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Hotel Arrucador had been a wonderful nights rest after a tiring day. Uniquely designed with a bespoke interior in wood, stone and steel, it blended old and new in an unexpected but beautifully balanced way that just seemed so at home in its surroundings. It was certainly the most luxurious stay of our trip…
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So, we are now out of the mountains and back in Turin. A lack of internet access and problems uploading photos precluded posting to the blog while we were in the mountains. Nonetheless I will catch up now and post the updates over the coming days. On our first full hiking day we woke…
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After an early start from Abbey Wood at Lisa’s parents, we found ourselves stood at the station, reading alerts for delays on our route. They didn’t transpire and despite initial concerns we had a smooth run through to London Bridge, an easy change and straight to Gatwick. Before checking in we went to get…
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If it had not been for a conversation with Joe at Cicerone (the guidebook publishers) we might never have stumbled across the GTA. The Grande Traversata delle Alpi, a 400 mile scenic trek forming an arc through the western Italian Alps with 44,000m of ascent (and the same in descent) over 62 passes. Neither…
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Why would anyone want to hike over 2500 miles in one summer? That’s a question that I’ve been asked several times. There are potentially a lot of ways to answer that, but it’s still not a simple thing to do. I was captivated by the idea of a long journey through the mountains and…
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I woke early, shivering a little and clasping the sleeping bag tightly around my face. If I released it a rasp of icy air entered the bag and stole valuable warmth from my head and neck. I’d listened hard from the depths of my sleeping bag for the patter of rain on the tent.…
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After two wonderful nights of recouperation, thanks to a friend of a friend with a cabin, I found myself in Cascade Locks, ready as i’d ever be to start the final push. A final burger and coke at the cascade locks ale house were followed by an ice cream, too large to be successfully…
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Reaching Oregon was an end and a beginning. The end of 1700 miles of California, and in addition to starting in a new state, the walk distinctly changed character. Pine forest dominated Oregon, particularly western larch and ponderosa pine, and almost immediately I found myself hiking in the shade of these great trees. Initially…
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Early morning cobwebs were stretched across the narrow path, these grabbed at my face and neck as I pushed through the bushes. My feet crunched on the loose stone of the path. My noise disturbed a large stag grazing in the bushes and I held my breath as the sudden movement of antlers turning…
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After the night-hike of Hat Creek Rim I found that I’d appreciated both the relief from the heatwave of 100+ temperatures we’d been having, but also I enjoyed the excitement of the night and the variety of wildlife encountered. As my thoughts turned to the next town I realised I had to think about…