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WHO is Hiking for Years?

Rebecca McPhee:

Long-Distance Hiking Roundup

  • Alexander Campbell – plans to walk 40,000km across 30 countries
  • Paul Salopek – possibly 15 years walking the original migration route of humans
  • Yann Busnel – 50,000km the southern tip of Africa, to Cape Horn, South America
  • Karl Bushby – Chile to England, around the world
  • Angela Maxwell –  32,000km across four continents and 14 countries
  • Juls Stoden – hiking to every bothy in the UK
Karl Bushby’s route so far
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BestHike #7 – Otter Trail, South Africa

The Otter Trail on the Garden Route out of Capetown is arguably the most famous in Southern Africa.

Click PLAY or watch a 1 minute introduction on YouTube.

Otter Trail

Lush forests, rugged shorelines, mountain streams and waterfalls and fragrant fynbos make this a unique coast adventure.

Book 12 months in advance to get one of the exclusive permits. .

South Africa Tourism
South Africa Tourism

AT A GLANCE

  • one of our top 10 coastal hikes in the world
  • Storms River Mouth to Nature’s Valley
  • 42km
  • 5 days, 4 nights
  • clean huts, no tenting
  • gorgeous cliff tops, returning to sea level to cross rivers

Read more on our Otter Trail information page.

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Johnston Canyon, Banff Park, Canada in Winter ☃️

Johnston Canyon is a MUST SEE attraction for visitors to Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies.

On a summer day it is packed. Narrow trails with far too many people.

Recommended is to do the hike very early or late in the day. Avoid the crowds.

OR do Johnston Canyon in the winter with some kind of ice traction or micro spikes for your shoes. The access road is closed each winter, further reducing the traffic.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I took the bus from Banff ($10 return) end of April 2023. Too late, in my opinion.

I still needed my YakTrax. But it was far too crowded.

The highlight for me were the catwalks between narrow canyon walls.

Seeing the frozen waterfalls up close is cool — but they were looking quite dirty end of April. These will be gone in a week or two.

A minority of hikers carry on up to the “Ink Pots“, mineral springs that differ in colour because each pool fills at a different rate.

Distance: 5.7 km (3.5 miles) one way

Elevation gain: 330 m or 1,083 feet

Time needed: 2.5 – 4 hours to do the return hike

Difficulty: Easy

Read more on Hike Bike Travel – Ink Pots hike via Johnston Canyon

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Where the Deer and the Antelope Play by Nick Offerman

Of all celebrities, the one I’d like to most go for hike is Nick Offerman.

I got to know him as the hilarious Ron Swanson in the sitcom Parks and Recreation (2009–2015).

He’s an actor, comedian, boat builder, wood craftsman, and author.

This book starts with day hikes in Glacier National Park with friends Jeff Tweedy and George Saunders. The three are well prepared — but ultimately incompetents.

It’s very entertaining while being smart and philosophical.

Nick is a humane and thoughtful guy.

I recommend Where the Deer and Antelope Play.

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Kings Peak, Vancouver Island

Matt and Anderson put together another entertaining VIDEO with some epic glissading on the way down. … Would they cliff out? 😀

20km round trip – Strathcona Park on Vancouver Island. 1800m elevation gain.

It’s tough. I tried and failed myself. There was too much snow June 15th of that year.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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Walking the Bow River in Canada

I was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Gateway to the Canadian Rockies.

Over the years I’ve spent a lot of time on and around the Bow River and the Elbow River which joins the Bow in Calgary.

The Bow flows through Banff all the way to Hudson’s Bay.

The other day it seemed Spring had finally sprung — so I grabbed the drone and headed off trail to walk the river.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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#3 Hiking Town – Namche Bazaar, Nepal

 

Every hiker dreams of trekking in the footsteps of Hillary and Norgay. Climbing to Mt. Everest Base Camp Qomolangma (Tibetan), Sagarmāthā (Nepali) should be on your bucket list.

Here is the finest alpine scenery in the world, we reckon.

Namche Bazaar … at 3,440 metres (11,286 ft) … is the main trading center for the Khumbu region with many Nepalese officials, a police check post and a bank. …

Namche has a permanent population of around 800.

Almost everyone trekking in the Khumbu region will visit Namche Bazaar, as it is the gateway to the high Himalaya.

More interesting photos tagged Namche Bazaar.

Want more information? Check WikiTravel – Namche.

Everest Base Camp – Khumbu Ice Fall

Our favourite hike hikes out of Namche are:

• Everest Base Camp / 3 Passes
• Everest Base Camp / Kala Pattar
• Everest Gokyo

Everest seen from Kala Pattar

Many consider the mountain people and Tibetan culture an even bigger highlight than the peaks.

Flapping

Best months are from October to early-December, cold but normally with clear views of the world’s highest mountains.

Spring is also a good time to visit the Everest region, though the skies may be hazy. Some argue that pastures are greener in the Spring.

Check the trip report posted by besthike editor Rick McCharles, Nov. 2009 – Everest Base Camp / 2 Passes

Or start on our Nepal information page.