Five Extrodianary Adventures

1. Reinhold Messner

Extraordinary Adventure: Considered the best young climbers in Europe, Reinhold and his brother Günther were drafted up to join a 1970 attempt to climb Nanga Parbat. Nanga Parbat is a 8126m peak, the ninth highest in the world, located in Pakistan. The climb was only the third successful ascent of the mountain and also the first ascent of the enormous Rupal Face. This cliff face is 4600m from its base and is the highest in the world. They found themselves unable to descent by the same route and, in an epic fight for their own survival, traversed the mountian and tried to go down the Diamir Face. Günther was killed in an avalanche and Reinhold lost 6 toes to frostbite.
Then what?
Disillusioned by the seige tactics used in climbing high mountains, he pioneered a fast and light alpine style. With this in mind he returned to climb Nanga Parbat again, in 1978, this time alone. This was the first solo of an 8000m peak. In the same year he made the first ascent of Everest without bottled oxygen (saying "by fair means or not at all") and then the first solo ascent in 1980. By 1986 he had climbed all the mountians in the world over 8000m, the first person ever to do so. In later life he has crossed the arctic, greenland and travelled 2000 miles in the Gobi Desert. His latest project is to establish a series of museums about mountains.

2. Oskar Speck

Extraordinary Adventure: Oskar canoed from Germany to Australia from 1932 to 1939. At the beginning of his journey Oskar was off to find work in Cyprus. He paddled down the Danube. Then he changed his mind and decided he wanted to travel and see the world. He arrived seven years later in Australia and, after taking one look at the swastika on his kayak, the Aussies threw him into an internment camp.
And then?Whilst in the internment camp, Oskar developed a way to polish opals which would later make him a wealthy man.

3. Mike Horn

Extraordinary Adventure: Mike crossed the South American continent in 1997. Climbing from the Pacific Ocean to the source of the amazon, high in the Andes. He then decended the full length of the amazon (over 7000km) by hydrospeed. At one point an indian tribe saw him floating by and asumed he was the river devil that had been eating their children. Perhaps it was his sunburnt face? They had him in the pot ready to boil him alive but he was rescued at the last minute by Brazillian Army helicopters. They had been alerted by the emergency beacon that the natives had unwittingly set off.
And then?
He got interested in sailing, breaking all kinds of records, and then set off on a circumnavigation following the equator. He then became interested in polar travel and got to the North Pole in Winter.

4. Heinrich Harrer

Extraordinary Adventure: Already a champion skier Heinrich, aged 26, was a member of the 4 man team that successfully climbed the North Face of the Eiger for the first time. Perhaps even more impressive is his journey in Tibet. Following his escape from an internment camp in India he and his friend Peter Aufschnaiter crossed Tibet to reach Lhasa. In Lhasa he became the tutor of the Dalai Lama when he was 11 years old.
And then?
He wrote many books. The White Spider details the climbing history of the North Face of the Eiger and Seven Years In Tibet details his travels in that country. He also continued to climb mountains all around the world. In his later years he became a champion golfer.

5. Karl Bushby

Extraordinary Adventure: In 1998 Karl set out to walk around the world in one unbroken route. He began in Ushuaia and walked the entire length of the Americas. This included being disguised a tramp and floating down a river to get through the extremely dangerous jungle of the Darien Gap. From Alaska he crossed the frozen Bearing Straights with Dimitri Kieffer. The 90km crossing took them 15 days. They were arrested for not entering Russia at a border control.
Where is he now?
With the economic down turn Karl is short of funding. He is now languishing in Mexico trying to find sponsors to fund his crossing of Siberia and onwards journey across Asia back to the UK. He also hopes to be alowed to walk through the Channel Tunnel and return to the UK by 2014. His website explains more.

I wrote this post during my bike trip in South America in 2010.

I now offer guided walks and walking holidays in the UK in Northumberland, the Pennines, the Lake District, Scotland and further afield.

I'm always keen for outdoor adventures to help people learn the skills to explore! My particular focus is mountain skills such as navigating with a map and compass and wild camping for expeditions.

Find out more

Leonera 5050m

I know what you are thinking:

"I havn't heard Pete Hubbard's dulcet tones in a while."

Well fear not. I have recorded my thoughts as I wandered up Leonera, a 5050m high mountain near Santiago. I headed off alone for 3 nights and had a headache caused by altitude for most of that time. I left the bike with the hostal owner and told him my plans and roughly when to expect me back. I ran out of water and had to melt some muddy snow and drink muddy water for a day and a half too. All the heights I mention in the recordings are wrong (giving a clue to the quality of my map) and I have probably pronounced most of the names wrong too. But hopefully you'll get the general idea. (Fbookers will have to visit the actual post for the recordings I am afraid.)


First message from Laguna Parva (my appologies for the wind noise):


Second message from summit of Cerro Pintor:


Third message from summit of Cerro Leonera (It is actually 5050m and I have forgotten how to say "mountains" somehow. Perhaps because I have been drinking liquid mud for the whole day?):


Fourth message from Camp Piedra Numerada (when I say "run" I mean "cycle"):

Day 100

I have been in South America now for 100 days. I spent the day trying to hunt down a hiking map in Santiago. Then I cyced up to a ski resort 52kms from Santiago but almost 2000m higher. I took in 40 hairpin bends.

Ok to celebrate 100 days here are 100 photos from the trip so far. (fb users might have to visit the blog to see this slideshow!)

La Serena Beach Jazz

Some photos from a fantastic free jazz concert on the beach in La Serena. Flash just made everything look like white ghosts so I have embraced the blur!

The first group was a five piece with piano, guitar, bass, drums and a frontman who sang and played flute and saxophone. They were all super tallented but the frontman was particularly gifted and spiralled off on outrageous solos. The obese guitarist "Piqueño" was great too, with tight question and answer sections with the pianist. Sometimes his solos verged on metal. The bassist, who looked like a physics teacher, was the only one not to play a solo.

And who could blame him because the next act "Bass" was comprised off three bass guitarists. The sat down to tune their basses and out of the melé their first song emerged. The set continued with an appropriately unusual mixture of ambient, jazz, funk, experimental, world, and even some Chilean folk. A typical song sounded like hearing 3 ten minute long bass solos played simultaneously. But not nearly so bad as that sounds. The Maestro played a solo piece which thumped, rolled and widdled. The uber-tallented-one played a mind-boggler, just as much of a technical feat as a musical one. Then they regrouped in a sloppy way to finish on a crescendo.

The last group of the night where a nine piece with drums, purcussion, guitar, bass, sax, flute, trumpet, trombone, and a wierd brass instument I didn't recognise that sounds like a big trumpet. They played an afro-latin sort of style and also some bluesier numbers that sounded like a latin version of the band from Blues Brothers.

All in all a great night on the beach!

Algarrobo to La Serena

I ran out of options for avoiding Ruta 5. So, screaming downhill, I entered Valparaiso the way every other road user does. In town, I found the hostel where I had arranged to meet Ray, a Chinese cyclist who I had crossed paths with on the Carretera Austral. Also in the hostal was a cyclist from the UK called Sam. Together, we went out for a few drinks before Ray headed back to Viña del Mar where he was staying.

Although the hostal was full of friendly travellers, and the town seemed to have a Bohemian feel, it was quite a struggle to find anywhere to get a pint. The first place we tried you couldn´t hear yourself think from a howling Jack White/Kurt Cobain wanabee singing in bad English with a wierd, and huge quantity, of tremelo. The next place we got a beer and a talented trumpeter leaning off a staircase and playing a few jazz tunes.

The next morning Sam and I rode out to Viña to visit the bike shop. It was a nice sunny ride beside the coast. Viña and Valparaiso are really one long conglomeration along the coast. The towns are both built on the sides of several hills. A bit like a huge ampitheatre focusing on the coast. We had a good long chat and a few empanadas and headed back to the hostal. The hostal owner had organised a night of beer, pizza and a "supresa". The surprise turned out to be a guitarist and a singer, they were superb and played a number of songs from Chile and also from other Latin countries.

I had arranged to meet Ray in Viña at noon on Sunday. It would have been like a cowboy showdown if it had not been for the fact that it was at Burger King. Anyway, we "rode out of town".

After a few km we hit the Ruta 5 and, cycling side-by-side on the broad shoulder, we put in a good stint along the motorway. It got dark and we looked for a campsite by headtorch. What we found instead was Fransisco. This Chilean hardnut was fixing a puncture without much success. In the end I gave him my spare tube. In return he took us to Pichicuy where we camped for free in a squalid backyard of one of his mates. I just put up the inner-tent part of my tent as there was not much chance of rain. Fransisco put up his tent. Only it wasn't a tent it was a miniscule bio-bag, a lightweight tent just bigger than a bivvy bag. We took in the town, bought Frank a beer, and watched something dreadful. If you have seen the film "Little Miss Sunshine" you'll have an idea.

Waking up to mist, dew covering the sleeping bag, and the repugnant smell of the "out-house", we packed up double quick and got back on the road. Ray and I headed off a bit faster than our new Chilean amigo and soon had quite a lead over him. We stopped at service stations for either ice-creams, or to clean up in the baños. At one of these stops, I saw Fransico fly past. At nightfall we put on headtorches and racked up a 136km day. We stopped by a sliproad to look for a campsite, and with his roll mat laid out under the bench of a bus stop we discovered Fransisco. Finding a better spot, in a field, we camped.

With strong tailwinds we flew along with blue skies. The landscape was semi-desert now with western movie cactus and shapely arid hills. At sunset, we cooked up dinner in a bus shelter. We had passed a nice looking campsite earlier in the day and regretted carrying on. It was only another 40km to La Serena and, despite the darkness and the 140km we had already done, we considered doing it that night. Fortune prevailed and a campsite appeared advertised from the motorway as only 4km away. We stayed there, getting a good hot shower.

Without breakfast we nailed it to La Serena. On the way, in the busy city traffic, we lost F which was a bit sad as we didn't get a chance to say "Adios!" The city is a university town and beach resort. We found the main plaza and got dirrections to the campsite, but first we got some cheap and nourishing food in a cafe.

Now, Ray is fixing his stove and I am off to sample the delights of the beach. Maybe dip my toes in...

Bicycle Repair Man: Classic Python's Sketch

I love the way it mocks the lazily written Superman scripts. Especially the bit about international communism at the end.

RTW Argy-Bargy

A little more about circumnavigations, following on from my History Lesson.

Firstly, the frankly odd world of RTW cycling worldt record.

A record was "set" by a man with the faintly unbelievable name of Steve Strange back in the heady days of 2005. He did 277 days. Mark Beaumont (yeah? Scottish guy. You saw him on a phone advert) managed 194 days. Then a bloke called James Bowthorpe, using a bike with a belt instead of a chain managed it 20 days quicker. Then a bit of a angry-young-man, called Julian, appeared on the scene and did it even faster: 165 days. Although it all still seems a bit unsettled at the moment...

This Julian chap has a bit of an axe to grind with Mark Beaumont which gets a bit heated, odd and, well, unreadable by the end (I skipped to the more interesting bit: the comments).

My thoughts on the matter are that it is slightly silly (which I like!) to turn the world into a race track. Because of that, the "contenders " have had to conjour up "sensible" motivations: Mark wanted fame, a tv series, book, and a springboard to his next adventure. James wanted to raise money for Parkinson's desease, and Julian wanted to moan about Mark, the world and everything. I think there is still a lot of leeway left in the record and I wouldn't be suprised to see several more attempts. Perhaps by retired proffessional cyclists?

Regardless, at the moment I wouldn't dream of going as fast as those guys (around 120 miles a day) because if I did I would miss out on so much good stuff. More fun is to get involved with local events off the beaten track, to go off on adventurous side trips (very slow going on gravel or bad roads usually) and just spend time chatting with people you meet.

On a more positive note, Vin Cox (with a name like that the record is practically in the bag) will set off on his record attempt today (7th February 2010). His route is more adventurous than the ones to date taking on as it does Africa and South America. However, his choice of name for his expedition leaves a lot to be desired: The Great Bike Ride. In 2012 he plans to organise the first ever round the world race. I've got to tell you: I'm interested!

Ok, next there is the controversy over the Human-Powered RTW record. (Which I am interested in as a possible future expedition!!!) Colin Angus has basically done it, but not to Guinness guidelines... Jason Lewis too. Here are the guidelines. Here is a bit of Colin's website. Even if someone does it to the guidelines, it would still be a great trip, possibly even worth trying to do it faster or longer!

Cazuela Recipe

Cazuela is, as far as I can make out, a cross between a soup and a roast dinner. In fact, it's a bit like a roast dinner tipped into a soup. Its a simple dish you can find throughout Chile. I like it.

Calzuela has a piece of meat (usually chicken or beef on the bone), then there is a potato, a sweet potato, some other vegetables and a piece of sweetcorn. I'm not sure how you are tradditionally supposed to eat it. I usually use a spoon to drink the soup and then attack the rest with a knife and fork. I'd hazard a guess at the recipe being a bit like this:

1. Put all the ingredients (beef, potato, sweetcorn, veg, etc) in a pot with the stock.
2. Cook.
3. Pour into a bowl.
4. Eat.

Pedal Pusher

Pedal Pusher
by MC Abdominal (featuring Young Einstein the DJ from Ugly Duckling)

Squirt a little cross country on the chain,
Get a fresh rag wipe down the frame,
Ready to go, tie my army pants at the knees,
Already got enough pants covered in grease.
Slip on a discman, eyes so sharp,
They do the listening,
While suplying vision at the same time,
Waste no time to slide my ride in to a break in the line of traffic,
Don´t ask me why man, some reason I need a matchstick,
Inbetween my lips to help me concentrate,
Until I reach that zone where there is no need to contemplate,
Every movement,
Muscle memory compute the conclusion quicker than the thinking mind,
Strictly relying on insticts to wind,
Through this river of grime,
Exhuast pipes, potholes, pigeons,
Streetcar tracks you can slip in,
Pedestrians, pretty girls to divert your eyes at that crucial juncture
Plus the constant posibility of a puncture.

I'm a pedal pusher, push pedals like crazy, from A to B
I'm a pedal pusher, push pedals all day, from A to B
I'm a pedal pusher, I push pedals,
and I would say "Eat my dust" but it's already settled.

Desde Cobquecura hasta Algarrobo: Carpe Diem!

I press on keeping the sea on my left (the only method of navigation that hasn't let me down). Passing through many seaside resort towns and a few incredible national reserves. Now only a handful of kilometers from Valapariaso where I intend to brown off a little...

A few days ago, I woke up and didn't have the usual bleary-eyed feeling. I leapt out of bed, packed up my tent, downed a coffee and gobbled a cheese sandwich a bit too quick. It was a day for cycling and I got on the road. Cranking uphill, out of the forest, I needed a low gear. Nearing the crest, in blue skies, I was sweating, panting, and enjoying myself. I'd only been awake 30 minutes. I spotted a small shop and drank a bottle of something bright red and fizzy. The road sloped downhill into the distance.

Today was a day for music. Not mellow chillout. Today I needed go-faster-music: Brazilian Drum and Bass! I set of and shifted up to 14, my top gear, and stiffly pushed the pedals round. As I gained momentum, my legs were wizzing round like crazy. Today was not a day for freewheeling with your hands on the brakes. Today was about careering round corners leaning at an alarming angle. Farmland and dotted low shrubs and trees blurred past but I kept my eyes focused on the road. Today was a race. I saw a sign and it informed me, or rather, it challenged me: San Antonio 86km. I did a quick mental sum and realised, yes, it was a race, against the sun. I was in the mood to give it everything. I'd be exhaused by the time I arrived in the town, at sunset, but it would be worth it. I dug in.

There was a slight incline approaching and instead of shifting down I sped right at it in top gear. I kept going until my thighs started to burn and then shifted down, but only to 12. Then back to 14 as soon as it flattened out. I needed higher gears that day. Instead, I turned up the music.


No Excuses