Mark Horrell's Blog, page 32

The best way to climb Kilimanjaro

In the Kilimanjaro chapter of Seven Steps from Snowdon to Everest, about my journey from hill walker to Everest climber, I described the Shira Route, that I used on my first ascent of Kilimanjaro, as the Stagnant Water Route. There is plenty of variety on the flanks of Africa’s highest mountain, but the dirt track I took up to the Shira Plateau on the west side of the mountain, was distinctly uninspiring, and I promised myself that if I ever returned to Kilimanjaro I would find a more interes...

The Everest Politics Show is out now in paperback

Just a quickie to let you know that I’ve just released my latest travel diary The Everest Politics Show in paperback format, for those of you who like to read something that you can grasp firmly in your hands.

It’s available on Amazon initially, for 5.99 / 6.99 / $7.99 and various other currencies depending on your location. I hope to make it available in other outlets via Ingram by the end of the month. This means that many local bookstores will be able to order it for you.

The Everest Polit...

The Tanzanian Mount Meru

Thanks to a hardcore climbing movie released in 2015, an obscure peak in the Indian Himalaya, that few people have ever climbed and not many more will ever see, is now the most famous Mount Meru in the world. But for many years a far more accessible and attainable peak of the same name in northern Tanzania was much more widely known.

Mount Meru, rising 60km away to the west, was a constant companion during my first ascent of Kilimanjaro

I first became aware of the Tanzanian Mount Meru in 2002...

Why I’m not a fan of night-time ascents

I hate night-time ascents.

Half a night’s sleep, waking up in the dark, in a freezing cold tent, and getting dressed by the beam of a head torch.

Trying to have breakfast in the middle of the night when you’re not remotely hungry.

Waiting around in the cold night air for your companions to get ready.

Trudging for hours in the pitch blackness and seeing nothing at all of your surroundings. All you watch for hour after hour are the legs of the person in front by the beam of a head torch.

Gettin...

On night-time ascents

I hate night-time ascents.

Half a night’s sleep, waking up in the dark, in a freezing cold tent, and getting dressed by the beam of a head torch.

Trying to have breakfast in the middle of the night when you’re not remotely hungry.

Waiting around in the cold night air for your companions to get ready.

Trudging for hours in the pitch blackness and seeing nothing at all of your surroundings. All you watch for hour after hour are the legs of the person in front by the beam of a head torch.

Gettin...

A hill walking comedy classic

Many people will look back on 2016 as an annus horribilis. We’ve had Brexit, Trump and burkhini bans. Here in Italy we’ve experienced a number of earthquakes, with many dead and homeless. But all these things pale beside what is happening in Aleppo, Mosul, Yemen and north Nigeria. Worse may be to come: they say South Sudan is on the verge of genocide.

Most of us are cocooned from these things, but still we worry about them. Life is full of misfortune and contradiction, and I firmly believe th...

Kilimanjaro: returning to the crown of Africa

I’ve been thinking a lot about Kilimanjaro this year, ever since watching David Breashears’ film Kilimanjaro: To the Roof of Africa back in June. I was long overdue a return, and over Christmas I’ll be doing just that.

I first climbed Africa’s highest mountain in 2002, and at time the giant 5895m volcano in northern Tanzania was also the highest mountain I had ever climbed. If you’ve read my book Seven Steps from Snowdon to Everest, you will know that it was the third step of my journey from...

How to report a missing trekker in Nepal

Last week a new service was launched to help find tourists who have gone missing while trekking in Nepal. The site, MissingTrekker.com is intended to be a comprehensive database of missing trekkers, and was set up by travel blogger and guidebook writer David Ways, when he discovered no such record is kept by Nepalese authorities.

Missingtrekker.com provides lots of useful information about trekking safety

Dave is the man behind the popular travel blog The Longest Way Home, which he set up whe...

Book review: A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush by Eric Newby

One of the best books about mountaineering ever written, and certainly one of the funniest, was written by a complete novice, who had never climbed in his life when he decided to tackle a remote peak in Afghanistan that had never been climbed before.

A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush: one of the funniest books about mountain exploration ever written

It’s a few years since I read A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush, but it’s one of those books that I always knew I would read again. Since moving to Ita...

Nepal’s scramble for first ascents – or are they?

We’ve been hearing a lot about fake news recently, but don’t worry, I’m not going to talk about politics. Fake news gets everywhere, including the Himalayas. On this blog I’ve written many words about how the mainstream press churn out fake news about Everest based on the latest government announcement. More recently I wrote about how recent summit claims on Manaslu might not be what they seem.

Fake news isn’t anything new. A famous historical example of fakery and mountaineering was Frederic...