The Kokoda Trail is one of the world’s great treks, taking enthusiastic, fit hikers on a journey that will challenge and inspire. Follow the path where Australian and Japanese armies engaged in bitter warfare during the early days of World War II. Papua New Guinea’s unforgiving, rugged wilderness provides an unforgettable backdrop for a life-changing experience.
60 miles long, the Kokoda Trail takes trekkers through mountainous country that boasts incredible rainforest and jungles that are home to rare species of ferns, orchids and birds. Sparkling mountain streams and steep valley climbs provide breathtaking contrasts throughout the trek.
In 2009, 13 people died in a plane crash en route to the trailhead, and four more hikers died on the trail, which takes up to 11 days to complete.
They faced malaria, extreme heat, frigid nights, and daily bone-soaking afternoon rains. The route itself has been called a StairMaster in a steam room, with ankle-deep clay muck, slippery roots, and portions that become waterfalls.
4. Cascade Saddle, New Zealand
Despite the breath taking views, in the past few years at least 12 people have lost their lives in the saddle, mainly from falls while descending when the rock was wet and slippery.
A German hiker fell to his death in July 2013, prompting the local coroner to demand that officials either close the path or re-engineer it to make it safer.
3. El Caminito del Rey, Spain
The two-mile concrete and steel path was built more than 100 years ago to serve workers on a local hydroelectric plant, but over time it has become a destination for adventure seekers, especially as sections of the pathway have crumbled.
Officially closed to the public, hikers still play Fear Factor on the "trail", which requires spidering over 10-foot sections of missing trail. Even if the state finishes a reconstruction of the path, the Caminito will still stay on the list of top vertigo-inducing trails.
Officially closed to the public, hikers still play Fear Factor on the "trail", which requires spidering over 10-foot sections of missing trail. Even if the state finishes a reconstruction of the path, the Caminito will still stay on the list of top vertigo-inducing trails.
2. Mount Washington, New Hampshire
Naive hikers have started their treks here in shorts and T-shirts and suffered hypothermia halfway up when temperatures suddenly plummet. That’s the nature of Mount Washington, a relatively small peak that nonetheless boasts extreme weather. (The Mount Washington Observatory claims to be “Home of the World’s Worst Weather.”)
More than a 100 people have died on the mountain, either from being blown off ridges, suffering hypothermia, or being swept away by an avalanche. The average annual temperature is 27.1 degrees, and the summit temperature has never topped 72 degrees. Plus, the mountain holds the world wind-speed record at 231 mph, recorded on the summit in 1934. Expect the ascent to be rocky, steep, and rugged.
“There are no guarantees that hikers will escape the mountain unscathed, so if absolute safety is what you require, then avoid a visit,” says Mount Washington State Park’s website.
1. Mount HuaShan, China
Pilgrims have climbed to the temples on the five spires of Mount Hua Shan for centuries. Almost all of the climbs are treacherous, with nearly vertical stairways and few handholds. However, the plank trail to the South Mountain is a different story.
Called the most dangerous hike in the world, it consists of wooden platforms bolted onto the mountainside.
Trekkers need to hook into an iron chain paralleling the boards, which hover thousands of feet above the ground. Even getting to the trail is difficult and includes a climb up a vertical rebar staircase.
At one point, the planks disappear entirely and hikers must use small divots carved into the rock.
There are no official death statistics, but the rumor is that 100 people per year die on Hua Shan.
Multiply that over centuries and it may be the deadliest peak in the world.
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