Your Trekking/ Hiking experiences

[Raja]

I'm starting this thread to get some ideas of potential trekking/ hiking that I want to take in late June/ early July 2017. I've got a decent amount of money saved up over the last 4/5 years, and ideally I'd want to take a trip for around a week/ 10 days. I don't have  experience in hiking or trekking, just some camping experience when I was younger, and that was in pretty easy terrain. 

So far, I've come up with Iceland & Patagonia as two potential destinations. Iceland, from most of my research, seems fairly expensive ( especially if I want to rent a car and drive around the ring road) but it's certainly tempting and I *think* that's the travel season for Iceland?

It'll be the middle of winter in Patagonia, and I'll probably have to do that trip alone if I decide on that one. 

I'd love more suggestions re: destinations, or even more information about the places I've mentioned above . Feel free to link/ post pictures of trips that you've taken.  

[Nas!]

Raja,

First of all, I would strongly suggest that you do not do any extended hikes alone, especially if you do not have much experience in the wilds.   That shit be dangerous.

I would also put forward the north coast of Vancouver Island (Cape Scott/North Coast Trail) as a possible destination. I have a lot of experience hiking/camping in the area, and you could probably do about seven/eight days there without needing to resupply.  I think six days is the longest I've been out there. 

I've not been outside North America for any hikes, so I can't comment on Iceland or Patagonia. I've been casually looking into the possibility of trekking in Bhutan, but I'm a little put off by the restrictions on travelers within the country--I don't like the idea of having to bribe people at military checkpoints, etc. 

[Jo498]

I have done quite a bit of hiking but very little trailless backcountry (usually Alps where there is a rather dense infrastructure, also Pyrenees and Corsica where there is a little less but still more than backcountry US national parks or Iceland, I guess). If you have not done this, I certainly recommend against doing it (alone) as a first experience.

Either try easy accessible terrain while bringing all your gear and get acquainted with backcountry camping, orientation etc. Or go somewhere with (at least partially) marked trails and infrastructure (rangers, cabins etc.) that you might not have to carry so much gear and food and the danger of getting lost is reduced. Often it might also be possible to go for 3-4 days, then resupply/rest and go for another few days. People tend to underestimate how strenous things can get if you are carrying 15-20 kilos on your back.

In any case, I would not recommend going alone. A sprained ankle or some other stupid freak accident can get really nasty if you are somewhere alone...

[zelticgar]

I'm only familiar with the east coast of the United States. Plenty of lovely hiking in the White Mountain and the Adirondacks. I solo hike and backpack all the time. It is fine as long as you are prepared. Get yourself a satellite locator with an emergency beacon service if you are going to a place that is more wilderness or wide open backcountry.

If you have no experience you'll need to get some practice on setting up camp and identifying gear options. You will not have a good time if you are trying to figure that stuff out without practicing ahead of time. It can take years to figure out your camping gear. Just figuring out shelter options can be a long journey - there are tents, hammocks, and tarps with a million variations and combinations of the the three. There is sleeping bags, quilts, sleeping pads... You need to figure out your stove set up and gas equipment, your utensils, water supply and water filter. You need to figure out a pack size and find something that fits you comfortably and you will need to find footwear and a first aid kit, headlamp, power supply. In addition to all that you need to know exactly how much food and what kind of food you need for the trip. Again, this stuff can take years to dial in and get comfortable with.

It sounds like to me you would be better off trying to set up a hike that allows you to hike across 3 or 4 designated shelters or huts across a 7 or 8 day stretch. That way all you need to worry about is your basic set up - backpack, sleeping bag, headlamp, first aid kit and some food. If there is shelter available with water and food it will be more enjoyable for you and you can start testing out all that other stuff i mentioned above. In my area we have the AMC hut system that you can use when hiking the NH section of the Appalachian Trail. You can literally hike about 40 miles from hut to hut along one of the most beautiful sections of the Appalachian trail. I would guess you could find a similar type of set up in the Patagonia region. I've heard that these networks of huts also exist in the high regions of the Alps across Italy, Switzerland and France.

[lady narcissa]

I've done the bulk of my hiking in England.  I've gone with hiking groups on weeklong hikes and I've gone and done similar weeks with just one other person on our own.  This summer one friend and I hiked along the middle portion of Hadrian's Wall for a week and I loved it.  But my favorite place to hike is in Cornwall along the coast.

http://www.southwestcoastpath.org.uk/

The coastal path in the southwest of England runs the whole way along the coast.  It's all free and open to the public and well marked so little chance of loosing your way.  It's nice because you will run into people along the footpath during the day but there will still be plenty of times when you see no one for a mile or two.  You've got lots of choices for some absolutely gorgeous scenery.  The south coast is softer and more tropical.  The north coast is rocky and dramatic.  And you get a variety of choices of accommodation.  If you want to camp there are lots of campsite options.  Also a variety of youth hostels along the way.  Or B&Bs, hotels, etc.  Plus there are fantastic beaches, surfing, castles, iron age forts, and other cultural detours along the way.

I'm at the point in my life where I prefer to sleep in a bed and stay in one location the whole week rather than changing accommodation every night with endless packing/unpacking.  To that end when we hiked Hadrian's Wall we drove to the end point of our hike each morning then got a taxi to drive us to our starting point.  That worked out well and there were plenty of taxi companies we could contact about doing this.  It's the same in Cornwall.  Alternatively there are hiking companies in England that will provide itineraries, maps, and drop off / pick up transportation for people that want to hike on their own.

[Unlady B]

Patagonia is a very large region. And it's definitely cold in winter. The south part is even cold in summer, being summer snows not so uncommon. There are places where the weather dictates you what you can do or not, so if you only have a few days, you'd rather think well what you want to visit. Towns/places of interest are far away from each other, so you'll have to add the time travelling from one place to another if you want to visit many places. Specially if you plan visiting both Chile and Argentina.

As it's a large area, depending on what you plan to do (and your expectations) you can accommodate the trip even in winter. There are a lot of things to enjoy in winter. Like whales' watching in the Atlantic area ^@^ or snow sports in the mountain area for example.

Although, I advise against camping in winter if you're not experienced. Mainly for safety, but besides getting your ass frozen is not something anyone wants. If you have currency in favor (US dollars/Euros), you'll find shelters/hostels cheap. They may not sound so adventurous as camping in the middle of the forest/desert but I guess that the idea is to enjoy the trip, not to try to survive through it.  

Personally, I'm not an experienced camper, so I try to always stick to my own limitations. Although camping in the wild sounds awesome, it's very dangerous. Generally trails and public camping sites offer amazing views without getting too much in peril (you can always trip and fall from a cliff, or get hit by a truck in the route, but that's just  bad luck).

Going alone is no problem, there is a lot of tourism, so you're probably going to find people along the way that are doing a similar route. There are a lot of National Parks with camping sites and trails near the most visited places.

I went this summer for the first time to a part of the south Patagonia, and I still can't believe the beauty of the place. If you ever get the chance, go.

[DireWolfSpirit]

I really like Zion National Park. There are many trails and something for any level from novice to pro. Utah is full of options from the South to the North along the Wasatch front to Bryce, the Arches, the Cottonwood Canyons near SLC, Sundance Resort in between Provo and Lehi. One could dedicate months to hiking the state and see something beautiful and new daily. If you only have a week or two i'd pick Zion because Bryce is also nearby and you could easily experience both. At Zion you can see some of the river trail on YouTube iirc, and they have a lodge right in the Park that a lot of hikers/climbers use as a homebase.

If your not used to an arid climate though, you should have a good strategy for Hydrating on any Southwest locales during a June/July trip. Only plan on going on sorties that will last as long as your water supply.

[James Arryn]

7 hours ago, lady narcissa said:

I've done the bulk of my hiking in England.  I've gone with hiking groups on weeklong hikes and I've gone and done similar weeks with just one other person on our own.  This summer one friend and I hiked along the middle portion of Hadrian's Wall for a week and I loved it.  But my favorite place to hike is in Cornwall along the coast.

http://www.southwestcoastpath.org.uk/

The coastal path in the southwest of England runs the whole way along the coast.  It's all free and open to the public and well marked so little chance of loosing your way.  It's nice because you will run into people along the footpath during the day but there will still be plenty of times when you see no one for a mile or two.  You've got lots of choices for some absolutely gorgeous scenery.  The south coast is softer and more tropical.  The north coast is rocky and dramatic.  And you get a variety of choices of accommodation.  If you want to camp there are lots of campsite options.  Also a variety of youth hostels along the way.  Or B&Bs, hotels, etc.  Plus there are fantastic beaches, surfing, castles, iron age forts, and other cultural detours along the way.

I'm at the point in my life where I prefer to sleep in a bed and stay in one location the whole week rather than changing accommodation every night with endless packing/unpacking.  To that end when we hiked Hadrian's Wall we drove to the end point of our hike each morning then got a taxi to drive us to our starting point.  That worked out well and there were plenty of taxi companies we could contact about doing this.  It's the same in Cornwall.  Alternatively there are hiking companies in England that will provide itineraries, maps, and drop off / pick up transportation for people that want to hike on their own.

Yeah, I did Minehead to...I want to say Port Isaac? Port Something, anyways...before cutting inland to Bodmin. It was beautiful. Intend on finishing it. This year I've hiked around Croatia and Rhodes, and in a couple weeks I'll be walking a bit of Sarawak. I'm going to be in Japan for a while, long enough that I want to do some of it on foot, but I haven't really looked into it enough to know where, or even if it's doable. Best stretches, practically, would be somewhere between Hiroshima and Himeji, and/or around Nagoya/Anjo. Literally have no idea if they're feasible, let alone getting into October. Maybe a week or so at a time.

want to:

*Camino de Santiago

*Milford Track

*coast to coast/West Highland Way (I imagine linking them up), maybe come back down the Great Glen

*Wye Valley

*Laugavegurinn/Fimmvodomething

*Maybe the Pac Cap trail

*Trying to find Hannibal's Alpine route.

Oh, and Crete and Georgia, and I have this completely unresearched fantasy: where the Iron Curtain was historically, stretching from the Baltic to the Adriatic, there's a pretty wide corridor of nature reserves the entire way. I've had a fantasy of hiking the entire thing, but it would obviously require a lot of stages.

[Datepalm]

If you don't have too much experience, I would third/fifth/whatever not diving right in into a big solo trip in a remote region. Aside from being potentially dangerous, it probably won't be particularly enjoyable.

What are you particularly looking for in a trip, or in what combination - the camping? The walking? Old school map and compass scouty stuff? Trail/off trail? The challenge of making it to a remote spot, or just the pleasure of being outdoors? Being way off from human civilization, or meandering your way between picturesque villages somewhere? (If you don't have a lot of experience Bahrain, um, may be one of the few countries on earth that might not be particularly facilitatory for finding out, though I'm sure there's a semi-remote funny shaped rock outcrop somewhere on the island that could possibly be hiked to...) That could help you narrow down what kind of trip you're into, and where. 

[Sir Thursday]

I've done a couple of hiking trips with guides:

Annapurna Sanctuary Trek - Nepal

This was about a week of trekking in the Himalayas. Mostly a straight climb and descent from 900m to 4100m in elevation. It's a beautiful route with a wide variety of different terrains as you go up the mountain. I went with my dad and we hired porters, but you could probably do it solo if you didn't mind travelling light. The route we took was quite well trodden - in places there were lots of steps and you were going through villages. But there were occasional bits of scramble and still plenty of interesting trails. The latter part of it is at altitude, which can be difficult for some people. I had a bit of difficulty near the top (which might have been because we tried to get up a 4AM to get to Annapurna Base Camp for sunrise), but otherwise wasn't too badly affected - the main thing I noticed was how much quicker you get out of breath.

The Sanctuary trek is quite condensed, but there's quite a lot of hiking around Annapurna is you've got a bit more time. The Annapurna Circuit is the most famous route - takes about 3 weeks and basically goes around the outside of all the Annapurna mountains. It's got one ridiculously high pass (5100m, I believe), and plenty of spectacular scenery along the way. The people I spoke to while I was there who had done it said that it could get quite crowded, and often there isn't enough guest-house capacity for everyone in the tiny towns on the way through.

The treks around Annapurna may or may not be what you want. There really are some spectacular views on offer - watching the sunset on Machapuchre (Fish Tail) mountain is an incredible sight. But it is quite a well-trodden path at this point, and if you're looking to get off the beaten track this may not be it. Pokhara is probably the place to start from - it's the biggest nearby city and there are plenty of guides willing to drive you out to the interesting trails. Watch out for the mountain roads though - they're pretty hairy!

Hiking around Machu Pichu - Peru

The Inca trail is the most well known route, as it spits you out right at Machu Pichu itself and is full of historical significance. But the local authorities only issue a limited number of permits for the trail, so when I went we couldn't get on it. Instead I was part of a group that did a different trek nearby, then took a bus to Aquas Calientes (the town below the ruins) when we were done. Once again it was at altitude - we went to about 3500m and I found it much harder going than Annapurna for some reason, despite being lower altitude. We had a local guide who knew the routes and found us some interesting stop-off points along the way (for example, we had lunch with a Peruvian llama herder at one point). Unfortunately the weather wasn't great so most of the trip was bathed in fog. But it was still a cool trip to go on just because of how alien (and at times inhospitable) the landscape felt.

Once again, there are a bunch of other hiking opportunities in the area. Some of them are well off the beaten track (I believe there are a few more jungle-y ones at the lower altitudes) and would probably require going in a group and/or hiring a guide. If you're going in that direction, you should start at Cuzco - it's a big backpacker hub and you can go off in all sorts of directions from there.

 

Hope that's helpful! As others have said, there are lots of different components to hiking/trekking and if you can articulate which bits are the ones you find interesting you'll get much better tailored recommendations :).

ST

[zelticgar]

4 hours ago, DireWolfSpirit said:

I really like Zion National Park. There are many trails and something for any level from novice to pro. Utah is full of options from the South to the North along the Wasatch front to Bryce, the Arches, the Cottonwood Canyons near SLC, Sundance Resort in between Provo and Lehi. One could dedicate months to hiking the state and see something beautiful and new daily. If you only have a week or two i'd pick Zion because Bryce is also nearby and you could easily experience both. At Zion you can see some of the river trail on YouTube iirc, and they have a lodge right in the Park that a lot of hikers/climbers use as a homebase.

If your not used to an arid climate though, you should have a good strategy for Hydrating on any Southwest locales during a June/July trip. Only plan on going on sorties that will last as long as your water supply.

I'm planning a trip out west next year. I keep coming back to Zion as a place where i want to go. I would like to do some overnight backpacking in a desert region just to experience it. It seems like it is a bit of a process for the national parks in order to get permits etc. Still trying to figure out what to do. I was also considering trying to section hike part of the PCT but that may be a tough sell. My oldest daughter is into hiking but the rest of the family does not like it so it is tough to plan something.

I may end up taking them on a ski trip to Colorado and adding a 14k winter hike while they ski.  

[Arkhangel]

From everything you've said, I would strongly recommend Switzerland (and I swear it's not just bias from having lived there). It is very very easy to get into significant trouble if you're an inexperienced hiker. Even very experienced hikers often find themselves in dangerous situations. Just last week a friend of mine had to be rescued by helicopter from the mountains in Georgia* after spending 48 hours snowed in and trapped on an exposed mountainside, in a region where other hikers have died within the last year. I would really advise against going anywhere very remote, and really really advise against going alone if you have effectively never been trekking or done serious hiking as an adult.

Switzerland seems like a really good choice for you, because it has many beautiful regions in the Alps and a wide range of difficulty levels to choose from, but it also has fantastically well marked paths (navigation can be a lot more challenging than it looks, believe me), great infrastructure which makes it very easy to get to and from hikes, and to be blunt, if the worst happens there's a high likelihood that you'll be found and they're very good at rescuing people in trouble. Plus, in summer it's totally gorgeous.

* that's Georgia the country, not Georgia in the US. But hey, on the bright side they're now famous on the Ministry of Internal Affairs' Facebook page.

[Whitestripe]

My hiking experience has been in the Southwest US and Northeast US.  One of my most favorite vacations ever was a 10-day trip that started at Yosemite and included Zion, Bryce, Arches and the Grand Canyon. We drove to each park and took day hikes. It was AMAZING. As others have said, though, June/July in that area will be very, very hot. You will need to carry or cache your  water. That time of year,  you could got to Zion and hike  The Narrows. I've always wanted to do that, but we've never been at the right time of year. I've also done some hiking around Las Vegas.  (Valley of Fire State Park, Red Rocks, Death Valley) But these are mostly short day trips to escape my family while visiting them. this is Death Valley in December. (This is also my son's first hike as I'm five months pregnant in that photo.)  I live not far from the Adirondaks in Upstate NY, and I've taken a few trips there, but they've mostly been canoeing along the Fulton Chain Lakes. We've also taken three trips to New Hampshire to hike in the Presidential Range of the White Mountains. there are some nice waterfalls around there. (This vacation was memorable because I was about 2 months pregnant with baby #2 and puking my guts out off the side of the trial) We took Baby #1 up to the top of Mt Eisenhower in the baby backpack.

In general, I prefer hiking in the Southwest to Northeast, which is sort of a bummer since I live on the east coast.  I'd love to go to Iceland to hike!

[IheartIheartTesla]

I just got back from Glacier National Park in Montana. Even though the park was well traveled spots, the roadways only reach a fraction of the entirety of it, and if you were to hike off road, seeing wild animals will always be a possibility.

I dont know much about other locales, but here in the US parks there are well designated locations for restrooms, amenities etc, giving you an exit plan if you find yourself in a spot of bother. It may not seem like 'roughing it' with civilization so near, but if you plan to go alone (or even with a companion) I would suggest a location that has a moderate amount of human traffic in close proximity.

And Glacier may not have glaciers past 2030 because of global warming, so go there while you still can

[Nas!]

Yeah, bears and wolves and cougars are for real here.  That's the main reason not to hike alone. 

[Dr. Pepper]

I'm really partial to the Appalachians.  I've spent time doing short hikes on the northern end and the southern end and don't have any complaints about either.  I have some friends who have hiked the Appalachian trail either partially or all the way thru and loved it.  One or two of them only had day hike experience when they set off.  It's a well traveled trail so they benefited from meeting others who were willing and able to help if needed.  It would be fairly easy to find a ten day section that appeals to you and coordinate travel at each end. 

[Underfoot]

I haven't done any hiking/camping trips since I was a kid, but I have been to Iceland, and it's pretty incredible. June/July is definitely the time to go for camping, although it will be a little more touristy. 

Renting cars is expensive, but from what I understand, you can pretty much camp anywhere you want at any time. You can also drink water right out of the streams without worrying about quality. Another big plus (for me) was -- no bugs! Or hardly any. Great for me as an arachnophobe

Good luck with whatever you decide, and happy (and safe!) camping

 

[Datepalm]

Speaking of, I'm going to the states at the end of October and just realized my cousin, who I'm staying with, lives on the Olympic peninsula next to Olympic national park. Any experiences there? Particular 1-2 day hike recommendations?

[Raja]

WHERE ARE THE PICTURES, YOU FIENDS?! - How am I supposed to live vicariously through my fellow boarders if they refuse to share their pictures? 

Firstly, thank you guys for all your suggestions. I've got plenty of time to plan this *potential* trip so I'm going to have a look at some of the places mentioned above. The Iceland trip won't be one where I'm by myself, there are 3 of us planning to go, but it's a bit chaotic trying to schedule it around 3 people. 

Nas, I have a pretty close friend that's in Abbotsford, so that's a decent suggestion. I'm sure he would be more than willing to put me up for 10 days or so if I wanted to. I think what I'm looking for isn't wild camping per se, I'm perfectly fine with following trails and setting up camp in a camping ground. 

That's one of the reasons why I picked the W circuit in Torres Del Paine, Patagonia. It's a 5 day, 4 nights hike ( maybe 6 days for me given that I walk *very* slowly). 

Pros:
1) t'll be in the middle of winter in Chile, so less wind.
2) Plus, there will be hardly anyone around during that time so it will be cheaper. I
3) It's a region I've never been in. 
4) It's a very popular national park with a town that is close by which is basically set up to help people trek the W. 

Cons:
1) It'll be the middle of winter - so the number of people hiking that trail will be way lesser than the numbers in the summer season. 
2) If I go to chile, I'll almost certainly have to do this trip by myself. 
3) All the cabins ( dorms) are closed during the winter, except for 2 of them. If you want to do the trail, you'll have to camp in the official camp grounds. 

Tsk Tsk, Datepalm trying to hijack my thread. For shame! ( I kid, of course) 
 

[zelticgar]

Raja, That trip you linked looks awesome. Not sure about the exact conditions in Chile but if it is like winter in my area you need crampons, microspikes and snowshoes for traction. It seems like they are taking you on a circuit around the high peaks so it should be fine. As long as you are committed to getting some outdoor practice ahead of time it seems like a cool option. I'd love to join you but no way i can break away from work and family!

Here is a picture of Bondcliff in New Hampshire. I'm heading out on Sunday for an 18 mile day hike across the Pemigawaset Wilderness . I'm planning to hit three peaks including Bondcliff. Hoping for nice weather.