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Dramatic rescue of hikers stranded overnight in Alpine Region

<p>In a heart-stopping ordeal captured on video, two hikers were airlifted to safety after spending a harrowing night stranded in Victoria's remote Alpine Region.</p> <p>The dramatic rescue unfolded on Mount Bogong, one of Australia's highest peaks, highlighting both the beauty and dangers of wilderness exploration.</p> <p>The two hikers, aged 63 and 71, had embarked on what they likely anticipated as a routine trek through the rugged terrain of the Alpine Region. However, as evening descended, their situation took a perilous turn.</p> <p>Recognising the need for assistance, they reached out to emergency services, prompting a swift response from the police Air Wing and Search and Rescue Squad.</p> <p>Navigating treacherous landscapes requires both skill and intuition, and it appears that these experienced hikers may have underestimated the challenges posed by Mount Bogong's unforgiving environment. Despite their best efforts, they found themselves stranded, facing a night of uncertainty amidst the wilderness.</p> <p>Thankfully, the Search and Rescue Squad quickly established communication with the stranded hikers, assessing their situation and determining that they possessed sufficient supplies and experience to endure the night. While undoubtedly a daunting experience, the hikers remained composed, awaiting the dawn and the arrival of their rescuers.</p> <p>As the first light broke over the Alpine peaks, a plan was set in motion to extract the hikers from their precarious situation. With precision and expertise, the police Air Wing and Search and Rescue Squad orchestrated a daring helicopter rescue operation. Against the backdrop of Mount Bogong's majestic slopes, the helicopter descended, its rotor blades slicing through the crisp mountain air.</p> <p>The video footage captured the tension and relief as the hikers were carefully winched to safety, lifted from the wilderness that had held them captive. Once aboard the helicopter, they were swiftly transported to solid ground, where awaiting ambulance paramedics ensured their well-being.</p> <p><em>Images: Victoria Police</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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72-year-old hiker begins 22,000km trek following in footsteps of Marco Polo

<p dir="ltr">A 72-year-old Italian hiker has begun a 22,000 kilometre trip from Venice to Beijing, following in the footsteps of her hero, Marco Polo.</p> <p dir="ltr">Vienna Cammarota started her journey from the explorer’s birthplace on Wednesday, April 27, and is planning to travel across 15 countries while following the medieval trade route.</p> <p dir="ltr">If all goes to plan, Ms Cammarota will be arriving in Beijing by December 2025, as reported by <em><a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/italian-grandmother-sets-off-on-22000km-walk-in-footsteps-of-marco-polo/VACLCVOHGBPAC4QU5OG5R5HWAE/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NZ Herald</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Following the route taken by Marco Polo 750 years ago, Ms Cammarota will be supported on her trip by her three daughters and grandchildren, who will send parcels of food and clothes as she needs them.</p> <p dir="ltr">But you can’t undertake such a trip without some cash, and Ms Cammarota told local media she has saved a total of 40,000 Euros ahead of the trek.</p> <p dir="ltr">“But I will look for hospitality to save as much as I can and where I can,” she added.</p> <p dir="ltr">This historically-inspired trip isn’t the first Ms Cammarota has taken, but it’s definitely her most ambitious.</p> <p dir="ltr">The experienced hiker previously walked the length of Nepal to Everest, followed Jesus’ Biblical route through Palestine, and trekked across the Italian Alps in the footsteps of German philosopher Goethe.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I love history, culture and archaeology, and I walk in order to see and recount, but above all to listen,” she explained. </p> <p dir="ltr">To make her journey less monotonous, she told the Euro-Cities blog she would spend the time reading her copy of Marco Polo’s diary and by performing mental arithmetic.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-5590d24e-7fff-fc7f-109a-ec4e91353bc4"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Vienna Cammarota (Facebook)</em></p>

Domestic Travel

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Modern Family star saves fainting hiker

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Julie Bowen, best known for playing Claire Dunphy on </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Modern Family</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, recently performed an act of kindness for a stranger in need on a hiking trail in Utah.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">First reported by </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://abc7ny.com/julie-bowen-hiker-rescued-modern-family/10936019/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">ABC 7 New York</span></a></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, the act occurred while Minnie John was vacationing with her family at Arches National Park, Utah.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While hiking to the top of the peak, Minnie began to feel weak and told her husband and son to continue hiking while she sat on a rock and took a break.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The last thing she remembered was holding her head in her hands. The next moment, she was being taken care of by two women.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Minnie had fainted and hit her nose on a rock when she was found by Bowen and her sister, Annie.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Minnie shared the story of her encounter with the Bowens, as well as photos.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“All I remember is sitting there with my head in my hands secure on the rock,” Minnie recounted in the post.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Next thing I hear someone with a familiar voice asking me questions. I wondered if I might be watching tv. My eyes were closed and they said I would be fine and they were cleaning my face and bandaging me up.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After the pair treated her, Minnie opened her eyes and recognised the TV star but couldn’t remember where from.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7842969/230822295_2204747043034198_6424726426102033598_n.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/00458724305944d6b9b5704cb8bdd7bc" /><img style="width: 374.99999999999994px; height: 500px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7842969/230822295_2204747043034198_6424726426102033598_n.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/00458724305944d6b9b5704cb8bdd7bc" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Minnie John / Facebook</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I asked her again if I knew her or was she famous and the doctor said yes. As my eyes started to focus more, she smiled and took her tie off and shook her hair for me to figure out,” Minnie continued.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Her sister, the doctor, asked me to guess and I told her I just hit my head, I can’t remember. She said smiling ‘Modern Family’ and I said of course!”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Bowens then explained that the guide who was with them had seen Minnie fall, before coming over to help.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7842970/226947853_2204747136367522_5436819053605672562_n.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/6325da2937a0417ebabc332d39382be8" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Minnie John / Facebook</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The pair then called Minnie’s husband, while other hikers ran ahead to find her family.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After realising she had fainted due to low blood sugar, Minnie described the sisters as “God sent”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I told my Samaritans that I was so proud of what I had achieved climbing to the top,” Minnie wrote.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Had I known it was so treacherous, I would not have done it, but I was so proud I reached the top and got to meet my good Samaritans God sent for me at the right moment.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Love you Julie and Annie and now I have become famous for one minute for my antics!”</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Images: Minnie John / Facebook</span></em></p>

Relationships

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Hikers rejoice! New trails in North and South Korea are opening

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hardcore hikers are rejoicing as they now have the option to explore the hiking trails that are alongside the Korean Peninsula’s Demilitarised Zone (DMZ).</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The trails just so happen to be near the world’s most heavily armed border that divide North and South Korea, but as a part of South Korea’s Peace Trail project, there are three new trails being built.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Local government has approved three trails within the DMZ buffer, which stretches 4 kilometres wide and 240 kilometres long.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The area where the trails are looking to be built has divided the nations since 1953.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The first trail, which is inside Gangwon province on the east side of the Korean Peninsula, opened on the 28</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">th</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> of April.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"United Nations Command (UNC) and the ROK [South Korea] government have demonstrated superb teamwork, collaboration and coordination throughout the entire 'peace trail' process and will continue to do so," said General Robert Abrams, leader of the UNC, in a statement.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"The ROK military has worked extremely long hours to ensure the success of this very important initiative, while assuring visitors their safety remains paramount."</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As the DMZ has been closed off to the public for more than six decades, it’s given the wildlife a chance to flourish. The area is home to endangered species, such as rare types of cranes, ducks, deer and mountain goats.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to reports from </span><a href="https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/korea-dmz-wildlife-hiking-trails/index.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">CNN</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, there are more than 6,000 different species of flora and fauna living inside the DMZ.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, hikers will be accompanied by military personnel and be required to wear bullet-proof vests and helmets during the walks.</span></p>

Travel Trouble

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Hero cat leads lost hiker off mountain

<p>It sounds like something out of a fairytale, but footage has emerged this week of a hiker lost in the Swiss mountains, only to be led to safety by a black and white cat.</p> <p>The footage, posted by Reddit under the screenname sc4s2cg, shows a hiker who has become disoriented while exploring around the Swiss alpine town of Gimmelwald.</p> <p>sc4s2cg wrote in his post, Gimmelwald is a tiny, tiny stunningly beautiful village. I actually got ‘lost’ in the surrounding mountains. It was the end of ski season when I got to Lauterbrunnen, so the lifts weren't working and some of the trails were closed.”</p> <p>“So what I did was follow a roundabout trail up the mountain, and then follow those ski lifts further,” he continued. “Eventually I got to the top, decided to follow a train track into the middle of a totally empty town.”</p> <p>“I was checking my map to see how I can get back to the hostel, and the only official way down was through a trail that was closed. And that's how I met that handsome cat. She (?) noticed me I was eating a snack and resting my sprained ankle, and as soon as I got up she started guiding me along some path.”</p> <p>The story seems like something out of a fairytale, but the footage doesn’t lie! Have you ever encountered a hero cat? Let us know in the comments.</p> <p><em>Video credit: YouTube / AnimalsVideo</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/news/news/2016/08/dying-cat-comforts-owners-on-last-trip-to-vet/"><strong>Dying cat comforts owners on last trip to vet</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/news/news/2016/08/meet-samson-the-biggest-cat-in-the-world/"><strong>Meet Samson, the biggest cat in the world</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/news/news/2016/08/can-you-see-the-cat-sleeping-among-these-logs/"><strong>Can you spot the cat taking a nap among these logs?</strong></a></em></span></p>

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