Who would buy one of these things?

… I think I’m just about to.

I am looking at one right now. US$190.

I’ll use it as an extra layer with my fearfully thin and worn down bag.

product home page

backpackgeartest.org field tests

by site editor Rick McCharles

If I can make the logistics work, I’ll try for the most difficult of the “standard” treks in the Everest region.

To the seekers of adventure and authenticicity, this is an ultimate trek, that will take you throgh the famous three passes of Everest , namely the Renjo La pass, the Cho La pass and the Kongma La pass.It is a trek with unparalled alpine beauty and without doubt the grandest mountain scenery on the world.The highlights of the trek include the Sherpa village of Khumjung, the pristine Gokyo lake, the breathtaking scenery fron the all these passes and the vist to Everest base camp.Unlike other treks in Everest region , this trek makes a loop , hence no tracing back of the route. The good thing about this trek is despite having to cross three passes , you do not require any technical climbing and any person with good fitness and previous trekking experience can complete the trek successfully. …

details of a guided trek

I’ll be hiking independently. Looking for other independents to hike with en route.

hiking counter clockwise

Tea houses are available throughout the route, aside from long sections over the 3 passes.

Comments?

I did an overgrown and little known hike on Maui. It’s one of the ways to get high up the steep walls of the Iao Valley.

The goal is this crucifix erected and maintained by High School students.

This trip report I put up merely to document how to get to the cross as there are no other reports online.

Ask locals in Wailuku town to tell you the correct telephone pole marking the start of the trail to the Cross.

IF you find the right pole, the ascent is pretty straightforward.

The highlight, for me, were views back towards town.

What I had hoped to like better were the vistas down into the wonderful Iao Valley.

Unfortunately I never really got high enough for the best valley vista. The trail above the Crucifix quickly disintegrates. Long pants are recommended for this walk.

I’m not even sure hikers are officially allowed to hike here in the West Maui Forest Reserve.

It’s not one of the best hikes on Maui.

Just browsing the new Lonely Planet Trekking in the Nepal Himalaya (August 2009).

Enjoy the high passes, breathtaking landscapes and exhilarations of trekking in Nepal with Lonely Planet. Whether you want to make a tilt at Everest Base Camp, reach remote Tibetan villages or circuit sacred lakes, this guide lets you light out for the roof of the world.

I’d love to do something near Kachenjunga. But I’m leaning towards the Everest region. Independent trekking. Likely I’ll carry my tent just in case I want to go off the teahouse trails.

Leave a comment if you’ve a recommendation. I’ve at least 2wks of hiking days.

I’m a sucker for great trees. Botanical gardens.

But I skipped the Garden of Eden ($5 entry) instead walking the nearby Keanae Arboretum (free).

Around half-mile beyond mile marker 16 on the Hana Highway …

The Ke‘anae Arboretum lies alongside the Pi‘ina‘au Stream on leveled terraces built hundreds of years ago by Hawaiians for growing taro, a mainstay of their diet. A 0.6 mile paved walkway takes visitors through timber, fruit, and ornamental trees from tropical regions around the world, many of which are marked with name plates. Inside the arboretum you can find some 150 varieties of tropical plants (including taro). This is a great location to see some indigenous flowers and the painted bark eucalyptus trees.

An upper section of the arboretum features plants cultivated by the Hawaiians for food and other uses. This arboretum appears to have undergone a major renovation as of our last visit. The renovation included an expansion on the previous path that now leads into beautiful small taro fields not previously located in the arboretum.

There are no facilities or amenities at this stop. Expect to spend 30 minutes to an hour here.

The Aussie Gum trees were my favourites.

Hawaii-Guide

Trip report by site editor Rick McCharles.

I did an unpopular route listed in Maui Trails by Kathy Morey, but not in any other hiking guidebook.

She calls this the “Kaupo to Halekala Park Boundary“, an awkward moniker it seemed to me.

A far more common use of this trail is as the Kaupo Gap exit from the volcanic crater above. I was walking it backwards, uphill rather than downhill.

On the bright side, it’s well signed.

I suspect many hikers in the past arrived at remote Kaupō Ranch in rough shape from the 6000ft+ descent.

From GORP:

… Kaupo Trail can be an experience in misery: blistered feet, tortured knees, intense sun or torrential rain, and no available drinking water. The steep, rocky terrain in Kaupo Gap makes it essential that you be in good physical condition. Weak knees, bad backs, and new boots are not compatible with this trail. …

Actually, crossing a working cattle ranch was interesting.

Wild pigs are a bit of a pest. I saw many.

wild piglet

Here’s a working trap, set to capture the bacon.

I stepped on over ripe avocados.

There were no signs any other hikers had ever been on this trail. Only myself, a few farm hands, and these onlookers.

Views back to the wild Kahikinui coast were nice.

But for me the biggest attraction of this walk was that it felt an authentic Hawaiian experience, not a standard tourist cattle trail.

I recommend it.

See the rest of my Kaupo to Halekala Park Boundary pics.

I post this from the airport in Dubai.

Departing Nov. 3rd from Maui, I don’t arrive into Kathmandu until Dec. 6th. … And I don’t cross the international date line as I decided to fly the long way around the world. Perhaps 60hrs in transit. (I’m at 32hrs, so far.)

… Don’t ask.

I’ll have about 3wks during prime trekking season in the Himalayas.

From Branch Whitney of the excellent Hiking Las Vegas blog:

I am not a big fan of the typical desert peaks. Most have boring approaches, crappy rock, and long drives. I do not consider the peaks in Red Rock or Mt. Charleston as desert peaks. The rock there is much different. So I “cherry pick” the desert peaks I do climb. Here’s a list of my favorite:

Mopah and Umpah Points

Eagle Mountain

Moapa Peak

details – My Favorite Desert Peaks

All of the routes to these peaks and another 350 routes are available for members of HikingLasVegas.

Carol gives a shout out for Alpine Exploratory, a company specializing in walking and trekking holidays in the Alps.

They did the “self-guided” version of the tour.

I think self-guided is a nice compromise. You don’t need to follow behind your group (like sheep). But you have experts who speak the local languages setting your itinerary for you.

+ Trek all the stages, completing the whole route
+ Start on any day you choose
+ Expert, unlimited advice on all the options

The Tour du Mont Blanc is a trek of superlatives: the most famous trek in Europe, forming a circuit of Western Europe’s highest mountain Mont Blanc (4,808m). Our circuit takes the standard 11 days, starting and finishing in the Chamonix valley. …

Tour du Mont Blanc – Self-guided trekking holiday

What does all this cost?

14 nights, staying in:
3-star hotels (4)
2-star hotels (5)
Auberges (2)
Mountain huts (3)

Included
Accommodation and itinerary
Breakfasts and 6 evening meals
Expert and unlimited advice
Routecards, maps, local info
Emergency card, language card

Dates
July to mid-Sept 2010 …

Prices
£860 per person
(Single supplement £140)

£860 = US$1,410

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UberFit is blogging their TMB from this past summer. Great photos. (Especially food pics.)

• MBT Stage I – Chamonix to Les Contamines

• MBT (Stage 2: Les Contamines to Bonhomme de la Croix)

besthike TMB information page

I love the look of this volcanic scramble …

Black Butte Trail

Length: 5.2 miles round-trip

Hiking time: 4 hours

High point: 6,325 feet

Total elevation gain: 1,850 feet

Difficulty: moderate

Season: mid-May through mid-November

Water: none; bring plenty …

Black Butte from the west slope of Mount Shasta. (Photo by John Soares)

The Black Butte Trail is Hike 45 from 100 Classic Hikes in Northern California, third edition. I discuss the same route in Hike 63 of 75 Hikes in California’s Mount Shasta and Lassen Volcanic National Park Regions, revised edition.

Click through to John’s site, Northern California Hiking Trails, for links to his guidebooks.