I only got serious in 1999 myself.)
What I like about his Two-Heel Drive hiking blog is the balanced content. Unlike most blogs, including this one, Tom does not focus on the extreme, the sensational, the “best” — but rather covers everything hiking. He tries to get to know regular hikers as people. And he points out the positive.
Very refreshing.
Thanks Tom for motivating me to do a better job with this blog. I know you have had a similar energizing effect on dozens, perhaps hundreds of others out there.
Keep it up!
Why are we blogging?
* To pass along interesting stuff we find online …
* To document the fact that we experienced life on earth (And to have our names come up first when we google them.)
* To share our expertise and knowledge.
* To create something original.
Why are we blogging? – Two-Heel Drive
The Botterills from Calgary, Canada are just back from an October hike around Ausangate — our favourite trek in Peru.
How did they enjoy it?
“The trek was unreal — weather was good — no altitude issues.”
They signed on with Sunrise Peru the cost only $360 for 6 days. ($60 / day / person)
“Guide was great, meals were unreal and made from scratch, and the wrangler and assistant were nice.
I give them 10 out of 10. … I can’t think of anything they could have done better.”
Sunrise Peru provided great service as well on a Lares trek and a 2-day Inca Trail trek.
That’s good enough for besthike.com — we will be recommending Sunrise Peru in future.
Be warned, this trek is high. If you suffer altitude sickness — it is difficult to descend.
But if you like challenge, Ausangate is one of the very best in the world: 70km (43.5mi) plus sidetrips, tent 4-5 nights. Hot springs at the start and finish!
Jeannine (aka City Mouse Country Mouse) likes hiking off-season.
I jokingly called yesterday’s trip to Big Meadows in Shenandoah National Park our first hike of “the season”. After Marc and I met about a year ago, we went on hikes on Sunday afternoons. I think it was his way of showing me that Virginia wasn’t as bad as I thought it was back then and that it could be as beautiful as Massachusetts (not sure I completey agree yet).
I like hiking when it’s cold out. There are fewer people on the trails, it’s quieter at popular spots like Humpback and White Canyon, there are no bugs, and I don’t get overheated.
And you are more likely to see animals when there are fewer people about. Check her blog post to see how close she got to deer that day.
The tension between slow hikers and fast hikers easily burns the whole group down. I know, because I experienced the frustration looking at the person in front of me disappearing behind the branches. I know, because I was left behind with blisters hiking alone in the dark with tears.
Final Frontier: An Outdoor Blog » Blog Archive » Slow Hikers; Fast Hikers
This is a real sore spot for the author of this blog, L’il Po, as she leads hiking groups. She is responsible for the safety of the entire group. Obviously when some speed ahead, it is impossible to ensure the safety of all.
But even with my own hiking friends speed is an issue. It must be addressed early in the trip.
Ideally I want everyone to hike the speed at which they are most comfortable.
Fast hikers (that get frustrated with the slow group) I urge to leave camp late. Give the rest of us a head-start, then catch-up.
Fast hikers can dash ahead to set up a lunch boil-up for the rest of the group. When we finally get there, the hot water is ready.
Fast hikers can climb up to vantage points in order to take photos of the rest of the group.
It is too much to ask for large groups to stick together all day, I feel. Assign one fast hiker to be the leader (and not let anyone pass) and another to hike last (and assist anyone who needs help). This way no one gets lost.
Leave a comment if you have any other strategies.
Of the long list of the world’s best hikes, Paria Canyon was close to the top of my personal to-do list.
I finally got there though I needed to rent a car for a week. Public transport is terrible in the SW USA.
Paria is a river walk, normally 37.5mi (60.4km) from White House trailhead near Page, Arizona to Lees Ferry, Arizona. This is the easiest and safest route.
Much is made of the risk of flash flood. But the standard route staying in the Paria is fairly safe. Escape to higher ground is possible almost everywhere. And you cannot get lost as the cliffs are impassable.
I loved hiking through the canyon though footwear is a big issue. I wore neoprene booties in 5-10 Canyoneers, a water walking shoe. And I was much happier than those wading in socks and approach shoes.
There are a surprising number of animals living in the canyon (you know because of the footprints) but they have learned to be elusive. The only critters I saw live were rodents, including one that somehow got into my tent as I was just falling asleep.
I also spotted just once one of the reintroduced California Condors.
Hardcore hikers & mountaineers would prefer connecting Buckskin Gulch. I hiked a couple of miles up Buckskin from the confluence with the Paria. It is much narrower and more dangerous. If a flash flood hits, you are almost certainly swimming.
In Buckskin I ran into a couple of Colorado hikers with full canyoning gear. They were very happy to see me as dayhiking Buckskin had taken far longer than they expected. I was able to fill them in on just how much time it would take them to exit via Paria. They walked out in the dark.
My biggest problem on the hike was … water. Sounds crazy, I know. But filtering the Paria river is not a good idea. It’s not only silty but also very polluted. Cows drown in it on a regular basis.
I filled up in tiny trickle springs coming directly out of the mountain.
These canyons are colourful, tranquil and mysterious. The play of light and dark is amazing.
It was Fall. There is a great variety of trees and bushes in the canyon micro-climate. Many were changing colour.
An important side-trip for me was up a flood devastated side canyon to Wrather Arch, with a span of 246ft (75m) it’s the least accessible of the largest 10 natural arches in the world.
I met 2 local hikers who somehow scrambled down the canyon walls to dayhike Wrather. That route was harsh and exposed they told me. Not recommended.
I did try to climb up as high as I could to get some photos from above.
After 3 nights in Paria canyon, I decided to backtrack to my parked vehicle. That was 18.5mi in one long day. Though the river is flat, I found it difficult to hike quickly. Four days, three nights is minimum for this hike.
If you might want to hike Paria Canyon someday, check our Paria information page – besthike.com
And if you want to see high resolution pics of the canyon, I posted 137 Paria photos on flickr. (click SLIDESHOW and set time to 1sec)
Certainly I recommend Paria as an ideal hike for all levels of ability. Children and dogs will do well on this hike. In fact, it’s my favourite hike in the region and one of my top 10 hikes anywhere.
UPDATE: “Decathlon, manufacturer of the 2 Second tent … is shuttering its U.S. operations. They’ve also issued a product safety recall for all their 2006 tents due to extreme fire hazard.”
2 Second Tent Recalled U.S. Operations Shuttered – GetOutdoors.com
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original post – Oct. 11th, 2006
Years ago I saw one of these tents that accordion into a bundle.
It did not work at all.
But the latest generation from Quechua looks like the real deal: “when thrown in the air, it deploys into full form before reaching the ground.”
Repacking takes much longer.
(via Tech Blog – Top 10 Strangest Camping Gadgets)
photos on Flickr – Warren Long
besthike.com 