1. It isn’t the mountain ahead that wears you out; it’s the grain of sand in your shoe. – Robert W. Service

2. Pissing through 6 inches of clothes with a 3-inch penis! – words by an Everest climber when asked what was the hardest thing about climbing Everest

3. When preparing to climb a mountain – pack a light heart. – Dan May

4. Life sucks a lot less when you add mountain air, a campfire and some peace and quiet. – Brooke Hampton

5. I can’t understand why men make all this fuss about Everest — it’s only a mountain. – Junko Tabei, first woman to climb Everest

6. One thing to remember on the Eiger, never look up, or you may need a plastic surgeon. – Don Whillans

7. Great things are done when men and mountains meet; this is not done by jostling in the street. – William Blake

8. Let’s not mince words: Everest doesn’t attract a whole lot of well-balanced folks. The self-selection process tends to weed out the cautious and the sensible in favor of those who are single-minded and incredibly driven. Which is a big reason the mountain is so dangerous. – Jon Krakauer

9. Getting to the top is optional. Getting down is mandatory.  – Ed Viesturs

10. He who climbs upon the highest mountains laughs at all tragedies, real or imaginary. ― Friedrich Neitszche

11. Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go. – T.S. Eliot

12. Every mountain top is within reach if you just keep climbing. ― Barry Finlay

13. Mountains teach that not everything in this world can be rationally explained. – Aleksander Lwow

14. For me, a holiday is about taking a book and going to a mountain and reading. – Sonam Kapoor

15. I like the mountains because they make me feel small,’ Jeff says. ‘They help me sort out what’s important in life.”
― Mark Obmascik

16. May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. – Edward Abbey

17. Every man should pull a boat over a mountain once in his life. – Werner Herzog

18. I love to sit on a mountain top and gaze. I don’t think of anything but the people I care about and the view. – Julian Lennon

19. I have loved her, my little wanderer, with a mind full of wild forests and eyes that await adventures. – Conny Cernik

20. Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean. – John Muir

21. In the mountains there are only two grades: You can either do it, or you can’t. – Rusty Baille

22. Mountains are not stadiums where I satisfy my ambition to achieve, they are the cathedrals where I practice my religion. – Anatoli Boukreev

23. The mountain remains unmoved at seeming defeat by the mist. – Rabindranath Tagore

24. There’s a world out there, and you’ve got to look at both sides of the mountain in your lifetime. – Bill Janklow

25. Within a month of intense life in the mountains is going through so much, what used to be a period of several years; this is a occupancy for people greedy for life – human life is not enough. – Jerzy Kukuczka

26. You never climb the same mountain twice, not even in memory. Memory rebuilds the mountain, changes the weather, retells the jokes, remakes all the moves. – Lito Tejada-Flores

27. It’s not the Mountain we conquer, but ourselves. – Edmund Hillary

28. Mountains have a way of dealing with overconfidence. – Hermann Buhl

29. I’ve realised that at the top of the mountain, there’s another mountain. – Andrew Garfield 

Pin it for later, because one always needs a good mountain quote in their life:

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The point of this article is not to encourage you to break the law but to show you there are beautiful places out there where visitors are not allowed (which is more or less the same).

We have heard stories about fascinating off-limits spots around the world. Destinations like Snake Island (Ihla da Queimada Grande, Brazil) with a population of at least one snake per square meter, or North Sentinel Island (where 400 Sentinelese people still keep their isolation from the modern world) should remain banned. However, there are other places that sooner or later should be opened to the public.

My story happened on a late summer day. A day my friends and I went on a hike. Nothing extraordinary so far, right? That day turned out to be one of the most exciting in my life.

The recap: A group of friends and I were taking a break from work in Hawaii. We were mastering the Italian ‘dolce far niente’ – the sweetness of doing nothing. Besides swimming, surfing and lying on a beach, we hadn’t engaged in any other island activity.

The trip was towards its end. We were brainstorming ideas of what to do on our last day when all of a sudden a friend casually asked ‘Have you heard of the stairs?’.

Looking for the trail through the forest © Tzvetelina Chorbadjiyska

The Haiku Stairs (Haʻikū) is a steep hiking trail overlooking the Valley of Haiku in the Kaneohe area of Oahu, Hawaii. It’s a steel staircase made up of 4000 steps built back in the 1940s. Its purpose was to help the military access a radio station based on top of the ridge during World War II. Rumor has it that the station could communicate with submarines located as far as Tokyo. It also had the status of a top secret facility.

Haiku Stairs are not the most difficult hike you can take on the island. Getting there is a piece of cake – take interstate H3 towards Windward Coast Kailua, exit at Haiku neighborhood and drive all the way up until you reach the last houses. Going up is not as easy.

Still, it turned out to be the coolest, most thrilling and beautiful hike I have done in my life!

© Tzvetelina Chorbadjiyska

You have probably heard people refer to it as Stairway to Heaven simply because the adrenaline and the views from the top are amazing!

But why was it such an extreme and thrilling experience? The staircase is quite steep and could get slippery when wet, but that’s not all. The main thrill comes from the fact that it has been closed to the public for the past 30 years. It grew as a popular hiking trail in the early 1980s until the government saw it as too dangerous and closed it down in 1987.

It has been illegal ever since. Even though against the law, hikers, locals, and foreigners ignore the signs “no trespassing” and climb the stairs. Sometimes dozens a day! That is why in 2013 a security guard was stationed at the base of the trail.

Since 2013 it has become more and more difficult to access the stairs. Yet people don’t give up. They would start as early as 2 am to arrive there before the guard and enjoy the break of dawn and the sunrise views from the top. In my case, we waited for the sunlight and then headed to the trail. I recommend arriving around 8-9 am to allow yourself time to find the trail that goes around the guard through the rainforest.

© Tzvetelina Chorbadjiyska

Basically, the stairs are a series of ladders bolted together. Once you set foot on them, hold tight on the side rails. The first section of stairs is very steep. If you have a fear of heights – don’t even think about it. Otherwise, you should prepare for a good cardio workout. There are a couple of platforms on the way where you can catch your breath. Higher up, the trail rises above the clouds. It could get foggy, misty and quite humid, so keep your hands on the rails and your eyes on your feet. You’ll have plenty of time to admire the view.

My friends and I hurried up in order to have more time to admire the view at the top. We made it back in about 2 hours. During the hike, we got all sweaty and wet from the intensive workout and the quick forest showers drizzling over the top. Therefore, I recommend wearing light clothes in natural colors which fade with the forest – green, brown, beige.

© Tzvetelina Chorbadjiyska

On the way up my heart didn’t stop racing. The adrenaline of doing something illegal kicked in. The words going on and on in my mind were ‘incredible’, ‘amazing’, ‘unreal’.

The thought that the stairs are right in front of you and yet forbidden, is so tempting. I wouldn’t judge anybody who tried or who is about to head over there after reading this. You should definitely be careful, know your abilities and limits, and realize that you’re doing it at your own risk. At the top, it’s all worth it.

The post Be a rebel: Climb the Stairway to Heaven (Haiku Stairs) in Hawaii appeared first on 203Challenges.

Going somewhere high feels like being a deity looking over their lands. For active people, it can also be a great idea for a romantic trip. It’s a simple but memorable idea. 

How to do it

First of all, if you have trouble finding your way, you don’t know the trails or are worried you might get lost, join your mountaineering friends or sign up for a tourist club. 

For a hike in the mountain you need several basic things – a comfortable backpack and hiking shoes, a windproof jacket, a raincoat, tourist utensils and cutlery (plate, mug, fork and Swiss army knife), a mat, a headlamp/flashlight, water (sometimes you can’t get it on the route), light and high-energy foods (nuts, dried fruit), a first-aid kit.

For this date idea, you will need a bottle of champagne or your favorite wine as well. You can take two wine glasses in bubble wrap for extra glamour or just opt for the plastic ‘wine’ glasses. 

Celebrate reaching the top popping the bottle of champagne and share it with your loved one. This is an achievement worthy of a proper celebration!

Get inspired…

Jack Kerouac said it best: “Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain”.

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1. You change the asphalt under your feet with grass, hot sand or water.

2. You can walk around barefoot.

3. Sleeping in a tent restarts your biological clock.

4. Fresh air helps you sleep better.

5. Nobody cares whether your shirt is ironed.

6. Hours and time lose any relevance.

7. You can catch and gather your own food.

8. The food tastes better!

9. You can cool your beer in a stream.

10. Time passes differently when you’re camping. You can be gone for a year and find everything the way it was when you left.

11. It’s funny how real rest involves switching the place you sleep – especially for what seems at first a less comfortable one.

12. People are different around campfire.

13. You are free to take your pet with you.

14. You can be as spontaneous as you like.

15. The freedom to mix your own cocktails. Sometimes, from whatever is left.

16. You have a huge choice of places to pitch your tent.

17. And if you don’t like the place, you can leave in a flash.

18. The view when you get out of the tent in the morning.

19. Camping doesn’t take a lot of resources.

20. Great new friendships are started while camping.

21. And the old ones are strengthened.

22. The hammocks!

23. The campfire.

24. The fact that the sea (or the lake, or the forest) is a few steps away.

25. Lying in the grass.

26. You can leave the mountain, but the mountain never leaves you.

27. At some point your phone’s battery dies and then you realize you can do without it.

28. The feeling that you can do absolutely anything.

29. Or absolutely nothing.

30. Even if you’re with a big group, you can still find a secluded spot just for you.

31. You can travel with just a tent on your back for the whole summer.

32. Your ceiling is a sky with a million stars.

33. The legendary stories that you’ll tell for years to come.

The post 33 simple reasons to love camping appeared first on 203Challenges.

Weather you’ve decided to take part in a short outing, trek for a few days, or get your tent game going, the mountain will welcome you into the embrace of its slopes, with fresh air and plenty of entertainment opportunities.

Below we’ve gathered just a few ideas out of all the amazing mountain pastimes.

1. Stash a portable folding hammock in the trunk of your car and pitch it whenever you want to enjoy the power of complete relaxation.

2. Pop open a bottle of champagne, once you have climbed a mountain top. After all, this is an achievement worth celebrating!

3. Have a home-cooked meal picnic. Let the candy bars and bags of chips be your in-city snacks. The night before your mountainside picnic, bake bread and some sweet treats, roast vegetables, meat and nuts, and eat only real food when you’are in nature.

4. Collect flowers and leaves, to dry when you go home. You can use them for beautiful DIY poperies, postcards, scrapbooks and all kinds of handmade gifts.

5. Collect herbs. Homemade, natural tea infusions will not only warm up your frozen fingers during the winter months, but the memories of your summertime treks will also melt your heart.

6. Prepare homemade bitters. As you make your way through mountain forests and fields, you can also take the opportunity to make bitters. Fill a plastic bottle halfway through with odorless alcohol (like vodka) and add in all the herbs and berries you find along the way – cilantro, thyme, yarrow, chamomile, leaves and flowers from wild strawberries, fresh pine tips, thistle, cornels. Once you go home, transfer the mixture into glass jars and let them sit in the sun for 14 days. Next, strain the liquid and have a spoonful once a day to boost your immune system. Keep in a fridge.

7. Camp or lodge by a mountain lake. This will ensure your perfect view in the morning.

8. Take magnetic board games with you – chess, ludo…They are lightweight and won’t take up a lot of precious space in your backpack.

9. Take tea candles with you to amplify the romance of your campfire. If there is a strong wind, dig small holes in the ground and put the candles inside.

10. Create a shadow muppet show, using your tent and a headlamp. It’s especially fun if you’ve gone on your mountain adventure along with children.

11. Have a meadow rolling competition. They may have a cheese rolling competition in Britain, but humans can easily substitute the cheese.

12. Fly a tent. When the wind is blowing, it’s pretty fun to try and catch the drift, using your tent. However, there are two downsides to this pastime – first of all, nobody has yet been known to actually take flight this way, and secondly – you are guaranteed to have to spend some money on new poles.

13. Learn more about plants and animals. Look to the local bookstore or library for a guide to all the plants and animals that inhabit the region where you will be hiking. Find some space for the book in your backpack, so that you can identify all the flora and fauna you come by along the way.

14. Go hunting.
Mountain hunting is enjoyable at any time of year. Hunting is a fantastic daytime activity, whether alone or with your family and friends. The first steps are finding out what kind of game you want to hunt and becoming acquainted with the area. You’ll also need to be ready for the weather and potential occurrences. The proper tools, such as camouflage, a Bushnell rifle scope a medical pack, and hunting knives, are also crucial. You must carry food and appropriate clothing if the weather is cold.

15. Fly a kite.

16. Come up with camp nicknames for everyone. Big Berry is always late and Old Wild Goat is the most active one.

17. Pick wild strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. If you find yourself incapable of eating it all along the way, you can also take the berries home with you and make some jam.

18. Sail the mountain rivers and lakes with a small boat, kayak or canoe8

19. Wake up early to greet the sunrise.

20. Talk to and learn from the shepherds you will meet along the way.

21. Do gokotta – it is the Swedish practice of having a picnic at dawn, so your meal can be complemented by birdsong.

22. Create a mountain scrapbook, where you can collect all of your thoughts, photos, stories and herbarium.

23. Bathe in a waterfall.

Bonus from us: Make a bouquet of flowers for a special person.

The post 22 fun things to do in the mountain appeared first on 203Challenges.

Long post alert: This story will take you 14 minutes to read but I promise you’ll laugh, cry and cringe. You can, however, skip to the practicalities at the end if you want to.

When summer hits, you know it’s going to be hot. But sometimes it’s hot and you live in an apartment with no AC and every time you get back from work, you feel like you’re entering a giant blast furnace. You start sweating as soon as you thrust the key into the keyhole. Then you open the door and you’re knocked down by an even more potent heatwave from inside. It’s at this moment that you say to yourself “Enough’s enough!”.

In short, this sweaty scenario was exactly why I decided to evacuate myself from my home for a week this August, swapping my bed for a hammock in the forest. I’m not talking about a vacation here, just a normal working week in which I began every day (well, kind of every day) by jumping out of my hammock, making a campside coffee then heading to work in my inner-city office.

By the moonlight | ©Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

Day 1 (Sunday): First hammocking

As fearless and crazy as this idea might look at first sight, I have to admit that only the latter is accurate. The truth is that I love the forest but I hate bugs. Bugs are not my friends.

The solution: I bought a portable hammock with a mosquito net from a Chinese online store. Judging its comfort and glamor, I can only compare it to a canopy bed (prices start from only $20 if you’re interested). Besides being lighter than a tent, in many countries a hammock like this can be hung in national parks and other places where camping is forbidden (anyway, if you choose to stay in remote places like these, you know what NOT to do: don’t leave your trash, don’t pick rare flowers, don’t hunt for endangered animals etc.).

So, Day 1. I set off from the city to a nearby village with Lucho – my fearless travel and life partner and personal aviation mechanic (you never know when you’re gonna need one). The full moon was as bright as a street lamp and we didn’t even need to turn our headlamps on. After 30 minutes of walking, we found a perfect piece of forest to settle down in for the night. A short while before midnight, we were having dinner under the light of the moon and the stars (oh, how romantic, you should try it!) when we heard a piercing bird call that sounded like the blood-curdling screams of a damsel in distress. That gave us the heebie-jeebies and we were forced to gulp down two shots of vodka to regain courage. Then we tucked in our sleeping bags and watched the pine tops reaching each other somewhere high above us.

The light of the full moon woke us up a few times, but it could’ve been worse if we were, let’s say, werewolves. Thank god we’re not. Despite the interruptions, the gentle whiff of pine needles on the breeze proved that sleeping in the forest was actually a genius decision!

Sunrise | ©Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

Day 2 (Monday): Lunar eclipse… almost

I spent the whole day following the weather forecast with my other fearless hiking and sleeping-in-the-forest-on-weekdays partner, Eva. The weatherman predicted heavy rain, a natural phenomenon very much at odds with our plan to scale a near 2,290-m (7500-ft) mountain peak and watch the partial lunar eclipse from there. Late in the afternoon, it started raining cats and dogs in the city, while the live cameras from the peak showed nothing better than chin-deep mud. “Let’s leave this for the weekend when we’ll watch the Perseids, too,” said Eva wisely. So we ended up peeking at the eclipse from our apartment windows, just like all the other boring city people around us.

©Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

Day 3 (Tuesday): Pause for a night sleeping in the blast furnace

Day 4 (Wednesday): Sleeping alone in the forest

For a third day in a row I came home thinking I’d be lazy and sleep in my bed, but things escalated. When I opened the door of my apartment a burst of scorching air burned me down and only a small pile of ashes fell on the doorstep. You imagined it. I had no choice.

10:30 pm. I took my hammock, a sleeping bag and breakfast for the next day and headed for another village close to my city. I gulped my shots of vodka early that night as this time I was going to be all by myself. It was going to be my first solo hammock night in the forest. A piece of cake! What could go wrong?!

Once I had arrived in the village, a pack of stray dogs started chasing me, which, let’s face it, was not a promising start to the night. After getting rid of the dogs, I entered the woods and 30 minutes later I found a perfect spot to hang my hammock. The air was pine-fresh and a brook was babbling somewhere nearby. What an idyll!

My hammock in the forest | ©Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

I fell asleep almost immediately. Then, I woke up almost immediately. My sick mind was dreaming that a psychopath was leaning over me (let me remind you: I was a woman sleeping alone in the forest). As I mentioned, I’m not fearless at all, and there are worse things out there than bugs. I looked around – there was nobody, so I tamed my palpitations and fell asleep again almost immediately. Once again I woke up almost immediately after I had dreamt about another psycho. And this, my dear wannabe solo-hammocking enthusiasts, continued for the whole night! I had only one dream that didn’t involve a psycho, but it was just as terrifying: a fox took away my sandals and I had to walk barefoot back to the village.

In spite of the pines, the babbling river and the refreshing whiff of the wind, I had just endured the worst al fresco night of my life so far.

Morning coffee | ©Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

However, I want to clarify that the night was not all psychos and sandal-loving foxes. For the first time I had the chance to really appreciate the net of the hammock. When I woke up for the last time in the morning, I saw that a forest spider had illegally used my hammock net as a base for his web. I imagined how, if it hadn’t been for the hammock net, I’d have woken up entangled in cobwebs from head to toe, with a giant spider staring directly into my eyes. Don’t judge me. I’ve seen too many thrillers in my life.

Now I’d like to take a moment to share my thoughts on meeting other people in the forest. The scariest of all encounters you can have in a dark forest at night is not a bear, a wolf or even a flock of hungry mosquitoes – it’s another human. What would a normal person be doing in the dark, more than an hour away from the nearest village? He must be a psychopath. Except for you, you are slightly adventurous but completely normal on the whole. Yet, sometimes people don’t get it and the roles swap. Especially when a father and son walk their puppy in the wood above their village at 6 in the morning and you jump out of the bushes with messy hair and bloodshot eyes because you haven’t drunk your coffee yet. Oh well, in this case you are the psycho and you can be sure that the father has squeezed the phone in his pocket ready to call 911 or, if necessary, is prepared to knock you down and drown you in the river.

Morning coffee and planning | ©Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

Day 5 (Thursday): Pause for another night sleeping in the blast furnace

Day 6 (Friday): The Perseids and sleeping on a mountain peak

I don’t want a fox to lick my nose while I sleep. I just don’t. Everybody has their irrational fears, and that’s (one of) mine. I’d bought a hammock with a net and now I was forced to sleep in a meadow (try to hang your hammock in a treeless meadow!). But being a part of a group of four (I’ve already mentioned Eva and Lucho, plus Ilko) dedicated to sleeping in the fresh air and watching the Perseid meteor shower, I decided to keep my fears to myself and daringly lie under the stars, stuffed in my sleeping bag and zipped up to the top, with only the tip of my nose poking out.

Earlier this evening, we’d hiked for more than an hour up in the mountains and had chosen a peak (1300 m/4200 ft) with a magnificent view of the surrounding area. We saw tens of blinking villages down in the valley, while the shooting stars above us were doing what they do best – they were leaving their bright trails in the sky while we were ticking off wishes from our lists. We ate dinner with no light other than the moon, laughed and ate home-grown tomatoes… And I slept like a log for the first time in a week.

For the record, no fox licked my face that night.

Day 7 (Saturday): Thunderstorm = sleeping in the blast furnace (again!)

Next days: all summer hammocking

After the first experimental nights, I’m sure sleeping in a hammock will turn into a summer tradition around these parts. Maybe it’ll go beyond summer, too. Has anyone come up with a winter hammock yet?!

Sunrise | ©Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

Q&A: Practicalities

– How do you get there?

– This challenge was completed around Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, and my destinations were the villages of Zheleznitsa, Simeonovo, and Yarlovo, between 5 and 50 km (3 and 30 mi) away form the city. I used both my car and public transportation to get to the villages, then relied on my own two feet to find a sleeping spot in the forest. Regardless of where you live, you can create your own hammock map with suitable locations around your home.

– Do you shower at all?

– In general or during this adventure? Yes, I take a shower at home before I head to the office. But even if I can’t make it, I have a bathroom in the office, so this is not an issue. Anyway, sleeping in the forest is more refreshing that you’d expect.

– How early do you wake up for work?

– It depends on a bunch of factors, but I usually wake up at 6 am, make some coffee and breakfast and get to the city before the morning rush hour. It’s a well-known fact that you sleep better in the forest (unless you dream about psychos 20 times per night).

– What’s in your backpack?

– A sleeping bag, a mat, a hammock with a mosquito net, gas stove + coffee, breakfast (I usually take a few tomatoes, bread and cheese), vodka (a shot before bed to pay homage to an old tradition), water, headlamp, cup, a long-sleeve blouse (I sleep with my shorts only) and a camera.

This was one of the 5 travel challenges for August 2017, inspired by the book “203 Travel Challenges”.

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The post How I swapped my bed for a hammock this summer (and kept on going to work) appeared first on 203Challenges.

Make sure to pack a hatchet or folding saw to chop wood for a campfire. Don’t forget to bring some fire starter to get the campfire going. Bring a waterproof tarp without tears or holes in it to cover the firewood you chop and gather. You will also need a good Swiss Army knife, a working compass, a waterproof and impact-resistant cell phone with a solar power charger. You should also bring a comfortable headlamp with rechargeable batteries, a whistle, and sturdy sunglasses on your backpacking trip. Realize that if you plan on camping out in a bear country you should make sure to pack a food hanging bag or paracord. 

If you wish to make your challenging backpacking trip an absolute success, your next outdoor adventure should definitely include at least one of the innovative gadgets mentioned in this article. From flashlights and award-winning tree tents to groundbreaking portable stoves and wind-up radios, this state-of-the-art gear should certainly end up somewhere on your packing list.  

Pack Necessities For Shelter First 

First things first, make sure you have all the shelter equipment you will need to safeguard you from the elements and predators. Make sure to bring a tent with stakes and guy lines. Pack a mallet to pound in the tent stakes. Remember to bring a ground cloth so as to add durability to the tent floor. Don’t forget to pack a floor mat. This will keep you from dragging mud into your tent. You will also need a small broom and dustpan to clean out your tent every once in a while. Bring a sunshade, tarp, or screen house with stakes and guy lines. 

Shop Online To Pack For A Good Night Rest 

Outdoor gadgets have gone high tech, even high-quality sleeping bags and pocket showers are more functional nowadays. Fortunately, shopping for the latest and greatest gadgets has never been easier. As stated by the team behind premieroutdoorgear.com, you can easily shop for compact, lightweight, and durable hiking equipment at your local B&M or online stores that offer an array of items like trekking poles, hammocks, chairs, day packs, and sleeping bags to microfiber camping towels and waterproof dry bags. So, while shopping, don’t forget to purchase a high-quality sleeping bag or quilt. You will also need to pack a sleeping pad or mattress and a comfortable camping pillow. A cot, sleeping bag liner, extra blankets, and sheets are also essential to keep you warm during cold nights in the mountains. If you bring an air mattress you will obviously need to pack an air pump to fill your mattress with air and duct tape for repairs. Bring proper trekking boots if you are trekking in Nepal.

Connect With Nature Without Having To Find Flat Ground

One of the best camping accessories you can pack for your next outdoor excursion is the award-winning Stingray Three-Person Tree Tent (3.0). This unique elevated shelter will add a new level of serenity to your camping adventure. Whether suspended between trees or pitched on the ground the revolutionary design will allow you to camp in style with plenty of storage nets for organizing your packs and gear. The award-winning design keeps campers separated while in their own personal sleeping bays. A five-thousand HH rainfly offers protection even in the heaviest downpours. It can easily be removed for spectacular views of the night sky. 

Don’t Forget To Pack A First Aid Kit And Drone

Finally, don’t leave home without bringing hand sanitizer, bandages, antibacterial ointment, antiseptic wipes, and insect repellent. Pack a small kit with tweezers and scissors. To prevent getting sunburned, pack some sunscreen and lip balm. In case you get sunburned or suffer from blisters, make sure to bring some aloe and moleskin or tape. Don’t forget to pack any prescriptions you may need. Bring vitamins. It is also essential to bring over-the-counter medications like antacids, for stomach aches, Ibuprofen, for headaches and antihistamines, for any allergic reactions that may arise due to pollen. 

Drones can help you speculate a wide area quickly and safely. Use a drone to survey the surrounding area when searching for safe campsites. You can also use a drone to search for scavengers near your campsite. Most importantly and in conclusion, a drone can be a lifesaver if you get lost. 

Being prepared will help you survive the outdoors, but being prepared with the right gear will greatly improve your backpacking experience. Knowing that you have all the things you need will give you more time to enjoy your backpacking trip.

The post The Essential Gear You Need to Survive A Challenging Backpacking Trip appeared first on 203Challenges.

The Lycian Way is 540 km long and you will need around 29-30 days to walk it.

The route curves around the coastline in South Turkey and offers:

– a scenic route between the mountains and the coast

– old Roman roads and offbeaten paths

– some steep parts but with enough resting points

– local transport connection so you don’t have to walk all the way

About the route

The name of the route comes from the ancient name of this part of Anatolia – Lycia. The route was explored and marked by the Turkish-British non-professional historian Kate Clow in 1999. Since then, thousands of hikers have been following it every year and it has gained international popularity.

The coast is far from the major resorts, so you have great blue waters to swim or go kayaking. You’ll also pass through pine forests, mountain peaks, ancient ruins.

Start: Oludeniz (near Turkish resort Fethiye)

End: Geyikbayiri (20 km from Turkish resort Antalya) – the trail can be walked in both directions

Where to stay on the route: You can sleep in village guest houses or small hotels along the way. There are camping areas available, too.

What to eat: You can find groceries and shops in the villages along the way but sometimes the prices are unreasonably high.

Best time to do it: February – April or September – November. Summer is scorching.

Route marks: red and white stripes but have in mind that in many places the marks are poor and you’ll need a map and compass.

Self-guided routes and various options for the route here.

Photos: flickr/sunriseOdyssey

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What better way to celebrate life than to enjoy an afternoon or a full day relaxing in a hammock. This might sound like a piece of cake for you but for some busy bees it is quite a challenge.

How to implement a hammock in your everyday life

First step, gear up! Go and buy yourself a colorful hammock. You will find a decent one in almost any sports & outdoor goods store. Different hammocks I have stumbled upon: single, double, light summer hammocks, camping, cotton, garden hammocks and more.

Hammocks are useful travel gear

Hammocks are not new to history. Back in time, sailors slept in hammocks hung on ships. When transferred to land, they became a novelty, not a necessity. Just like rocking chairs, they are a specific piece of furniture. Nowadays hammocks have turned into the indulgence of people who are willing to leave behind the burden of the workday world.

Be creative

Next step, hang it up! Once it is visible, you are more likely to sit back, swing or lie down for a short break.

A hammock offers lots of possibilities to get creative.

Go camping or hiking and hang it on trees out in the wild.

You could put it up in your backyard, on your terrace or even at home.

Some workplaces allow the use of hammocks for rest in the common areas. How cool is that?

What a great idea!

For advanced travelers only

To step up your game, try overnight sleeping in a hammock or use it as your only camping equipment. On the other hand, you could simply book a stay at Casa Elemento in Minca, Colombia. The hostel is famous for having the world’s largest permanent hammock! Check it out!

© Tripadvisor

Casa Elemento | © Hostelworld

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You’re in for an exciting day exploring the Canyon of Waterfalls. Tread carefully across shaky bridges, climb wooden ladders, feel the refreshing spray from waterfalls of all sizes and breathe the crystal air of the cool Rhodope Mountains. The picturesque woods seem like a filming location for fairy tales; you’ll be reminded of Little Red Riding Hood as you make your way along the hiking trails…

What you will see in the Canyon of Waterfalls

The Canyon of Waterfalls eco-trail is located in the buffer zone of Soskovcheto Reserve. You’ll see 46 waterfalls of all sizes and capacity along the route. Standing head and shoulders above the rest is Orpheus, which reaches 68 m, and other large waterfalls include Kamen Uley (Stone Chute), Sartseto (the Heart) and Kazanite (the Barrels), Ropkata. The best section of the trail includes numerous wooden bridges, zigzagging between both sides of the river Elenska. Use the railings and ladders to help you along the trail. The most appropriate season for visiting the Canyon of Waterfalls is the beginning of summer, when water levels are high and everything around is green. Autumn also offers beautiful conditions, as the canyon’s trees show off their yellow, red and brown leaves – the colours of the traditional local dress.

You can find plenty of panoramic views overlooking the beautiful Rhodope Mountains, as well as summer houses, benches and picnic tables along the route. Bring some sandwiches and water to sustain you for a whole day in the canyon.

Soskovcheto Reserve

Soskovcheto Reserve was created to preserve centuries-old spruces, which on average live to 112 years, with some even reaching 250-300 years. You can come across squirrels, dormice, otters, badgers, red deer, does and wild goats in the reserve.

Useful information

If you’re coming from Plovdiv/Pamporovo, enter Smolyan and drive straight to the first traffic light. Turn right and follow the signs to the village of Mugla (Мугла) until you exit the town. In 2-3 km you will see a sign marking the beginning of the eco-trail. Take a right into a narrow road leading to the foothill. About 1.5 km after the beginning of the turn-off, you’ll see a tourist center, where you can see a permanent photo exhibition displaying pictures from the region. Tour guides will tell you interesting stories about the mountain, and will introduce you to the plants and animals in the reserve, which is open from May to October. Make sure you wear comfortable and appropriate footwear as the stones near the waterfalls can be slippery. The eco-trail consists of several circles, as marked on the map; the route is 10 km long and climbs around 700 m in total, but the most visited part is about 6 km long. Spare at least 4 hours for a relaxed walk, giving yourself enough time to rest and take pictures.

The trail is properly marked and not too difficult – there are only a few relatively steep sections.

The beginning of the Canyon of the Waterfalls eco-trail:

More photos:

© Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

© Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

© Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

© Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

© Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

© Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

© Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

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