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Maoist rebels still taxing Everest trekkers

Besthikes recommends you trek to the highest mountain on Earth via the Dingri to Everest Base Camp route in Tibet. The views of Chomolangma are far superior than those on the far more popular normal route out of Kathmandu, Nepal.

Many outdoor adventure blogs are quoting a German Press Agency report that Mt. Everest trekkers starting in Kathmandu are still being asking for a US$35 “donation” each from Maoist rebels. This despite that extortion being banned under the terms of the ceasefire agreement. There are hassles in Tibet too, but not extortion by armed gunmen.

… the Maoists collected the money from the tourists at Manjo, the main entry point to the Everest region.

… “Tourists pay 1,000 rupees (about 14 dollars) to the Everest National Park. In addition, they have to pay aircraft boarding taxes at Kathmandu airport. Tourists are being taxed at every point

… About 3,500 trekkers visit Everest in each of the three tourist seasons, making it the most popular trekking route in the Himalayan kingdom.

The Raw Story | Maoists intensify extortion from trekkers in the Everest region

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photo from superb trip report by edMichel

UPDATE: Terrible breaking story in the region: China tries to gag climbers who saw Tibet killings (via GetOutdoors)

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photos – John Fedak

I met John at the bloggers meetup at Mt. Shasta.

He’s a blogger — Interesting to Cows (to opine is bovine) — but photography is his forte.

This is one of John’s favourite photos; near the summit of Tenaya Peak. He loves Yosemite.

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see more of John’s favourite photos

John lists over 8500 in his photo archives! Check them out.

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photos – Shasta bloggers meetup

It was an honour to hook-up with some of the top outdoor bloggers on the www, drink excellent wine and enjoy the lovely trails around Mt. Shasta, CA.

The highlight was the excellent campsite gourmet Thai meal prepared by Russ, the Wine Hiker.

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78 more photos on Flickr

Check the trip photojournal posted by Tom Magnan on Two-Heel Drive.

We are already talking about a second annual meetup, perhaps in conjunction with Appalachian Trail Days, May 18-19-20 2007 in Damascus, Virginia.

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US hiking in decline?

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… according to an annual survey by the Outdoor Industry Foundation, a Boulder, Colo.–based nonprofit affiliated with the Outdoor Industry Association … while backpacking is still a vital activity, with an estimated 13.5 million American participants last year, that figure represents a 22.5 percent decline since 1998.

… More disturbing yet to backpacking enthusiasts, young people are snubbing the backcountry in even bigger numbers, evidenced by a 32 percent drop in backpacking among 16- to 24-year-olds since 1998.

Packing It In. A great Northwest pastime—backpacking—is getting a little too gray. – Seattle Times

Is hiking really in decline? Is it changing?

Hikers I know are doing more ridge walks and scrambles. Others are planning thru hikes.

Worldwide I’m certain hiking is on the increase. The internet is making it easier to plan, communicate and organize hikes.

These stats are a blip, I reckon. Hiking everywhere, including the States, will become more popular in the future.

(via The Adventure Blog)

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hiking bloggers Ho Down

Just off the first annual outdoor bloggers meetup at Mt. Shasta, California.

This blog has already been scooped by the fishin’ magician — Tom Chandler. Photo by his wonderful wife Nancy.

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A pride of Bloggers (note the handsome guy holding the dog).

As I write this, the outdoor bloggers attending the First Annual Ho Down are dragging their butts around Mt. Shasta – a worthy endeavor even considering the absence of trout. …

read more on Tom’s The Trout Underground blog

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Banff Mountain Film Festival – world tour

These outdoor films shows are always fantastic. They present full features and “highlights” events — both are excellent.

Check the Banff Centre website for a showing in your region: Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour schedule.

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Banff Mountain Photography Competition winner – Andrew Querner of Canmore, Canada, awarded 2006 Grand Prize for his photo Cirque of the Unclimbables.

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Cicerone hiking guidebooks

We often recommend Cicerone hiking guidebooks, some of the best in the world.

But having Cicerone as publisher of a title is no guarantee.

Nothing was added to the hiking literature by the publication of Cicerone Walking in British Columbia in 2002. It is not even a good overview of the region.

How many of these tracks could author Janna Fleming have walked?

Cicerone should stick to the formula of very specialized trekking guidebooks by very expert authors.

Publishing weak volumes waters down the brand image.

On the other hand, we strongly recommend all of their books authored by Kev Reynolds. He is a god of hiking guides.

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this blogger gone to the Ho Down

Rick’s flying in from Canada, Szu-Ting’s flying over from Philly and a quartet of Bay Area bloggers are meeting Mr. Trout Underground near Mount Shasta around dinnertime for food, camping and chit-chat. Saturday we hike a bit of the Pacific Crest Trail, then it’s a gourmet dinner courtesy of WineHiker Russ, a campfire and more chit-chat (lubricated by some of Russ’s favorite wines) and …

Ho Down weekend is upon us – Two Heel Drive