Sean Burch is renowned in the United States for his extreme endurance activities. He is Mr Hyper-fitness and has quite a number of Guiness World Record’s to his name, including the fastest ascent of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Mt. Fuji in Japan. He is attempting to set the World Record for the Great Himalaya Trail and you can see the route he is taking (and indeed his current location) on his website. Sean is trying to help raise the profile of Nepal Trust and the work they do in Humla in the far north-west of Nepal, the end point of his run. Nepal Trust also managed the 69 day 2003 run of Rosie Swale-Pope. Given that Sean is aiming to complete the run in 60 days, it is possible that the same route is being run which is quite different to the high-route of the GHT.

Read more about Sean’s adventure here at explorer’s web and here at Nepal Traveller magazine.

Dawa Steven Sherpa has rightfully gained recognition as a spokesperson for the environment in Nepal and the Himalaya, particularly on the issue of climate change. In association with WWF, Dawa plans to walk from West to East with a team from Asian Trekking, the family company that he runs in Kathmandu. He plans to begin in January 2011 and spend 135 days to reach his goal.

Dawa Steven Sherpa will walk the GHT lower-route beginning January 2011

His team will follow the lower GHT route which he has termed the cultural route. Many more communities live along the interface of the mid-hills (the Pahar) and the Himalaya than in the high mountains themselves. In an interview with the Himalayan Times, Dawa’s father, Ang Tsering Sherpa said, “a small trekking group in these regions can make a real difference to the lives that are barely above subsistence.”

Katja Staartjes © Gooi en Eemlander

Possibly the most exciting of the Trans-Nepal expeditions (and of course all are very exciting indeed) begins in September 2010, and is that of Katja Staartjes and her husband. Their planning begins over 1.5 years ago when they thought about the ‘three-lands-point’ where the borders of Germany, Netherlands and Belgium meet. They immediately thought of other points like this and, of course, Nepal must have two of these with India and Tibet. They decided then to walk from one to the other.

Starting from Darchula (see map of the Far West of Nepal), they will walk several days north, acclimatising slowly, to the triple-point. This will be the actual start of their adventure. From here, they will turn again south heading towards Ghunsa. Rather than walk to Rara, they will then head north again and try to find a new route towards Yari or Hilsa in Humla between Api and Saipal.

They will then walk through the Limi Valley, on to Mugu and then head north to make the difficult pass over to Upper Dolpa. Rather than follow the GHT upper route down to Phoksumdo lake, the plan is to stay high, going directly to Dho Tarap before journeying over to Mustang. From there, they will walk via Manaslu and Ganesh Himal to Syabrubesi and then return to Kathmandu by jeep, or if time permits, by walking to Sundarijal in the Kathmandu Valley. That’s part one! The continuation to the eastern ‘three-lands-point’ will wait until another year.

The interesting part of all this is that they will travel as a group of three, with just one Sherpa assistant. While this makes the group fast and flexible, it means carrying heavy loads. For instance from Darchula until their first barrel of fresh supplies in Simikot will be 23 days of walking.

In contrast to this, World Expeditions will be starting their first commercial GHT traverse in February 2011. Their trek will be fully supported and fully guided by veteran Himalayan professionals. They have designed it in such a way that trekkers can join for one, more than one or all sections of the trail.

We’ll follow their progress here, but in the meantime wish them all luck with their preparations.

Flip Byrnes of the Sydney Morning Herald has produced a list of some of the least-known yet most exhilarating hikes in the world and the GHT tops the list.

Well it might not be a definitive list, and not-unbiased: there are some rather strong links with particular travel companies in this article. Still, the result points trekkers in the right direction to the Great Himalaya Trail.

But it is not only World Expeditions who can guide you a long the GHT. For most sections of the trail in Nepal, a large number of professional companies will be able to organise a memorable trek for you.

Read more here: http://www.smh.com.au/travel/leastknown-most-exhilarating-hikes-20100813-1223a.html?rand=1282028858135

Nepal Trekking and the Great Himalaya Trail - Robin Boustead

Due to be published in 15 November 2010 in the UK, this new guidebook from Trailblazer written by Robin Boustead will be a great asset to those who like to trek off the beaten trail.

“Route and planning guide to the best trekking in Nepal. Includes the most popular routes as well as the newest trekking areas for true trailblazers. Extensive planning sections to help visitors choose a trek. Also includes the new Great Himalaya Trail.”

Boustead has spent a great many years researching Nepal in depth and is a Great Himalaya Trail pioneer.

Contact Trailblazer for more information, or check online retailers.

Please download and read the attachment below.

2010.08.10 GHT pilot project familiarisation trips announcement

[NB. This document was updated on 10th August 2010]

Article on Humla and the GHT in the Boston Globe by James Vlahos

Our trek was in Humla, the most remote district in Nepal. Tucked into the country’s far northwestern corner, Humla is mountainous and roadless, and home to only 43,000 people, most of them clustered around the district headquarters of Simikot. The southern reaches are relatively lush, encompassing the deep gorge of the Karnali River, rhododendron thickets, and pine-shrouded slopes that rise to snowy peaks. The north is more arid and includes the Limi Valley, windswept and vast. Limi is the site of the Halji Gompa, established in the 10th century and believed to be Nepal’s oldest Tibetan Buddhist site. While parts of Nepal have arguably become too popular much of Humla is as it has been for centuries.

Read the full article ‘HIDDEN HIMALAYA’ online at the Boston Globe website.

See also the photo gallery here for the trip to Limi Valley on the GHT.

Or download the article as PDF.

Hidden Himalaya article – Boston Globe – James Vlahos – page 1

Hidden Himalaya article – Boston Globe – James Vlahos – page 2

Cartography companies interested in carrying out this work need to apply by Monday 17th April 2010. Please download the documents link below.

Request for proposals: Production of Great Himalaya Trail Maps

GHT Route maps Terms of Reference

Please use this page for a working full screen version of the dolpa map. Use the buttons at the base of the map to launch.

Ramesh ‘Action’ Bhattachan and Roger Henke of the Summit Hotel held a press conference yesterday and they were very positive about the future of running in Nepal. Additionally British athelete and nutritionist Rob Cousins has arrived in Nepal to train some promising Nepali athletes for the Davos Marathon later in the year.

There was even suggestion of mixing running and trekking. Trek to your high point while slowly acclimatising and continue the rest of the journey lightweight at speed. Sounds like an interesting way to manage some of the longer treks in Nepal in a limited time-frame.

Several ultra-runners have also expressed interest in running the full Great Himalaya Trail. Sounds like a great and inspiring idea. One day I can imagine an internationally famous race along the trail, but that is some years away yet.

If you are interested in trail running and marathons then you should sign up for the trailrunningnepal.org mailing list.

Your thoughts are welcome below in the comments box.