Category Archives: Multi-day walks

Trips reports and guides for multi-day walks, including backcountry backpacking, hut-to-hut hikes, and village-to-village walks.

These overnights allow us to spend more time on the trail and less time in transit. We also get to see sunrise and sunset in different places.

The Routeburn Track's Lake Harris in the rain and clouds, New Zealand
Gear, Hut-to-hut walks, New Zealand

Milford and Routeburn Track Packing List

On the Milford and Routeburn tracks, hikers can experience four seasons in a day. Though we hiked in New Zealand’s early fall and hoped for mild days, we also knew the passes could receive feet of snow at this time of year.

This made it difficult to strike the right balance. We wanted to pack light enough to be able to move quickly and have energy for side trips, but we also wanted to be comfortable regardless of weather. Fortunately, we’ve acquired a good set of layering gear over the years, which we could draw on to assemble our packs.

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Sealy Tarns
Day Hiking, February, Hut-to-hut walks, March, New Zealand

Planning a Hiking Trip on New Zealand’s South Island

For the 2018-2019 academic year, I was on sabbatical. While I was still working, I had a lot more flexibility in when I could travel. New Zealand had been on our to-visit list for a while, but seasons and distance make it hard to visit during a normal year. We took advantage of my flexibility by planning a three-week trip to New Zealand for February and March — late summer / early fall.

Over the years of wanting to visit New Zealand, we had accumulated an extensive list of places we wanted to hike and explore. As we got into planning the details, we narrowed our trip to focus on hiking in the mountains of the South Island. Just that easily filled three weeks.

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Mont Blanc and Lacs Jovet from Tête Nord des Fours
Alps, France, Hut-to-hut walks, July, Multi-day walks

Tour du Mont Blanc Days 9-10: Tête Nord des Fours, Lacs Jovet, Les Contamines, Col du Tricot, and back to Les Houches

After a rainy couple of days, we were fortunate to wake up to a beautiful clear morning at Refuge de La Croix du Bonhomme. We took advantage of that with side trips to Tête Nord des Fours and Lacs Jovet on our way to Les Contamines. From there, we returned to our origin in Les Houches via Refuge de Miage and Col du Tricot to complete our Tour du Mont Blanc.

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views in the Italian Val Ferret
Alps, Hut-to-hut walks, Italy, July, Switzerland

Tour du Mont Blanc Days 3-5: Champex, La Fouly and the Swiss Val Ferret, Col du Grand Ferret and the Italian Val Ferret

Days 3-5 of our Tour du Mont Blanc hike. From Trient, we followed the Bovine route to the lakeside town of Champex. The next day, we walked an interpretive mushroom trail and through the Swiss Val Ferret to La Fouly. From La Fouly, we crossed the Grand Col de Ferret and followed the Italian Val Ferret to Rifugio Bonatti. Continue reading →

Laguna Cerro Castillo and surrounding peaks
Backpacking, Chile, March, South America

Aysén Region of Patagonia: Part 2 – Cerro Castillo

Part 2 of our March 2018 return to Patagonia to explore and hike the Aysén region between Coyhaique and Cochrane in Chile. This part covers our brief stop in Puerto Rio Tranquilo, time spent in Villa Cerro Castillo, and an overnight backpacking trip in Cerro Castillo National Park. Follow along as we recount our trek to famous Laguna Cerro Castillo and the beautiful New Zealand camp.

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Seven guanacos in a field in Parque Patagonia, with snow-capped mountains in the background
Backpacking, Chile, Day Hiking, March, South America

March Hiking in the Aysén Region of Patagonia

In March 2018, we returned to Patagonia to explore and hike the Aysén region between Coyhaique and Cochrane in Chile. We spent a week in Bariloche last year and thoroughly enjoyed it, but wanted to explore more on the Chilean side this time around. Our trip included the rugged drive along the Carretera Austral (Route 7) and hiking in the Cerro Castillo and Patagonia National Parks.

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