South Africa’s Otter Trail in the Tsitsikamma National Park in widely regarded as the country’s best hiking trail. And it is with good reason: the spectacular trail winds along the edge of the coast, offering plenty of opportunities for swimming. Each of its huts has spectacular views of the ocean.
The Nepal insurance scam
Here is an amazing story on a huge scam happening in Nepal where cheap trekking companies are making their money from medical evacuations, not from helping their clients achieve their summit. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/03/nepal-cracks-down-on-multimillion-dollar-helicopter-rescue-scams
‘The bivvy bag probably saved their lives’: couple lost in Cairngorms found safe | UK news | The Guardian
I’ve written in the past about how I carry an emergency bivvy or space blanket with me, just in case stuff happens or something goes wrong. But this is the best case I have found of people who were genuinely saved from hypothermia by their bivvy. It is a good reminder to keep carrying one. […]
At least two (and possibly four) killed on Scottish mountains
I’m really distressed by the latest news that at least two people have died on Scottish hills and that another two are missing in three separate incidents in the hills in Scotland. The first incident was an avalanche that killed one. According to several reports an avalanche in Creag Meagaidh, in the Scottish highlands, killed one man […]
Two pieces of gear I won’t buy again – a plastic spork and Karrimor Boots
I’ve generally been quite lucky in that most of the gear I’ve used over the years has been good enough not to let me down. I was, however, disappointed by two recent purchases that I won’t be repeating. The first is the rather lovely Spork by Light-my-fire. I took two of these with me on […]