A walk through the clouds #2

[Trithor]

Do you trek elsewhere Gary?

David, I try and plan one climb/high altitude trek and one scuba trip per year. Obviously some years don't quite plan out (usually due to the rest of the people falling out, so now I generally plan trips on my own)
Prior to 2000 most trips were orchid related and involved trips to where ever paphs grew, with a bunch of collecting trips to remote areas to collect in the mid 80's. I spent 6 months in Brazil in the early 80's, starting with the Inca trail in Peru and then canoeing down the Amazon. Although it was my intention to do a source to mouth trip, I failed because of a fiasco at the border which involved me spending a week in hospital with malaria. I sort of lost the plot a bit and went to Iguazu to recover and missed about 300km of the river when I went back to complete what I had started.
After 2000 my focus shifted to peaks and diving. I started with the highest 5 peaks in Africa in 2003, and did Killimanjaro in 2006.
My first major peak was Kilimanjaro in 2006 (prior to that I had done quite a few, but this was the first near 6000m peak)
2007 = Ecuador (Guagua Pinchincha, Iliniza Norte, Cotopaxi and Chimborazo 6310m) and scuba diving Galapagos
2008 = Borneo (Kinabalu 4095m) and diving Lankayan Island
2009 = Russia (Elbrus 5642m) diving Malta
2010 = World cup soccer in South Africa, so spent all my money on soccer tickets
2011 = Second trip to Kilimanjaro, Diving trip to N Red sea
2012 = Bolivia (Alpamayo, Cabeza del Condor. Illampu 6342m), diving Mozambique
2013 = No climb, diving Madagascar and second trip diving Zanzibar
2014 = 3rd Kili trip, plan a double trip to Red Sea, first to North for wrecks and a few reefs, then South to the Sudan for another 7 days of wall diving

Guess I get the itchy feet from my father who started a Johannesburg to Amsterdam and back trip in the early 50s for a 25 Dutch Guilder bet. (don't think I will ever be able to match that, but I can at least keep trying?)

So guess to answer your question, I have trekked, climbed and dived quite a bit, but by no means experienced. Never had the good fortune to go to the Himalayas. I wanted to climb Spantik in 2010, but soccer shot that plan!

 

[Trithor]

View off the shoulder of Cotopaxi (Ecuador) on the predawn approach to the summit



Preparing for the final pitch on Chimbarazo. Not much of a hike at this point anymore

 

[gonewild]

Did your Dad win the bet?

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

That is an impressive list. Sounds like a hell of a lot of fun too!

 

[emydura]

WOW. You have seen some amazing places. You will have to put the Snowman trek (Bhutan) on the to do list. Considered the best and most difficult trek in the world, more people have climbed Everest than successfully completed it. I believe it has a 50% fail rate. That will test you.

 

[Trithor]

Did your Dad win the bet?

Yes, he did. I have my dad's scrap book, a lot of magazine and newspaper clippings. Makes a good read. On days when I am feeling a bit lost, I page through it.

WOW. You have seen some amazing places. You will have to put the Snowman trek (Bhutan) on the to do list. Considered the best and most difficult trek in the world, more people have climbed Everest than successfully completed it. I believe it has a 50% fail rate. That will test you.

I would love to try it. I will certainly research it an put it on my list. I am looking forward to your report and pictures.

 

[abax]

May I suggest a lovely, relaxed sailing trip around the small islands in the
Caymans? Used to be the clearest water I've ever seen for diving. Heaven
only knows how its been treated in recent years. Some really nice cave
diving too. Need more excitement? Lots and lots of sharks!

Gutsy man, your dad.