Climbing Mount

Going to a camp is one of the best ways to enjoy nature while spending quality time with each other. Before going out on a camping trip, ensure that you know the basic skills required, such as starting a fire and pitching a tent. Also, you have to check your map and plan your itinerary for the duration of the camp. Probably the first challenge campers face during their trip is to decide where to set up their base camp. Getting a good camp location is essential. A base camp serves several purposes, one of which is to keep everyone safe. In finding a good site for your base camp, the main thing you need to consider is safety. However, you shouldn’t forget that it should have a good view. There’s no point in camping out at a boring place when there are many wonderful camping spots. You should know beforehand that the place you’re going to does have great views where you can setup your base camp. Set up your camp near a stream or a river, but not low enough that you’ll run the risk of flashfloods. Refrain from setting your base camp on a low ground, since when it rains, you’ll have major problems. Also, don’t set up your base camp near mountain tops or hill tops. These places couldn’t offer you enough protection against lightning and raging winds. A good camp area should have natural obstacles, such as trees and rocks. These act as natural barriers against windy and rainy situations. Trees are also great at providing shade during extremely warm conditions. In setting up your base camp, you need to divide the camp into at least four areas. The major parts of a good base camp are the: tent area, cooking area, washing area, and of course, the toilet area. The tent area should be the most elevated part in its direct surrounding. This ensures that you’re your tents would be the place filled with water. A good tent area also needs to be on a smooth soil or on grassy grounds so you won’t have a difficult time to pitch your tent. In pitching your tent, make sure that you have firmly secured the pegs so your tent can withstand any strong winds. It is also good to pitch your tent evenly in a sheltered area. Weather conditions can change overnight. But before you set up your tent, check the wind direction first. You will want to align the door or the vents of the tent with the direction of the wind. This way, you get enough ventilation when inside your tent. The cooking area is another important part of your base camp. As much as possible, you will want to cook outside, unless weather conditions are too rough. Your cooking area shouldn’t be less than 20 feet away from your tent area. Of course, you will want to place your cooking area such that the ashes won’t be blown towards your tents. Make sure that you strictly follow all rules when it comes to responsibly handling fire outdoors. You wouldn’t want to create any fire mishaps during your camping, right? And as an added tip, ensure that your foods are safely kept in containers to prevent attracting wild animals such as bears, to your base camp. The obvious reason why you would want to set up your base camp close to a stream or a river as much as possible is that you will need a washing area. This will be the place where you take a bath and wash your dishes. Make sure that the soap you’ll use are biodegradable, and don’t wash too close to the water source. After washing, make certain that you leave the area the way it was. Leaving anything, especially non-biodegradable materials, could cause a natural disaster. And of course, your base camp should have a toilet area. Obviously you wouldn’t want this near your tent area, or in any water source. As much as possible, find a good place such that other people won’t see you when you do your thing. The soil should be soft enough so you can dig at least a foot deep. And as courtesy to future campers, cover your toilet area with some branches or stones so nobody digs in it.

“Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe.” – Anatole France

General

If you decide to do an activity such as going on an organized trek you will usually find that there are several different companies offering the activities. When you make your decision do not only decide based on price, there may be big differences in the quality of the equipment and the food and how much the local porters get paid. Ask for references from other travelers. Sometimes you find that even though you book with one company they pool their customers with customers from other companies in order to make more money. If this is a problem for you then ask before you book.

Make sure that you are physically prepared for the activities you plan to do, bring the right equipment or rent it locally. Make sure you have enough water and food and beware of the sun.

Rock climbing

Rock climbing is a good way to get some adrenalin going. In most countries there are local climbing clubs that usually can assist you with advice on where to go. Or they might come along as climbing partners if you ask them. If you do not have proper training and do not know how to handle the equipment securely there are usually commercial companies offering guided tours on beginner routes.

If you end up climbing in areas rarely visited you might want to check when the area was last rebolted. Bolts are affected by the wear and tear of water, especially if they are close to the ocean.

Note that different crags have different rules of what protection to use. In some places chalk is forbidden too. Make sure to stick with the local climbing rules.

A good place to find route maps (topos) on the Internet is Wikitopo.

Personal Experience – The Mont Blanc Misery

I was in Chamonix and decided to climb Mont Blanc. As this was not part of our schedule we were in a rush to bring something to eat with us. We brought some cans of food but as we were pretty tired on our way down there was not enough time to stop to cook it. Sandwiches or energy bars would have been more convenient. Preparing alpine climbing is a must as the risk increases when you get tired and hungry.

Trekking

Trekking in the mountain gives you fresh air and builds your character at the same time. When you trek to higher altitudes the air pressure gets lower. At sea level the oxygen percentage is about 21% with an air pressure around 760 mmHg. As you climb higher the oxygen percentage remains the same but the air pressure gets lower. This means that your body gets less oxygen with each breath. You will lose your breath and get more tired than you perhaps anticipate.

At 6 000 ft (1 828 m) the air pressure is 609 mmHg. At 12 000 ft (3 658 m) the air pressure is 483 mmHg. At 18 000 ft (5 486 m) the air pressure is only 380 mmHg.

People are affected differently at high altitude. Already at 3 000 meters you can get a severe headache. It is important to listen to you body as you can get brain oedema and lung oedema if you keep on pushing on to higher altitudes.

The usual recommendation is modest altitude gains of not more than 300 meters per day above 3 000 meter and to spend 2 nights in the same place every 1 000 meters.

Another thing when you are at high altitude is that water boils at a lower temperature than at sea level. You may therefore have to cook food for a longer period of time.

The temperature can change drastically during the day. It may be freezing cold in the morning, extremely hot during they day and cold at night again. If you change altitude it gets colder the higher you get, around 10 degrees Centigrade (=5,5 degrees Fahrenheit) per 1 000 meters. As an example, if you start out at 10 degrees Centigrade at sea level, this can mean a temperature of -20 degrees Centigrade at 3 000 meters. The chill factor from the wind can make it even colder.

Plan your trip accordingly and allow plenty of slack in your schedule to be able to get down before dark.

If there is snow it is important to wear alpine sun glasses to avoid getting snow blind (or a severe headache).

Scuba diving and snorkeling

Going under water gives you new perspectives of the world. If you intend to get your diving license abroad it makes sense to do some research beforehand. Try to go for the two big certificates: PADI or CMAS.

Renting equipment has it pros and cons. On the upside you do not have to carry your own heavy equipment all over the world. On the downside the rental equipment in many parts of the world is rather poor. Bring your own mask, snorkel and dive watch as a minimum if you intend do some serious diving.

The quality of dive companies and liveaboards also differ greatly. In Australia it is usually very well organized and the instructors show respect to the sea and its inhabitants. In other places dive masters start chasing fish or bend up corals just to show you something “extra”. Do not encourage this behavior. Other people want to see the stuff too!

In some places, such as the Red Sea, the snorkeling is almost as good as the scuba diving. Even though scuba diving increases the chances of seeing “big”animals.

Personal Experience – The Zanzibar Snorkeling Zest

I was staying on the east coast of Zanzibar, Tanzania. I was going for a dive with a bunch of people, but before we got to the dive site we spotted some dolphins nearby. The boatman took us there and I was so eager to get into the water that I forgot my fins. Meanwhile the other people had entered the water and were swimming towards the dolphins. Back on the boat the driver said: “Do not worry. The dolphins have moved. I will take you there.” When I jumped into the water the second time I was all alone with 8 dolphins for a few minutes before the rest of the crowd came and scared them away for good. Magical.

Riding

Horseback riding is fun. And camel riding too. Being a novice is usually not a problem. If you are a skilled rider you might find rental horses non-responsive and pretty dull. This is what happens when hundreds of kids pull them in the ears all day.

If you are going on a longer tour, make sure that you get a proper inspection of the horses, camels or whatever you are going to ride.

Personal Experience – The Jaisalmer Jeopardy

In Jaisalmer, India we signed up for a 3-day camel tour out in the desert. We paid a bit extra to get “premium camel” and “premium food”. Well, it turn out my camel (nicknamed Ernst) were the slowest one in the Rajastan desert. And the special food – served every lunch and dinner – was Alu Gobi, which is a mix of potato and cauliflower. Probably the cheapest they could offer. So, it makes good sense to try to check what you are really getting if possible. Or talk to other backpackers or just browse the web.

One of the most dangerous, yet exciting sport is ice climbing. It’s actually an offshoot of mountain or rock climbing; the only difference is everything around you is covered with ice. People may wonder why others would want to engage in such a sport and risk their lives when there are less dangerous and less expensive sports. Most people wouldn’t understand, but for a climber, climbing on ice provides a feeling of independence. When you’re out there in the snow, with temperature very well below zero, you get to free yourself from all the tensions and problems of the world. It is important to know that climbing on ice isn’t for everyone, thus, not everybody who goes out in the snow to climb will appreciate the sport. If you’re thinking of going on an ice climbing adventure, you need to learn the basics of climbing. You just don’t go ahead and climb. It could risk your life, or the lives of your companions. Climbing on ice is a serious sport, and you need to invest, both in terms of time and money. There are several schools which offer crash courses on climbing. They give you an overview of how it is to climb. They teach you the basic know-how and offer to guide you along an easy ice climbing expedition. Even if you want to take this sport as a one-time adventure only, you will still need a guide during your trip. Enthusiasts make ice climbing a lifetime pursuit. They allot several weekends during the winter just to travel to places and climb the ice. Not only is the travel expensive, but the gears are also quite pricey. If you want to climb steep ice slopes, you need gears such as crampon and ice axes, on top of the usual rock climbing gears. Before you try climbing on ice, some may suggest that you practice climbing on dry rocks in the summer. You should be able to master the necessary skills of rock climbing such as belaying and tying ropes. In this way, once you venture out on the snow, you can focus on working your way with the ice. The basic ice climbing gears are crampons and ice picks. These are sharp claws made of steel. With their help, you should be able to climb up a 40-degree ice slope without slipping. You also need belaying devices such as ice screws, harness and carabineers. Helmets and boots are also must haves of an ice climber. Of course, responsible climbers should bring with them some first aid kits, extra food and warm clothing. As an added tip, don’t go buying cheap ice climbing tools. Remember that these are the only things keeping you from falling. If you can’t afford to buy good gears right now, then save your money until you can. When you’re hundreds of feet above the ground and you’re hanging on ice, you’ll be grateful you got yourself good ice gears. Ice climbing is definitely not for the faint hearted. It is a physically challenging sport. Not only will you need a pair of strong legs, but also good lungs. When you climb, make sure that you know your companions enough to trust them with your life. There are ice slopes that can’t be climbed by individuals. Steep slopes require a group’s collective effort. Aside from physical strength, you’ll also need good climbing techniques to climb up the ice. In high altitude, the air grows thinner, thus, you should make your moves as smoothly as possibly to conserve your energy. Ice climbing classes will cost you several hundreds of dollars, but what you learn will be priceless. The sport really requires an ice climber to take huge risks. Any wrong move can cost somebody’s life. There’s no way of accurately predicting the weather. Nobody knows when an avalanche is coming. And if the group’s not familiar with the terrain, the snow could blot off the trail and you might find yourself lost in a mountain of ice. But if the group gets to the top safely, there is no feeling more satisfying. The peak provides a picturesque view of miles of unspoiled vast mountains. And as an added bonus, having shared the dangers and risks of ice climbing, the group feels a stronger bond between them.

Mountain climbers are adventurers who look for a bright new challenge. Whether one particular mountain climber is a professional or a hobbyist, most if not all of them all look forward to conquering a peak that is more difficult than their previous one. All mountain climbers have the same goal – to reach the top of the mountain, no matter how high it is or how dangerous the journey may be. Because they all have the same goal, mountain climbers usually set the standard of climbing the world’s tallest mountain sometime within their lifetime, although only a few really brave and expert mountain climbers attempt to do so, because of the great risks involved. What is being referred to is Mt. Everest, perhaps the world’s most famous mountain. Since it is nearly 30,000 feet high, the air near the top of the mountain is really thin, which makes it difficult to breathe, in addition to occasional snowstorms and the unrelenting icy weather. Mt. Everest, located in Nepal, was first conquered in 1953. There are more that have done so since then, but sadly, there have also been a few who have lost their lives while attempting to do so. In some cases, a limb or two have been lost, but one thing is for sure – mountaineers have never been the same after an Everest experience. With Mt. Everest being the most famous yet perhaps most difficult mountain to conquer, there are other mountains that are famous for mountain climbing, some of them in the same mountain range or nearby, such as Mt. Lhotse and Mt. Makalu. The United States has two famous high-altitude mountains for climbers – Mt. McKinley and Mt. Ranier, while neighboring Canada boasts of Mt. Logan. Some of the most famous mountains also include the ones that were climbed centuries ago. Mt. Ranier is one, as the first successful climb was recorded in 1870. In Mexico, Mt. Popocatepetl was first conquered as early as 1519! Another famous mountain on the list of mountain climbers is located in Africa, which is Mt. Kilimanjaro. This Tanzanian mountain was first climbed in 1889. The most famous mountains for mountain climbing are the tallest mountains. In the mountains previously mentioned here, the shortest mountain is Mt. Ranier with around 14,000 feet in height. Needless to say, these mountains are definitely not recommended for beginners, since they are too high and beginning mountain climbers require some experience first.