The Best Hiking Records

Every hike is an adventure, but some shatter allThe record, however, is four days, five hours and
expectations. Determination and stamina go head25 minutes and the holder is Michael Popov. He
to head with grueling and deadly hikes to excitecarried all his own hiking equipment and had no
and inspire the world of hiking. To whet yourassistance at all.
appetite, here are some our favourite hiking worldThe Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike Speed Record
records.This is 2,178 of scenic wilderness through the
The World's Longest Hikeeastern United States, beginning at Springer
There is some contention over this record. WhilstMountain in Georgia and heading south all the way
technically the Trans Canada Trail -onceto Mount Katahdin in Maine. Beginning to end may
completed - will hold this record at 13,670 miles,take three to five months and the route caters
much of it is roadside walking rather than truewell to hikers. The male record-holder is Andrew
hiking. At present the trail offers over 9,320 milesThompson, who travelled south in 47 days, 13
of marked hiking. The longest trail in the USA ishours and 31 minutes. The female record-holder is
the North Country Trail, which runs for 4,600Jennifer Pharr Davis at 57 days, 8 hours and 35
miles from New York all the way to Northminutes. Completing the whole trail within a single
Dakota.season is called thru-hiking.
The World's Most Dangerous Hiking TrailThe Best Hiking Trail in the World
The Huashan Trail, Shaanxi Province, China is notOf course this is subjective, but many hikers
for the faint-hearted. The Chinese Governmentagree that for sheer breathtaking beauty as well
has recently begun installing safer handholds andas ease of travel, the Haute Route from France
walkways, but there are still vertical steps, baldto Switzerland is the best trail in the world. The
mountain faces and narrow wood pathways toroute begins in Chamonix, is 110 miles long and
cross.takes around twelve days to complete, finally
The World's Highest Hikeending in Zermatt, Switzerland. There are many
Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is the world's tallestrest stops for hikers along the route and little
"walkable" mountain, at 20,000 feet above seatechnical expertise is required, allowing hikers to
level. Although no specialised equipment is needed,travel through the most scenic vistas the Alps
this mountain takes around six days to hike andcan offer and take the time to appreciate the
many die from altitude sickness. It is essential toviews without fretting about where to make
travel in a group to look out for one-another'scamp or how much food to pack. Passing from
safety.meadows to mirror-still lakes, through sleepy
The John Muir Trail Speed Recordvillages and surrounded by majestic peaks, the
The John Muir Trail is 223 miles of beautifulhike is no easy saunter. But the rewards are
Californian hiking, starting in Yosemite and usuallyutterly incomparable.
taking hikers around twenty days to complete.