During a trip to Nicaragua in September of 2019, I saw the words 鈥淧ray for Surfers鈥� graffitied across a boarded-up restaurant like a desperate plea. The year before that, I鈥檇 shared the waves with crowds of adventure tourists from around the world. Now I paddled out with just a couple of locals. The message was clear: Nicaraguans needed foreign surfers鈥攁nd their tourism dollars鈥攖o return.

During the previous decade, the country had pushed aside its war-torn reputation, acquired in the 1970s and 鈥�80s, and was touted as the next 鈥渋t鈥� destination for adventure travelers. Then, in April 2018, president Daniel Ortega ordered police to silence peaceful urban protests over social-security cuts. Reports of deaths and violence made international headlines, and Nicaragua鈥檚 tourism boom went bust almost overnight.

By early 2019, the U.S. State Department was urging Americans not to head there, 鈥渄ue to civil unrest and arbitrary enforcement of laws.鈥� As a travel writer who frequently explores far corners of the world, I chose to go anyway. I knew from speaking to my contacts on the ground that the political violence wasn鈥檛 aimed at visitors, nor was it taking place in every part of the country. Friends and family, however, questioned my decision. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 wrong with the waves in Costa Rica?鈥� asked my mom. Scolded a friend: 鈥淵our travel dollars are supporting an unjust dictatorship.鈥�

But it鈥檚 my belief that, at the time, local businesses in Nicaragua鈥攕urf instructors, taco shops, and small hotels, among others鈥攏eeded my tourism dollars more than others elsewhere did. Writing about travel provides me access to a global community of guides and outfitters, and I鈥檓 aware just how much tourism can positively impact destinations that have weathered political unrest or natural disasters. Tourism dollars really do improve the lives of locals.

This assertion starkly contrasts with conventional thought, which is to steer clear of such places. Tourists often fear that visiting an afflicted area will impede recovery efforts and further burden resources and infrastructure. (This may be true in some cases, like immediately after a natural disaster, so doing the research before traveling to such areas is crucial. More on this later.) There is also the ethical quandary of sitting on a beach enjoying yourself while locals rebuild their lives. But Jack Ezon, founder of the travel agency Embark Beyond, told me that the period following a calamitous event is often when local communities need tourism dollars most.

鈥淏y visiting, you are literally keeping food on people鈥檚 table. You are giving them the dignity of having a job and helping them get back on their feet,鈥� says Ezon, a 20-year veteran of the adventure-travel industry.

The closure devastated area businesses. Enrique Umbert, CEO of the outfitter Mountain Lodges of Peru, estimates that thousands of tourism professionals were put out of work in a single month. 鈥淚t feels like COVID again,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e lost two months of our key booking season. We typically project $1 million of bookings in a month, and as of mid-February we鈥檙e only selling $100,000.鈥� Umbert had to furlough employees and temporarily reduce salaries鈥攗p to 50 percent for some of his workers. He also deferred his own paycheck. 鈥淢y heart goes out to our indirect staff, like our guides, drivers, and community partners,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e really struggling.鈥�

Prior to the unrest, longtime backpacker Jamie Thomas booked a trip to Peru through Condor Travel. In the months leading up to her February departure, she read that more than 50 people had died in battles with police. She also scanned Peruvian-travel Facebook groups and learned that visitors weren鈥檛 being targeted by cops or protestors. Thomas, who lives in Omaha, Nebraska, decided to go ahead with her trip, even though the country鈥檚 main attraction was closed. Her tour operator learned that there was a chance Machu Picchu would reopen February 15, the day Thomas and the rest of her group were scheduled to fly home. Everyone voted to extend the trip.

The decision paid off. The group was one of the first to climb the citadel鈥檚 magnificent stone terraces once it reopened. Thomas admits that the large police and army presence in the streets of Lima and Cuzco could be unnerving, but she never felt unsafe. Her group arrived by train in Aguas Calientes, Machu Picchu鈥檚 typically overrun gateway town, and found it deserted. 鈥淭o take in those landscapes and ruins without the selfie sticks and other tour groups is a memory that lasts forever,鈥� she says.

Perhaps even more memorable was the welcome Thomas and her group received from locals in Aguas Calientes. Owners of the eco-tourism company Inkaterra gave them a special deal at their top hotel, and staff seemed overjoyed to have visitors鈥攁nd revenue. 鈥淭heir gratefulness is something I鈥檒l never forget,鈥� Thomas says. 鈥淭he media scared off so many travelers. It felt good to take a chance and know we were helping show the world Peru was ready to welcome back tourists.鈥�

Of course, journeying to unstable regions can invite danger, and travelers should educate themselves and prepare prior to leaving. Melissa Biggs Bradley, founder of the tourism firm Indagare, extensively researches destinations in advance, digging into matters such as: How did local governments and services prioritize traveler safety during past major events, like the pandemic? Are groups targeting tourists? Is the disaster or unrest happening in the region she plans to travel to, or is it in a different part of the country? Biggs Bradley also recommends investing in a membership with Global Rescue or Global Guardian鈥攃ompanies that provide up-to-date alerts and evacuation services during natural disasters and civil unrest.

The media鈥檚 portrayal of destinations affected by hurricanes, earthquakes, political unrest, war, and other hardship is often what deters tourists from visiting. But Biggs Bradley knows that news reports don鈥檛 always provide the whole picture.

There鈥檚 another benefit of traveling to crisis areas: human-to-human exchanges can lead to a better understanding of locals and a more thoughtful perspective on other countries. 鈥淭ravel gives us the power to make up our own mind about a situation,鈥� says Biggs Bradley. While she doesn鈥檛 support the government policies in Iran, Cuba, or Zimbabwe, she believes that it鈥檚 important to visit those countries. 鈥淧eople are not their government,鈥� she says. 鈥淚鈥檓 glad people don鈥檛 judge me based on America鈥檚 politics. I think it鈥檚 important to have an open dialogue with vulnerable communities.鈥�

Then, in 2017, the 国产吃瓜黑料 Travel Trade Association invited me to join other journalists on a trek in Jordan, from the city of Dana to the archeological site of Petra along a portion of the new 420-mile Jordan Trail. Prior to accepting, I reached out to Shannon Stowell, the organization鈥檚 CEO, for reassurance. During the 2011 uprising, Stowell was in Egypt, one of the two countries whose governments were toppled in the wave of protest. He told me that the Western perception of Egypt鈥檚 safety didn鈥檛 jibe with reality.

Stowell says he toured Tahrir Square the same day CNN published a story on Egypt featuring years-old images of tanks and soldiers. 鈥淚 remember thinking, You鈥檝e got to be kidding me. This just set the country back again,鈥� Stowell told me. He saw no violence or weapons of war in Egypt; instead, he toured the pyramids with dozens, rather than thousands, of visitors and never once felt a sense of threat. During a meeting with Margaret Scobey, the U.S. ambassador to Egypt at the time, Stowell urged her to ask the State Department to downgrade its current level-four travel advisory (the most severe). 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 even on her radar,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t was adjusted within a month. That one change can have a very direct impact on a region.鈥� (While travelers should check State Department levels, keep in mind that the agency is overly cautious and broad when issuing travel advisories.)

Stowell told me that Jordan鈥攚hich had been mostly peaceful鈥攚as enduring a halo effect from years of violence in surrounding countries. He explained that journalists like me had the power to pierce the veil of misconception. I agreed to join the trip. Weeks later I met a Bedouin staffer at an eco-lodge in Dana. We climbed up to the hotel鈥檚 roof to view the full moon, and he hesitantly asked: 鈥淎re you scared of me? Americans see the news and so they are afraid.鈥�

I鈥檓 not alone in having written off an entire region of the world because of isolated events. If you鈥檙e on the fence about traveling to or near a destination that has been plagued by crisis, I urge you to look closely at a map and investigate the proximity of the conflict or disaster in relation to where you plan to go. News coverage of Australia鈥檚 apocalyptic bushfires in 2019 and 2020 created a perception that the entire continent had burned to the ground. Scores of international tourists canceled their trips. In reality, the blazes affected an area the size of Wisconsin. (Australia is approximately the same size as the contiguous United States.)

Turkey is currently experiencing a precipitous drop in tourism following catastrophic earthquakes in February. Earlier this year the country鈥檚 president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, announced a three-month state of emergency in ten provinces. After the quake, images of crumbling cities and bodies immersed in rubble circulated the globe. The quakes did devastate huge swaths of southeast Turkey, but most of the rest of the country received little or no damage.

In 2022, 51.4 million tourists visited Turkey, pumping $46.3 billion into the economy, according to tourism board estimates. The country is likely to take a financial hit in 2023 as more travelers decide to stay away. Biggs Bradley told me that she鈥檚 encouraging travelers not to abandon their plans to visit, because it needs that income more than ever. 鈥�Turkey is a huge country,鈥� she says. 鈥淵ou can still visit many beautiful parts鈥擨stanbul, Bodrum, Cappadocia鈥攖hat were unaffected, and support the rebuilding efforts.鈥�

She also believes that visitors should seek out area charities. You can give at local donation spots, such as mosques, nonprofits, or clinics across the country. Ask tourism operators whether communities are in need of specific goods that you can bring from the U.S., or which organizations are doing work that you can support. As the country continues to recover, even small gestures from visitors can have positive ripple effects.

My advice is to do your homework before canceling a trip to a troubled region. Talk to the person who manages the hotel where you鈥檙e scheduled to stay. Ask local guides or other connections you have in a country to advise you on what the situation is like. Reach out to locals via Twitter or other social media. Plan your trip with reputable outfitter, since it will track safety information constantly. Weigh all that beta in light of State Department warnings and news headlines. There may be times when it鈥檚 necessary to postpone. But if you decide that it鈥檚 OK to go, your tourism dollars can provide a huge benefit, and the trip may be even more meaningful as a result.

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Contributor Tim Neville has spent years on the road finding off-the-grid destinations to write about for 国产吃瓜黑料. So when he says these are the most memorable meals he’s eaten after a day of adventuring, that’s really saying something.

Mestia, Republic of Georgia

What: Dumplings and bazhe salad
国产吃瓜黑料 pairing: Paragliding

After a day of soaring around the Caucasus Mountains above Mestia, I made my way to the and ordered the khinkali meat dumplings and a salad with bazhe sauce, a miracle paste of crushed walnuts packed with blue fenugreek, coriander, and marigold. A guy at the next table started to sing, and soon everyone else joined in. Nothing strange in that鈥擥eorgians love to sing at dinner.

Pyeongchang, South Korea

What: The buffet
国产吃瓜黑料 pairing: Skiing or hiking

Shortly before the 2018 Winter Games kicked off, I spent a week skiing and exploring the region鈥檚 temples and barbecue joints. But it was the buffet at the that I would return for. Picture a room the size of an airplane hangar, with dozens of stations displaying spicy kimchis, rich sundubu-jjigae (a tofu stew), hoeddeok (sweet pancakes), and so many crocks of fermented veggies that I think I overdid it.

Vis, Croatia

What: Lamb peka
国产吃瓜黑料 pairing: Scuba diving

A few years ago, I visited this island in the Adriatic to dive among the ancient amphorae that dot the seafloor. Still wet, I drove to a spot between the towns of Vis and Komiza and found , a winery and family restaurant in a gorgeous stone building. I sat under a colossal tree and devoured a bowl of peka, a rich lamb stew with spices and carrots that鈥檚 slow-cooked over an open fire at an outdoor kitchen.

Egypt

What: Ful mudammas, falafel, labneh
国产吃瓜黑料 pairing: Cruising the Nile

In 2016, a few years after the Arab Spring rocked Egypt, I went to see whether tourism was bouncing back. It wasn鈥檛. I stuck around and ended up aboard a luxury Nile cruiser, the , which traveled between Luxor and Aswan. Every morning I鈥檇 sit on the top deck and eat a plate piled high with falafel, ful mudammas (a fava bean stew), and creamy labneh (strained yogurt), watching kids play in the river and the ancient villages and temples coming into view. I could eat that meal three times a day.

Ryukyu Islands, Japan

What: Umibudo
国产吃瓜黑料 pairing: Island hopping

The Ryukyus stretch southwest from Japan toward Taiwan, and at the northernmost part of the chain is Okinawa, which is something like the Hawaii of Japan, with a different culture, music, and culinary tradition than on the mainland. Here you order umibudo, a type of sea-grape-looking seaweed that鈥檚 crunchy, bright, and salty. It鈥檚 the closest thing you can get to taking a bite out of the ocean.

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In case you haven鈥檛 heard, minimalism is in. Everyone from Marie Kondo to #vanlifers听are听preaching the value of cutting back on clutter and replacing stuff with experiences. There鈥檚 research to back them up: a from Cornell University showed that experiential and uncommon purchases, like flights, tend to bring young people more happiness and are better remembered than material gifts. So听if you鈥檙e stuck on what to get your friend, family member, or partner for the holidays this year, consider buying them a plane ticket for a trip they won鈥檛 forget听instead of the latest tech that will be obsolete in two years anyway.听

Given the fact that Americans receive 听time than workers in other countries, gifting a plane ticket seems like a risky endeavor. But听sites like Gotogate or Spirit鈥檚 Flight Flex allow you to book flexible tickets, while ,听, ,听, and听听also have the option to buy, gift, or transfer miles, so your loved ones can book their flights when it works best. Other companies also offer 听for airline travel. The only thing left to do is to decide where to send them. These six destinations will work for whatever type of traveler you have in your life.听

For the 国产吃瓜黑料 Seeker

Sinai Peninsula, Egypt听

While Egypt is usually known for its history and culture, the Sinai Peninsula offers abundant . has stunning coral reefs that are home to many of the Red Sea鈥檚 100 fish species. Experienced scuba divers should check out the Blue Hole, off the coast of Dahab, a sinkhole with crystalline water that鈥檚 more than 300 feet deep.听Those who want to stay on dry land can tackle the Sinai Trail, Egypt鈥檚 first long-distance walk. Opened in 2015, the trail stretches 150 miles from the Gulf of Aqaba, just east of Sinai, then听takes听hikers to the top of 8,625-foot Mount Catherine, Egypt鈥檚 highest peak. Note: the route takes about 14 days to complete, and all visitors must .听

Best time to go: June through August
Price tag: Round-trip airline tickets to start at around $1,200 from Los Angeles and Chicago听and $900 from New York City.听

Boquete, Panama

One of the most noteworthy aspects of Boquete is the hike to the peak of Bar煤听Volcano, 笔补苍补尘补鈥檚 highest point at 11,398 feet. Reaching the top of the active stratovolcano involves a strenuous eight-mile trek from the Volc谩n Bar煤 National Park ranger station, but it鈥檚 worth it as it鈥檚 one of the few places in the world where you can see both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea at the same time. The nearby Lost Waterfalls Trail, about 20 minutes from Boquete, in Los Naranjos, is a more moderate four-mile round-trip hike to three falls through the thick rainforest of a private nature reserve. It offers the chance for both swimming and spotting monkeys, sloths, and tapirs. Along the way to the Lost Waterfalls, stop at Los Ladrillos, a natural basalt climbing wall featuring听top-rope climbing on more than 30 easy-to-expert routes.

Best time to go: February through March or September through October
Price tag: Round-trip flights to 听start at around $700 from Los Angeles and $800 from Chicago and New York City.听

For the One Who Needs a Vacation听

Lake Louise, Alberta

Located in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies, Lake Louise is the epitome of Instagram-photo tranquility, with bright blue waters ringed by soaring peaks. Along with plentiful skiing and hiking opportunities, Banff offers tons of opportunities to kick back. Banff Upper Hot Springs has mineral water rising from 1.8 miles below the earth鈥檚 crust, naturally heated to 104 degrees. Or听 for a scenic, relaxing paddle on the lake鈥檚 turquoise waters. For a treat, book your loved one a room at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise (from $260), which has programs in meditation, yoga, and creativity coaching.听

Best time to go:听Late June through mid-September听
Price tag: Round-trip flights to start at around $300 from Los Angeles and $500 from Chicago and New York City.

Provence, France

Best known for , Provence also caters to outdoor enthusiasts. The nine-mile Blanc-Martel Trail winds through the Gorges du Verdon river canyon, often called Europe鈥檚 most beautiful,听with views of turquoise-green water and dramatic cliffs. There鈥檚 also the three-hour P锚cheurs circuit trail, a moderate walk that climbs down to the water and back up again, with听options to paddle and boat along the river. Or take a tour of the blooming lavender fields at S茅nanque Abbey in Gordes between June and August. And听of course, don鈥檛 leave without sampling ros茅 at the famous Ch芒teau听de Berne.听

Best time to go: March to May and September through November听
Price tag: Round-trip flights to 听start at around $650 from Los Angeles, $550 from Chicago, and $500 from New York City.听

For the History Buff

Mexico City, Mexico

Museum lovers can spend days traversing the hallways of the National Museum of Anthropology, right across from Chapultepec Park, which houses one of the world鈥檚 largest collections of pre-Columbian artifacts. Then听there鈥檚 the living history: the famed , a Unesco听World Heritage site, has over 2,000 ruins, including the Pyramid of the Moon, the Pyramid of the Sun, the Ciudadela (Citadel), and the Temple of Quetzalcoatl. There鈥檚 also Templo Mayor Museum, the most prominent temple of the Mexican people, located near Z贸calo, the city鈥檚 main public square. More modern history can be found at the National Palace or while walking the streets of Coyoac谩n, home to Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera鈥檚 colorful Casa Azul, as well as Marxist revolutionary Leon Trotsky鈥檚 house and place of death. While primarily an urban landscape, outdoor offerings abound within two hours from the city center, including hikeable听volcanoes听like听Nevado de Toluca (15,354 feet) and Iztaccihuatl (17,126 feet).

Best time to go: March through May
Price tag: Round-trip flights to start at around $250 from Los Angeles, $260 from Chicago, and $290 from New York City.听

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic听

Santo Domingo is one of the Caribbean鈥檚 oldest cities and a Unesco听World Heritage site. The Zona Colonial is the town鈥檚 historical center, which includes Catedral Primada de Am茅rica听(the first cathedral in America),听Fortaleza Ozama, a retired military fort, and Calle Las Damas, the oldest street in the city. About a five-mile drive from the city听sits , with three open-air limestone caverns, each holding an iridescent lagoon. Even the area鈥檚 natural wonders are steeped in history: once used for ceremonies, the caves feature pottery shards and petroglyphs.听

Best time to go: November through March
Price tag: Round-trip flights to 听start at around $290 from Los Angeles, $250 from Chicago, and $220 from New York City.听

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Humans were born to walk. As a species, we鈥檝e evolved a curved and forgiving spine, a skull set straight and upright, an efficient metabolism鈥攁ll uniquely suited to propel us long distances. But it wasn鈥檛 until the advent of the automobile that we began hiking long distances recreationally, says Robert Moor, author of . 鈥淥nce the predominant form of transportation was no longer ambulatory, we realized what a precious thing walking really is,鈥� he says. 鈥淚n the wilderness, hiking literally became the physical embodiment of freedom.鈥�

And it鈥檚 never been more attractive. In 2013, about 34 million people walked our nation鈥檚 countless trails. By 2017, that number had risen to over 42 million. Meanwhile the number of people completing through-hikes on major routes is booming: last year a record-setting 4,917 people set out to tackle the Appalachian Trail, and hikers are expected to shatter that number again this year. Last year hikers from all 50 states and more than 40 countries set out to trek the Pacific Crest Trail. And the Continental Divide Trail has witnessed a steady 25 percent increase in traffic every season for the past five years, with 300 people expected to attempt it in 2018.

It鈥檚 getting crowded out there. But a sense of solitude and solace can still be found on all the trails we list here. 鈥淗iking lets us disconnect for a bit and reconnect with ourselves,鈥� says Kathryn Van Waes, executive director of the American Hiking Society. 鈥淭hen we are better able to go back and give our full selves to the causes we care about.鈥� 鈥擪athryn Miles

Wild Rogue Loop

Location: Rogue River鈥揝iskiyou National Forest, Oregon
Length: 27 miles
Duration: Three days
Permit: Not required
Intel:

This loop winds through the 35,539-acre Wild Rogue Wilderness, a rugged region steeped in Native American and 19th-century mining history. By 2015, much of the route had become nearly impassable, damaged by erosion, wildfire, and neglect. Then the Ashland-based Siskiyou Mountain Club scored around $30,000 in restoration grants from REI and the Oregon Recreational Trails Program, and the Wild Rogue Loop reopened to the public. Unlike the nearby Rogue River Trail, which parallels the federally designated Wild and Scenic waterway for 40 miles, the Wild Rogue wanders away from those banks and attracts fewer hikers. It鈥檚 a steep, narrow trail, once used to resupply miners, with camping spots amid an old-growth forest, in the canyons of Mule Creek, and alongside the river. Day hikes are possible, but it鈥檚 best done in full. Afterward, stop in Grants Pass, 67 miles to the southeast, for a beer and a burger at Climate City Brewing.

The Great Trail

Location: Victoria, British Columbia, to St. John鈥檚, Newfoundland
Length: Over 14,900 miles
Duration: Three years
Permit: Required for some sections 听
Intel:

It should come as no surprise that the Great Trail, a web of singletrack, water routes, and rural roads that traverse all 13 of Canada鈥檚 provinces and territories, became the world鈥檚 longest recreational trail network when it was completed in 2017. Envisioned in the early 1990s to honor the country鈥檚 125th birthday, the project required 25 years of land negotiations and construction, plus millions of dollars. Today you can pedal converted rail trails through farms and vineyards and sleep in roadside inns in British Columbia, paddle a fur-trading route in the Northwest Territories, ride horseback among great horned owls in Manitoba, and walk gravel paths while camping outside quaint fishing villages across Nova Scotia. Entry points aren鈥檛 hard to find: four out of five Canadians live within a half-hour drive of the trail. Our favorite section? The 280-mile Confederation Trail, a former railway that spans Prince Edward Island.

Sinai Trail

Location: The Gulf of Aqaba to the Gulf of Suez, Egypt
Length: 340 miles
Duration: Six weeks
Permit: Not required
Intel:

Egypt鈥檚 first purpose-built long-distance hiking trail was completed in 2015 by three Bedouin tribes and funded by NGOs to boost tourism on the far-flung Sinai Peninsula. Initially it was a 155-mile path, but this year the trail more than doubled in length, becoming a 340-mile loop across the vast Sinai Desert that passes ancient petroglyphs, apricot and almond orchards, and a 1,500-year-old monastery. You can do some sections self-supported, such as day-hiking Mount Sinai or crossing the steep El Gardood Plateau, but through-hiking requires a trained Bedouin guide, as water and resupply points are scarce. Plus they鈥檒l cook, set up camp, transport your gear by camel, and teach you about their ancient way of life. The Sinai is just one of a growing number of long-distance trails in the Middle East. Another is the new 400-mile Jordan Trail, completed in 2017 and now attracting its first through-hikers.

Fj盲llr盲ven Classic Hong Kong

Location: The Sai Kung Peninsula
Length: 30 miles
Duration: Three days
Permit: $200 entry fee
Intel:

Hong Kong? Yep. Forty percent of the territory is covered by national parks, nature reserves, and some 185 miles of the world鈥檚 most stunning hiking trails. That鈥檚 why last year, Swedish gearmaker Fj盲llr盲ven set out to showcase the island鈥檚 wild side as its latest Classic鈥攖rekking trips designed to get more people outside. Company founder Ake Nordin launched the first Classic in Sweden in 2005 and soon added annual events in Denmark and Colorado before expanding to China. On this newest iteration, in October, you鈥檒l camp on beaches, amble through tropical forests, and catch the occasional glimpse of not so distant skyscrapers dwarfed by verdant peaks. The 30-mile traverse is self-supported, but there are aid stations along the way. Fellow Classic hikers will be on the route with you, but go at your own pace.

Great Eastern Trail

Location: Flagg Mountain, Alabama, to South Bradford, New York
Length: 1,600 miles
Duration: Five months
Permit: Required for some sections
Intel:

This through-hike is on its way to becoming a new icon. Created in 2007 by the Great Eastern Trail Association, the route now links existing pathways through the mountains west of the AT, from Alabama鈥檚 Pinhoti Trail to New York鈥檚 Finger Lakes Trail. You won鈥檛 find reliable markings yet, and crews across nine states are working to rebuild or redirect sections鈥攁bout a quarter of the length remains unfinished, with paved and gravel roads serving as connectors鈥攕o at this point, it鈥檚 best done in smaller segments. The payoff is an empty wilderness that鈥檚 hard to find on the AT these days. There鈥檚 no guidebook, but the trail鈥檚 first through-hikers, Jo Swanson and Bart Houck, who completed the Great Eastern in 2013, offer extensive resources on their website GET Hiking. You鈥檒l camp most of the way, but you can stay a night at resupply points like C&O Bicycle鈥檚 bunkhouse, in Hancock, Maryland.

Arizona Trail

Location: Montezuma Pass to Page, Arizona
Length: 800 miles
Duration: Six weeks
Permit: Required for camping in some locations
Intel:

In the 1980s, a Flagstaff schoolteacher named Dale Shewalter walked the Copper State, loosely mapping a vision that would become the Arizona Trail. The multi-use path traverses the region from the high desert near the Mexico border to an elevation of nearly 9,500 feet in the Huachuca Mountains, then continues north across the Grand Canyon, and finishes at the Utah state line. Walk the whole thing in a month and a half, or take on one of the 43 designated sections, like the 26-mile Gila River Canyons Passage, southeast of Phoenix. The system was basically completed in 2011, but crews are tackling five major improvement projects this year to replace dirt roads with fresh singletrack. Be sure to stop by That Brewery and Pub, just off the path in Pine, for a pint of Arizona Trail Ale, the sales of which help support the route鈥檚 building and maintenance.

Lechweg Trail

Location: Lech, Austria, to F眉ssen, Germany
Length: 78 miles
Duration: Eight days
Permit: Not required
Intel:

Trace the emerald Lech River from its source, outside the quaint Austrian village of Lech, across the border to a collection of waterfalls near the Bavarian town of F眉ssen. The route opened in 2012 and was immediately distinguished as the first transnational Leading Quality Trail, certified by the European Ramblers鈥� Association, which vets long-distance treks for criteria like proper infrastructure and access to cultural sights. By day you鈥檒l meander through fields of wild orchids, spot alpine ibex, taste cheese at local dairy farms, and stroll past the royal castles of King Ludwig II of Bavaria before retiring each night to mountain chalets. You can even have your luggage shuttled from point to point. Stop for Tyrolean dishes like spinach spaetzle at Gasthof Kreuz, located trailside in Rieden, Austria. If you鈥檙e more of a day hiker, you can pick from 15 easy-to-reach stages.

Three Capes Track

Location: Tasmania, Australia
Length: 29 miles
Duration: Four days
Permit: $380 entry fee
Intel:

In 2015, Tasmania鈥檚 Parks and Wildlife Service opened the Three Capes Track as a way of drawing visitors to remote Tasman National Park. The best part? Only 48 hikers are Permitted each day, so you鈥檒l have the sea cliffs perched above the South Pacific essentially to yourself. The entry fee is steep, but it gets you a detailed guidebook and three nights at newly built solar-powered cabins stocked with kitchen supplies, yoga mats, and board games. The journey begins at the Port Arthur Historic Site, where a ferry will deliver you to an isolated beach and the trailhead. Spend the next three days traversing bluffs, crossing rainforest and coastal woodland, and climbing the route鈥檚 highest peak, 1,585-foot Mount Fortescue. Starting this September, 国产吃瓜黑料 GO will offer a new guided expedition of the trail, which includes overnight stays at private lodges, with on-site massage and three-course meals (from $2,175).

John Muir Way

Location: Helensburgh to Dunbar, Scotland
Length: 134 miles
Duration: Ten days
Permit: Not required
Intel:

The Brits love long-distance hiking so much that it鈥檚 practically their national pastime. They hike pub to pub along the 184-mile riverside Thames Path and spend weeks tramping the South West Coast Path through Devon and Cornwall. And in 2014, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Central Scotland Green Network completed a coast-to-coast trail called the John Muir Way (not to be confused with California鈥檚 famed John Muir Trail). It bi-sects the country from the west coast town of Helensburgh to Muir鈥檚 birthplace of Dunbar. You鈥檒l visit castles and canals, tour Scotland鈥檚 first national park鈥擫och Lomond and the Trossachs鈥攕ip whisky at local distilleries, and sleep in farmhouse B&Bs or designated campgrounds. In Kilsyth, eat fish and chips at the Boathouse, a marina restaurant on the Forth and Clyde Canal. Book a self-guided trip with Glasgow-based Macs 国产吃瓜黑料, which will plan your accommodations and take care of bag transfers along the way (from $1,430).

Violet Crown Trail

Location: Austin, Texas
Length: 6 miles
Duration: One day
Permit: Not required
Intel:

When it鈥檚 finished in 2022, the Violet Crown Trail will be the longest of its kind in central Texas, a 30-mile pathway transporting hikers, bikers, and runners from downtown Austin into the countryside of neighboring Hays County. For now though, it鈥檚 a six-mile route that begins in the capital鈥檚 Zilker Park and rambles through the Barton Creek Greenbelt, passing swimming holes and limestone crags perfect for climbing. No camping is allowed along the route, so consider this a day hike. The trail was imagined in 1998, but it took decades for the Hill Country Conservancy and the City of Austin to raise the money to pay for it, purchase the 15,000 acres of land, and get the required voter approval before construction could begin in 2014. Three years later, work began on the next stretch鈥攕even miles that will connect to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. When all鈥檚 done, the project will be a shining example of the power of urban trail systems.

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I have to confess something: I love a good听shithole.听It鈥檚 taken me the better part of three decades to step on all seven continents and visit about 80 countries,听including many of the those that President Trump would disparage. Last week, he those poor (not-white)听countries in Africa, Central America and the Caribbean shitholes, but the term has long been used to describe just about any听country (and some of our own counties) that lacks the sorts of luxuries that many Americans take for granted.

But here鈥檚 the thing: so-called shitholes are the better places to visit. Not only can your dollar affect them the most, but the more beat-down a place is, the greater the potential it has to shake you out of your bubble and give the traveler鈥檚 holy grail鈥攜ou know, this thing called 鈥渦nderstanding.鈥澨齀鈥檒l suffer through skiing in Switzerland with听chasselas-soaked chanterelles in my belly if I must, but I鈥檇 rather wander around the places our President听writes off any day.

Why? The people. They鈥檝e invited me into their homes, let me camp in their gardens between the ginger and frangipani, and given me听bowls of goat they just slaughtered for no other reason than because they were curious and kind. Experiences like that make you grateful, and that鈥檚 the first step toward becoming decent. So, herewith, five of my favorite听shitholes.

Namibia

A lot of people haven鈥檛 heard of Namibia, apparently including our president, . It鈥檚 a rather large but sparsely populated country on the far southwestern tip of Africa between South Africa and Angola. The Namibians have actually enshrined conservation into their constitution and have created scores of game reserves that directly benefit local communities while undercutting the demand for poached wildlife. Though Namibia鈥檚 Skeleton Coast is surreal and spectacular, with endless dunes and eerie ships sticking out of the sand, my favorite part of the country might be the Caprivi Strip. That鈥檚 a spindle of land in the northeast that connects the South Atlantic with the Zambezi River where Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Angola all come together to form a swamp of luscious game habitat. I stayed at the within the Wuparo Conservancy and got to watch from a boat while lions chased cape buffalo.

Egypt

It鈥檚 strange to call a place known for the pyramids鈥攐ne of the seven wonders of the world鈥攁 shithole, but OK. If you get tired of those, you can always get on a Nile cruiser called the that was just renovated a few years ago and now has a cigar lounge, a top-side pool, and about 20 rooms. It steams between Luxor and Aswan, stopping at more temples. When I went, I had 50 staffers just for me because everyone is too scared to go to Egypt and no one else was on the boat.

Kenya

In the far southwest corner of Kenya, there鈥檚 a place called the Maasai Mara National Reserve鈥擪enya鈥檚 smaller version of Tanzania鈥檚 Serengeti, which abuts it to the south. Stay at , where you can watch wildebeest migrate to search for better grass, and Maasai warriors escort you to your cabin carrying a spear just in a case a hippo tries to ruin your day. Before you leave the country, book a few nights at the outside Nairobi. The giraffes are so entitled they鈥檒l literally stick their heads through the windows to take your hard-earned pancakes. What animals.

Albania

If Europe were a water closet, Albania would be the shithole. It鈥檚 not like Croatia or Italy, where everyone spends lots of money to drink wine, eat good food, and lounge around on the Adriatic. No, in Albania you drink wine, eat good food, and lounge around on the Adriatic for a lot less. The place is tiny, too, roughly the size of Maryland, and 70 percent of it is mountainous with peaks that are nearly as glaciated as the Alps. You can hike under towering limestone big walls on the Peaks of the Balkans Trail, raft down the wild and check out ancient Grecian ruins like Apollonia that few people ever see because no one has developed it. My favorite spot might be Qeparo, where you can kayak around secret submarine tunnels and stay in a fisherman鈥檚 inn where the guy gives you free drinks just because you鈥檙e an American.

Eastern Shore of Virginia

There鈥檚 the Virginia of Jamestown, Alexandria, and Charlottesville, and then there鈥檚 the Eastern Shore of Virginia, a place that dingles like a berry off the Delmarva Peninsula between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic. It鈥檚 one of the poorest regions in Virginia, if not the whole Mid-Atlantic. There鈥檚 a town of maybe 2,000 people there called but with only, like, four restaurants, locals sometimes just go out and collect their own clams or oysters for dinner or they cast into the eel grass beds looking for speckled trout. It鈥檚 hard to imagine, but money doesn鈥檛 do a lot of good here: people just ride their bikes, look at art, and lounge on a beach right in town that has zero development. There鈥檚 not so much as a funnel cake stand. You can paddle a kayak through the Virginia Coast Reserve or tool along undeveloped barrier islands managed by the Nature Conservancy. Kite boarders love the shallow, warm water. And in the summer, bands come and play live music on a dock at the Kings Creek Marina while blue crabs swim around water that turns the color of strawberries at sunset.

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The majority of us鈥擳V viewers, fantasy strategists, and Olympics听bingers鈥攖hink of our athletic heroes as having high-powered nutritionists at their side, serving a militant diet where everything is as plain as oatmeal with a dot of honey. But many athletes around the world eat things that would surprise even the Chopped听judging table.

鈥淢ost of the international athletes I鈥檝e encountered tend to prefer what鈥檚 common in their home country.听I鈥檝e found that they don鈥檛 have bland diets,鈥� says Shawn Arent, sports medicine and performance expert and director of the Center for Health and听Human Performance at Rutgers University. 鈥淲e鈥檝e even seen a problem when foreign athletes come to the U.S. and access more processed foods. In many cases, I鈥檝e seen those athletes gain quite a bit of weight as they adapt to different foods.鈥�

We connected with athletes around the world to discover what鈥檚 in the training meal听(or cheat meal)听that they can鈥檛 get enough of.

Adam Ondra, Rock Climber, Czech Republic听

In the Czech Republic鈥檚 southwestern city of Brno, climber听Adam Ondra听relies on听local produce from the lowlands for superfoods. Colder months yield a side dish of raw sour cabbage that鈥檚 chock-full of vitamins.听Poppy seeds are in every bread and bun on the plate or blended into a smoothie. For the traditional Czech taste, though, he turns to svickova: a thin cut of beef served with cream-based gravy, bread dumplings, and cranberry topping. The dish is made by the masters (grandmothers), and Ondra indulges once, maybe twice, a year鈥攐ne must stay lean on the cliff faces.

Mira Rai, Trail Runner, Nepal

The petite, 108-pound Mira Rai puts away the remarkable amount of calories trail runners need by eating the traditional dish,听dal bhat. The Nepalese staple includes a heaping pile of white or brown rice;听a side bowl of lentils, spinach, and other mixed veggies;听occasional slices of meat;听and a spice mix of coriander, cumin, garam masala, and turmeric. Like all Nepalese dishes, dal bhat is听eaten with the hands.

Atsede Baysa,听Marathon听Runner, Ethiopia听

This year鈥檚 Boston Marathon winner, Atsede Baysa, lives and trains 45 miles west of Ethiopia鈥檚 centrally听located capital of听Addis Ababa, in a small town near the Chilimo-Gaji forest. She supplements standard starch and protein combos of pasta and fish with national treasure injera chechebsa. Injera is Ethiopia鈥檚 sour and spongy bread, rich in both iron and carbohydrates.听Chechebsa, commonly known as kita firfir, is fried injera seasoned in a berbere sauce made with hot red pepper powder, all served with honey. The dish provides protein and fat for Baysa, who eats it with a tilapia-like white fish called Nile perch.

Jain Kim, Rock Climber, South Korea

The summer heat in South Korea calls for cold noodle soup, and climber听Jain Kim favors the wildly popular naengmyeon. Seldom served in other Asian countries, the buckwheat noodle soup comes with sliced beef, cucumbers, Korean pear, and a soft-boiled egg. A simpler variation, called mul-naengmyeon, relies on beef broth alone, but Kim opts for the bibim-naengmyeon, which incorporates spicy red chili peppers into the broth.

Max Matissek, Windsurfer, Greece

Some of the best local produce in Naxos, Greece, are juicy tomatoes, which windsurfer听Max Matissek eats on top of daily salads with Naxian cheese鈥攊magine a hybrid of cottage cheese and feta. His protein comes from chicken souvlaki, the lightly marinated meat skewers over rice, with a side of Naxian potatoes鈥攐ven-roasted and mixed with local olive oil, garlic, lemon, and pepper.

Mo Hrezi, Marathon听Runner, Libya/United States

As a听former Italian colony, Libya boasts cuisine with Mediterranean, North African, and Middle Eastern influences. The country鈥檚 residents take the preparation and sharing of food seriously, and Mo听Hrezi, a Libyan-American runner with a carb-heavy, spicy-infused diet, is no exception. When he visits his parents and sisters in Tripoli, where he hopes to one day move back after finishing college, his most savored dish is rishdet burma, a warm, soupy, spicy bowl of homemade pasta with a tomato base, chickpeas, fava beans, lentils, fenugreek, and gideed (dried and salted meat).

Farida Osman, Swimmer, Egypt/United States

For Olympic swimmer Farida听Osman, the late-morning spread in her Zamalek neighborhood of Cairo includes ful medames鈥攍ocal beans seasoned with olive oil, lemon,听and cumin鈥攁nd traditional molokheya, made by mixing the dish鈥檚 namesake听plant leaves with coriander, garlic, and chicken stock. Keeping with the sharp flavors of Egyptian cuisine, Osman tops her dishes with roumy, the native听crumbly cheese similar to a manchego.听

Irina Sazonova, Gymnast, Iceland

In her hometown of Reykjavik, the nation鈥檚 capital, 24-year-old gymnast Irina Sazonova prefers meat-centric dishes like kj枚ts煤pa (Icelandic lamb soup). The lean meat is raised more responsibly than anywhere else in the world thanks to Iceland鈥檚 robust agriculture regulations. Cuts are often served bone-in, and the soup adjoins plenty of thyme, oregano, carrots, cauliflower, potatoes, brown rice, and rutabaga (turnip). 听

Annika Langvad, Cross-Country Mountain Biker, Denmark

When in Copenhagen, childhood staples reign supreme for daytime snacks, and it鈥檚 all about the nationwide-favorite sm酶rrebr酶d at lunch. For听Langvad, a small, thin slice of Danish-style rye bread serves as the base for the open-faced sandwich.听Her favorite topping combination includes warm leverpostej (liver pat茅听meat spread) with pickled beets and fresh herbs. The Danes often take their sm酶rrebr酶d simple, like Langvad鈥檚, but that doesn鈥檛 mean you can鈥檛 find tricked-out combinations, like a smoked halibut rillette with pickled radish, capers, and rosemary.

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The , in which 19 people were killed after their balloon caught on fire, shot high into the air, and plummeted 1,000 feet to the ground, was indeed awful. But it was also extremely unusual: ballooning is an exceedingly safe activity, not to mention an amazingly peaceful and fun way to explore the countryside of some far-off place.

If you鈥檙e headed to Switzerland, the best ballooning destination is Chateau-d鈥橭ex in the Alps. Every January, this French-speaking town hosts the weeklong annual , which attracts hundreds of balloonists from around the world.听

I went ballooning there once, and I had confidence in my pilots because I checked to make sure they were licensed by the Swiss federal office of civil aviation, Switzerland’s equivalent to the FAA. But the same standards don鈥檛 apply everywhere. In developed countries, you can generally expect that hot-air balloons and their pilots are held to rigorous standards. In developing countries, not so much. Just as you would thoroughly investigate a dive operator in a far-flung place, you should ask balloon outfitters about their .

Luckily, you’re pretty safe wherever you go, given the straightforward, elegant . If you run out of gas, or if there鈥檚 a hole in the balloon, you鈥檙e basically going to sink slowly back to the ground, not drop like a rock. The fire and resulting explosion on the balloon in Egypt was started, it appears, when a cable got tangled during landing, disconnecting a gas line and sparking a fire. Even if you make ballooning a habit, you’re not likely to see that kind of trouble.

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The wants to be the first person to complete all four legs of the race series in one year. He survived the and the , which he won last March. Next up, the 聴scheduled to begin this Sunday in Bahariya, Egypt聴and the , at the end of November, in Antarctica.

“My intention is to not necessarily win any of the individual races (the Atacama win was a fluke), but to pace myself to successfully make it through all four,” Karnazes said in an email. “I also threw in the after Gobi because I wanted to run one of the great deserts in North America.”

He took fourth there. 国产吃瓜黑料 caught up with Karnazes just before his departure for Cairo and the 135-degree heat and grueling soft sand of the Sahara.

What’s the format of the race?

The 4 Desert series is always the same. They start the race at 8 in the morning, so you do whatever you can to get the finish line. You’re on the clock. It’s like the Tour de France. You can wait and try to run at night, but the advantage is going to belong to someone who can handle the heat during the day.

How do you plan on tackling the Saharan heat?

I’ve run across Death Valley in the Badwater Ultramarathon, eight times now. So I have some tricks that I’ve learned as far as the clothing I wear. Not necessarily being the lightest wicking material, because what I’ve found is that when the temperatures are getting up around 100, it’s better to wear a little bit thicker clothing and actually try to keep it moist. Below those temperatures what you try to do is wick away the moisture to remain dry and get that evaporative cooling effect. But approaching 100 degrees and above, I like to try to keep my clothing moist.

But this has the potential to get up to 135 degrees! What do you do about that?

Then you really want to be wet.

Except you’re in the middle of a desert.

Well, you sweat and your sweat is saline so it does create some moisture. Obviously, as well, you try to keep the sun off of you, as much as possible. I use a long-sleeve white shirt, a hat that’s got a huge brim, like a legionnaire hat, so I keep the back of my neck pretty sheltered. I have these UV protective pants that I might wear. I’m going to take them. It depends. When it’s really that roasting, even with 100 percent UV protective sunscreen, number 60, you can still blister. Because you’re still taking the sun on your skin.

The race is 250 kilometers. How fast do you think you can do it?

I hope in under thirty-five hours. The problem with the Sahara is with the depth of the sand. If you were running on a road or dirt, that’s one thing, but running through the soft sand, the way you post-hole, it’s tough. You’ve got to wear gaiters, which can create more heat as well, because you’re covering the collar of your shoe. You can’t have that hot sand coming in to your shoe.

is the toughest day. At 100 kilometers, it’s known as the “Black Desert March.” What’s your approach?

The same as every other stage: survival.

But this one is more than survival. It’s torture.

The long day is always tough, because you’re pretty beat up after what you’ve been through. And to put a long day at the end, as they always do, presents a lot of challenges. I do it in a single push. Even though the conditions are going to be brutal, I still plan on doing it in a single push. I don’t plan on overnighting. A lot of the competitors overnight.

You’re required to carry most of your equipment with you. What are you taking?

Light and fast. Some of the other deserts we’ve been to, principally Atacama, got really cold at night, because we were at elevation. The Sahara is a little bit different, because we’re not at elevation.

They give you water and a tent. And you share the tent with six other people. So what you need to bring is a pad, your sleeping bag. There’s , and not finish. The conditions out there can be dangerous. And if I let my ego get in the way, and really hammer it out with these guys and take some chances聴that’s the balance of jeopardizing the completion of all of them in one year, versus doing well in this particular one race.

What was the Atacama like?

It was a trippy place. Bizarre. One of the areas we ran through, there’s been no recorded rain in 200 years. [Laughs.] Can you imagine? It was like running on the moon. There were no plants, there was nothing living there. Nothing visible, anyway.

Isn’t that the idea of the 4 Race series?

It’s a cool format. Most ultra-endurance athletes are drawn to extremes. Obviously. You don’t run 100 miles unless you’re drawn to extremes. This combines the extreme physical challenge of endurance, with the most extreme climates on the planet.

And Antarctica is last after this.

I literally haven’t started planning for that yet, because I don’t want to get ahead. The worst thing I could do is get ahead of myself. I’m taking it one stage at a time.

Do you prefer extreme cold or extreme heat?

They’re both pretty miserable. [Laughs.] To me the cold is a little easier to deal with, because you layer, and I’ve got a great sponsor in , so I’ve got all the right clothing to layer properly, whereas in the heat you can only take off so much.

What’s on the menu?

I go with foods that are primarily on the sweeter side. I avoid spices, because I found that if you don’t cook the spices all the way through, and there’s bits of raw pepper, things like that, those things ferment in your stomach. So I go with dehydrated granola. It doesn’t require heating and it’s a pretty good load of calories. It does the thing: 40 percent carbs, 30 percent fat, 30 percent protein. And it’s pretty high in calorie content. It’s all-natural, with yogurt and berries. That’s kind of a go-to; that’s what I eat a lot of at home. I don’t have to rely on heated water, and I know I’m getting the calories to sustain me. But there’s still going to be a negative balance.

How much weight will you lose during the race?

Hopefully no more than 5 pounds, because my body fat is really low. Unfortunately I’ll be shedding some muscle weight. I don’t have the fat reserves to draw upon. You prefer to burn fat. Muscle is a pretty inefficient fuel source, and recovery is a lot slower when you’re turning over muscle tissue.

How can we follow your progress?

will have as well uploads of photos nightly. They have these cool Intel satellite processors with really bomber laptops. I’ll be updating and linking to the video on the 4 Desert site.

You mean, you’re going to be running 100 kilometers across the desert and then walking into a tent to type a blog?

It’s far from ideal. You just want to die. But there’s so many school kids who email me and who follow this thing. They’re so into it, and they want to live the experience. So I kind of owe it to them. It’s such an exotic thing we’re doing, and I think it gives people hope. It’s an adventure, like living life.

Follow Dean’s progress聴and that of 170 other competitors from 30 countries聴on our .

Dean Karnazes

Karnazes gives out some hi-fives.

The post Seven Days in the Desert appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Four months after crashing their flying boat and escaping a deadly rebel assault that left one man dead, millionaire British adventurer Neil McGrigor, 44, and his three-man Ascend the Nile Expedition are getting back on the river in March. McGrigor's team set out from Rashid, Egypt, on September 20 and headed upriver in an attempt to prove their theory that cartographers have misjudged the true source and, thus, length of the 4,160-mile river by about three miles. Employing GPS units and inflatable motorboats鈥攐ne equipped with an ultralight wing and propeller, to fly over rapids鈥攖he team planned to prove it. But on November 8, McGrigor crashed the flying boat 3,300 miles into the trip, near Uganda's Murchison Falls, where government troops have been battling insurgents for 19 years. British guide Steve Willis, who was operating a camp nearby, came to the team's aid. But as they left, Willis's Land Rover was ambushed by a pair of rebels, who killed Willis. A bullet also grazed expedition member Garth MacIntyre's head, and team co-leader Cam McLeay was treated for severe infections after running 21 miles barefoot through the bush for help. Both have vowed to continue with the expedition. Justin Nyberg caught up with McGrigor as the team prepared to get back on the river.

OUTSIDE: What happened when you were attacked?
McGRIGOR: We all fled, but the rebels found me and took me back to the Land Rover to help them loot it. Then one gunman forced me to kneel on the ground. I thought I was going to be shot. To my absolute surprise, they turned and left.

Why go back?
We set out to ascend the whole Nile鈥攆rom sea to source鈥攎easure it, and establish the farthest source. We haven't done that. Why should terrorists or gunmen get in the way? We've got to have some good come of what we've done, if only to remember Steve. Otherwise it's been a failure.

What about the flying boat?
We needed it to lift our equipment over Murchison Falls and more than a dozen rapids. We still have half the rapids to go.

How can the Nile's source still be in question?
In Rwanda, the only proper mapping was done by the Belgians in 1937, but the maps are wrong. Nobody has been to the farthest source of the Nile, and I've determined where it is.

Surely people know about this other source.
People might have pinpointed it, but no one has been to it鈥攐r accurately mapped it.

Did you use satellite images?
No, I went out there with a helicopter. We did use Google Earth to help navigate the labyrinth of waterways in Sudan's Sudd marshes, though.

Are you going in armed this time?
We will have suitable protection.

The post Apocalypse Nile appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

For decades, no one has dared to run the treacherous lengths of the waters that helped launch the modern age of exploration. Civil war, freelance rebels, capricious bandits, irascible hippos, surly crocs, billions of malarial mosquitoes, and scores of rapids so deadly they're rated a suicidal Class VI鈥攁ll have conspired to keep paddlers from navigating the full 4,160 miles of the storied, sacred, and cursed river Nile.

But this spring, two separate expeditions on the world's longest river鈥攐ne led by Americans shooting an Imax film, the other by hardcore international paddlers backed by the global humanitarian group CARE鈥攁re well on their way to bagging a pair of historic prizes: the first simultaneous source-to-sea descents of the Nile along its two main tributaries.

On Christmas Day 2003, six paddlers on the four-month, 2,700-mile Imax/Nile First Descent Expedition launched from Lake Tana, Ethiopia, the headwaters of the Blue Nile, in an attempt to be the first to run the river all the way to the Mediterranean. On January 17, CARE's five-month, 3,473-mile Settle the Nile trip set out from Lake Victoria, the legendary source of the White Nile: The seven teammates plan to punch through more big water en route than anyone else on record, riding the river from Uganda to Khartoum, Sudan, where the White Nile and the Blue Nile converge, and on through Egypt to the coast.

Considering that both the White Nile and the Blue Nile have Everest-like ratings on the adventure scale, the efforts will be inspiring, even if the teams wash out.

“I can't begin to explain how incredible it's been already,” says Imax paddler Pasquale Scaturro, 50, a Colorado-based geophysicist and adventure guide, who led the 2001 expedition that put blind climber Eric Weihenmayer on the summit of Mount Everest. “We've had a couple of flips,” Scaturro told 国产吃瓜黑料 from Khartoum, Sudan. “We've had a hippo surface right in front of the raft. We've been shot at by shiftas [bandits]. We got arrested in the highlands.” (Ethiopian authorities didn't like the look of their travel permits.) “And a croc,” he added, “chomped one of our oars.”

Over on the CARE trip, Natalie McComb, a 31-year-old New Zealander, reported by e-mail that the crew has survived “frighteningly big water,” particularly in Uganda's Murchison Falls National Park, where there were “upwards of 35 to 40 rapids, and crocodiles and hippos by the dozen in each pool.” Couple that with the Sudanese war zones, she added, and it's no wonder these rivers still offer some unclaimed prizes.

If that seems improbable, it's important to remember that the Nile has stymied travelers for ages. Great explorers of the 19th century鈥攑eople like British notable John Hanning Speke, who in 1858 discovered the source of the White Nile鈥攕truggled for years to map the river (or, in the case of David Livingstone, died trying). But by the 20th century, navigation was the sticking point: Rafters could run the river鈥攂ut only with lengthy portages.
听

Today's teams are equipped with 16-foot self-bailing, inflatable rafts (along with hardshell kayaks), and they generally have to portage around only unbeatable obstacles like dams and some of the worst whitewater imaginable.

Harder to negotiate is the AK-47 factor. Sudan, through which both crews must travel, is embroiled in a 25-year-old civil war鈥攂etween government forces and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement鈥攁 conflict in which civilians have been killed, maimed, and raped indiscriminately. The war has claimed an estimated two million lives in the past decade; before the recent lull in hostilities, securing safe passage through the country was nearly impossible. Both teams hired armed guards.

And though paddlers today often play on parts of the river鈥攖he White Nile in Uganda is a favorite kamikaze kayak spot for big-wave surfers like Brad Ludden鈥攖here's been a virtual shutdown of long-distance Nile trips for nearly 40 years, according to Richard Bangs, cofounder of California-based outfitter Mountain Travel Sobek. As a director of the Imax movie, slated for release in 2005, Bangs helped scout the gnarliest parts of the Imax journey.

A British military team completed a Blue Nile descent in 1968 but covered much of the journey on foot. And no one has tackled the entire White Nile since 1951, when American John Goddard and two friends made it to the sea from Lake Victoria's remotest headstream, in Burundi, but were forced to walk around the nastiest whitewater. “Taking nothing away from Goddard's accomplishment,” Bangs said, “there is no way he could have run Class V and VI rapids in the collapsible kayaks he had.”

Potentially fatal risks remain. The Imax paddlers鈥攚ho plan to reach the coast by May鈥攈ave been forced to portage several rapids and rappel down the side of Tis Isat (“Smoke of Fire”) Falls. The CARE crew (slated to finish by July) has had similarly scary spills, plus croc attacks.

Still ahead, though, are mammoth swamps, staggering heat, Egypt's Lake Nasser (famed for its headwinds), and the Aswan Dam (a tricky portage, to say the least). But the teams seem prepared for any challenge. Before setting out, Scaturro鈥攁fraid he'd get dinged for ignoring the real source of the Blue Nile鈥攈iked up the Ethiopian Plateau to the river's trickling (unraftable) wellspring. Joining scores of pilgrims carrying gourds and canteens鈥攎any consider the water holy鈥擲caturro filled a Nalgene bottle and taped it shut.

“And I'm going to bring it with me,” he said, “the rest of the way.”

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