Classic Treks: The Milford Track, New Zealand

by Kraig Becker on

New Zealand’s Milford Track has been called “the finest walk in the world” and is considered to be amongst the classic treks. The 33+ mile trail winds it’s way through Fiordland National Park, and is surrounded by some of the most stunning scenery anywhere. The New York Times takes a look at this legendary hike in an article published a few days back, in which the author spent a few days exploring New Zealand’s amazing backcountry.

The Milford Track is considered to be a trail of moderate difficult and anyone with decent hiking experience can cover it end-to-end in five days of solid walking. Access is limited to just 90 trekkers per day during the high season, which ensures a great deal of solitude out on the trail and protects the envroinment from being trampled under the feet of too many visitors.

While on the trail, hikers are treated to a stunning array of scenery as they wander through rain forests, past expansive lakes, and through mountain passes covered in glacial snow. The idyllic scenery is a photographers dream and it remains almost complete unspoiled, with just a few well established campsites strategically placed a days hike apart to break up the miles of wilderness.

Not everything is perfect on the Milford Track however, as the weather there is legendary. It rains nearly every other day, even during the summer, and high winds, snow, and cold temperatures can strike at any time of the year. Heavy rains can flood the trail at times, forcing detours and quick dashes to higher ground.

Unpredictable weather aside however, anyone paying a visit to New Zealand should add the Milford Track to their list of must do adventures. It’s an opportunity to see unspoiled backcountry unlike any place else on Earth.

The Changing Face of Trekking in Nepal

by Kraig Becker on

Australian newspaper The Age has taken a good look at how adventure tourism is changing in Nepal as the country undergoes political change and modernization. In this story, published over the weekend, they discuss how one of the worlds most famous treks, the Annapurna Circuit, has been altered forever by the opening of road in the region early last year.

Tourism has always been an essential part of the economy in Nepal. The colorful and vibrant city of Kathmandu held an allure to visitors from abroad, and they often spent time there exploring its temples and market places. But with recent upheaval in the capital, more and more tourists are simply passing through Kathmandu for other destinations, and when they arrive at those places, they’re finding that they have changed as well.

The article notes that a number of guide services have either shortened their Annapurna treks or eliminated them altogether. The newly constructed road that cuts a path through the region has changed the iconic trek forever, and it’s forcing adventure travelers to look elsewhere. For instance, many now trek through the Khumbu Valley, which has seen a surge in traffic in recent years with backpackers traveling up to Everest Base Camp and staying in traditional tea houses along the way.

It’s a shame that one of the world’s great treks, like the Annapurna Circuit, is being changed so dramatically, but in this day an age, a lot of countries are struggling with maintaining their natural resources but still making changes that can improve their quality of life. It’s hard to fault a country for improving it’s infrastructure, but it’s sad when it comes at the expense of such an amazing trek like this one.

[via The Adventurist]

Fit For Trips Gets You Ready For Adventure

by Kraig Becker on

Some people like to go on vacation to relax, sit on a beach and enjoy fine foods and sip fruity drinks. Others take a break from their regular life to go on an adventure. They climb mountains, they trek through the Himalaya, and they cycle through the south of France. Adventure travelers need to be in great shape before they leave on their vacations, and that’s where Fit For Trips comes in.

Fit For Trips offers 4, 8, and 12 week programs designed to get you ready for your adventure vacation. Each of them is easily adaptable to the activities that you will be participating in while traveling, and can be custom made to match your itinerary, and best of all, they can help someone who is just starting to get in shape or is already working out regularly.
There are programs designed for biking, both on and off road, trekking, paddling, walking, and multisports. Rates vary depending on the length of the program and the levels of customization. Typically a four week program starts at $169 while a twelve week program tops out around $339. For your money, you get video clips of exercise routines specific to your activities, reference charts and photos demonstrating your exercises, unlimited access to the Fit For Trips forums, and unlimited e-mail consultation from the FFT trainers. You’ll also have online tracking of your progress and the whole thing comes with a money back guarantee.

The idea is that you’ll enjoy your adventure travel more if you are in better condition and won’t suffer physically while taking part in all those activities. As a happy traveler your get more from your vacation and have more of an opportunity to soak up the culture and the adventure. To check out sample work out routines, click here, and to take a tour of what Fit For Trips has to offer, click here. Then start preparing for your next trip with the right routine as soon as possible.

Converse All-Stars: You can still walk miles almost 100 years later

by Jamie Rhein on

When I went on trek in Ladakh, India, most people who went along were outfitted to the gills in the latest, greatest, newest hiking clothes and shoes for such an occasion. One person, however, wore a pair of Converse All-Stars–the basic low cut version. Nothing fancy and he didn’t even lace them. I can’t remember if he wore socks. Probably not.

He walked unhurriedly for nine days along the trail that lead up the mountains through the Markha Valley. As he walked, he chewed tobacco and cheerfully shot the breeze. His shirts, by the way, were very nice cotton, pin-stripped button down Oxford cloth. His pants– blue jeans. He tied a red bandana, pirate-style around his head and was never without his Ray Bans. I was proud he was in my group that lolly-gagged behind the rest. We took in the scenery and each others company, while the over-achievers sped ahead for who knows what reason except for wanting to be first. (It was hard not to delight in the gasping heaves and moans when altitude sickness kicked in for some of them.)

The Converse All-Stars said, “Kick back. Don’t worry.” I was happy to follow their pace. None of the five of us in the pack that brought up the rear suffered from altitude sickness. We were walking too slow for that, and my friend never got a blister that I can recall.

Converse All-Stars, also called Chuck Taylors or “Chucks,” first made their appearance as basketball shoes in 1917. The company, though, is celebrating its 100th year. It was founded in 1908.

Trekking to Death in India?

by Abha Malpani on

I was shocked that I wasn’t shocked to read this story about a man trekking in India and getting lost for 32 days. He wandered off from his group trekking trail, hit his head and fainted. When he woke up he couldn’t find his way back, ate grass and drank sewage water to survive. Over a month later was found by a local and taken to the hospital. The man is from Bombay, which is a 4-hour drive away from Pune – the city in the outskirts of which he got lost.

As much as India is truly “incredible”, and the tourism board is trying to get it’s act together; India is dangerously disconnected the minute you head off the standard marketed tourist spots. Comparing savage Indian outskirts with the Australian outback trails wouldn’t be fair, but in say Thailand, I think something like this would never happen.

I remember getting lost when I went on a school trail in the same area as this dude who got lost. We were missing only for a few hours. We didn’t move and all we saw was the odd snake, but it could have been worse; remote India can get wilder than you can imagine.

This is why I think Indian travelers are extremely daring, adventurous and courageous — I have uncles who have planned 60 day hikes in the Himalayas. Avid travelers in India don’t seem to be technologically well-connected (my uncles barely know how to send an email), unless of course you are from Bangalore (India’s Silicon Valley).

When I was in India last, I was thrilled to get in touch with OK TATA BYE BYE. It is the first and probably only website aimed at Indian backpackers – in India! There are dozens wandering off the beaten path in their own country, all the time (the Rupee doesn’t allow for much travel overseas), and the website gives great insight into traveling in India, stuff you won’t find in guidebooks.