Joe Hancock

Solo hike into the wild landscape around Mu Cang Chai in NW Vietnam. The technical: 30-35°C all the way. The push to the summit was a steep, loose and strenuous ascent of a vague ridge after which the path disappeared and instinct and incline were the only guides to the top. Navigation up there is challenging without local knowledge - there is a labyrinth of paths across the mountains but very few are marked on maps and even then are often wildly incorrect. Without my trusty Suunto GPS I'd likely have become lost which would have been very risky given the vast expanse and impenetrable landscape. For a non-local person, wayfinding without any line-of-sight or notable landmarks in dense forest like this is near impossible. The other stuff: What an amazing experience - the sensation of vast wilderness was the equal to, but utterly different from my experience in the Rockies last year where I was alone on a 4000m peak. Here, thick humid heat only intermittently alleviated by swirling breeze meant I had to pace to avoid heat exhaustion, and there's no such thing as too much water in these circumstances. Dotted among the seemingly endless rice paddies are small huts built on stilts - these are the shelters of the local Hmong people - the women dressed in characteristic bright multicoloured dress working the fields, unflinching in the heat. Every greeting was a smile, a wave, a cheery 'Xin Chao' (Hello). This extraordinary contoured landscape is unchanged since rice cultivation first came to these hills centuries ago, and the shimmering forest constantly trills and screeches with the chorus of birdsong, cicadas and gibbon calls. Paths vary from steep to narrow to rutted to precarious but always weave an efficient route between the ever more remote Hmong dwellings. Goats, pigs, chickens and water buffalo are enlisted in the subsistence life. 2100m is modest for this region - there are many peaks around the 3000m mark and with luck I'll come back in a cooler season and do some multi-day hikes to go deeper into the forest. Vietnam remains one of the most extraordinary and varied places I've visited.

Quick stroll up the hill to my accommodation after disembarking the night bus from Hanoi.

Day one in Hong Kong adventure with Dominik. Once over the summit complete serenity was achieved... The number of crazy Bond villain houses up there is mind-boggling.

Wet exploratory stomp with Jam up onto the end of the ridge to get a feel for the terrain. Interesting route choices were required in the reduced visibility to bring us down the flank of Gars-bheinn. The saturated ground was heavy going but bouncy and fun, and paths were only located once we were halfway home. Luckily the excellent café at the campsite was still serving a very good hot chocolate. Great day out, if a bit damp. ⛰️ Stob Coir' a' Ghrunnda (721 m) • ⛰️ Sgurr nan Eag (926 m) • ⛰️ Sgurr a' Choire Bhig (877 m) • ⛰️ Gars-bheinn (894 m) • 🦶⬆️ 2025 = 12,378 m | 🌐 summitbag.com

No, really. From the brilliant Glenbrittle campsite this exploratory stroll with Jam down the peninsula to Rubha an Dùnain provided an incredibly rich picture of the past: an abandoned farmhouse belonging to Clan MacAskill; Mesolithic shelters; Iron Age dun (a type of hillfort) and more. But the absolute pinnacle is Loch na h-Àirde - part of a complex Viking harbour system including mooring and a boatyard, with a still-extant rock shored canal linking it to the sea at high tide. This unspoiled, exquisitely beautiful area feels like time sat down and didn't move on.

Beautiful day. Hot as you like. Disintegrating freehub. bearing.

Stomp stomp.

Beautiful stroll with my pal Gemma on a gorgeous day. ⛰️ Rivington Pike (363 m) • ⛰️ Two Lads (389 m) • ⛰️ Winter Hill (457 m) • 🦶⬆️ 2025 = 10,771 m | 🌐 summitbag.com

Gentle saunter with a little extra exploration following a stream up a wildly overgrown valley, accompanied by a long-lost friend. ⛰️ Burbage Edge (500 m) • ⛰️ Foxlow Edge (452 m) • 🦶⬆️ 2025 = 10,372 m | 🌐 summitbag.com

Post-ride ride after meeting a very good friend. ⛰️ Chancery Lane/Holborn (22 m) • ⛰️ Highgate (129 m) • 🚴⬆️ 2025 = 16,928 m | 🌐 summitbag.com