By any measure Mount Robson is a mountain lovers mountain. Our first view of it is driving south on Highway 16 where it appears like a giant at the end of a long straight stretch of highway. The tall regimental green pines flanking the roadside act like a funnel drawing our eyes towards it’s huge bulk, long narrow ridges, vertical drops and snow plastered peak. It’s a mammoth mountain and it comes as no surprise to learn that at 12,972ft it’s the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies.
Continue reading “A walk to Kinney Lake – Mount Robson Provincial Park”
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Is a walk of less than a mile really a walk? That’s maybe one for the philosophers but I’ll go with the Chinese proverb that says “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” and count my few single steps in Death Valley National Park as most definitely a walk. I had occasion to recall our visit to Death Valley after reading two recent posts, one by Sarah of travel with me which featured a picture of it and another by Bruce of vanmarmots travels who walked a longer trail than my own short leg stretch at Badwater Basin. Both reminded though just how beautiful and desolate Death Valley is and have prompted me to share my own experience of it.
Continue reading “A walk in Death Valley National Park”
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Walks throughout Europe that can be completed in a day. Click on the walk to read the post or use the interactive map to locate the route.
I forget that it’s market day and we’re stuck in traffic crawling through the ancient walled town of Alcudia on ...
My first visit to Chamonix was in 1993 when I walked there from the shores of Lake Geneva doing a section ...
The ‘Bisses’ of the Valais region of Switzerland are long irrigation channels, many of them hundreds of years old, built ...
MacGillycuddy's Reeks may sound like a character out of a Roald Dahl book but is in fact an extensive mountain ...
I am back for a second attempt at walking up Puig del Vilar. My first, halfhearted and unprepared effort was ...
The walk over the Coll de Síller begins in the attractive tourist resort of Port de Pollença with its bars, ...
The Formentor peninsula is the rocky, volcanic spit of land that sticks out into the blue Mediterranean on the north ...
Of all the walks around Pollenca, the walk up Puig de Santuiri is perhaps not the most exciting one to ...
La Mola looks down onto the pretty seaside town of Cala sant Vicenc in the far north east of the ...
If you are a walker staying in the Pollenca area of Mallorca, the pretty walk along the valley de Boquer ...
We’ve been visiting Mallorca for decades. In the early days it was Santa Ponca in the South West but over ...
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My walks in the United States including Yosemite and the Grand Canyon. Click on the walk to read the post or use the interactive map to see the route.
Is a walk of less than a mile really a walk? That's maybe one for the philosophers but I'll go ...
“But no temple made with hands can compare with Yosemite. Every rock in its wall seems to glow with life.” ...
Our campsite, just outside Moab, Utah is in the middle of the Colorado Plateau. The plateau varies between three to ...
The Arches National Park is like no place I have ever walked in before. Set high on the desert plateau ...
‘Don’t worry Mom, I know all about cannibalism, I saw it on TV’. Like Danny in The Shining, it’s all ...
Reading the news recently that there are now more redwoods in the U.K. than in California (read here) reminded me ...
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My walks in Canada including the rain forests of Vancouver Island and the Canadian Rockies. Click on the walk to read the post or use the interactive map to see the route.
By any measure Mount Robson is a mountain lovers mountain. Our first view of it is driving south on Highway ...
The Ancient Forest/Chun T’oh Whudujut Provincial Park is one of the newer national parks in British Columbia, being established in ...
Events elsewhere mean many Canadians are vacationing at home this year and it seems half of them have chosen to ...
When ‘Oyster’ Martin moved to Vancouver Island in the 1980’s he fell in love with the rugged landscape and rocky ...
The alarm goes at 6am and by ten past we are on the road, half awake and unwashed with the ...
It’s a six hour drive from Victoria, the capital of British Columbia on Vancouver Island to our campsite in Tofino ...
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The Ancient Forest/Chun T’oh Whudujut Provincial Park is one of the newer national parks in British Columbia, being established in 2016. It’s a relatively small park with only a short hike around it and the walking is almost all along boardwalks that have been put in place to protect the delicate ecosystems from human feet. Some of the western red cedars in the forest are a thousand years old or more and the park is a rare example of inland temperate rainforest, an environment unique to North America. And who can resist a walk in a rainforest.
Continue reading “A walk in Ancient Forest/Chun T’oh Whudujut Provincial Park”
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I forget that it’s market day and we’re stuck in traffic crawling through the ancient walled town of Alcudia on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca. To pass the time the taxi driver puts his AC/DC playlist on, Highway to Hell is the first song and I’m hoping it isn’t an omen for my planned walk today. Eventually he drops me just outside Campament de la Victoria which is the start point of my walk up Talaia d’Alcudia, the highest mountain on the Alcudia peninsula. As the cab pulls away the sunshine on my face and the silence in my ears are both equally welcome.
Continue reading “A walk up Talaia d’Alcudia, Mallorca”
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Events elsewhere mean many Canadians are vacationing at home this year and it seems half of them have chosen to visit Banff and Lake Louise at the same time as us. Consequently, I made sure to call at Lake Louise Ski Resort yesterday and secure our tickets for the 8.15am bus stopping at Moraine Lake first before going on to Lake Louise. This way we still get to see both of these extremely popular and beautiful lakes but can take our time at Lake Louise and walk the Lake Agnes Tea House Trail, a walk I’ve had my eye on for some time.
Continue reading “Moraine Lake and Lake Agnes Tea House Trail”
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When ‘Oyster’ Martin moved to Vancouver Island in the 1980’s he fell in love with the rugged landscape and rocky headlands of the west coast that he saw from his fishing boat each day and had a dream to create a trail along the coastline that could be accessed and enjoyed by all. Forty years later that vision has grown into the Wild Pacific Trail and today I’m walking the Lighthouse Loop section, which happens to be the first section that was completed back in 1999.
Continue reading “The Lighthouse Loop Trail – Vancouver Island”
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The alarm goes at 6am and by ten past we are on the road, half awake and unwashed with the bed still warm in the back of the van. All is quiet as we drive out of Lake Louise Campground through the sleepy town and out onto the Trans Canada One heading west. The sun is breaking through but clouds still cover the higher peaks and mist floats over the Bow river as we head up Kicking Horse Pass and back into British Columbia and Yoho National Park. The only other vehicles on the road are gigantic trucks, engines labouring up the incline.
Continue reading “A walk around Emerald Lake, Yoho National Park”
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It’s a six hour drive from Victoria, the capital of British Columbia on Vancouver Island to our campsite in Tofino and my nerves are tested on the narrow bendy bit of the Pacific Rim Highway beyond Port Alberni. I am after all, driving on the wrong side of the road and sitting on the wrong side of the vehicle. The journey passes without incident though and as we park up at Tsawaak RV campground a gossamer thin sea mist is drifting in from the ocean obscuring sight and muffling sound. The cold dampness on our skin is refreshing though after the heat of Vancouver and Victoria where temperatures were in the mid 30’c.
Continue reading “Walking the Tonquin Trail on Vancouver Island”
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“But no temple made with hands can compare with Yosemite. Every rock in its wall seems to glow with life.” John Muir
When John Muir, the Scottish born naturalist got off a boat in San Francisco on March 28 1868 the story goes that he asked a carpenter what was the quickest way out of the bustling, chaotic city. “Where do you want to go” said the carpenter, “anywhere that is wild” was the reply. And so it was that later that year Muir saw Yosemite for the first time. Its sheer rock walls and natural beauty cast a spell on him which changed his life and led to him playing a pivotal role in Yosemite’s establishment as America’s third National park and secured his title as the ‘Father of National Parks’.
Continue reading “A walk to Upper Yosemite Falls”
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Our campsite, just outside Moab, Utah is in the middle of the Colorado Plateau. The plateau varies between three to twelve thousand feet above sea level and stretches over four states. Consisting of high, sparsely populated and arid desert land it’s home to no less than nine National Parks, including the Grand Canyon. Even if you’ve never visited you will have seen the plains, canyons, red rock towers and buttes of the Colorado Plateau in countless movies about the ‘Wild West’ from The Searchers to Forrest Gump. In fact, the opening scene from Mission Impossible II was filmed on the trail we will be walking today.
Continue reading “A walk to Grand View Point Overlook, Canyonlands National Park”
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My first visit to Chamonix was in 1993 when I walked there from the shores of Lake Geneva doing a section of the GR5. Thirty years later I walked there again taking the long way round from Les Houches when hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc. Last summer I actually got to drive into town when Mish and I headed off on our summer road trip to the French Alps.
Continue reading “A walk along the Grand Balcon Sud, Chamonix-Mont-Blanc”
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My Walks in beautiful New Zealand including two of the world’s ‘Great Walks’ The Milford Track and The Routeburn Track. Click on the walk to read the post or use the interactive map to see the route.
Day One Glade Wharf to Clinton Hut The Milford Track is remote, so remote in fact that you have to ...
Day Two Clinton Hut to Mintaro Hut Sometime during the night the rain had stopped and when we left the ...
Day Three Mintaro Hut to Dumpling Hut As forecast we awake to a completely different scene from the Sunshine and ...
Day Four Dumpling Hut to Sandfly Point It’s our final day on the Milford Track and there is a sense ...
Day One Routeburn Shelter to Routeburn Falls Hut Driving to the start of the Routeburn track I was wondering if ...
Day Two Routeburn Falls Hut to Lake Mackenzie Hut Day two on the Routeburn Track dawns bright and clear. All ...
Day Three Lake Mackenzie Hut to The Divide All was quiet and still in the valley as I paid a ...
After completing two of the ten ‘Great Walks’ in New Zealand we’re working our way slowly up through South Island, ...
It’s only sitting at home, a few weeks after my return from New Zealand that I have time to reflect ...
We are nearing the end of our month walking and travelling through the beautiful South Island of New Zealand / ...
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My hike along The Tour du Mont Blanc, one of Europe’s classic long distance trails. Click on the walk to read the post or use the interactive map to see the route.
It’s been a long two days in the driving seat, it turns out the Alps are a long way from ...
The storm eventually passed over in the early hours leaving behind a dry but overcast morning. Steve slept right through ...
The Tour du Mont Blanc and the Alps in general are perfect for hut to hut walking. In France they ...
If day one of the Tour du Mont Blanc was an hors d’oeuvre and day two a starter, day three ...
The small village of Les Chapieux sits at the western most point of the Tour du Mont Blanc. Although it’s ...
Dawn brings with it another gloriously sunny day on the Tour du Mont Blanc. We are now in the Italian ...
“The beauty of adventure is to dream of it, to give air to the imagination, then you also try to ...
Today we will enter the third country on our walk around Mont Blanc. This country is a land of mountains, ...
For the last week we’ve been in the heart of the mountains. Walking along narrow rugged trails surrounded by snow ...
When we step outside to boot up for day nine of our Tour du Mont Blanc there are ominous dark ...
Today we have the third and final border crossing of our Tour du Mont Blanc when we say goodbye to ...
Stepping onto the wooden balcony that adjoins our room at 6am all is silent in the valley. The cool, still ...
The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men, Gang aft agley, An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain, For ...
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Trekking in Nepal. From Lukla to Everest Base Camp and then a taste of ‘real’ Nepal walking out to Jiri. Click on the walk to read the post or use the interactive map to see the route.
I have traveled before, to America and Europe, to the Far East and Middle East, but travelling in Nepal will ...
“Kathmandu I’ll soon be seeing you And your strange bewildering time will hold me down” I am not sure if ...
We walked for twenty three days on our Nepal Trek. The Germans have a word for it, Zielwanderung or 'destination ...
Lukla 9,283ft to Phakding 8,701ft Up at 6.30am. A cup of tea was followed by finishing off packing the rucksack ...
Phakding 8,701ft to Namche Bazaar 11,306ft Up at 7.10am. A breakfast of porridge with honey, toast and jam does the ...
Namche Bazaar walking to Khunde 12,602ft and Khumjung 12,402ft Namche Bazaar is known as the 'Sherpa capital'. If you are ...
Namche 11,306ft to Tengboche 12,687ft The walk from Namche Bazaar to Tynbouche (or Tengboche) is a pure delight every step ...
Tengboche 12,687ft to Pheriche 13,911ft including rest day acclimatisation walk to Dingboche 14,272ft It was very cold in the lodge ...
Pherice 13,911ft to Lobuche 16,175ft The aim of the day is to get to Lobuche all in one piece and ...
Lobuche 16,175ft – Gorek Shep 17,008ft - Kala Patthar 18,192ft – Lobuche I slept fitfully and not very well at ...
Lobuche 16,175ft to Dzongla 15,846ft Today has that feeling to it, the feeling that you have after your own wedding, ...
Dzongla 15,846ft to Dragnag 15,387ft over the Cho la pass 17,782ft We were up early, 5.30am for what will be ...
Dragnag 15,387ft back to Namche Bazaar via Phortse (12,467ft) There is no rush to get out of bed today as ...
Namche Bazaar 11,306ft to Choplung 8,727ft After the hard work of the last week we enjoyed a well earned rest ...
Jubing 5,499ft to Tragsindho 9,612ft I'm sitting in the lodge in Tragsindho watching sport on a Television, Aston Villa v ...
Junbesi 8776ft to Sete 8448ft We were up early for what is going to be a hard day compared to ...
Sete 8448ft to Bhandar 7198ft After our efforts getting over the Lamjura La Pass yesterday we are in no mad ...
Bhandar 7,198ft to Shivalaya 5,905ft It's another leisurely start to the day. Breakfast outside in the sunshine again and we ...
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Kilimanjaro is the highest free standing mountain in the world, one of the seven summits and still an active volcano. Here is my journey to ‘The Roof of Africa’. Click on the walk to read the post or use the interactive map to see the route.
Kilimanjaro - A Mountain Top Experience There is really only one reason that a Hill Walker would find himself landing at Kilimanjaro international airport and ...
Day One - Lemosho Glades (7,838ft) to Big Tree Camp (Mount Mkubwa Camp) (9,137ft) I’m sitting writing this at the end of day one sitting ...
Day Two - Big Tree Camp (Mount Mkubwa Camp) (9,137ft) to Shira One Camp (11,496ft) Night one in the tent was a pretty restless one ...
Day Three - Shira One Camp (11,496ft) to Shira Huts Camp (12,779ft) via Shira Cathedral (12,671ft) We wake up to a freezing Shira One campsite ...
Day Four - Shira 2 - Shira Huts Camp (12,779ft) to Barranco Camp (13,077ft) via The Lava Tower (15,180ft) Since the start of the trek ...
Day Five - Barranco Camp (13,077ft) to Karanga Camp (13,235ft) Day five dawns bright and cold in the Barranco valley and my tiredness and somewhat ...
Day Six Karanga Camp (13,235ft) to Barafu Camp (15,295ft) Unzipping the tent after the 6.30am wake up call reveals a cold, damp and misty Karanga ...
Day Seven (Part 1) - Summit Day - Barafu Camp (15,295ft) to Uhuru Peak 19,341ft It's two minutes past midnight and we are 'pulling the ...
Day Seven (Part 2) - Summit Day - Uhuru Peak 19,341ft to Millennium Huts (12,556ft) Why men climb mountains is a question that has been ...
Day Eight Millennium Huts (12,556ft) to Mweka Gate (5,358ft) - The End Unsurprisingly I slept like a log, helped no doubt by the fact that ...
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The Arches National Park is like no place I have ever walked in before. Set high on the desert plateau of Utah, there is little vegetation and the sparse trees are stunted and gnarled by the harsh environment. It’s a raw and exposed place, baking in the day and freezing at night. It is literally the Wild West. What draws visitors to the park are the natural sandstone arches, thousands of them. Fifteen million years of erosion created them and we’re here today to walk among them. It’s as different a landscape to the UK as chalk is to cheese.
Continue reading “Walking in The Arches National Park, Utah”
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The ‘Bisses’ of the Valais region of Switzerland are long irrigation channels, many of them hundreds of years old, built to channel water from high mountain streams down to pasture land in the valleys below. Carved out from rock along the valley sides many of them follow a precipitous route with dizzying drops below and vertical cliffs above. The Bisse du Torrent Neuf in the central Valais dates back to the 15th century. Thankfully it’s been restored since and today it offers a spectacular out and back walk along the cliff edges, past sheer rock faces and over wobbly suspension bridges.
Continue reading “A walk along the Bisse du Torrent Neuf, Switzerland”
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