The Bucket List is Brian and Sylvia’s list of ultimate hiking experiences, which we hope to accomplish in this lifetime. These are widely regarded as the best hikes in the world. We may not do them all, but we’ll do our best to complete them all.
We are among those lucky enough to have Machu Picchu in the bucket.
Brian and Sylvia’s personal Bucket List Hikes:
The Inca Trail, Peru ***DONE! via Salkantay Route!
The Santa Cruz Trek, Peru ***DONE! Trip Report
Colca Canyon,Peru ***DONE! Trip Report
Haleakala, Maui ***DONE! Trip Report
Tour Du Mont Blanc, Alps ***DONE in 2018 Trip Report!
Fitz Roy Traverse, Patagonia ***DONE in 2019 Trip Report!
Torres Del Paine “W”, Patagonia* ***DONE in 2019 Trip Report!
A Great Walk of New Zealand TBD
The Swiss Haute Route, Alps* TBD
Mt. Whitney Summit, Sierra Nevada* TBD
Angels Landing/The Narrows, ZCNP* TBD
Lake O’Hara Traverse, Can+ TBD
Alta Via 1, The Dolomites, ITA TBD
We have moved these ones to the “Overflow Bucket” list…We’re gonna have to get a bigger bucket.
The Llampu Circuit, Bolivia TBD
Peaks of Northern Spain TBD
Norway* TBD
Isle of Sky/Cape Wrath Trail, Scotland TBD
The Alpine High Pass Route TBD
West Coast of England/Wales TBD
Teton Crest Trail TBD
Maroon Bells/Four Passes Loop TBD
Skyline Trail, Jasper NP TBD
Tour of Gran Paradiso, ITA TBD
*These are the ones which Sylvia pronounces her favorites
+ The most impossible ask on this list….BUT it may now be a TINY bit more possible now. The Canadian Park authorities have introduced online booking. Likely, this will mean the hike will book up even faster than before but…perhaps this elevates our chances from nil to merely far-fetched.
UPDATES
*Brian has added the Jasper Skyline Trail and Tour of Gran Paradiso to the reserve bucket list. The former has been on his radar a long time, and may be a (slightly) more viable alternative to the Lake O’Hara traverse. The latter may be an easier sell than the very long and challenging Alpine High Pass Route…plus it ends in one of our favorite cities, Courmayeur, Italy.
*Brian completed the Highline Trail in Glacier NP in 2004. He has added this to his list of individually completed Bucket List items.
*After consideration Brian added the Maroon Bells/Four Passes hike to our Bucket List. It seemed like patent idiocy not to have ANYTHING from Colorado on a hiking Bucket List, so…
*Also under consideration: The Enchantments, possibly the Chain Lakes Loop…Something from the Alpine Lakes Wilderness
*Sylvia is lobbying hard for Long’s Peak, with considerable resistance from Brian (the word ‘cliff’ is used a lot in descriptions, as in “Thousand foot cliffs…”)
*Sylvia has added Cirque of the Towers to her personal favorites! Yippee!
*Update: Sylvia demands to know why the Haute Route is ‘so low on the list!’
*Norway is now one of Sylvia’s personal favorites!!!!
(Note that in addition to the above, Brian has individually completed four actual Bucket List level Hikes…the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim, The Rae Lakes Loop, Mount St. Helens and The Glacier Highline Trail. Sylvia meanwhile accomplished a major Bucket List item by marrying the World’s Handsomest Man in 2009.)