Robin Boustead on the Great Himalaya Trail

Robin Boustead is the brains behind the Great Himalaya Trail (GHT) – what he hopes will one day be a mammoth trek across the entire Himalaya. For now, the Nepal section is open for business: an epic 157-day trek reaching up to 6,200m, dipping down to 870m, and traversing some of the world’s wildest mountain landscapes. We caught up with him when he rejoined civilisation…

How did the Great Himalaya Trail come about?

The idea developed over a long period of time. In 2002, after the border was decided between Nepal and China I found out about new areas opening up to trekking. I was getting bored of doing the same old routes, and as I was walking around I realised I was joining up some of the main trekking paths. I started dreaming about walking across the whole Himalaya. Then I realised it might actually be possible…

How is it looking at the moment?

Only the Nepal and Bhutan sections have been trekked and documented… so far. Watch this space.

The Nepal section is a trail network, which will give people a choice of a high route and a low route. Only a small proportion of it uses main trekking trails: by the end of 2011 there will be 7,800km of trail, and only 1,000km of that is main trekking routes. All the other bits are trails that locals use.

How important are the local communities to the trail?

They are essential. When I was first trying out the trail, after about 100 days I started to wonder what I was doing; I then looked at the bigger picture and realised I could help the locals. I couldn’t have made that initial traverse without their help, but I also saw that I could make a difference to their lives.

A number of non-government organisations have latched on to the GHT to coordinate development projects in these remote regions.