Hebridean Pathways - Newsletter October 2008, Rock Climbing, Walking, Mountain Biking, French Alps, Courses, Guides, Instruction, guiding, Activity holidays, France, Ecrins, La Grave, Montagnard Activities

HEBRIDEAN PATHWAYS - Newsletter October 2008

Another year is swiftly passing by (yet again) and I have just realised that this summer marked the 10th anniversary that Hebridean Pathways has been operating on sunny Skye!!! Is it really that long ago (July 99) that I guided the first Heb Paths clients up the Inaccessible Pinnacle?

Anyway, this year I have a good reason to send out the newsletter early - for reasons you will see below........

The winter season started with promising amounts of ice at New Year but rain soon stopped play. I took the chance for a quick visit to Morocco in mid-January. A place I had always wanted to visit. Although conditions and time did not allow for much physical activity I did manage to cross the High Atlas, drive to the end of the (tarmac) road in the Sahara, visit the Atlantic coast and air the paraglider in the Anti Atlas mountains. Morocco hosts an interesting mix of landscapes and cultures - definitely worth another visit!

Back in the French Alps the winter had returned and much skiing, ski-touring, climbing and snowshoeing action was seen. Le Chazelet-La Grave providing the venue, sunshine and snow. In the end it turned out to be a great season with big dumps of fresh powder well in to April.

Late April through to June saw the "Hebridean" activities return in abundance. Pinnacle Ridge and the Cioch were this years favoured goals with many of you opting to rope up and discover the delights of climbing and abseiling! As you know it never rains much on Skye (!) and amazingly 2008 saw another hot and sunny spell (just like June 07). Let us hope that this marks a return to the dry early summers that the Scottish northwest used to experience annually.

In July the midges and rain were on the way so I made a quick escape back to the French Alps. The main aim (as it had been for the past 2 summers) was to climb La Meije. Weather and company came together and the full Traverse de la Meije was enjoyed. This is one of the finest high courses of the Alps according to many folk and certainly has to be one of the best outings I have completed!

The Alpine season was short this year as I headed out to Peru with a small group in early August. We spent 3 weeks visiting many of the great sites of the Nazca and Inca as well as trekking the Inca Trail.

In September I also made 2 exploratory treks in to the High Andes. There are endless trekking opportunities in the Cusco region offering stunning, varied Andean scenery, the chance to cross high mountain passes and to visit remote valleys where small villages of Quechuan people scratch out an existence in complete isolation. It amazed me to see that people can survive in such places and I certainly will be exploring further. The going can be rough and tiring but having crossed the longest and deepest tributary of the Amazon - the Apurimac river gorge - on 3 occasions now I definitely plan to return with small groups in the future (see below).

So, back to the present and my BIG news. At the end of October I am heading down to Antarctica for 3 months!!!! I will be working for Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions (ALE) as a guide on Mt. Vinson (the highest peak in Antarctica) and possibly on a ski-trip to the South Pole (skiing from the last degree). This is a great opportunity to visit the most remote and harsh continent on Earth and one that I could not turn down. Hence the reason for the early newsletter this year.

A big "Thank you" to everyone for joining me on the hills this year and I hope to see you all again soon. I will be out of email contact until I return from Antarctica in early Feb but will have someone keeping track of enquiries for me.

2009 will have to go some to better this year but already many activities and trips are taking shape. Feb-April will be skiing and snowshoeing time in the French Alps, Skye (and Knoydart) the springtime venue, in July the French Alps and a walking/climbing trip to Switzerland is planned and then the Peru-Inca Trail exploration is already a go for Sept (with a few places still available).

If anyone is interested in joining any of the above plans or you have ideas of your own then please just give me a call.

Best wishes for 2009.

Darren

Return to Home Page

Dr. Darren McAulay
E-mail: darren@hebrideanpathways.co.uk
Tel: (44) 07092 840603

Last Updated: 12 October, 2008