New epic trekking route set to open in the Himalaya in 2011

by Kraig Becker on

Have you already conquered the world’s top treks? Already hiked the Inca Trail, made the trek to Everest Base Camp, and scaled Kilimanjaro? Do the Pacific Crest and Appalachian Trails seem passe? Then get ready for a new long distance trekking route set to open in the Himalaya next year, that will challenge even the heartiest of backpackers with its distance and altitude.

Known at the Great Himalaya Trail, this new route will run approximately 2800 miles through some of the most remote and stunningly beautiful locations on the planet. The snow capped peaks of the Himalaya will tower above hikers as they pass through Bhutan, Tibet, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, on a route that will be an epic undertaking from beginning to end.

The trail will begin in Namche Barwa in Tibet and extend all the way to Nanga Parbat in Pakistan. It is estimated that it will take roughly 150 days to hike the GHT from end to end, although it will also be broken up into seven sections, which can be completed in 18 to 35 days depending on which segment a trekker elects to do. Much of the route will be inaccessible by road, but will instead pass through remote villages that will allow for resupply, while giving backpackers a chance to immerse themselves in the unique and fascinating local cultures.

Distance isn’t the only consideration for those looking to complete the GHT. Altitude will be an ever present challenge, with the trail climbing through high passes and along mountain routes in excess of 18,000 feet. Weather will also be a constant threat, with the chance of heavy snow a possibility at nearly any time of the year, and a freak blizzard could potentially close the route for a number of days. Political relations between the nations through which the trail passes are, at times, a bit tenuous as well, meaning that the route could be shut down along disputed borders.

To date, only the route through Nepal is complete, although work continues in each of the other countries in an effort to be ready by February 15 of next year, when the first trek, led by adventure travel company World Expeditions will get underway. Those interested in joining the inaugural trek can book the entire route or one of the seven subsections now, although space is limited and demand is expected to be high. Trekking the route independently is being discouraged at the moment due to the number of permits and visas that are required.

For Nepal, the Great Himalaya Trail is an opportunity to expand the options for adventure travelers who already visit the country in droves. But for the other four countries along the Great Himalaya Trail, the new trekking route gives them a chance to begin to tap more fully into the growing adventure travel market that has, for the most part, eluded them. With the travel industry looking to rebound this year, the hope is that in 2011, long distance trekkers will be ready to take on this new route, and bolster their struggling economies in the process.

Classic Treks: The John Muir Trail

by Kraig Becker on

The U.S. offers plenty of great options for long distance hikers looking for amazing trails to explore. Of course, there are the three epic hikes, The Appalachian Trail, The Pacific Crest Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail, all of which extend for at least 2000 miles in length. But for those who don’t have months on end to spend on an extended trek, there are some excellent alternatives that may be shorter in length, but no less scenic and challenging.

Take for example the John Muir Trail, a 211 mile long route that runs in parallel to a section of the PCT from Yosemite Valley to Mt. Whitney in California. Named for the first president of the Sierra Club, the trail passes through some of the most scenic backcountry in the U.S., as it winds its way through the Ansel Adams and John Muir wilderness areas, and across Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park.

One of the great challenges of the JMT is altitude. It passes through a stretch of the Sierra Nevada mountains, rarely dropping below 8000 feet and crosses through six passes, each of which exceed 11,000 feet in in height. It that wasn’t enough, more than 90% of the hikers who cover the route travel north to south, which means they end on the summit of the 14,505 foot tall Mt. Whitney, the highest mountain in the lower 48 states. Those same trekkers will also have to deal with another 11 mile hike, dropping 6000 feet in altitude, just to get to the Whitney Portal, and a ride home.

The best time of the year to make the trek is between July and September. In the high passes, snow is a consideration late into the summer, and the weather can be an obstacle at any time. During those months, it tends to be warm on the JMT, but cold weather clothes are needed as a contingency none the less. There are also plenty of bears to be found along the route, and while they are rarely a threat, bear proof storage for your food is a necessity.Speaking of food, unlike the Appalachian Trail or PCT, there are very few places along the John Muir where you can resupply. Road access is at a minimum once you leave one of the trail heads, so be prepared to carry your food with you at all times. Water is generally not a concern however, as it is plentiful in the mountains, although a good water filter is highly recommended.

All told, it will require approximately two to three weeks to hike the JMT from end to end, depending on your pace and if you make any side trips to places such as Half Dome or Vermillion Resort. The hike down to the Whitney Portal will extend your hike as well, even though it is not an official part of the trail. The fact that the trail can be completed in a relatively short time is part of what makes it so popular with backpackers.

A permit is required to make the trek, and they can be obtained from the Federal Recreation Reservation Service. Those hoping to hit the trail are encouraged to get their permits early however, as the wait list can be more than six months in length. But once the permit is obtained, the hikers are good to go, and enjoy one of the best, and most beautiful, trail experiences in the U.S., if not the world.

Have a winter adventure of your own in Vancouver

by Kraig Becker on

Planning on heading to the Winter Olympics in a few weeks? Looking for something to do while you’re not busy with the curling match between Switzerland and Denmark? Perhaps you’d enjoy a little outdoor activity of your own while visiting beautiful British Columbia? Then you’re definitely headed to the right place, as Vancouver Island is one of the best adventure travel destinations in the world, no matter what season you go.

For winter adventures, the options are nearly endless. The snow begins falling on Vancouver Island in November and tends to stick around until late March, with the surrounding mountains remaining covered in the white stuff until well into the spring. Once the snow does start flying however, the local ski resorts, Mount Washington and Mount Cain, open for business offering great skiing and snowboarding for the beginner and the experienced snow bum alike. Mount Washington is the larger of the two, and more centrally located, and although Mount Cain is smaller, it is also a bit more remote and often less crowded. Both offer plenty of great runs, but if you’re more in the mood for cross country skiing, then go with Mount Washington, which has more than 34 miles of groomed trails and gets as much as 30 feet of snow annually.

If sliding down (or around) a mountain with skis strapped to your feet isn’t your cup of tea, then head to Vancouver’s West Coast to take in one of the other popular winter activities – storm watching. The raw power of the Pacific Ocean is regularly unleashed on the shoreline, with eight to ten foot waves smashing against the rocks, high winds pounding the cliffs, and copious amounts of snow and and rain blowing in off the water. Fortunately, there are a number of great viewing spots out of the gale force winds. Check out the Snug Harbour Inn or the Pacific Sands Resort for great views of nature’s raw power on full display.Vancouver Island is an incredibly beautiful place with mountain vistas and thick forests that are fun to explore year round. But the best way to visit the backcountry in the winter is on snowshoes, which are not only incredibly fun, but a great workout too. It’s the perfect way to spend the day away from the crowds and noise of the Olympic Village. But for a really amazing snowshoeing adventure, check out the Lantern Light Cross-Country and Snowshoeing tour around Mount Washington. This excursion hits the trail after dark, with a blanket of twinkling stars overhead and nothing but lanterns to light the trail ahead. It’s an experience you won’t soon forget.

There are plenty of other options for outdoor winter adventures on the island as well. For instance, snowmobiling is a popular pass time, with hundreds of miles of logging roads and backcountry trails open for exploration. Alternatively, consider packing a four-season tent and warm sleeping bag to go camping while you’re there, as there are camp sites open even in the winter months.

These activities are just a taste of what Vancouver Island has to offer, and once you get a chance to experience it all for yourself, you’ll want to book a return trip in the summer. When the snow melts, there is an entirely new set of outdoor activities to entice you to come back. From hiking to sea kayaking to mountain biking, Vancouver is equally intriguing in the summer as it is in the winter.

Want more Olympics coverage?

Peace on earth, goodwill toward men: two places where it worked

by Sean McLachlan on

We hear a lot about peace and friendship over the holidays, but the reality is that different religions and peoples are constantly fighting. It seems we can never get along.

Or at least that’s what the history books would have you believe.

History focuses on change, and change usually means conflict, but there have been many times in the past when different religions and ethnic groups have lived in harmony. Here are two UNESCO World Heritage Sites you can visit that are testimony to the idea that people can achieve great things by working together.

Toledo, Spain

For most of the Middle Ages Spain was not a country; it was a patchwork of different states fighting amongst themselves and staving off invasions by the Muslim Moors from North Africa. There was a centuries-long war between Islam and Christianity, with the Jews being stuck in the middle as second-class citizens in both societies. But under the Caliphate of Córdoba, which ruled much of the Iberian Peninsula in the tenth and eleventh centuries, the three cultures lived and learned together. Córdoba and Toledo were the two main cultural centers. Many books from ancient Greece and Rome, lost in Europe during the Dark Ages but preserved in Arabic translations in the Middle East, were translated into Latin and Hebrew and helped start a rediscovery of Europe’s Classical heritage.
The Christian kingdoms were slowly pushing out the Muslims, however, and in 1085 King Alfonso VI captured Toledo. He realized the relationship among the three cultures, called La Convivencia (“The Coexistence”) was a good thing and kept it going. He even established a translation center to copy books from each culture into Latin, Spanish, Arabic, and Hebrew, so everyone could benefit from each other’s learning. Philosophy, astronomy, architecture, mathematics, and a dozen other arts and sciences flourished.

%Gallery-80891%It didn’t last. In 1492, when the last Moors were kicked out of Spain, the Jews were kicked out too, and any non-Christian who wanted to stay had to at least pretend to convert. But La Convivencia left an enduring intellectual an artistic legacy for all three cultures and some impressive monuments that can still be seen today.

Gonder, Ethiopia

On a different continent in different century, people came to the same conclusions that the people of Toledo did. In the northwest of what is now Ethiopia is the city of Gonder. It was founded by the Emperor Fasilides around the year 1635. Ethiopian emperors traditionally moved from place to place to watch over their people, but Fasilides saw an advantage to having a capital city for his empire. Soon a large urban center had sprung up, with palaces and castles and places of worship.
Gonder became the center of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, but it was also home to Muslims and the Beta Israel, the Ethiopian Jews. Artisans and thinkers from all three religions flocked to Gonder to work in the market or palace. The Beta Israel were often craftsmen. Because only a Christian could sit on the throne, the Jews often served as trusted advisers and bodyguards to the emperor. The Muslims, with their connections to the Red Sea and other parts of Africa, set themselves up as merchants.
All three cultures worked together to make Gonder a center of art and learning, just like in Toledo. The ruins of some of the castles and palaces are still visible today and many people call Gonder “Africa’s Camelot”. The most famous monument is Fasilides’ castle, shown here. Check out the gallery for more attractions in Toledo and Gonder.

Let’s not romanticize these civilizations. Neither of them were progressive democracies. They were authoritarian kingdoms where the common people had almost no rights, and both ended up being replaced by less tolerant cultures. Yet they managed to figure out something–it’s not your background that’s important, it’s what you can contribute to society. The people of Toledo and Gonder discovered they could do more together than they could separately. It’s something many societies have realized. In fact, despite all the bad news on TV, religious and ethnic violence is the exception rather than the rule. Most streets aren’t erupting in gunfire. Most people live in towns made up of a number of religious and ethnic groups. They may not be best friends, but they’re not killing each other either.
Maybe Toledo and Gonder have given us more than pair of interesting tourist attractions.

Five reasons why life on the road doesn’t suck

by Sean McLachlan on

A few days ago our roving reporter in China talked about “Five reasons why life on the road can really suck.” Her points were:
1. It can be difficult to make deeper connections with people.
2. People at home go on with their lives, and you become less and less a part of them.
3. Sometimes it feels like your life is standing still.
4. You can’t commit to any one thing, and so never experience anything fully
5. You continually have experiences that you simply can’t convey to folks who aren’t with you.

Valid points, every one of them, but I think her epic Chinese bus tour has left her a little worn out because there’s a positive flip side to each of these.

1. You can make deeper connections with people, it’s just harder (and therefore more worthwhile).
It’s true that being on the road means you usually don’t stay long enough to make lasting relationships, but that’s not always the case. If you settle down for a few days or weeks you can get to know some of the local people and you can keep in touch with them after you go. I was doing this even before everyone had email, and it’s a whole lot easier now. Sometimes people pop up out of your past totally unexpected. I made a good friend in Quetta, Pakistan, who I corresponded with for a couple of years. Eventually that correspondence faded away, but just this year he Googled me and got in touch! He lives in Europe now so we may even get to meet up.

2. If you and some of your friends drift apart, so be it.
Nothing lasts forever, not friends, not relationships, not even travel. We either move apart or we die (oh, that was cheery!). Travel brings new perspectives, a new lifestyle, and new associations. Yes, some of those old connections may fade away, but if you choose to have a different lifestyle than they do, perhaps that’s not such a bad thing. And the real friends will always be there.

3. Your life is never standing still.
It just may not be progressing along the same lines as the clock-punchers back home. If you choose to spend your twenties wandering the world like I did, your thirties will probably not be as financially stable as some of your friends’, nor will your career be as advanced, unless, of course, your career is tied to travel. I went from being an archaeologist to a writer, so I was able to make my career progress while on the road. If I had wanted to be a lawyer or manage a company, I’d be screwed.

4. Give your trip focus, and you will experience things fully.
Travelers, no matter how leisurely they explore a country, are still just passing through. Despite having wandered all over Damascus I never saw it except in winter. Is it much different in springtime? I don’t know. I also haven’t seen its great transformation after the huge influx of Iraqi refugees. On the other hand, I have a sound knowledge of Islamic architecture and medieval castles, two big interests of mine. All through my travels in the Middle East I went to every mosque or castle I could find. That was my continuity, that and endless cups of tea during endless conversations in an endless string of cafes. Good conversationalists, the Arabs.

5. It’s OK to keep some memories for yourself.
It would be nice to fully share all our travel experiences with our loved ones, but to do that they’d have to come along for the ride, and even then their experiences would be different because they have different perceptions. We’re each on our own road through this life, whether we’re world travelers or couch potatoes. You can’t share everything with everybody. In fact, some of my most treasured travel memories are incidents I’ve never told anyone because they would never believe me!

A final note
Catherine, sooner or later there’s a fork in the road and we choose one way or the other. If we haven’t gone too far down one way we can always scurry back and try to catch up with the folks on the other path. I’ve known some people who did that.
Or we can forge on ahead. Every choice has its pluses and minuses, even being a globetrotting writer has its downsides. Believe me, I know. But I’ve never regretted my decision, and I have the feeling you haven’t either.
So don’t despair, you just have a case of the traveler’s blues. We all get it, but the road will offer up an instant cure with some magnificent sight or encounter. It’s probably done that for you already.