Trekking through a remote landscape is immensely interesting and satisfying. All of my treks to date have been organised by a professional trekking company, so we were not exactly exploring the unknown. But being in a really deserted place – away from the noise and light and waste and distraction of what we, in the UK, think of as civilisation – definitely gives a feeling of discovering somewhere new.
My justification, if I need one, for booking with a trek company rather than just slinging my rucksack over my shoulder and setting off into the unknown – as I've done for city travel – is that travelling alone I wouldn't have had a hope of discovering the routes and viewpoints, and the excellent accommodation and camping places, that we actually ended up with. And of course the company of other trek members is wonderful and has led on to lasting friendships.
Typically a trek consists of about 10-11 days 'in the wild', though in the Himalaya or the Andes (I wish!) it's more likely to be about 15 days. There may be vehicle support (as I had in the Pindos Mountains) or mule support (in the Atlas Mountains) to carry spare clothing, sleeping bag and all the other stuff that's not required during the day. On other treks (Iceland) the trekkers will need to carry everything they need for the duration of the trek, which means they have to pack carefully and choose versatile clothing.
Opportunities for photography are everywhere, and being in a new or unusual place always provides inspiration. Some of my efforts are shown on this site. Often a problem is carrying the necessary equipment. A full-size camera and a couple of heavy lenses can be bearable for a day in the Lake District, but longer days, longer distances and ten days or so in the field while carrying everything else as well gets pretty tiring. And in these days of digital cameras there are battery and image backup problems – the Nikon DSLR battery life is excellent, but they're not going to last for ten days of regular shooting. |
