"It’s always further than it looks. It’s always taller than it looks. And it’s always harder than it looks."
Reinhold Messner
"Mountains have a way of dealing with overconfidence."
Hermann Buhl
"Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain."
Jack Kerouac
"I’d rather be in the mountains thinking of God, than in church thinking about the mountains."
John Muir
"There is probably no pleasure equal to the pleasure of climbing a dangerous Alp; but it is a pleasure which is confined strictly to people who can find pleasure in it."
Mark Twain
"I've inherited my father's belief that there is much beauty in walking, in gazing upon the ghosts of our lost martyrs, in dreaming about the big house in the next valley where we will be accorded a warm and silver welcome and ushered into a heaven of affection. But the beauty is in the walking. We are betrayed by destinations.
"
Gwynn Thomas
"We are not lost. Just checking a new route."
Ghana Mountaineers
"Mountains are not fair or unfair, they are just dangerous."
Reinhold Messner
"With the best equipment in the world, the man with poor judgement is in mortal danger."
Royal Robbins
"'Is the rope long enough?' - 'Only one way to find out'"
Ghana Mountaineers
"
It's not about pleasure.
It is about performance.
"Ghana Mountaineers
"There are two kinds of climbers, those who climb because their heart sings when they’re in the mountains, and all the rest."
Alex Lowe
"You carry the rope."
bushrat
"It looks doable."
Fearless Sam - at the base of each cliff
"Most adventures begin with 'I know a shortcut'."
unknown
"
You guys going up? --
Yes, yes, we go up. --
You may be going a lot higher than you think!
"Don Whillans at the Eiger North Face
"Mountain climbing is extended periods of intense boredom, interrupted by occasional moments of sheer terror."
unknown
"I can see a way up."
bushrat
"A simple equation exists between freedom and numbers: the more people, the less freedom."
Royal Robbins
"We don't stink, we reek of adventure."
Ghana Mountaineers
"He who climbs upon the highest mountains laughs at all tragedies, real or imaginary."
Friedrich Nietzsche
"
It's a round trip.
Getting to the summit is optional, getting down is mandatory.
"Ed Viesturs
"It’s completely unstylish to get stuffed in the mountains…I want to die with my feet up in front of the fire drinking a glass of red wine aged about 95"
Kenton Cool
"'How much further?' -- 'About 10 more minutes'"
Ghana Mountaineers | one of the seven mountaineering lies
"
Because it is there
"George Mallory
"Walk quietly in any direction and taste the freedom of the mountaineer."
John Muir
"" I AM LOSING PRECIOUS DAYS. I AM DEGENERATING INTO A MACHINE FOR MAKING MONEY. I AM LEARNING NOTHING IN THIS TRIVIAL WORLD OF MEN. I MUST BREAK AWAY AND GET OUT INTO THE MOUNTAINS TO LEARN THE NEWS""
JOHN MUIR
"'Where is the trail?' ... 'There' ... 'I don't see a trail' ... 'Well, there is a way...'"
GM Dialogue
"Mountaineering transcends all every-day matters. It transcends all national frontiers. Mountaineers are a band of brothers.
They are all one part on one rope.
"
Guido Tonella
"Hike more. Worry less."
unknown
"Always another pitch."
Colorado Jack
"Nothing harder than five seven. Says the man who was never there."
Dugal Haston about the Eiger North Face
"
A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play; his labor and his leisure; his mind and his body; his education and his recreation. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing, and leaves others to determine whether he is working or playing. To himself, he always appears to be doing both.
"Yvon Chouinard
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Mountaineering
Mountaineering is many things. It is climbing, panoramic views, and a wilderness experience. For many, it is the fulfillment of childhood dreams; for others, an opportunity to grow in the face of difficulty. In the mountains await adventure and mystery and lifetime bonds with climbing partners. The challenge of mountaineering offers you a chance to learn about yourself by venturing beyond the confines of the modern world.
( from Freedom of the Hills, THE MOUNTAINEERS BOOKS )
Ghana Mountaineers
Many say Ghana has no mountains, “only hills”. And while it is true that we do not have high alpine summits and glaciers, we do have stunning nature with seemingly impenetrable jungles, unclimbed cliffs, unexplored caves, rivers, waterfalls, and quiet and beautiful places out in the bush where you have the feeling that you are hundreds of miles from any civilization.
Our true love for nature, the craving to explore, our liking of physical exercise, the opportunity to meet like-minded, great people, and the wish to escape the hustles of the city and the modern world together with our outdoor and mountaineering skills are what makes us Ghana Mountaineers.
Frequently Asked Questions
We publish our events on our Website Calendar, Instagram and on Facebook.
Approx. 2 weeks to 10 days before an activity or event we send out detailed info to our mailing list. If you want to subscribe to the list, send an email to activities@ghana-mountaineers.com.
- check the Website Calendar, Instagram Page or Facebook Page and select an activity you want to participate in.
- if joining one of our activities for the first time, fill out our liability waiver. and read our Cancellation and No-Show Policy
- send an email with your phone number, your residence and the attached liability waiver to activities@ghana-mountaineers.com.
- we will respond with a detailed pickup time and location
To get started, you need to have good shoes, a backpack, and a cap for sun protection.
For many of the other activities, you need additional equipment which can mostly be borrowed from us.
Check the packing lists.
You do not need to be super-fit. Some of the longer and more difficult hikes however require endurance and strength. Start with an easier hike if you are not sure and work your way up.
The biggest problem in Ghana is the heat. You need to protect yourself against the sun with hat and drink, drink, drink. Water.
It depends. On standard hikes, shorts are fine.
But on some of the other hikes, we have to pass through dense vegetation, usually full of vines and maybe thorns.
We recommend one liter of water per hour of hiking.
There is no safe drinkable water in the bush and while in the early hours you will probably not need one liter per hour you will see that later during the day, the water is just running through you.
Better safe than sorry.
Short answer: You can’t.
But Decathlon Ghana usually has some very reasonably priced, medium-quality hiking boots and shoes that will do until you have the opportunity to buy some really good boots.
Also, if you have the time and the nerve, you will be able to find good used and sometimes even new boots on the local markets like Makola market, etc.
We have had hikers who bought really good boots there for less than USD 10.00.
On each of our activities, we have at least one guide who is trained in outdoor first aid and carries a first aid kit as well as the equipment to evacuate you to the nearest accessible road. From where you will be taken to the next hospital or back to Accra.
If you have a medical pre-condition like allergies, you must inform us and carry the necessary medication. You also have to show us where you carry that medication.
But, we need to stress: We have been hiking, climbing, and exploring in Ghana for more than two decades without any serious accidents or injuries.
Of course, we don’t consider bruises, cuts, and scratches an injury. 🙂