UNESCO runs Machu Picchu as a "World Heritage" site and they are cutting back on the number of visitors allowed on the grounds. I recommend that you visit there sooner than later and avoid the rainy season. The view will take your breath away so pack extra batteries!!! ;-)
My wife and I worked like dogs for a long time. When we retired we decided it was time to see the world. Will probably be eating cat food in our later retirement, but what the heck!
The thing about goats is that they are quite large - perhaps 250 - 300 pounds, super strong, and they have horns. They don't have a natural fear of people and they often get quite close. They will back away if you move quickly, but they are wild animals and you just never know. They will come inside my comfort zone.
Sure. Anything big enough to shove me off a trail gets a wide berth. I've made a detour or taken a break for deer, burros, sheep, elk, moose, caribou, bison, and bears, but not goats yet.
eee - not quite: even my Nikon 1J1 is bigger and heavier than my Panasonic(s) GM1/5.
Yeah, but you have a wide variety of smaller, bitey things crawling & slithering about, right?
No doubt. The most dangerous campsite I've ever had was a Walmart parking lot in Minot, North Dakota. I kept the bear spray close.The worst animal encounters we have are usually a very specific breed of animal called a 'tourist'.
Seriously, no. In the northern parts of Australia it's kind of a lottery as to what might kill you, but in the southern states you're good to go pretty much anywhere with impunity.
They will willfully take up position on top of your car if you leave it parked where there is a heard of goats, and they can climb trees also. You'd have never seen anything more ridiculous if you didn't see a herd of goats jumping out of trees.
And people in the US call Australia a dangerous place! Notwithstanding the Northern Territory (which have a few crocs and buffalo), the largest animal we'll get in our High Country (where you'd be hiking) would be a Brumby (wild horse), a Samba deer or the occasional large roo. All are very wary of humans and keep a wide birth.
The worst animal encounters we have are usually a very specific breed of animal called a 'tourist'.
I didn't mean to hijack this thread.
I really like this part of the Olympics. Most hikes in the Olympics are either a straight up 4000 feet, or a long slog up a valley. As I recall getting to Mt. Cameron was both.
From the summit (near it) of Mt. Cameron on a five day traverse of the Olympics
A thread like this ought to have a closed sectin for Kiwis so Australians could avoid it and thus not get depressed about the flatness that surrounds them. LOL.
A tourist development advisor once told me triumphantly how he helped a national park avoid a pristine river area being grievously spoilt. "Grade the road once a year -- after the holiday season" was his advice. They took it and it held up for a decade or more. Then some busybody got a "development" narrative going, talking about how the visitor numbers could be driven up by a factor of 10, giving locals the opportunity to build businesses, etc., etc. So they graded out a big road, sealed it, put in parking areas, and so forth, and within five years, nobody was visiting what had become a muddy creek.The long, winding, narrow gravel road in from the base of the Takaka hill is a deterrent to large vehicles and camper vans so the area is still relatively unspoilt and devoid of tourists. But for those that do venture the scenery is well worth it!
