PHOTOGRAPH: JUSTIN FOULKES
HO SAYS YOU CAN’T TRAVEL BACK IN TIME? THERE IS A WAY, AND ALL IT TAKES
is a pair of boots and an open mind. Walking is as ancient as the earliest hominids,
and by opting for person-power over planes, trains and automobiles, we can view
the world at a soak-it-all-in pace. Granted, in some places the surroundings may
have changed, but the kernel of connection remains: you’re shadowing soldiers, pioneers and
pilgrims of the past. Wherever you walk, there’s history to be found. Noting the strata of
crumpled cliffs, the remains of once-mighty castles or the shadows of overgrown trenches
can take us back to the beginning of geological time or the horrors of past wars; it makes us
question the world around us and our own tiny place in it. Next time you set off, look closely
at the furrows and hummocks, the seemingly out-of-place boulders and the crumbling
ruins, and question who might have stood where you stand, centuries or millennia before.
EL MIRADOR HIKE,
GUATEMALA
Egyptians were not the
only ancient people with
a penchant for building in
triangles: more than 7,000
miles away in Mesoamerica,
pyramids dot the very
opposite of a desert setting.
Enough of the Guatemalan
jungle has been cleared to
reveal the temples of Tikal
(pictured). Sunrise hikes in the
forest here are a good way to
test whether you’re ready for
a greater challenge. The
Maya centre of El Mirador, in
remote northern Guatemala,
is among the largest ever
found by archaeologists.
To reach it, you’ll need to trek
for five or six days (return) in
the dense jungle. A guide is
essential, while most hikers
also use a mule to transport
supplies. Expect to trek more
than 20 miles in a day and
sleep in basic campgrounds.
The view from La Danta,
the largest of the pyramids
at El Mirador, makes it worth
all the sweat – it’s pure green
as far as the eye can see.
F Trek with an authorised
guide at the Comisión
de Turismo Cooperativa
Carmelita Agency in Flores
(turismocooperativacarmelita.
com). February to June is the
best period to attempt it.
CHILKOOT TRAIL,
USA & CANADA
When three prospectors
struck it lucky near the
Klondike River in 1896, they
sparked one of the greatest
ever gold rushes. More than
100,000 others followed,
hoping to make their own
fortunes. But it was a tough
journey, not least the final
overland trudge from the
Alaskan coast to the gold
fields near Yukon’s Dawson
City, crossing the USA-
Canada border en route.
Today, you can follow in
those hardy stampeders’
boot-steps on the 33-mile
Chilkoot Trail. From the
trailhead at Dyea, the route
winds through bear-inhabited
forest, over creeks and via
rusting gold-rush ruins. These
are especially evident as the
trail hits 1,067m Chilkoot
Pass. Many prospectors gave
up here, but it’s worth the
effort. The trail finishes at
quiet Lake Bennett. Once a
teeming settlement, it’s now
home to scraps of metal and
the ghosts of prospectors past.
F The Dyea trailhead is 10
miles from Skagway; private
shuttles run the route. The walk
should take between three and
five days. Access Lake Bennett
by train or floatplane (pc.gc.
ca/en/lhn-nhs/yt/chilkoot).BERLIN WALL TRAIL,
GERMANY
The Berliner Mauerweg – or
Berlin Wall Trail – is a chilling
trek back to the Cold War.
It follows the infamous
barricade that, from 1961
to 1989, surrounded the
democratic enclave of
West Berlin, splitting a city,
a nation and, essentially,
a whole continent. The wall
measured around 90 miles,
slicing streets and squares,
bisecting lakes and turning
peaceful parks into ‘death
zones’. It’s sobering but
fascinating to walk the line
now. Easy-to-follow sections
run via Potsdamer Platz,
rejuvenated after it was
flattened during WWII; the
notorious Checkpoint Charlie
border crossing; the graffiti-
covered East Side Gallery,
the longest remaining chunk
of wall; the Gedenkstätte
Berliner Mauer memorial;
and via innumerable plaques
that tell stories at the spots
where escapes were
attempted and, often,
horribly thwarted.
F The trail is divided into 14
sections of between about four
miles and 13 miles. Walking
the whole 90-mile route will
take 10–14 days. Each section
is served by public transport
(berlin.de/mauer/en).Retrace the steps
of history
Stretch your legs on a fascinating heritage trail, and you’ll find
yourself exploring an interactive museum on the move