The original plan was to take on Mt Olympus. However, this mountain is on private land and recent floods damaged the access road so permissions to access Mt Olympus are scarce now. In the morning at the petro station, we decided that Mt Winterslow makes for a suitable backup.
After lockdown, a lot of CTC members and prospective members were so much ready for an adventure! To start the tramping season off, I led a trip to Mt Herbert via Gebbies Pass. What I thought would be quite an easy stroll with a few people, turned out to be quite a long tramp of a group of 23 people. The weather was great which probably contributed to good attendance.
Our first plan was to hike Sabine Circuit. That didn’t happen. However, this long weekend still turned out to be our greatest snow adventure of the winter of 2019.
Mount Herbert / Te Ahu Patiki is the highest peak on Banks Peninsula, New Zealand. It’s proximity to Christchurch makes it an ideal spot for a day trip. The peak used to be covered in an ancient forest but that didn’t go very well with farming needs for open, grassy areas. Nowadays it’s all covered in grass and gorse.
Foggy Peak (1741m) is a popular peak among Christchurch trampers. It’s well situated right next to a car park at Porters Pass and it’s one of the closest high mountains from Christchurch.
The Juan de Fuca (JDF) trail is one of 3 classic, long coastal trails on Vancouver Island (the others being the West Coast Trail and the North Coast Trail). Unlike the other 2 trails, neither campsites or transport need to be booked in advance on the JDF. Furthermore, from what I’ve heard, all 3 hikes offer similar experience. So, for me the JDF was number 1 on my list for hiking on Vancouver Island.
A lot has been written about hiking around lake Mývatn as there are many options for day walks in the area. One of the longest trails you can do starts directly in Reykjahlíð and takes you through Hverfjall and Dimmuborgir – varied, but still only volcanic landscapes.
Easy trail along an astonishing canyon and its side gorges. Well marked with water in the beginning and the end
Relatively easy, well marked trail along the left side of Jökulsárgljúfur canyon. Drinking water is at the Dettifoss campsite (for hikers only!) and then plenty in Hólmatungur
Easy, yet still unmarked trail over moor dunes and tussocks. There is a drinking water at Dettifoss campsite