Ok, I’ve been thinking about this for a while and finally got it finished. I invited a few of my more experienced hiking friends to help out and we made some changes to this final rendition.

This quiz if for experienced hikers.  I say that because if you don’t have more than a few hundred miles of hiking experience, you will probably not do well.

Unfortunately, the software wouldn’t allow me to create my own ranges at the end.
An average score turns out to be around 25%     The highest score so far has been around 70%

You may not agree with all of the questions and how they relate to hiking experience.  I feel they do although will admit that I added a few questions related to mileage because the software rates each question only to a +or- 6.   So, sorry for the repeat questions near the end but it is required for a topic that i feel is most important:    EXPERIENCE!

So, please click  HERE to take the test, or quiz, or whatever you want to call it.

Feedback welcome!    Enjoy.

March 10, 2009

Well today i went out and had probaby my toughest day yet.  
I am getting further and further away from home (Rawai) and have to drive about 40 minutes now to start.
I went out for 2 days on the motorbike looking for an easier way into where i had left off above (west) of Kathu waterfall.   Didn’t have any luck so today, went back to where i parked the bike before to do the 480 meter ascent.

When i got there, there was a crowd of people, a backhoe backing up the hill, and as i looked to see why, noticed the concrete bridge that spans a small creek there was completely broken in two!

Seems the backhoe tried to cross the bridge and was too heavy for it and collapsed it.   Some rubber farmers were trying to get across and i went first and scrambled up the steep concrete ramp.   Took this picture as my battery in my camera went dead.   Looks like the start of a rough day so far.

Was glad to reach the top and the saddle where there is a house and the road turns to trail.   A lot cooler up here at 420+ meters.    Walked north for about 20 minutes to where i had left off before.   The waypoint on my GPS was Y4 and there were 4 trails at this point.  I tried all 4 of them and eventually (after a bit of rough bushwhacking) chose one heading west and down on that side for a while.   

Turned into some pretty good trail that seemed old but overgrown.   Eventually it got me to some rubber trees although they were old and not worked anymore.   The trail was good though and going almost exactly in the direction i needed so i followed it for about an hour?  

Then i got to a spot where i could see the next hill was completely logged and thick brush covering everything. From my experience, i knew this meant trouble and sure enough, i tried 3 different routes through there and it just got too thick to go.    I spent a good hour looking for a way through and finally found a little traverse cut into the east side that was somewhat doable.  (overgrown a bit but at least i could walk without getting completely tangled in vines and bushes)

Then it ended.    And i could see i had to leave the knob i was on and head east to another one that was jungle and doable for sure.   But, there was a big gully in between.  I worked my way down and saw a big dead tree that had spanned the deep gully and thought i could walk across it.    But, it has been raining lately and was slippery.   Exactly half-way across, i could tell it was too slippery to do and sure enough, i fell.    I fell about 6 feet and landed on my back.   In water.    I laid there a bit determining how hurt i was and was glad i could get up.  The nearest road at this point is probably about 3 miles away and who knows in what direction???  Lots of steep, terrain around and nothing easy.    I got up and took a good 5 minutes to reorient my thoughts and why i am doing this.

When i’m on trail, it is great and there’s no place i’d rather be.    But, when it is bushwhacking through the thick shit, it is hard.   Very hard.    I don’t know if a trail will ever be built.   If it is, it’ll be an awesome trail but will anyone want to hike the whole thing?   Or will the rubber tree farmers stay as friendly as they have been to me?   Or will anyone even want to do these steep climbs on their holiday?    I can only say that i would.   If a trail was already here, i would be on it every chance i get.   Because it is full of views, and jungle, and rubber trees, and well, this is Thailand.    The highway past Tesco, and Big C, and all the shopping and congestion and Chalong circle with it’s police only ever checking for helmets and drivers license, and the increasing road rage and traffic accidents and noise.   Is that what people come to Thailand to see?   Maybe, some of them.   Human nature baffles me sometimes.    

Anyway, back to my story.    After resting for a while, i bushwhacked a bit up the side hill and found a faint trail heading a bit east of where i wanted to go but was glad to be back on some sort of trail.   After 2 more hills, i came to a newly planted rubber plantation and knew there should then be some kind of access nearby.   Another 10 minutes brought me to a shack where i approached with my usual “Sawadee Krup” spoken loudly.    No dogs here but a man came out with sleep in his eyes.    He didn’t really speak but pointed to the trail that he comes in and out on when i asked him about “going down”.    
I followed this for a good mile before coming to another house although i could hear people working in the nearby plantations.    Then I came to another house, much bigger this time and a small road.   Following that brought me eventually to a road that a 4 wheel drive could come up.  I followed this down for a good 2 or 3 miles.

I was very tired by now as my GPS said i did 17 kms and i hadn’t turned it on until i got to the top of the 450 meter climb at the beginning of the day.     With at least 2 or 3 kms of bushwhacking in there, that is the toughest day i’ve had.     I came out on a concrete road that i had checked out before near Chong Talay.   It was a long and windy road so i just sat down in the shade and waited a good half hour before a man came along on a motorbike and i flagged him down and asked for a ride to the Heroine’s monument circle.   He shook his head and i climbed on the back.    
At the circle, i paid him 60  baht and went immedietly to a restaurant and ordered some food.   I hadn’t expected the day to be that long and it was now about 3:30 in the afternoon and i hadn’t eaten since breakfast.  

I was pretty dehydrated also even though i had filled up my half-litre water bottle at least 3 times in springs and small creeks up on the mountain.    So, i enjoyed some food and drink and then got a motorcycle taxi guy to take me the 20 kms back to where my bike was parked.    He showed me  a nice shortcut that went past the British International School or “Dulwich” as it used to be called.   That’s the 1st time i had seen it and was impressed as it looked like a college campus.    Of course at 600,000 baht tuition per student, it should looke impressive!

Getting back to my bike, i noticed a huge backhoe trying to do something with the bridge so that at least people could get across.   But i didn’t stick around as i badly needed a shower and some rest.    I was beat.  
It was one tough day.

Today, Friday March 13th, 2009   I went out to complete this section from where i left off at the windy road at my waypoint:  ”1st good road” (on my gps) 
I still had about 3 kms to go to get to the big road near the Heroine’s Monument.

So, following that concrete windy road northwest, you come to a sign saying Land for Sale, 50 rai.   Go up the hill there which is a good gravel road and then turn left at the Y at the top.   You’ll see a sign saying “nature” or something like that and “Sea view”.    Go up until you see a pile of rocks (nice, natural, formation at the highest point) This is a very nice spot and they even have a concrete table and chairs there for a nice breather before going on in a northwest direction (All my posts so far have been northbound).  

Some decent trail just to the east of the ridge and following some old rubber trees.   Not too far in and you come to a short side trail to the left and a good lookout point looking west.   I marked this with a waypoint “lookout 1″.      Then continueing on and you come to a cliff where it appears some mining was done on the east side.   You must traverse the top of this cliff and our trail goes very close to the edge here but there are good views to the east and the south China sea.

Then the trail heads down through rubber trees and i find it best to stay on the edge of their property line.   That is usually the best trail as the rubber can become like  a maze, although that’s not a problem with the GPS in hand.  
Lots of cleared land and a maze of dirt roads at the bottom where you go under a huge power line.    Then through some shacks of Myamar workers.  One guy came out and talked to me.   (somewhat as neither of us had a common language except perhaps Thai???)    He got through to me that he was a farmer in Myamar but now makes jewelry at a nearby factory with the word “Limited” in the business name.  
I followed a trail around their small village of corrugated shacks until i came to a small vegetable farm at a half finished concrete (new) bridge.    But you couldn’t cross the bridge and the lady had her lane blocked off.   I was only about 20 meters from the main road that runs from the Heroine’s monument to Surin beach here so marked the point “Bridge1″ and headed back.   

I retraced my steps all the way back and stopped for a good breather as it is very hot this time of year and it was around 1 pm now.   I stopped at the cliffs and finished off my water bottle.  

When i got back on my bike, i headed over to where i had marked the bridge and checked out a possible road that went directly to the main road and then crossed the big highway to look for something to get me to where the mountains start on the other (east) side.     Didn’t find much as it’s really built up around here but…………..that’s for another day.   I am happy that my trail has now been walked from Lam Prom Thep (southernmost point on Phuket) to the Heroine’s monument and over many of the biggest peaks on the island.    It has been almost a year now of this work and i thoroughly enjoy it.  (except perhaps for SOME of the bushwhacking that gets SO thick)    
My wife thinks i’m nuts.   I usually come back full of cuts and scratches and very dirty, hungry, and dehydrated.    But, i’m learning so much about this island and it’s people who work the rubber and farms and how humble and inviting they are.     I will upload some pics from today and then start to plan my 3-4 day  backpacking trip to retrace ALL of the route so far. (coming up soon???)

Being a Geography buff, and living in Phuket, I see as much of this beautiful island as I can.

Did a little research and saw that Mai Thao Sip Song Mountain was the highest point on the island.  It is the one just east of Patong and west of Wat Chalong with the big golf ball looking structure on top.    It is actually a radar station for the military and restricted area.

I have been doing a lot of wilderness trekking and trailblazing trying to put together a hiking trail that will eventually go the length of the island, from Lam Prom Thep to the Sarasin bridge.    I want it to go over the high peaks as much as possible and follow the ridges and string together a trail that will be full of views, wilderness, and ridge walking.

I’ve been writing blog entries as I go along and eventually will have one in guidebook format for anyone wishing to hike it as well as the track uploaded to Google  maps for you to download to your own GPS and follow it precisely.         Here is the first and second sections for those interested.

Now obviously Mae Thao Sip Song Mountain should be on the trail.   But, unfortunately that’s impossible as it’s restricted and has very steep sides so traversing is extremely difficult.    I have plotted a route around it after 7 days of trying.

Now, I am well north of that area and up closer to Kathu waterfall.

Earlier in the week, when I was planning my route using Google Earth, as I do, I discovered that according to Google Earth, there is a higher peak.     But of course, this is only computer generated from satellite images so there could be room for error.

So, today I dropped my son off at school and went to the beach to set my new altimeter on my Garmin 60 CSX GPS, at 2 metres (it was low tide this morning).    Then I drove up to the Kathu hill that takes you to Patong.  The high point on that road has a small Taoist temple where many many people blow their horns as they go by.   Must be nerve-wracking for the caretakers who live there but maybe it’s something they are used to by now.    I stand around there for 10 minutes setting my GPS and clearing memory to build a new track and profile map and the horns had me ready to move out.  Fast!

It is a beautiful trail heading north out of there and I even pictured myself back home in eastern USA on the Appalachian trail with the well kept trail.   The only difference was the species of trees.   And of course the heat!

There is a saddle about halfway up with some homes or farms around there.   I don’t know which side they come up on but it must be a good road as the houses are nice although there is no electricity.

Found a beautiful spring full of lily pads and flowers in bloom.   Dipped my water bottle into it and was surprised the water looked so clear.    I tasted it and must say it is some of the best water I’ve had since I started coming here 9 years ago.    

Continuing up, it turned into a bush-whack as the trails all ended or lead off in directions that weren’t going to work for my goal.    One section had a lot of bamboo and rubber trees that had been cut down and left to rot.  This is the kind of bush-whacking that is extremely difficult and it was on one of the steepest parts.
When things get tough like that, I often just traverse around the mountain and often find another trail somewhere.   Sure enough after about 40 minutes of very tough going through rotten brush, I found a great trail that looked like motocross bikes had kept it clear.
I followed that for a while and came to a house where 3 rubber tree men were eating.    Tried talking to them a bit although my Thai was almost as bad as their English so, I just went back to bushwhacking.   They probably thought I was a little crazy.  Many do when I go out on these excursions.

Got into some heavy vines that were next to impossible to get through without a machete so again,  I traversed until I found an old rubber tree farm and could go up along the border.    Not much further and I came to what was the high point.     Nothing there, except a property marker.   A cement post driven in that looked as though it had been there a very long time with lots of brush, weeds, bushes and vines growing up around it.

I put my GPS onto the altimeter page and took a picture.   545 meters. I checked it in feet: 1778 feet.   I was pretty excited as I knew that Mai Thao Sip Song mountain was around 500 metres.
I sat there a while enjoying the quiet.   There are good views of the Andaman sea about 50 metres east of the high point.

I then used the TracBack feature and followed my route back although I tried to make it  a little easier and followed the rubber tree border a little longer, but eventually had to bush-whack again.
I fell down pretty hard on the spot where the cut bamboo was as it was very steep here.

Stopped for another bottle of great tasting water on the way down and waved to a few of the farmers.

I was very tired when I got back to my motorcycle at the loud road crossing as it had taken me about 4 hours total of steep ascents and descents.

But there was one more thing I had to do.   With the altimeter set that morning, and having been to the new high point within 2 hours, I drove up to Mai Thao Sip Song Mountain to check the elevation.
I could tell when i was getting close (you can drive up although there are restricted area signs and guards at the top).  I probably looked like I had been out jogging and  I parked my bike and walked up the last 200-300 meters.  Now it was the hottest part of the day and it gets steep near the top.  So, probably looking very beat, i walked right up to the gate and waved at the soldiers inside.    The high point is about 10 meters away from the gate just to the right (east).     My altimeter read 482 meters!

Now, Google Earth has it at  512 meters to the west of the gate but, like I said, I don’t trust Google Earth as much as I trust my new barometric pressure altimeter.    But either way, Mai Thao Sip Song is the second highest point in Phuket and the newly discovered highest point has NO NAME!   And no access.    And no one knows.

So, I’m writing it all down here, just hours later as it is all fresh in my memory.    I will add  the screen shot of the GPS altitude page for the days hike.

Now March 3rd, 2009

Went out again today and first went and set the altimeter to sea level as we had rain yesterday and today looked like rain too so I figured the barometer had changed.   Sure enough, it was off by about 20 meters.   I then drove to Kathu waterfall where I parked the bike and headed up steeply to the gap from the east side towards the high point.
There was decent track going up as someone (I later found out who) has made cement tread going up the very steep climb.   At the top, I turned left or south to connect the point to where I last left off.

About 300 meters before the high point, I saw a man at a nice cabin who seemed friendly and said hi.  I told him what I was doing and he told me to stay to the right on the way up as it is easier track.     Sure enough, I’m glad he told me or I would’ve been bushwhacking again but got to follow track and rubber tree farms almost right to the top.

There are good views of Patong and Kamala beach from just before the high point.   When I  got to the spot that is the highest and checked the altimeter,  amazingly  it was exactly the same at 545 meters.    So, I am fairly positive that this is within a few meters of the correct altitude.       I sat down after a tough, steep climb, not having stopped since I parked back at 79 meters elevation.     470 meter climbs will tell you to stop and rest for sure.

On the way back down, I saw about a 2 meter long dark grey snake.   He squirmed away from me as fast as he could and I think we scared each other.     Back at the cabin, the man talked again and offered me water and bananas and then invited me up to his porch.   I went up and he explained that he was from the area and bought 50 rai (20 acres) about 15 years ago and planted fruit trees.   Mostly Dorian and jack fruit, but also some lemon and others.      He offered me coffee and I accepted as he was a pretty cool man with lots to add to the history of Phuket and the way it used to be.   He told me that at night, he sees and hears  people with guns shooting pigs, monkeys, chickens, and whatever they can shoot to eat.     They are mostly Burmese rubber tree farmers and construction workers.   I have seen them living off of frogs and lizards and slugs and geckos and the women collecting wild edible plants.      These people have it rough as yesterday I saw a truckload of them going down the highway in a pouring down rainstorm packed in like sardines with no cover except their bandannas.   Very sad.

So, talked with the man for about an hour I guess and then headed out and continued past the point where I came up to check out a road that was on my GPS.   Saw another cabin with no one home but another nice spot.    The road turned out to be slightly overgrown but possibly and easier way in from the Kamala side that I will try next time I come up.     Saw one side trail that I checked out and it was a pipe to a concrete water basin and most likely good water as there is not much higher  elevation around here.          I then went back down the steep trail in fast time and headed home.   Now, the further north I get on this project, the longer the drive from and to home to get to the trail where I left off.

If you want to keep following my adventures on this trail, you can see my next blog entry here.   It is the next section northbound and one of the hardest and most remote up to the Heroine’s monument.

Also, my first blog entry which explains a bit more on why I would like to see this trail exist and my first steps and ideas are on a post from August 2008 here.

Down-loadable track that can be installed in your own GPS and followed can be found at Google Maps HERE.

Brought to you by Warmstuff Distributing   www.warmstuff.com (selling thermal long johns and warm stuff to keep people warm all over the world)

Feb 16, 2009

Ah success.  Finally after 7 days of working to find a way around the big mountain with the big ball (Sip Song is what is called on Google Earth which means 15).   It is a radar station for the military so restricted. 
And I have now spent a lot of time on both sides of this mountain trying to find a suitable way around it without dropping all the way down to near sea level.
Today i finally made it.   On the west side where i went in from Patong and rejoined my route where the last entry ends.    

I continued on the road to the right going north past the junction where you can go down to Patong.   The road goes up steeply.  Since it is now dry season, the road wasn’t too bad and i could actually go up there with my motorbike.   Forget that in rainy season as the road is not only steep but full of deep ruts.

Follow the road, forever going higher until at last you come to where it forks off to just two trails going to different rubber tree shacks.    I continue on the one to the left, which goes between two shacks, turns right and then follow the path.   After about 300 metres, you come to a spring that has now been dug out and built up with cemented rocks.  The man was there today and i tried to tell him nice job and sometimes i drink the water there.  I don’t think he understood me though but felt it was a positive vibe coming from me. 

I turn right at this spring and ascend steeply up following paths thru the rubber trees where i can.   

I had been up here before and always got stuck at the end of the rubber trees and it just got too thick to get through.  

Eventuall, as before, i get stuck and today even dropped my GPS in the thick brush.  It took me about 30 minutes to find it.     Then i headed a bit south to a gully and on the other side is thick jungle and steep terrain.   I thought i have to give it a try as sometimes the real jungle isn’t as thick as the overgrown rubber trees.  

Sure enough i could get through although got tangled up in vines a lot.  They are very strong and you can’t break them.  You have to climb your way out of them.    My new machete would’ve been the very thing i needed but i still don’t have a sheath to carry it and don’t know if it’s legal for me , a farang to be seen with it.   I really need it here though.   

So, i got through there and found another path up higher that lead in the direction i wanted to go.  (I had come in from the Kathu/Patong road’s high point once last year and set some GPS points to shoot for, and that’s where i now was trying to hook up)

Now also, i have the Thailand maps in my Gps and although they are not topo, they show a lot of roads including some smaller ones.    One showed up that was a bit below my point that i had reached before and closer.   Since it was still very thick in here (overgrown rubber trees) I headed for the end of a road and after another 45 minutes or so, found it.   There was a house there with 2 dogs barking excessibly.   

So, after a rest and a drink, (it was getting hot now as it was close to noon) i headed back on my track but forever searching for a better way.   I had this feeling that i would find an easy way to skip the jungle, steep, thick brush portion but it wasn’t to be.    I had to eventually follow my track on the GPS as it is really thick in there.    One time through with the machete would fix that though.

So, i got back to the bike around 1 after about 4 hours to go about 1 or 2 miles but finally connected the trail around this Sip Song mountain.     I was a little bloody and very hot and glad i had left a 2 litre bottle of water (now very warm) at the bike.     And it was quite dangerous and Very Steep going down.   Not a good road for a bike for sure.

So, next time out, i will go in from the north side again and try to find the best route over there.   So, i consider myself to be past Patong now although it’ll take until i get to the Kathu/Patong high point temple until i really can call it complete up to there.       sorry, no pictures today.

Ok, i’m adding to this a few days later (Feb 23 now).   Went out today and came in from the Kathu hill side.  I go to the top of the hill where the small Buddhist temple is and everyone beeps their horn as they go by.  

  Head south on the small but cement road.    I drove as far as i could along the ridge and then walked about 300-400 metres right to where i previously stopped near the house with the dogs.    I kept a track on the GPS and basically went back to the bike, and followed the road back.  

There were 2 places where it would be best to leave the road and go up for some better views but it (ridge) returns to the road again.    A nice roadwalk though.    I saw that some adventure race signs were left up from a race probably this past weekend.  

  Near the northerly end, it would be best to leave the road and follow the ridge i think.    I didn’t do it though as it was pretty thick and a trail would have to be built.    All in all, this has some nice scenery looking down on Patong along this whole section.

After i got to the big road (Kathu/Patong road)  After seeing views of the next section and how wild it looks (no sign of any houses or construction or anything except mountains and nature)   I decided to walk in a little bit to see if there was a path.  Sure enough, a beautiful path that reminded me of the Appalacian Trail back in the states except for the trees being a different kind.    I met a monk in there who told me it was beautiful.  Not sure if he meant the day, the trail, or the mountain.   But it all looked excellent to me and i can’t wait to go back on my next day’s adventure.

After hiking the first part of the trail 2 weeks ago from the southern tip of Phuket at Prom Thep to the top of the mountain at Big Buddha, today we continued the walk on what i will call section B from Big Buddha to Patong.

Since our trail is being designed as a “high trail” of the peaks of Phuket, it will NOT go into Patong although a side trail (dirt road) goes down from our end point aproximately 500 meters to the town where everything is available.  Patong being the premiere tourist attraction on the whole island.

Getting started a little later than we wanted to this morning, first we had to set up a shuttle by dropping off one motorbike at the east side of the mountain near what I call “yellow gate” on my GPS’s waypoint.

Driving back up to Big Buddha, we started walking about 9 AM.  The Buddha statue was very picturesque this morning with the morning sun shining on it brightly. Also, we noticed the scaffolding has finally been removed as it is almost near completion.  I have been going up here for 5 years now and remember when the road was dirt all the way up and they were just working on the base.  Now, it is all but complete and shiny with small squares of white sparkly marble covering the whole statue.

 Clear blue skies today for a change make for very scenic but probably hot day for the hike.

We headed up the steps at the tourist attraction but at this hour it was still pretty quiet. There are great views from the top, especially from a small lookout to the left before you get to the stature right at the top of the steps.    Then from the top, we head to the left (west) side of the statue and go around and down on a dirt road that is used for construction vehicles.   

At this time, we are going to have to walk the concrete road for a few hundred meters to a junction with a good sized dirt road on your left that I have marked “motorbike”

Take the dirt road heading northwest, then it immedietly turns due east for a bit.   Coming up on some great views of Chalong bay to your right then watch for a smaller dirt road and take it left and up instead of the road you were on turns right and goes downhill.

It is a pleasant walk along the dirt road with rubber tree and banana tree plantations on both sides of the road with the occasional abandoned shack that the workers had lived in.  Some of these are very beautiful and in picturesque spots.  Sometimes they have a great view also.

Continueing along the road winds around so much that when I first explored this section, I thought i was headed towards the highest point on the island, which is a mountain called Sip Song (means #12 in Thai) that has a huge “golf ball” looking thing on top.  This is a Navy radar station and restricted area that I’ll talk more about later as the restrictions are causing me problems.    Back to my story, I was heading towards the golf ball mountain when i topped a rise and saw directly in front of me was Big Buddha again!    I got completely turned around because i wasn’t watching the compass and hadn’t gotten my new Garmin 60 CSX GPS yet.    The new Garmin is amazing as it can see through the trees and i never lose signal now.    Before, i would have to search for a clearing and wait.

Looking east towards Chalong Bay

So, I eventually came to this scenic spot with Big Buddha in front of me and had to go back and look at Google Earth again. I noticed some young children playing in the jungle with an old tire on that first day and marked the point “kids”.   After i went back to Google Earth, i knew i had to turn right where i saw those kids and sure enough there is a decent road there to make the right.  It has since been widened as there is a house in about another 500 meters that I have marked “manu housu” (Ok, my glasses were fogged that day and i thought i wrote something else but it stayed in there that way so that is what we now call it)    
At “Manu Housu” you will notice one of the finest panoramic views of the whole trail so far.    That first time i was here, so was the owner and although he spoke no English, he seemed to understand that i really enjoyed the view and he did too.    From his house, you can look east and see Chalong Bay and you can also look west without moving (except your head) and see Karon Beach, the 3 mile long beautiful white sand beach between Kata and Patong.
From the 1st house you come to, continue up to the higher house on top and then there is a barbed wire fence in your way.  Follow it to the right and you will eventually come to an opening at the corner of a field or newly planted trees.  Stay to the right side of that field for about 50 meters and you will see a small path to the right that is really beaten down grass to a very short bushwhack thru some thick brush to an older rubber tree (working) plantation on the other side.    I have seen people working this plantation 3 of the 4 times i have hiked this section.   They even posed for a picture on this last time for us.    

From here, turn left through the trees to the border of the woods (jungle) and follow it to the right until you can see another freshly planted field to your right (north).
It is now best to use the waypoint marked “4 points” and basically follow this new field on it’s left (west) side downhill until you come to a small decent road. The road get’s better as you go down.      
This road turns into one of the 4 points where there is an intersection going down to the right to Choafa West road near Wat Chalong.

Continue straight ahead on the lesser used road that goes up the hill.  Follow this road for a few hundred meters and pass a point where you will see good views ahead of the Sip Song Mountain with the “golf ball” looking radar station on top.     Then turn right on a smaller track that is a motorcycle track that leads to a hut with a family living that works the rubber trees.   

  These are friendly 

people with a dog and it’s best to announce your arrival so as not to scare anyone.   You must walk just to the very left of their house and around the back is a good place to refresh yourself from their water barrel.

    The 2nd time I was through here, Ricky our drummer, came along with me and I found out he was afraid of snakes.   Although I have yet to see a snake in the jungle, I have seen two on a road that we were walking and both times they were traveling as fast as they possibly could away from me.    I have found that people who don’t spend a lot of time in the jungle think there’s snakes all over.   Yet, I have been out at least 15 days so far and still haven’t seen one in the jungle.

You only get to walk through this very nice, small path through the woods, or jungle for about 400 meters and you will come to another small road.   Turn left on this road for a few hundred more meters and you will come up to a clearing.   Turn right after the clearing and continue on a better and better road now descending down to a waypoint I have marked “Water Tank”, passing a few picturesque rubber tree worker’s huts along the way.    Great views to the right of Chalong Bay and Cape Panwa can be seen here.

From the water tank which can be seen as a big square metal boxtype container, our trail goes to the left heading west.    From this junction, if you go right, you will go down following the road steeply at times to a yellow gate (another waypoint).  This is a spot where i often park my motorbike for exploration and from here an excellent blacktop road goes down to the east towards Wat Chalong.   They are building a golf course in this beautiful valley and there is another Wat along here where supposedly the head monk is 115 years old!    So, this is access for resupply or possibly a hotel nearby along Choafa West road between the two Wats and a major thoroughfare for southern Phuket. 

But, our trail heads east at the watertanks and maintains it’s altitude instead of dropping down.  Follow this small track as it contours some alluvials along it’s way with beautiful views of the

 terraced newer planted rubber trees to the north on the foothills of “Sip Song” mountain.   (the one with the golf ball looking radar station on top)

You will eventually (after about 700 meters?) come to a point where we head down steeply through some switchbacks.    I must continue some exploring here as i have a hunch that if you go straight, you can eventually meet up with our trail further along.   But for now, we will head to the right (north ) and go down these switchbacks.   (picture at right)

Continue heading west on the road below.  This road was built a few years ago as a connecting bypass between Wat Chalong and Patong.   But they seemed to have built it way too steep and made it dangerous.   There are no switchbacks at the steep parts and it washes out quickly so it has since been abandoned and I even saw some enduro motorcycle riders getting stuck trying to go up amongst some of the huge gullies that have formed in the roadbed.  

But, we don’t have to walk that part and our trail contours at a level elevation here towards Patong on the west with views of the hills of “sip song mtn” to the right. 

At one point, the road descends steeply down to a junction.   We turn left here although I am working on the next section trying to get around the big mountain, “Sip Song”.    The problem here is that this mountain, being the highest point on the whole island of Phuket, is a military base and is restricted area.    So, I have already spent 5 days trying to find a route around this big mountain.    A friend from the local running club: The Phuket Hash House Harriers, told me that the west side is the best to try as there are steep drop offs on the east side.    Well, i have tried and tried and just can’t get through the thick brush and steep ravines.   So, the trail will either have to drop in elevation on the west side, or I am going to start looking on the east side for a route that doesn’t drop down too far.    I learned a long time ago to try to maintain your elevation rather than dropping way down, just to come back up again.  I  will try my best to find a good contour and come back and edit this section if i find one.   

So, the road we are walking along continues along until it comes to a junction that i have marked “Turn Left”.    At this junction, our section ends and will continue to the right and up the hill.  By turning left here, you descend down to the town of Patong which is the biggest tourist town on the island of Phuket with it’s 1500+ bars, 100’s of hotels and guesthouses, many discos, dance clubs, Caberet shows, jet ski rentals, literally thousands of restaurants and every thing most people come to Phuket for.

Profile Map Secion B

As you can see from the above screen shots from the GPS, this section B is a fairly easy section that only took us 3 hours to walk with a 30 minute break. And is only 9.26 km long

Click HERE to download the .kmz file for this section.  Complete with all the waypoints and different routes from my exploring. 

Click here for a link to a basic map shown in Google maps:

  After 14 days or so of exploring and picking routes and then getting my new GPS (Garmin 60 CSX) and going out and hiking the first 15 kms., it is time to write some form of guidebook entry while it is fresh in my mind.

We went out 2 days ago (Sunday Sept 21st) with Kim from Canada and Joanne from Australia who i must say were awesome partners and real troopers to continue after some of the crazy bushwhacks we had in the few places where i forgot the exact route and were stuck in high thick grass or thick brambles and sticker bushes. They never got discouraged and always kept a smile on their faces and I believe they thoroughly enjoyed the whole hike.    

We started out at 6 AM as i knew it was going to be a long day.  Met Joanne for the first time at 6:15 and headed up to Leam Prom Thep which is the high point just north of the southern tip of the island of Phuket.  They were not into being purists so waited for me while i ran down to the water’s edge after the steep dirt track there that is well used by tourists.

Going down there by myself at 6:30 AM brought back many memories from  my old hiking days when i often did big sections alone. I enjoy being alone and have spent almost all of the time on the planning and exploring for this hike by myself.   Total silence as southern Phuket gets very minimal air traffic is the norm although this day was a bit windy.

I spent some time setting my GPS and clearing everything in it so it would keep track only of what we did on this day.  The new one keeps a profile map with zoomable levels that i haven’t totally figured out yet but have all the info saved.   Also a computer track log which would finally tell me distances as well as elevation.    Up to this point, it was only a guessing game based on time and my hiking experience.  But, these mountains of Phuket are a lot steeper than anything except perhaps the Pyrenees in France/Spain but THEY had a trail built on them that often included switchbacks.      

So, Kim and Joanne were waiting for me and already into the food bag until i got back up to the top of Laem Prom Thep which is a huge tourist attraction as it is the southern tip of Phuket and has some history as a lighthouse spot in the old days and wonderful views in 3 directions.    But, not at 6:30 AM.  Thai people don’t like that time of day any better than most of us.

Said our goodbyes to Joanne’s husband Graham and headed across the road and down a trail just to the left of the parking lot. (which is just to the left of the tourist souvenier shops on the road. So, there is a slight trail there that is not far from the road and starts the descent past a few houses on the right.   We weren’t too far from the road and it wasn’t long before we had to hop or go under our first barbed wire fence.    This fence is the boundary for the Phuket Bungalow Resort that was basically abandoned as it is low season and they are closed.  THis resort has beautiful views of the Andaman sea to the west and is the one right on the biggest “horseshoe” bend of the road between Ya Nui and Laem Prom Thep.   

So, we come in the back side of it (top side) and walk right between some bungalows, make a slight right hand turn at the black top road and then the left at the Y to continue the descent.   Within a minute or two, we are in a huge nice working garden of mostly veggies and an orchard.    A dog started barking but the owner didn’t come out of his small bamboo shack as he was probably still sleeping at this hour.  Past the garden, we went over and under another barbed wire fence and were now in the property of the Ya Nui resort.     Ya Nui is the small beach that is popular for lovers and snorkeling and my original route headed up the west side of the steep hill to the windmill.    But, that was thick, nasty stickers and had no views.   So, I had been thinking about it and decided it would be an awesome hike to go up the west side which was just exposed grass with fantastic views to the beach behind us and the Andaman sea to out west as well as the windmill on the hill.

Looking back south at Ya Nui Beach

This was steep going but wonderful.   I coudn’t take enough pictures and we had a few photo-op moments on the way up.  I was running at times to stay ahead of the girls to try to get some good pics.    They both had cameras too and i am hoping to see their pictures soon.   Here is one looking back.    Nothing but smiles at this point of the hike for sure. 

Up near the top, there is a big, deep ravine and we went pretty high to the  right and then crossed above it and then had to work our way back to the left towards the big dark leafed trees.     I had scouted this out beforehand but still went too far right.    Got situated and found the path just feet from where we had been looking.    There is really a lot to take in at this point with the views probably the most spectacular (already) of the whole journey.  As soon as you get on the other side of those bigger trees, you are at the rest area at the lookout point on the windmill hill.    I bring my boy, Simon up here about 3 times a week but Joanne had never been here before so was ooohing and ahhing for another 5 minutes or so.

I checked the trip computer here and it said 2.14 kms from the start to this point.   Heading out from here is easy as you just start on the road that comes up to the lookout for the 30 metres until it hits the main road.  Turn right for 10 metres and take the dirt track to the left that goes back to the football pitch there.     The road goes for about 200 metres before it gets to the field.   No cows today but they often graze there.

Head south through the field and at the other end, watch for the four-wheeler tracks to the south and follow them staying to the righ (east) until you have to work your way over into the trees.    There is a very short bushwhack here until you can find a boundary marker and follow that until you see a path created there.    

After about 100 metres, you will see a makeshift tower made from construction poles that i belive were stolen and carried up here so someone could build a tower to check out the sea view to try to sell some land.    The land is above the 80 metre rule but some ignore that and build anyway.   The 80 metre rule states that you cannot build a house above 80 metres from sealevel.   I believe it is a good rule and you don’t see houses dotting the landscape all over Thailand disrupting the views.    It is one of the things that keeps the place so beautiful.

Continueing past the tower, keep following the boundary markers and somewhere along the line, you must leave them and head left or west.    We didn’t do this too well and anyone might have trouble so i really have to go up there and mark some trail through here because there the hills here separate into two ridges and we want the one to the west.   (but the easier trail leads to the east)    So, we had to do a little bushwhacking again and this time it took a bit longer but the girls were very game and not complaining at all.   I was impressed.     

  As soon as you make the top of the western ridge, you find trail again and just continue following it north until you see Nai Harn lake.   This is the lake where we hang  out and jog and live near so it was like: Wow, that kind of wilderness is so close to the lake and we didn’t know it.      We hit the road around the lake and turned right      towards the Reggae Bar there.      Our friend Big Bow was up already and calling out to us with his freindly laugh and greetings.    We told him what we were doing and he just laughed harder.  

 I checked the trip computer again and now we were at 4.57 kms from the beginning.   And for the third time, at sea level again.   I believe this will be the last time we will  be at sea level, until the  end of the trail at the northernmost tip of Phuket at the Sarasin Bridge that we will be at sea level as this is a trail with a goal of hitting the high  peaks of the mountains of  Phuket and will strive to do so whenever possible.     This is the end of Part 1 of Section A.

  Turning left at the Reggae Bar, we cross the small bridge and go straight up the small dirt road just to the right of the new Hotel going up, up the hill.    This is a steep road and once you get up there a bit, you see a yacht and have to wonder how they got it up there.    We beat left on some concrete above the yacht and you’ll see a few houses that have been started but left abandoned.   I would guess they were shut down becuase they are above the 80 metre line.     We continue up westbound and go to the right of a small barbed wire fence heading for the corner of the trees.    Turn right at the corner and continue the fairly steep ascent along the treeline and border posts there.    

We were getting hungry at this point, so started looking for some shade with a view.    AND  a flat spot.    Not so easy to find all 3 so we settled for shade, a somewhat flat spot, but you had to stand up on your tiptoes for the view looking west to the sea with Nai Harn beach off to the left.      Had our breakfast of Cinnamon rolls that i had bought the morning before and some dates that the girls brought.    High spirits all around and impressed with our 700 feet of elevation gain already since the lake only about a mile back.   

Continuing the ascent with some decent trail along borders of land boundaries until we came to a small road that i have marked “sm road” as a waypoint.    Continue north, heading for the waypoint marked “clear 1″ and then you will see a better road.  (the first, small one is really a 4-wheeler track),   Follow the road up to the top and your high point at 820 feet.

 We celebrated a bit at this high point before heading down only to see a group of about 20 4-wheelers heading up.   (right)   And just after that, since it was a Sunday, we saw a big group of mountain bikers doing some training or warming up with a little course they had set up on the road using coconuts for markers.   We stopped and talked to them for a bit as I had hidden some water bottles here the day before and we stopped to fill our smaller bottles and get a good drink.     The girls, who are also into mountain biking, spent some time finding out when they get together while i worked on the GPS as we were now within 50 metres of the end of this part 2 of section A at KATA VIEW X-ing.

  I know i was only in the woods for a few hours but still almost stepped out in front of a motorbike coming up the road from Nai Harn village on the right.     About 200 metres up the road to the left is a beautiful viewpoint called “Karon Viewpoint” with excellent views of Kata Noi beach, Kata beach and Karon beach.   I took my family up here yesterday also.     Possibly i shoud route this trail up there for the view but it is very touristy and i’m trying to stay away from that so will continue along my originally planned “red route” and cross the road, slightly to the right and jump across the drainage ditch then immedietly turn left after entering the small banana tree farm that someone has just recently planted.  

From there, we head northeast following a small track but leaving it to follow the ridge that goes up just to the left of a new rubber tree plantings.   Go to the left hand side of this and find some  boundary markers and follow the track laid by the rubber farmers.   Continueing up from the  640 foot elevation when you crossed the road.    Near the top, you will have to leave the easy walking and cross the barbed wire fence up into some real jungle.   When i first hiked this, i had no problems here but on Sunday, with the girls, we got off my track i guess and had to do some scrambling around and bushwhacking for a good 15 minutes before coming out on a small road leading down.      I will go out today or tomorrow and fix the track on this as i know it’s not a tough route to follow.  Probably i was just talking too much rather than concentrating on the terrain.    

  Gaining the track, we passed the highpoint here and headed down to an excellent road that crosses the mountains here and forms a link between the main road at Kata Hill, and the windy, back road, to the west that is the shortcut road from Nai Harn to Kata.    This Nai Harn road has gotten some bad reviews lately as there were a few muggins late at night (after 2 AM) here including one Norwegian man was killed about a year ago.    It is not travelled as much as before but is perfectly safe in the daytime.

Now, we turn right on the good gravel road and it bends to the left at a steep descent with great views of Nai Harn and Chalong Bay off to your right. We continue on to a low point where there are 2 rubber tree shacks up to the left and a good dirt track off to the right.   I have this point marked as “NOOGO” on my GPS because THIS is the spot where i really want to turn right and head up to the top of the steep mountain there.

The first time I came here, there was another shack at the junction and a woman was bathing there and when i asked her if it was ok to go through, she said No!   I was a bit persistant as i had never had anything but smiles from these farmers of the rubber, but she kept saying MiDai! which means: Cannot!    Now, my Thai isn’t very good but I could tell she didn’t want me going through there.   So, i’m thinking they must have something illegal growing up there or something and i left it alone and continued on the road which lead me all the way (another mile or two) to the KATA Hill road.      But, i don’t like roadwalks, especially if they can be avoided so, went back 4 times to try exploring this valley and mountain where i really wanted the route to go.   Each time, she was there and said “Mi Dai” and I had hoped to bring a Thai person who is bi-lingual along to ask why but never did.    

But, today I had Kim who speaks pretty good Thai.   So, we had to go search the woman out at the huts and Kim then asked her if we could go up there.  Again she said no.   But, this time when Kim asked her why, she said: “Because there’s nothing up there and if you go up, you will come back and be mad at me because you got lost”   Well, we all had a good laugh over this.  (Thai people love to laugh, especially at stupid farangs)    Obviously she didn’t know about GPS and Google Earth and what we could do.   

These are rustic rubber tree farmers who live in small corregated metal shacks with no electricity, no power tools of any kind, getting their water from the roof when it rains and using only machete’s and plastic buckets for collecting their rubber.    They use coconut shells for collecting the rubber that drips from a cut they make in the tree.  They have to make this cut (not sure why) at 4 AM.  Then the cups (shells) fill up with the dripping rubber and they come back and dump them into the bucket.  The pay is about $6 a day from what I hear and many of the workers are illegals from Myramar.    Then they take the liquid and run it through a machine run by a hand crank that looks like the old style “wringer washer” we had in the 50’s.     This gives them a flat piece of rubber about 1 foot by 2 feet rectangular that they can then stack on the back of their motorbikes and get them to market.     I understand that they work for a commission with the landowners and can negotiate pay sometimes.  But in a tourist area like Phuket, it is not easy to be able to afford food and clothes.     

So, yesterday (Sept 25) I went out and went back to my exploring mode and made the right turn here and went up the track and, well it was incredible.   AFter about 100 metres, there were no more rubber trees and i was in real jungle with footpaths worn in and I found paths going almost exactly where i wanted them.   I wrote this up already in another entry and will paste it here:

Today, Sept 25^th, 2008 I was out to do a piece of section between the NOGO waypoint, (where the woman told me I couldn’t go )  and Kata Hill near Pub Pla. It turned out as I thought and was beautiful with trail thru real jungle almost all the way.

I saved the track as “Sept-25-08” on MapSource and saved the profile screen and trip computer screen shot using “x-image” under Garmin/screen shots/profile nogo to kata and  tripcomputer nogo to kata.

So, turning right off of the good road at the NOGO waypoint, I parked my motorbike on the left where the entrance to the two shacks with rubber tree workers living in them.    I started up to the trail heading southeast on a very well worn footpath.     50 metres in, there were two girls sitting in a nice spot chatting and I continued straight as there was a possible right (disregard)

Then I got to another Y and made a left.  There were 2 or 3 guys over there and I attracted the interest of all of these folks.     Remember, I had asked 4 times before to explore this section to all negative answers, only finding out once Kim came and asked them why, and they told her that they were afraid I would get lost or hurt and the trail went nowhere!

I started the ascent now and continued on the trail.   It wasn’t far off my original red trail track line that is on my GPS.   I was just to the west of that line most of the way up that first climb.    I had marked a few points that I was striving for on Google Earth and then  transferred them to my new GPS.  I had to do this the old fashioned way of entering each number but I will figure out an easier way one of these days.     The first point I was going for, I had named “Try 1” and I got very near that point by staying right on trail.  (I was perhaps 40 metres to the east when I passed it) Then I put the next point in as my “goto” and it was named “Try 2”   I noticed I crossed my original Red Trail line while going up to this one but I was still on a slight trail through beautiful real Thai forest and not rubber trees for a change.    (not knocking rubber trees, they are easy walking but so was this trail)  

I crossed the red line again right before I came onto “try 2” waypoint.     Just after reaching that waypoint, I continued on decent trail but found that I was going too far west and away from my planned route.   So, I backtracked a bit,  and headed back to the red trail line and found some good trail again.   Continuing up the ridgeline, I came to a big tree which was near the top of a knob.    Excellent.   So, I stopped for a few minutes and got a drink and marked this waypoint as  “top bigtree” 

Then I kept following the ridge and trail but found once again, that I was going too far west and decided I must be following the wrong ridge.   So, I backtracked BACK to the “top bigtree” point and  found a slight trail leading northeast.   My next point I had in there was “try top” but it really wasn’t on the ridge so I kept following the ridge which was leading me slightly east. 

After a few hundred metres from here, I had to do a little bushwhacking but stayed on top and sure enough ,  a trail (slight) appeared here and there and I continued following it.    Finally after about 15 minutes  or maybe 20 from the big tree mark, I  came to an OLD rubber tree plantation with big trees.  

Up until this point, it has been all REAL JUNGLE and I wasn’t used to that and it felt great.   I had trail most all the way too and this is what hiking is all about.   So, now, I followed these big old rubber trees easily although they didn’t last too long and then the ridge dropped downhill pretty fast and there was a bunch of high grass.    I had to backtrack again one more time as I was getting  way west of where I really wanted the trail to go via the red trail line.    But, the ridge wasn’t where the red trail line was so I was going the only way I could I guess.

I came to a small road that I marked “road 2” and it turned into a bigger one and I then put in the waypoint “pub pla” and headed towards it.       But the road seemed to go to the west of the pub so I cut up through some steep hillside and got on another small ridge coming down and got to the pub pla.   Then I decided I’d better go check out where that track came from so I headed southwest again.    I then saw the way I should’ve come and marked the spot Ideai (with an I) so that I could find it easily next time.     

In walking down the pub pla road, I went too far south and got on another road.  Next time I should go to the west of the restaurant at the top and go down their driveway, to near the bottom I found the perfect spot to cross the hiway and marked it “come out here” .  So, next time when I’m walking down their beautiful driveway (pub pla’s) near the end, I will head down a small gully or track to this waypoint and that is the end of this section “NOGO to KATA HILL”

This brings us to the end of Part 3 of Section A.

From this new exit point (“Come Out Here” waypoint).  Be careful and cross the busy highway here.   They are working on widening the road to 4 lanes.  This is a busy connecting road between Kata/Karon/Patong with Chalong/Raiwai/Nai Harn areas. 

Crossing the road unto a driveway just to the left and a big open dirt parking lot.   Follow the lot over to the right where it goes up through some decent track/road although becoming overgrown.  This leads up around and to the left passed some old temporary construction worker’s huts now abandoned.    Go right past these huts and the bear right to where you can see a spot where a ‘dozer flattened out a spot for a possible house but never finished it.  

From here, my original track went around to the right a bit and then up a fairly steep band heading up to the ridge.  BUT, on this day I hiked with the 2 girls (Sept 21) I wasn’t remembering well and we started bushwhacking a little and saw a rock boulder field that was actually a stream bed in rainy weather.    I should’ve known better but it was suggested we go that way.   I have tried walking streambeds before and it is never much of a good idea.    Too many big drops, waterfalls, and trees (blowdowns) blocking the way.   This one was no different and it was slow going with me in front.

After about 100 metres of this, i climbed up a steep boulder and looked up to see a hord of the dreaded “Tor” or Large Poisonous Wasps that i had been warned about from the Hash House Harrier guys.    They told me this was their number one worry out there.    I had an encounter with one before on an exploratory hike and bitten on the finger.   That time, my first immediate thought was “cobra” as it hurt really bad.   The pain lasted 24 hours and really throbbed and hurt.  I went back to the Hash House guys and told them i now know what they were talking about. 

So, on this day, when i saw about 30 of them, I immedietly turned around, yelled “wasps, go down, FAST”      I don’t think the girls believed me at first but then they saw a few of them circling my head.     I was trying to swat them away and the two of them (i considered to be scouts or sentries) attacked and hit my thick ball cap 7 times.  I knocked one down and hit it with my walking stick.  It didn’t faze it and it got up again and came after me.     Finally it got through and achieved it’s intention.   It got me on the neck just below my hair and then the other one got me a few seconds later on the back of my head.     I really started running then and so did Kim and Joanne.  

 Finally we were clear of them and we stopped to regroup.   We then found my original way up there and went up into a spot and stopped to rest, talk about the attack, and have a drink.      The pain didn’t lessen much at all in this time.   Continueing up the ridge through old rubber trees here that are becoming overgrown and taken back to jungle.     we had to cross a thicket where there was a boundary line to a small clearing the i had marked on my GPS before as “Small Road 1″

    At this point i remember someone asking me how i knew where the heck i was going all the time.    I explained that i originally drew my preferred route on Google Earth and transferred it to the GPS as a red line.   (still on there so i could show them)    Then, i came out again and came up with this route that we were on and placed waypoints where i thought they were needed.    And after today’s walk, would have a track log of the actual walk to follow.    This is a grey line on the kmz or kml file that i have created.   I haven’t figured out yet how to upload that file to a downloadable place on the web yet but will eventually.

Ok, the small road, leads up to a bigger road that you must turn right on.   That road goes over to an elephant riding camp.    Today it was deserted except for a cook or two but last time i was here, there were many elephants and “mahouts” around.  

 A Mahout is a man who trains the elephant and they are together for life.    The elephant listens to only him.   He uses a small stick with a metal hook in it as a sort of whip to tell the elephant (or “Chang” if you speak Thai) when it is doing wrong.     The Mahout made the elephant bow to me on one knee and told me i was going the wrong way as the road was over to the right.     I said i didn’t want a road, and was going up to Big Buddha by the shortest possible route, in other words, straight up the ridgeline.   They got a good laugh over that and told me to watch out for snakes.     Now that got a good laugh from me as i had now been out about 14 or 15 days and saw 2 snakes and both were on a road, about 20 metres away and going as fast as they could away from me.      I had yet to see a snake in the jungle and the Hash House Harriers told me that in their clubs 18 years of exsistance, no one had ever been bitten by a snake.    So, rest assured it would be a rare occurance.

We followed a small road or track to the left of the elephant camp and came up to a small building or concrete tank and turned hard right here unto the ridgeline again.    Now the going got a bit steeper although it was always in or near rubber trees which are easy to walk through.     Finally the rubber trees ran out about 3/4 of the way up this big mountain.   So, we had to bushwhack again. At this point, we were all pretty tired as we had been out walking/climbing/bushwhacking/hiking for about 8 hours with only 2 breaks.      We got into some thickets that were pretty tough and again, i have to give these to women a lot of credit for staying positive and joking about things along the way.  

 Keep going up and up and eventually you will come to a Buddhists monks camp in the jungle complete with about 4 huts and a campfire area for cooking.    1st time through here, they were occupied and i think i scared them as i came right out of nowhere in the thick bush.    This time there was no one around as it was a Sunday and a busy time for the Wat or Temple up at the top just below the actual statue of the Big Buddha. 

Continuing up through their camp and you come out just below the toilets built for the tourists who come up to the top to see one of the best views in all of Phuket and the almost finished “Big Buddha” statue.    It is 5 or 6 years in the making and should be completed within a year.  

I have been up here many times with both Kim, whom i used to hike the road climb every Saturday for about a year with. And also my son Simon loves coming up here.    

On this day, we saw a monk or two that we knew and told them about the wasp.   They told us we really needed to see the big monk who would give us some protection from these terrible stinging wasps.   So, we went and did the religious bowing and Sawadee Krups and were blessed by the monk who put a bracelet on each of us for protection.   Then someone got the girls to go speak to the president of the Big Buddha statue association or something like that and I didn’t see them for about 1 1/2 hours while i took a badly needed rest.  

This completes our trail and Part 4 of Section A and Completes Section A from the southern tip of Phuket at Prom Thep point to Big Buddha.

 Here is the profile map of  Section A

l)                                                   

The Author “Fiddlehead” on one of the more scenic climbs.

In conclusion, Section A, from the southern tip of the island at Prom Thep to the top of the mountain at Big Buddha is broken up into 4 parts:

Part 1: The sea at the tip of the island to the Reggae Bar at Nai Harn lake: Distance 4.57 kms.

Part 2: Nai Harn Lake to KATA View X-ing: Distance from beginning: 7.8 kms     or 3.23 from the end of Part 1

Part 3: KATA View X-ing to the road at KATA Hill: Distance from beginning: 12.45   or 4.65 kms from Kata View X-ing

Part 4: KATA hill road to Top of Big Buddha:  Distance from beginning 14.47 kms or 2.02 very steep kms. 

Here is a link to where you can download the .kmz file I created in Google Earth and you can look at the trail from above.  
or, if you have the latest version of Google Earth, and you hold down the shift key while scrolling with the mouse wheel, you can see the climbs in 3D. 

If you have any problems with the above link for the .kmz file, please comment so i can fix it.  Thanks

Here is a link to Section B (next section) from Big Buddha to Patong.

I am hoping to walk the high peaks and create a hiking route from the southern end of PHuket at Laem Prom Thep to the bridge which forms the northern point at Sarasin bridge.   The crow flies this route in only 30 miles, but i expect my trail, when finished will be about 100 miles.   Phuket comes from a Malaysian word Bukit meaning mountain, as it is very mountainous.     IT will be a tough trail through a lot of rubber plantations and thick jungle.      The mountains are very steep sided here as much of the landscape in Thailand.   And many places have been stripped even more of their sides from the tin mining that went on here 40-70 years ago.   Anyway……….
I started at Big Buddha about 2 weeks ago and have gone out about 5 times now and today reached the top of the mtn that has the big golf ball looking thingy on top.   (name on Google Earth is: Khao Mai Sip Song)   It is some kind of military radar and when i got there, found out it is restricted area.

Anyway, i hope to explain some of my bushwhacking and trailblazing here in my blog along with my files from my GPS and Google Earth which i use both a lot to find the best ways to bushwhack and use exsisting clearings, creeks, dirt roads and paths through rubber plantations etc.       I could do it without the two combined as it is very steep terrain sometimes and very thick jungle.

So, today (Tuesday Aug 12/2008) I went out with Ricky (our drummer in the band here) as he said he likes hiking and finally agreed to go with me.    We put a motorcycle at the other end and drove together on one to the start near the Big Buddha.     I set up my GPS with the waypoints i would need lined up, fresh batteries and we started.

We headed out from the road junctune near the Big Buddha where a dirt road that leads to many rubber plantations turns left off the main road near a small hut there.   (I will Gps this point next time i go up there for reference on my Google maps)        In the beginning I was talking a lot and i missed the first turn near a beautiful view of Chalong at a clearing about 200-300 meters into the hike.    Had to backtrack a bit to make the left turn on a slightly lesser road.     Then we did the ups and downs and turns until we got to another seaview spot where Ricky also was surprised as I was on my first trip up there that Karon beach was on our right instead of our left.   This took me 2 days to figure out the first time and there is a family with small kids living around this area where you have to make a hard right turn.    I have this marked on my maps as “kids”.

Since i was up there last, the man who i met my first time on this road (day 2 of my earlier trailblazing) has now fixed his road and made it a lot better and wider.    This is the man that has the piece of land that i just love.   When you finally get to the ridge where his house is, you can look down and see Karon beach on your left and Chalong bay on your right.   Both sides are steep but the top is a bit flat so he has a house in the spot where you can easily see both.    I picture a huge porch here that i someday would sit at and do my work and look up in either direction and see paradise.    This point i named “manu house” in my GPS

Anyway, you only go about another 50-75 meters and there is no more road/trail of any kind.   You have to hop a barbed wire fence and are in a new rubber tree field that we walk to the back of and that’s it.   The end of easy hiking.   Ricky said: What do we do now.   Well, i showed him the GPS and told the story of how it took me two days and a lot of exploring before i figured out that we had to bushwhack through some very thick vegetation for only about 20 meters and we were down into somebody elses rubber plantation.    He looked at the head high thick grass and then sticker bushes and trees and thick stuff and looked very doubtful at this point.     In the exploration, i had to go home, put this GPS into my google earth program and then find another way up (totally different valley) and come up to the point in the lower rubber tree forest.   I already had the above spot near the mans house in there and got to where i was only about 50 feet away and bushwhacked up through that thick stuff.     So, now we did it downhill and Ricky followed me but i could tell he didn’t like this part.

On the other side of the bushwhack, there were some people right there.   A man collecting the days rubber and a woman just behind.    Now, whenever i meet someone up there in the mtns, i always say Sawadee Krup and smile and try my best to show them i mean no harm and am just out for a walk.    But this time, she saw that we came right from nowhere out of thick jungle brush.     She didn’t seem all that happy to see us.  Ricky speaks better Thai than me and just told her we were lost.

I then got a little turned around looking for satellites as it was thick overhead jungle cover and rubber trees.   I had a few GPS points loaded from past days exploring up there but couldn’t get a signal.    Finally i remembered or figured out which way we had to go (more left than straight downhill) and we again had to bushwhack a very short distance to the edge of yet another rubber farm.     Now, we had road for a while until we got down to the point that i call “4 way” on my google maps.     The road to the right from here takes you down the road that follows a beautiful creek all the way down to where they are building a new golf course near Robs house.    I would love to buy some land down there on this road in a beautiful spot i found there with running water nearby.

Anyway, we headed up from there on a little used road.   Ricky looked skeptical again and was really hoping we would stay on roads now.     We did for a while and then went off on a small path.    He asked if i was sure this was right?    I said, this is someone’s driveway as there’s a house up here where people live.   It was steep and small but sure enough, they were home and remembered me.   YOu almost have to go right through their house and they have kids and dogs and i told them i liked their place and hiking around the jungle.      They laughed, as Thai people often do.    We continued on and now, in my mind, this is the best part coming up.    There is a trail although it is a bit overgrown and it winds through some beautiful natural jungle.    It is easy to follow but the plants are thick and you need a stick to brush them back.

Once again, i could tell that Ricky wasn’t liking this.   He kept asking about snakes.    Now in 6 days or so of being up there, i had seen only 2 snakes for sure and one that could’ve been a lizards tail or a snake.  I don’t know.      Both times they sensed me or saw me and took off the other way just like the snakes back home where i come from so i wasn’t scared of them.    But this was Ricky’s first bushwhacking attempt in Thailand and he was thinking snake all the way.

I took some cool pictures of Ricky here and will upload them soon.

When we got to the next small dirt road after about 1/2 mile or one kilometer of this kind of hiking (my favorite), I told Ricky that i though the bushwhacking was over and it would be all small roads from here to the end.   He had a big smile then.

But the walking still was great with total silence and the occasional bird or sounds from above that are most likely birds although i said it sounded like monkeys at one point.     We passed a few small shacks that the rubber farmers live in and i took some pictures.   The road was getting better and better until it got to the point where it turned onto the road that they tried to build over the mtn to Patong.

BUt the Thais don’t build roads like the western world and when they have to go up a steep grade, instead of putting switchbacks in, they just go straight up.    Well that creates two problems: it washes out so easy with big gulleys as the water continues to build all the way down.   And it also causes many serious accidents as trucks and buses lose their brakes or they heat up and they can’t stop and they get out of control and people often die.      You can see the big big ruts here in the road and i don’t see it ever working this way.

Finally, after passing some great views of Phuket town and Cape Panwa and the bay, we went down steeply to where Ricky’s motorcycle was parked.    We then took a good break as we both don’t really like to stop once we get going.

So, that is the first stretch of this trail that i have explored pretty extensively.   I still have a change i would like to make near the end where i would go up instead of steeply down and cross over the gap much higher.   I have been in there and figured it all out but it is too much bushwhacking for Ricky’s taste and we didn’t have the motorbike set up for the shuttle that way.      I will go in some day and try that again and get a track on it for the google earth and gps files I am building for this trail.

For now, i will stop here and continue another blog entry for the next leg.  Stay tuned.

Aug 22, 2008: Time to add a bit as yesterday I completed another section: From the southern point of Laem Prom Thep to the road between Nai Harn and Kata (near Kata Viewpoint)

Hiked down to the point with some friends who were visiting and it sure is nice scenery.  There is a Y junction about half-way down in which you should take the right fork as it is a bit easier.    I got a little wet at the bottom as i was trying to set my GPS to start tracking and wasn’t watching the waves.

After i got up to Laem Prom Thep where all the people hang out on top, i walked down the steps and across to the far left souvineer shop up there and there is a small parking lot just to the left (north) of that.   At the extreme left side of that parking lot (once again north) there is a small trail that starts out there and then turns into a small road in the woods.   Take that way down and save yourself some bushwhacking from the small trail in back of the parking lot.

In no time at all, you are down and inside a barbed wire fence to the Nai Harn Bungalows.   I went right through their bungalows and down through a garden of someone and eventually hit and crossed the road from Ya Nui Beach to Rawai.    Up the other side and after about 100 metres, it got pretty thick so i crossed the road here and bushwhacked up to the govt property where the windmill is.   Then across the road and down the dirt track to the football field just below.   Then just to the right of the 4 wheeler track and found a path in there which i followed to a boundary marker and stuck to the edge of a rubber tree plantation.
Pretty easy hiking along trails and boundaries down to a cell phone tower and then steeply down to the lake at Nai Harn.   Good Stuff.

From here, i crossed the bridge near the Reggae Bar and went up the steep dirt road at the corner near the old Laguna bar.   At the top were some Thai’s playing that volleyball looking game with their feet.   They were excellent and had a nice spot up there.   I said a few words about the Olympics right here in Thailand and continued my ascent.   It kept going up and up for a long time.   Once again, i followed the edge of fields and rubber trees and went from boundary to boundary.  Eventually there is a path up there that is fairly easy to follow.   Then a bunch of turning and twisting always heading for the top.   A little bushwhacking but not much as there are lots of old trails almost like game trails.

At the top is a clearing that i marked cleara on my gps.  From there there were 4 wheeler tracks and roads and it got better and better.  I was always very close to the line on my GPS from my route i planned out on Google Earth.     I finally saw the road and called Tony who lives nearby to get a ride back to my starting point.   Found an Aussie dollar (bronze coin) up there on the road too.

All in all, this was a beautiful day and great hike.   I hope to take Kim up there one of these days and show her how close we live to getting away from it all and a nice (though somewhat steep) hike.

Stay tuned once again for more.  It’s raining today so i’m not going out but will again soon.

Aug 24, 2008

Went out again today to do the section from where i left off near Kata viewpoint (where the road goes over the mtn between Kata and Nai Harn (route 4233 on Google Earth) over to the road crossing at Kata hill (4028 between Chalong and Kata Center)

It was a beautiful day and the hike started out great with an old road to follow for about 100 metres or so.  Then it was back to climbing through newly planted rubber trees and pretty easy to see where i needed to go. (i always try to follow the highest point and the ridgeline)   Went up and up and finally it was just the ridge and jungle and a little bushwhacking although pretty easy as it wasn’t too thick.
Then i got to a small road which lead north on the ridge for only about 200 metres until it came to a big road that was all grey stone and in great shape.
Now, i didn’t know there was a road up there and this one was well maintained.    I followed it slightly and then it seemed to go down so i went back to bushwhacking but found myself in a clearing of a rubber plantation with 2 big dogs that didn’t like me there.    So, i returned to the road and followed it for a while.

I came to a shack about 500 metres later and there was a woman taking a bath there and a small track behind her house that appeared to go just the way i wanted.   I started up it but she said no no.   SO, i tried to explain that i really wanted to go that direction but she pointed the way i had been headed and said go that way.    I backtracked to see if i could get around her property but it was a deep gully.    Once again I asked and she said NO.     SO, i continued on the road and sure enough, it turned the same direction and was a nice walk on a good road.    AFter about 2 miles, i started seeing nice houses and knew i was getting closer to Kata.     Some very nice views and houses up there.
I finally came out at the Kata road (main road) at a sign saying Inter Hotel just north of the high peak of the road.    Looking at it from one of the views, i knew i really wanted to be up about a 1/4 mile towards the top (south) .

Today, i rode my motorcycle up there and tried a lot of different roads and came to a seemingly abondoned beautiful old restaurant that had been called Ban Pla (house fish?) This place had a view that couldn’t be beat looking at both Chalong and Kata beach.     But how to get to it?
I think i really need to go back, and go to that woman again and try to go through where i originally wanted to and now that i have that restaurant GPS’d, i will be able to find it from the ridge.    It will take me another day i’m sure but it looks like some beautiful rain forest jungle in there and steep.  (just the kind of stuff i like)    Took a few pictures up there yesterday as it was a beautiful day. 

Here is a man I saw up there yesterday working. Notice the rope on his bundle of freshly cut stakes.  I really must learn to speak Thai better as i couldn’t communicate with him well.   He might’ve been a Burmese though as he didn’t understand much of what i said in Thai.                                                                                  

Ok, today is August 25th and i had another great day out there.   I did go back to the woman who didn’t want me crossing her property, with hopes of getting her permission today as i did a lot of looking at Google Earth and thinking that there has got to be a way up to the high peaks and not taking that road (too easy)  and coming out somewhere near the Pub Pla abandoned restaurant.
But, when i got there, her husband was also there and they both said no.  I plan to come back with one of my Thai friends who also speaks English so they can find out and explain to me why not.

So, i decided to go do the last stretch from the Kata road up to the Big Buddha which would complete my first 1/3 (aprox) of the entire island peak trail. (for lack of a better trail name at this point)

I parked just up the road from where i left off and followed a dirt road up about 50 metres to where someone had bulldozed a flat spot with an ocean view probably with hopes of selling it.   From there, i had to bushwhack up some steep rocks ending in thick vegetation that was a bit tough but finally got up to another rubber plantation.  I usually follow these near the borders if i can as i feel half in civilization but on the edge of the jungle.  A lot easier walking and visability through the plantations although this one was a bit overgrown and i don’t think anyone has been up there lately.  

Had no GPS signal as it was very thick trees overhead.  I really need to get a better GPS and am looking at them on ebay now.  The X models are supposed to really look through the trees with no problem.   I finally came to a small clearing and had to sit down for about 15 minutes till i locked into 4 satellites and got a signal.   I marked it SMROAD and continued.   Up another 50-100 metres and it hit a bigger road i turned left and saw a lot of fresh elephant shit so knew why the road was there.

Sure enough, after a few hundred more metres, i came across an elephant camp with lots of eleaphants and mahouts (their lifelong trainers and companions who steer them with their feet behind their ears and grunt and yell commands)  

They thought i was lost and pointed me toward the road going up (concrete).   When i said no, i want to go this way (pointing straight up towards Big Buddha at the top) they said: “oh there are many snakes, including King Cobra!”    Well, I’ve been out about 12 or 13 days now and have seen 2 snakes, both going fast away from  me and none of them were cobras let alone King Cobras.
As i’ve noticed many times, Thai people are really afraid of Cobras and so have not spent any time in the jungle and it is rare to hear about someone who has been bitten.

So, i continued up through steep rubber tree plantations enjoying great views back towards Kata beach and had to do some short bushwhacks between the different plantations, once in a while getting into some real “rain forest” jungle with the big indiginous trees that are so beautiful.

Finally i heard a sound and saw some orange and it was a monk living in a rustic cabin.  I think i scared him as i came out of nowhere.     There were about 4 huts there and a small fire cooking a kettle of food.  I hung ou a bit trying to talk to them and they let me take some pictures

Turns out they were not too far from the top and the Gigantic Big Buddha they’ve been building up there for the past 5 years that i’ve been watching it and hiking up there via the road.      I forget how high it is but can be seen from the southern half of Phuket and has amazing 360 deg. views from it’s location.

I did a thru-hike of the CDT in ‘98 starting in the “bootheel” of New Mexico and finishing up in Waterton Lakes Provincial Park in Canada.

There were 7 of us when i started with lots of old hiking friends and some new ones.    But, by the time I got to Montana which is the last state for a Northbound hiker and a beautiful one,  I was alone.   Hiking alone for 700+ miles can be daunting, but I learned a lot about myself and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Anyway, my friend Pieps (Brian Piepergerdes) knew about when i was finishing and sent me a care package to the PO in East Glacier, MT which is the last town stop on the trail.   Now Pieps is a great hiker with lots of experience and hails from Kansas City.   There is a famous candy bar that also comes from Kansas City and he sent me a few of them.    They are called Russell Stover candy bars and they are chocolate on the outside and creamy caramel on the inside.    Needless to say, after 2600 miles of hiking, they are an awesome surprise to the taste buds.

I ate one that day at the PO and decided that these things were going to be cherished and rationed.  So, it was about 4 days later when I was about to spend my last night camping on the trail before finishing at the border and then hiking another 4 miles or something to the town at Waterton Lakes, BC Canada.

Looking back at the view on my next to last day

Now Glacier National Park is known for it’s grizzly bears.   This can make it a very pleasant experience if you are not too afraid of them.    I respect them but my fears when hiking are a lot less than my fears in the working, crowded, business world with all it’s distractions and rules and……………well, anyway, I enjoyed those last few days with almost no one out there in the park after about 3 pm.    Saw many day-hikers but not many people camping out at night.

So, on the day before i was going to finish, I was climbing a mountain and noticed a grizzley bear about a mile away to my left (west) and he was foraging for some food, rolling over logs and moving on and probably getting ready for winter as it was late Sept.      I was a little surprised that he hadn’t seen me yet, or at least I don’t think he would be so playfully hunting for his grubs or insects or berries or whatever.
I noticed the wind was coming from that direction so figured he couldn’t smell me.   Now, the last thing you want to do in griz country is to surprise the bear.    So, what was i supposed to do?   The “book” says i should shout a warning and let him know i was there.     But I didn’t think that the best idea because he seemed to be having a lot of fun, i was alone, and i could almost see the top of the pass about a mile away for me.    Once over the pass, i could move fast down the other side and be out of his territory.
So, i kicked in in gear and picked up my pace to about 4 mph.    Now, i’d already been on the trail for 5 months of hiking almost everyday and was in some pretty good shape.

The trail was full of switchbacks and i couldn’t see the bear except on the western end of each switchback.   There he was each time, a little closer, still having fun and not paying any attention to me.   I kept moving fast and finally got to the top heaving a huge sigh of relief as now i could forget about him as i’d be a half mile away before he probably even got to my scent on the trail.

I went about another 4 or 5 miles that day before calling it a night and setting up camp.    I wanted a really nice camp that night as it was my last of a great summer of hiking and spending time in some beautiful scenery.     So, slightly illegally as i didn’t have a permit to just “stealth” camp, i went off trail a bit and camped in a boulder field near the top of another pass.

Now one thing you are supposed to do in the park is hang your food away from your tenting area.    I was above treeline so wasn’t sure what to do.   I didn’t want to sleep with my food because i was in “griz” country, so………..

I searched for, and found a spot where there was a big pile of rocks nearby.    It seemed like an old cairn that would mark a boundary or historical spot or something.    SO, i found a flat spot nearby, set up my tent and took about 10 rocks off the top, put my food bag (with my one and only Russell Stover candy bar left inside) in there and replaced the stones.      I went to sleep figuring if the griz was coming, at least he would hit the food bag and not me!

In the middle of the night, i was awakened by some sounds of rocks being moved and dropped.   The adrenalin started flowing as i figured it had to be griz out there to move those rocks up about 4 feet high.  I immediately thought about the “Russell Stover” candy bar and my mouth was watering from the anticipation of eating it tomorrow at the border as much as the adrenaline from the possible grizzly bear encounter i was about to have.

I got out of my tent, with my trusty, little Photon Micro-lite flashlight, and went over to the cairn.    There, instead of the big ole bear, was the biggest rat i had ever seen.   It wasn’t a marmot although it was slightly bigger than one.   More like a possum.  Ugly and big.   I scared him away with a few rocks and thought about going back to bed but figured he’d just come back so, i went over and took the cair apart again, got out my food bag, complete with the candy and breakfast, and brought it back in my tent with me and slept with it as a pillow for my feet as i usually do.      The rest of the night’s sleep was a little fretful as I wasn’t sure if i’d have to fight off “griz” or the big rat but it went uneventful.
I woke up to a fine morning with wonderful views.   Went and finished the trail in the next few hours.

When I got to the monument at the border, I sat down, reflected on what i had just done (completed the “triple crown of US backpacking) and the 5 1/2 months of backpacking the Rocky Mtns. THe last 700 miles hiking by myself and loving it.   Also the great people i met, the Mormon wagon train I had joined up with for 3 days (another story) and THEN:  I proceeded to break out that food bag and thoroughly enjoy that LAST RUSSELL STOVER CANDY BAR!     ANd let me tell you, it was as good as i remembered and worth the anxiety it had caused me.

There was a ranger station nearby still in the US and I went there and met and talked to a ranger there.    She was a bit surprised that i made 13 miles by 11 AM as i couldn’t very well tell her about the beautiful above treeline campsite I had the night before.      She then told me i could take the boat to the border so i wouldn’t have to clear customs but i said i had thoughts of a great restaurant i had heard about in the Canadian town there.        So, i proceeded to hike the 4 more miles or whatever it was to the town where i found a few restaurants and after asking around, went to the one that served reindeer and French wine.    I had a meal that couldn’t be beat.   Actually ordered an appetizer, two main courses, AND dessert.

After the meal, i went to a pizza joint where they had “open mike night” and a few beers.     Since I usually hike with a guitar, i participated and caught the looks from a nice girl there.  I won’t tell you any details but she invited me back to her place where i camped in her front yard and she drove me to the border in the morning.      It was a great way to end a great hike and one I’ll never forget.  Especially the last 1 1/2 days!

On the Appalacian Trail in ‘95, we had a lot of rain.   I remember in the Shenendoah National Park we had 11 inches in about 5 days!   That’s a lot.    The water was bubbling out of the ground like artesan wells all over the place and the trail became a river.

One day we had a lull in the heavy rain and with only a slight drizzle, I got up early that day as I wanted to try to make 20 miles to a pay phone to call my girlfriend as i hadn’t talked to her in a while.

So, I got up about 5:30 AM and after a quick breakfast of a pop tart and cup of strong black coffee, I headed out on my journey of thru-hiking the entire trail.          I had started in GA around May 9 that year which is a late start for northbound thru-hikers as we are called.   The window to finish in Mt. Katahdin Maine is a short one as the state park up there is closed to camping after Oct 15 every year.    So, you don’t have too many days where you are just sleeping in and waiting for the rain to stop.

I remember this particular morning as being slightly foggy with a light drizzle and most people were not out of their sleeping bags yet.   I am an early riser usually on the trail.

After hiking about 3 or 4 miles of hiking, i came around a corner in the trail and looked up to see a momma bear with 2 cubs!    They were busy eating some kind of berries from a bush next to the trail.     So, I immedietly stopped and stepped to the side of the trail and watched the scene.    I had about 10 seconds of observing their eating before momma bear looked up and around and spotted me.     She immedietly gave a snorting signal that quickly got the 2 cubs attention.    They both took off running as fast their little legs would take them.     One ran away from me, down the trail the way i was headed but the other one ran straight up the trail towards me.       It looked very panicked and still had not spotted me.    So Mom followed the little guy and i stepped into the trail so that it would see me.
Finally the cub spotted me and when it was about 25 feet away, it went into the woods and climbed a tree close by.  (not out of sight by any means)    Mom kept coming.
I had to think quick as I’ve hiked in grizzly bear country and mountain lion country and knew the different things you were “supposed to do”.      For griz, you play dead, for mountain lion, you fight back, for black bears, you are supposed to not show fear and not show aggression.    So, it’s very difficult to be standing on the trail, by yourself, with a charging bear protecting it’s cubs and not show any fear.    Believe me, there was fear going on.     I thought this might be the end.   I knew i could not outrun it and if i tried, it would catch me and then what?    So, I did the proper thing and stood there.    I started talking actually almost as soon as that cub came my way.    I was saying: “no, not this way” “Go back, wrong way” and things like this.

Once the little one took to the woods, i changed my tune to: “i didn’t do anything” “I’m just hiking, not bothering you”, etc.       So, time did seem to slow down and i can remember it vividely.   Momma bear kept coming up to me and when it got about 8 feet away, stopped, stood up on her hind legs so now she was about the same height as me and roared.    Not a loud roar, sort of an unnatural sound and showing me her teeth.     I kept my ground and kept talking and trying not to visably shake.

The babies were both crying by now, especially the 1st one who was separated by the action and had gone the other way.     So, to my biggest desire, mom turns around, goes back to all 4’s and runs back up to comfort the 1st one who had also climbed a tree about 75 yards away from us.    Whe ran back there fast, and while she did, i backed up slowly as she looked back a few times.    Then she charged me again.   Again she stopped about 8 feet away, stood up and made a growling or roaring sound while turning her head from side to side.     I continued to say i hadn’t done anything and didn’t intend to.

Once again the 1st one was crying hysterically and she dropped back down to go comfort the both of them now.   I backed away slowly again.    But, she may have taken this as a sign of fear and came at me again for the 3rd time.     8 feet away again she did her dance.    The fear was in me big time and I knew i was close to the turn in the trail and needed one more retreat to get out of there fast.

The babies crying overwhelmed her again and i got my chance.    I took off running as soon as i was out of her sight and went back about a mile before I stopped and tried to figure out what i was going to do now.
I had to keep going north but there was no way i wanted to have another encounter again.   I figured the bear was smart enough to realize that it was an uncomfortable situation for both of us and I really wasn’t at fault. But there was no way i was going back there.

So, i got out my map and saw that the Blue Ridge Parkway was about a half mile away to my right and i just followed my compass and bushwhacked the half mile.   Got to the Parkway and followed it until the trail crossed it about 5 or 6 miles north of that point.

Wow, I was still shaking with fear but after a while, i figured i was safe and had one heck of a story to tell my girlfriend when i got to that phone.    The next 15 miles went by quickly and i don’t even remember the rest of those miles.   But i do remember this: When i got to that phone and called Sandy, after relating my story, she interrupted me to tell me that she had met someone else and that i should forget about her.

Wow, talk about a bad day!     And one I will remember for the rest of my life.

Well, i finally did it. I have been working on designing a hiking trail the length of the island where i live here in Phuket, Thailand. I have been designing it on google earth and then go out and hike it and see what it’s like, where it has to be changed and then create a route to give to the Thai Dept. of Tourism to hopefully get it built.

Anyway, my problem has been the GPS. My etrex was stolen when i returned to the states in Dec. I bought another one on ebay in Jan after i returned here, waited until it got sent over here, then found out the data cable didn’t seem to work.

Found out after talking to tech support that for some reason that they can’t explain, some data cables work with the etrex and some don’t. Anyway, i found a friend over here who had another one and wow it worked.

So, i tried to transfer my route built with Google Earth to the GPS. Not so easy. Google Earth only lets you save a KLM file (or KLZ). So, i learned that i had to download a program called GpsBabel (freeware although they want a donation) It comes zipped and after finally unzipping, i successfully converted the file i made to a GPX file.

Then i had to download another program called “EasyGPS” that allows you to work with the GPX file and convert it to a track (not a route but a track) and finally (by now i have recharged my batteries about 3 times while trying everything) I was able to install the route i created into my GPS.

So, tomorrow, it’s time to go out and actually hike my route. (I’ve done the first mile or so) This is going to be the fun part as I made the trail like the AT: Hiking the tops of the highest points and going up the tough way.
Now the hills of Phuket are steep and it’s mostly jungle although there are rubber tree plantations and pineapple fields around.

So, it’s going to be an aprox 70 mile bushwhack although i only did the 1st 10 miles to go out and see how it works. Creating the route on Google Earth is the easy part for sure. It took me 3 months to get it into a GPS. Now a few batteries, lots of water (100 deg here yesterday) a machete, a cell phone (in case of cobra attacks) and i’ll let you all know how it pans out.

Wish me luck. If you don’t hear from me, the local pot growing mafia or a cobra got me