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Trek Volcano Pico Viejo Caldera (and Pico del Teide)
Trek Volcano Pico Viejo Caldera is a long and exhausting 7.30 hour, 13km loop hike with a gain of 1,117m to the second Caldera from the western side of the volcano. A volcano caldera is a massive, cauldron-like depression that forms when a volcano’s magma chamber empties during a catastrophic eruption, causing the ground above…
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Trekking Tenerife; The Good, the Bad & the Ugly
This blog is about our impulse trip to the Canary Islands (specifically Tenerife Island) in May for a week of outdoor activities (trekking or hiking primarily). In summary trekking Tenerife involved 6 days (outside of the arrival and departure days). Obviously my first objective was to summit the volcano Teide (at 3715m, the highest point…
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Hawkesbury to Harbour Track Hike, Sydney, Australia
The Hawkesbury to Harbour Track (HHT) is around 59km in length (depending on whether you want to just walk forest or include the city/suburbs), but unlike the Great North Walk has no camping sites or or accommodation. However, it does have public transportation links strategically located along it’s length. The majority of the track is…
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Bikepacking to Tamworth Country Music Festival, Australia
This bikepacking adventure started in the town of Armidale, located in the New England region of NE NSW. The plan was to cycle the rugged and remote HUNT 1000 km loop. But seldom do my plans pan out and that is generally a good thing. In this case I discovered that a town called Tamworth,…
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Bikepacking NSW Coast, Australia
This is a short bikepacking NSW Coast diversion that started out as a New England 1000km circuit and then a Tamworth Country Music Festival visit and then became a NSW Coast ride. Why? Basically after three days of riding in remote country with high temperatures and limited water I reached Tamworth where the local Giant…
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Varkala Is My New Valhalla, India
We headed for Valkala, Kerala, after being interned in the Shivandanda Ashram over Christmas and to my utter joy, I found my future stomping grounds. Valkala beach is broken into two parts. North Cliff is busy and crazy, while South Cliff is a little busy in the center and peaceful elsewhere. Backstory Once upon a…
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Shivananda Ashram Isolation, Kerala, India
The Shivananda Ashram is actually why we visited India in December, and not just for the sun and fun escape from Northern Europe’s dreadful winter. Sure we wanted to spend Christmas in the sun but also with a touch of spiritualism. The surprise was that Kerala is a very Christian state and that the ashram…
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Marari Beach Life, Kerala, India
This post is about how to escape from the cold, grey, winter months in Northern Europe via Marari Beach, Kerala, India. It takes place in December and early January. Let’s begin with my general observation. The Christmas holidays in Kerala are quite busy (the state was converted to Christianity by the disciple Thomas in AD…
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Lachmi Hills Hike in Munnar, Kerala, India
Nestled in the picturesque landscape of Munnar, Kerala, the Lachmi Hills trek offers an unforgettable half-day hiking experience. While my initial plan was to ascend Anamudi—the highest peak in Southern India at 2,695 meters—closure by the Forestry Service redirected my adventures to the accessible Meesapulimala, the region’s second highest peak at 2,640 meters. However, updates…
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Summiting the Highest Mountain in the Netherlands
This post is about my “summit” of the highest mountain in the Netherlands — and yes, many people would call it a hill (including the folks at Cicerone’s High Points of Europe). The mighty peak in question is the Vaalserberg, topping out at 322.4 m (1,058 ft) above sea level near the town of Vaals.…