Category: hiking
offline in Patagonia
I expect to be (mostly) offline cycling & hiking with only irregular internet access from mid-January through mid-March 2019.
First up is a bikepacking trip of up to 4 weeks, around 1500km.
If you email me I’ll reply at earliest opportunity.
my visit to Morocco’s BLUE TOWN
If you’ve been to Chefchaouen, Morocco you’ve never forgotten the experience.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
… noted for its buildings in shades of blue. Chefchaouen is situated just inland from Tangier …
The beauty of Chefchaouen’s mountainous surroundings are enhanced by the contrast of the brightly painted medina (old town). …
I did go hiking up into the hills above town, surprised to be wandering past huge marijuana fields.
I got caught by nightfall on the way down. Herders had to direct me in the dark to find the trail.
More of my photos.
limited internet Jan-Mar 2019
I’ll be mostly offline from about January 13th through early March 2019 while cycling and hiking southern Patagonia.
New Balance Fresh Foam 1165 running shoes
UPDATE — Durability is not all that great. I wore through my first pair quickly.
Still … since I love the shoe I ordered two more pairs from New Balance Canada.
9 1/2 4E and 9 4E. CAD$145 each.
These days I want as much cushioning as I can get. This shoe is good for road and trail running though I mostly wear them inside for coaching Gymnastics.
my plan to bikepack the Carretera Austral, Chile in 2019
During my two months in Patagonia 2018 I did a fair bit of research on a future cycle hiking trip.
I arrive Santiago Jan 11th and might rent a bike in the big city. They’d transport it to and from both trailheads.
- what bike? (Surly Long Haul Trucker with 40mm tires is popular)
- Right now I’m considering renting a Black Colombia 19″ (US$400/month)
- exact route? (north to south via Chiloe sounds best to me)
- I might get a better deal riding south to north, however
The Carretera Austral is far more popular now than when I did it 15 years ago by bus / hitchhiking.
The Carretera Austral runs about 1,240 kilometers (770 mi) from Puerto Montt to Villa O’Higgins through (sparsely populated) rural Patagonia. …
This area is characterized by thick forests, fjords, glaciers, canals and steep mountains. …
Among the world’s finest road trips, the Carretera Austral – or “Southern Highway” – is a 1240km route through Chile that’s
mostlyabout half unpaved. Winding through millennia-old forests, it visits dusty Andean hamlets and turquoise rivers spawned from landlocked glaciers. …Cyclists should have the skills and materials to repair their own gear, and should plan on taking a solid month for the entire endeavor. According to Italian cyclist Tomas Balzk, the hardest part was not pedaling the terrain, but ingesting enough calories. …
what I’m traveling with 2018
I’m on the road for a few months — needing all my hiking gear — as well as city duds for Gymnastics events.
Normally I pack heavy, often close to the maximal allowed weight and size allowances for flight. But this time I’m trying to stay close to carry-on weight and size. Sadly I’ve only got away with that twice, so far. I should have gone heavy after all. 🙄
Click this link to see what I’m carrying on this trip (in blue) and what I plan to carry on a longer future trip in 2020:
Rick travel list 2018
world’s largest travel bookshop
Stanfords is an iconic specialist bookshop of maps and travel books in London and was established in 1853 …
Its collection of maps, globes, and maritime charts is considered the world’s largest. …
After visiting, my thinking was to stop in London en route to my next travel adventure to pick up the books and maps I will need.
They’ve been in the same location since 1901.
visiting Bled, Slovenia
Bled is a super popular tourist town on a tiny, lovely lake.
I had arrived at the hostel in Ljubljana at 10pm. Next morning by 9am I had joined a group headed for Bled.
It’s an adventure tourism mecca: rafting, canyoning, cycling, rock climbing, mountain climbing. I watched scuba divers climb into the lake first thing in the morning.
We had 2 cars and one motor bike. Fellow travellers from the U.K., California, Belgium, France and Singapore. One reason why I like hostels so much better than hotels.
I paid for my ride in beer. Standard hostel currency.
We circumambulated the lake. Visited the “castle“. Then drove off to hike Vintgar Gorge.
An excellent day was punctuated by this sunset.
Don’t forget your camera.
At dinner we met two guys from Zurich. One hoped to climb Triglav 2864m. With guide that costs about 200€. It’s tough to get an alpine hut booking during high season so he came in October.
I asked for a traditional Bled meal. Mostly meat.
Rick McCharles 