After the previous couple of weeks, Island Peak was pretty straightforward. True, summit day itself was a bit of an epic (we started at around 1:30 in the morning and didn't finish until about 4 in the afternoon) but I have no tales of frost bite, -40 degree windchill or nasty toilet experiences to recount. Indeed, I actually got a few hours sleep the evening before the summit bid - thanks mainly to the fact that our camp site (5,100 metres ish) was about 700 metres lower than the camp on Mera Peak and therefore considerably warmer. The climb itself was unremarkable at first: About 3 hours of trudging up a rocky path followed by some easy angled snow. Then, however, it started to get more interesting with a 600 metre climb up to the summit ... read more

One thing that the Nepalis are very good at is persuading tourists to spend money. And it's a good thing too since about 90% of their economy depends on tourists (with most of the rest being international aid). One way in which this makes itself evident is the "Trekking peaks." These are a group of around 30 mountains which the Government has renamed - the thinking being that if you can "trek" these peaks they must be easy. Thus satisfied that they are within most peoples' grasp, many hundreds / thousands of people every year purchase a permit to "trek" to one of the summits and hire the necessary porters and guides etc etc etc Only later do people normally realise that they are actually a bit more involved than just trekking. Mera Peak is perhaps ... read more

The purpose of my first month in Nepal was to get fit and acclimatised before the proper mountaineering begins. To this end I chose to walk to Makalu - the fifth highest mountain in the world, standing at 8,463 metres. Makalu is a particularly hard mountain to climb. Edmund Hillary (of Everest first ascent fame) failed twice to climb it. Even Messner (one of the best mountaineers ever) only succeeded on his third attempt. The day that I arrived at base camp, a group of Polish climbers were leaving. They successfully put three climbers on the summit. At a cost however. They had to call in a team of Nepali climbing sherpas to rescue them after two people were afflicted with such bad frost bite that they could not walk. In the days before helicopter evacuations ... read more

"AFOOT and light-hearted, I take to the open road, Healthy, free, the world before me, The long brown path before me, leading wherever I choose. Henceforth I ask not good-fortune--I myself am good fortune; Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing, Strong and content, I travel the open road. The cheerful voice of the public road--the gay fresh sentiment of the road. O highway I travel! O public road! do you say to me, Do not leave me? Do you say, Venture not? If you leave me, you are lost? Do you say, I am already prepared--I am well-beaten and undenied-- adhere to me? From this hour, freedom! From this hour I ordain myself loos'd of limits and imaginary lines, Going where I list, my own master, total and absolute, Listening to others, ... read more

AKA Two Men in a Very Small Boat on a Very Large Loch Having been in London now for what seems like a very long time, some adventure was required. And so it was that I found myself in Scotland with Matt, a tent, sleeping bag, canoe, paddle and food for a 5 day bank holiday weekend trip along the Caledonian Canal, wild camping along the way, toasting marshmallows over open fires and drinking lots and lots of whisky. The Caledonian Canal runs for 60 miles along the Great Glen from Corpach near Fort William in the South West to Inverness in the North East. Of its 60 mile length, 38 miles are along Loch Lochy, Loch Oich and Loch Ness, with the remaining 22 miles being through canals proper. We had excellent weather most of ... read more