The 10 best posts from Atlas & Boots

The 10 best posts from Atlas & Boots

As a difficult year comes to an end, we look back at the top 10 posts that our readers liked the most

Now, what can we say about 2020 that hasn't already been said? As a writer, I feel like I should be able to say something great and stirring about the global pandemic, but to be honest, I can't. I don't know how to accurately describe the hopelessness and inertia that so many of us have experienced this year.

Peter and I are relatively lucky. Our friends and family are healthy and we both had some personal highlights: I published a book, wrote another and started Asian Booklist, while Peter climbed his third seven peaks, hiked in Germany and Croatia and did the micro-challenge. climb all 41 mountains in the Yorkshire Dales.

At the same time, like everyone in the travel industry, we have experienced a decline in website traffic that has essentially choked off our income. Our website – which we had been working on for six years – was suddenly and quickly rendered redundant as a travel site ground to a halt.

Nevertheless, we look to the future with hope. We believe that travel is a human instinct and once it is safe, people will undoubtedly return to the roads. That's why we continued to work through the ups and downs of the year. Below we share our top 10 posts from 2020 that readers liked the most.

1. Climbing Aconcagua: my third seven peaks

By PeterRead Climbing Aconcagua: my third Seven Summit

Atlas & BootsAconcagua is the highest mountain outside of Asia

At about 2:00 p.m. on January 19 of this year, Peter reached out and tapped the top of a modest crucifix on the summit of Mount Aconcagua in Argentina. Given the schedule for winter climbs in the Himalayas and Karakoram, and the fact that it was 11 p.m. in Nepal and Pakistan, it is safe to assume that for those brief moments, Peter was the highest person standing on Earth at 6,961 m (22,837 feet). In this article he talks about his journey to the summit of his third seven peaks.

2. Outdoor white privilege: the AT hikers who broke the law

By KiaRead Outdoor White Privilege: The AT Hikers Who Broke the Law

Daring adventure or selfish venture?

Andrew Underwood is one of the thru-hikers who illegally completed the Appalachian Trail this year. His transgression earned him praise as a rebel and earned him a 2,500-word profile in Outside magazine. Our piece examines how he managed to "lie or conjure his way out of potential legal liability" as he "defied mandatory self-quarantine in at least three states, sleeping in closed shelters and on trails and through national and state parks."

Was this simply a daring adventure or another example of who gets the benefit of the doubt and who doesn't? This post sparked a lot of discussion on hiking forums and social media.

3. Diving the Sonesta Plane Wrecks in Aruba

By PeterRead Diving the Sonesta Plane Wrecks in Aruba

Atlas & BootsReady to enter the YS-11 fuselage in Aruba

Diving is surreal enough - it physically takes you out of your world and transports you to another where complacency is deadly - but finding a machine of heaven resting silently and serenely at the bottom of the ocean was simply astonishing.

On this dive, we were allowed to climb into the fuselage of a damaged YS-11 and swim the entire length from the tailgate forward - a thoroughly surreal experience.

4. Hats off: Why I decided to stop riding

From KiaRead I'm Hanging Up My Hat: Why I Decided to Quit Riding

Is it ethical to ride horses?

This year, after years of riding, I decided to stop for good. In this post I explain the ethical reasons behind my decision and why it was so poignant for me. The piece sparked a debate on social media, with people passionately arguing both for and against my decision to quit.

As I explain in the post, I don't judge anyone for continuing to drive. In fact, some days I miss it a lot, but I think it was the right thing for me.

5. Hiking on the Watzmann Traverse – a Bavarian classic

By PeterRead Hiking on the Watzmann crossing – a Bavarian classic

Hiking on the Watzmann traverse

In this post, Peter reunites with one of his oldest friends to attempt the Watzmann crossing in the Bavarian Alps. This traverse of three rugged peaks over an exposed ridge is popular but challenging, as parts of the route are supported by via ferrata aids.

The two battled thunderstorms, slippery rocks, and thick fog that practically obscured their line of sight. Of course, this is pretty much Peter's ideal day trip and despite some demoralizing parts, he had the time of his life.

6. Wall diving in the Turks and Caicos Islands: a look into the abyss

By KiaRead Wall diving in the Turks and Caicos Islands: a look into the abyss

Atlas & BootsHung in the great big blue

There's a moment in the Jude Law film Black Sea where a deep-sea diver falls from a murky underwater ridge and plummets into the pitch-black depths of the ocean. I was reminded of this horrific scene when I came across a famous cliff face in the Turks and Caicos Islands, where divers can stare into a literal abyss that plunges 2,000m into the ocean floor. In this post I explain what it was like to go over the edge and hover over the abyss.

7. How much does it cost to climb the Seven Summits?

By PeterRead How much does it cost to climb the Seven Summits?

Atlas & BootsPeter on the summit of Elbrus

In this post, Peter crunches the numbers on how much it costs to climb the seven peaks (his ultimate dream). He analyzes numbers from five established international tour guide companies and combines them with airfares and equipment to create a cost range that runs from cheap options (not recommended) to reasonable averages and caps. This post quickly became an essential guide for aspiring mountaineers.

8. Stewards of the Wild: 10 Famous Environmentalists Who Give Us Hope

From KiaRead Stewards of the Wild: 10 Famous Conservationists Who Give Us Hope

Conservation/Fair UseJane Goodall changed behavioral science

Earlier this year I read a fact that stopped me in my tracks: Under optimal conditions, some trees can live forever. They are vulnerable to predators, disease and natural disasters, but unlike humans, these "biologically immortal" trees rarely die simply because they grow old. There are bristlecone pines in North America that are over 4,000 years old. Methuselah has a verified age of 4,851 years.

In this post, I pay tribute to 10 living environmentalists who have worked to preserve wildlife and nature, such as the magnificent Methuselah.

9. 7 ways nature is thriving in lockdown

By PeterRead 7 ways nature is thriving under lockdown

Some elements of nature thrive in this slower, quieter world

Shortly after the pandemic took hold and people were sent into their homes, we saw some extraordinary phenomena around the world. As road traffic decreased, emissions fell and air pollution fell, nature began to thrive in unlikely places.

In this post, Peter shares some of the positive impacts of the pandemic - from waterways recovering from overuse to emboldened animals venturing into cities.

10. 10 things park rangers wish they knew

From KiaRead 10 things parking attendants wish they knew

Mark Van Scyoc/ShutterstockRangers are threatened by both humans and animals

As 2020 comes to a close, people are understandably keen to get back on the streets. We hope that our return to wild spaces will be slow and sustained. To remind readers – and ourselves – to re-engage with nature as responsibly as possible, we asked five park rangers to share some things they wish we knew. Their answers are sometimes entertaining, sometimes sobering, but always enlightening.

From the cloudy heights of Tibet's Qinghai Railway to the silken splendor of the Venice Simplon-Orient Express, Around the World in 80 Trains is a celebration of the glory of train travel and a funny and irreverent look at the world.

Main image: Daniel_Kay/Shutterstock

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