"Viajar a pie" is Spanish for "Travelling on foot"

Category: Trips Page 1 of 4

Norge Midt Facts and Figures

I routinely take key notes at the end of every hiking day. Bringing them all together makes for some interesting stats.

Field notes

Final route

I followed the E1 track by the book, with variations in the off-trail sections too small to be worth registering. Starting point, as planned, in Sulitjelma, county Nordland. Effective ending point in As i Tydal, county Trondelag.

Distance: 825 km

This was the effective trip distance if I trust the mapping tools. Actual walked distance was about 10 km longer after being forced to backtrack to the closest hut in front of a dangerous stream ford and stormy weather on day 26.

Days: 29

That’s hiking days. I hiked every day of the trip except for the evening fly-in, evening fly-out.

Average: 28.5 km/day

That’s if I calculate based on the effective trip distance. I fell a bit short of my intended, loose and completely pointless goal of averaging 30 km/day. If I take day 1, when I started hiking in the evening, out of the count, my average goes up to 29 km/day.

Longest day: 38 km

This was on day 5. I did several 37 km days too.

Full hiking days: 21

Did nothing but hike.

Short hiking days: 8

I include here all days where I walked less distance, time or both than usual, broken down into the opening and closing days, the two resupply days and four days with an early stop due to weather. Some of these latter were actually tougher than any normal hiking day.

Days with rain: 19

These include any kind and amount of rain. Put it the other way, there were 10 dry days. Rain was heavy and/or long-lasting for only 11 of those 19. Norway is a notoriously wet place.

Wet and dark

Camps: 18

Camping being my default, this time amounted to almost 2/3 of the nights, my highest ratio so far for all my trips in Norway.

Saltfjellet-Svartisen

Hut stays: 7

Every time I felt like enjoying a Norwegian hut, I’d indulge, no questions asked to myself. There were always some weather reasons behind the indoor thing but sometimes there would also be just some comfort factor or a need for a break from the outdoor after an accumulation of exposure weight.

Holden hut

Lodge stays: 3

Two of these were planned to go with my two resupply stops, the third was a handy option at the end of a rainy day.

Limingen Gjestegard in Royrvik town

Full resupplies: 2

Full resupply number 1 was a mail drop in Umbukta lodge on day 8. Second one, a supermarket run in Royrvik town on day 16. Both locations were on trail.

Supermarket in Royrvik town

Food supplies for the final week were from the pantry room of several huts along the way.

Days where I met nobody: 1

This was on day 19, north of Skjaekerfjella National Park. Ironically enough, I started the day from a front country hut in a small village but it was very early and there was nobody around. Nobody on the trails or off the trails, where I spent a good part of the day.

Days where I regretted being out there

This is not in my notes but very clear in my head: there were none. Reminder to myself.

Norge Midt Highlights

I’ve let the memories sink, then dug them out. This here below is what’s stuck after spending one month hiking the length of Norway where the country is at its narrowest.

Norge Midt

Linking steps for one month

This is about the great synergy in following a continuous path for an extended time, starting somewhere and ending some place else when it feels the latter is half a world away from the former.

There is something unique about this. On the most basic, it’s the old known feat about doing some actual travel so it’s not just walking around but actually going somewhere. Going deeper, there’s this beautiful idea about meeting the land as it is and facing the challenges. Show me what you have, I’ll make my way through it no matter what.

Scenario

My first working title for this section was the most obvious “Scenery” but as I developed the idea it changed to what you see now, a subtle but meaningful update. This trip was not as much about breathtaking views and more about a flow through the landscape, a scenario where stuff happened.

Borgefjell highlands, where stuff happened

This was a bit of a revelation to myself. I had always pictured Norway as the postcard-perfect hike and part of the idea for this trip was to challenge such cliché and see what would happen, which takes me to the next point below.

Less obvious Norway

It’s not all glacial valleys, rock walls or lake basins, Norway hiking can also get rather mundane and, guess what, it remains very attractive and interesting.

It was only my third hiking trip in this part of the world. Before this last, most of the going had been high latitude, high altitude or both. In the lower figures, there was a different world comprising stuff like conifer woods, birch woods, farming communities, endless moorland and way more water than the land can hold. It made for less spectacular, often tougher hiking but it felt for real. I loved visiting this other Norway.

Sylan region

Going off-trail

This is about meeting the place in its own terms, not only because of the obvious absence of a trail or any signaling to follow but also and mainly because of the limited availability of shelter infrastructure for extended periods. In a place like Norway, this changes everything.

Going off-trail is something I wouldn’t probably choose, given the chance but I was also intrigued by the prospect. Being parts of a set route, it helps for those of us unfamiliar with the region know that it’ll be walkable, which is pretty much the only basics I’d need to know, the rest is just the added challenge.

Hike through this

I spent about the second third of the trip going mostly off-trail. The eventual return to the trail network became my brightest beacon, something to fight for when the going was rough.

Sometimes the off-trail wouldn’t look like much different from the signed routes. Among all the factors that would shape the hiking experience, being off-grid was just one of them. In the right conditions (fair weather, firm ground, low vegetation, no obvious obstacles), it could be easy and enjoyable walking but it wasn’t gonna be that perfect for long, not in Norway. Adding the lack of trails, signage or shelters to the typical array of difficulties pushed the experience deep into the type-2 fun. It was challenging for me.

In retrospect, it was a highlight and I was happy it was an integral part of the trip.

Camping

It’s the pretty settings and the welcoming feeling about camping out being the natural thing to do. Finding home in the wilderness and being comfortable after the hard work.

Being native to a place where you take firm ground for granted, it’s always a bit of an initial shock, even if it’s not the first time, to hike and camp where everything seems to be a giant, endless marsh. You need to learn to read the land so you can find the best potential for good camping spots as you go. This is a great learning experience. Other than the obvious convenience, it’s a way of connecting with the land.

Finding dry ground

Hutting

I’m echoing myself here, see the Highlights section for previous trips in the region, but let me tell you (again) how important the shelter infrastructure is in a place like Norway. I’d say “for me” but I’ve met enough fellow hikers relieved to be inside to not feel alone in this.

Summer conditions are nice for hiking, the camping is wonderful and whatnot but there are times when I just needed to be inside, be it after a traumatic weather event or a simple accumulation of weight on my emotional shoulders. Come such time, the Norwegian hut system is the place to be and the simple knowing makes life plain nicer on the trail.

I went through some of my finest times on the trip sipping warm coffee by the fireplace. That’s a lot to say about an outbound experience.

Whatever by the fireplace

Type-2 fun at its best

Thru-hiking in Norway is tough, no surprises here, yet I’m doing it here again because I know I love the challenge, if only in retrospect.

Norge Midt Preview

In 2023, I’ll have a full month in summer that I’ll devote to hiking. With the exception of 2019, where I did a multi-month thru-hike, a full, continuous month hadn’t happened for me since 2009, i.e. this is a special one. For such occasion, I’ve chosen to hike in Norway.

Idea

In line with all my hiking trips, I mean to do a continuous hike, camp along the way, be in nature and go with the flow. Norway is a great place for this: outstanding scenery, good network of trails, seamless links of natural areas, virtually no restrictions beyond the natural ones and a hiking/mountaineering culture very welcoming to long-distance hiking.

Trollheimen to Hedmarksvidda

WhereSouth-Central Norway
WhenJuly/August
Distance464 km / 288 miles
Length15 days

Mellomfjell in Trollheimen

The trip idea started with hiking in Southern Norway for 2 weeks. I chose a continuous line of travel through some of those evocative Norwegian names: Trollheimen, Dovrefjell and Rondane. Then I noticed this uninterrupted line of highlands going further south that eventually became the final leg of my trip through the Lillehammer and Hedmarksvidda regions.

Norway is well known for its spectacular scenery. I also realized how varied its landscapes can be and enjoyed both the remoteness and the Norwegian hiking culture.

See the menu to access all content for my trip in South-Central Norway.

Gear notes Norway 2022

A few details about gear and skills in my 2022 Norway trip that I’ve found worth mentioning.

Locus Gear Khufu DCF tent

I got this tent in the months prior to the trip with the intention of making it my main, 3 season thru-hiking shelter, lightweight enough to take it anywhere, solid enough to take it to places like Norway. I had the chance to use the tent and play with the different setups before the Norway trip, if only to learn about pitching and know what to expect. I didn’t have the chance to use it under challenging conditions. What follows is about the Khufu in the Norway trip.

Hedmarksvidda

In the summer of 2022, I travelled in Norway to walk train station to train station between Oppdal, county Trondelag, and Hamar, Innlandet county, taking a high line across 3 mountain regions as well as National Parks/Protected Areas, Trollheimen, Dovrefjell and Rondane, and the high moors in the less renowned Hedmarksvidda region.

Hedmarksvidda section

Rondane

In the summer of 2022, I travelled in Norway to walk train station to train station between Oppdal, county Trondelag, and Hamar, Innlandet county, taking a high line across 3 mountain regions as well as National Parks/Protected Areas, Trollheimen, Dovrefjell and Rondane, and the high moors in the less renowned Hedmarksvidda region.

Rondane section

Dovrefjell

In the summer of 2022, I travelled in Norway to walk train station to train station between Oppdal, county Trondelag, and Hamar, Innlandet county, taking a high line across 3 mountain regions as well as National Parks/Protected Areas, Trollheimen, Dovrefjell and Rondane, and the high moors in the less renowned Hedmarksvidda region.

The second leg lasted 3 days during which I crossed Dovrefjell. Compared to the previous section, Dovrefjell is higher and drier ground, it is also further inland. Other than the deep, glacial scars, Dovrefjell feels like a high plateau dotted with lakes and criss-crossed by rocky hills with the occasional vertical wall wherever there had been a glacial body.

Dovrefjell section

Trollheimen

In the summer of 2022, I walked train station to train station between Oppdal, county Trondelag, and Hamar, Innlandet county, taking a high line across 3 mountain regions as well as National Parks/Protected Areas, Trollheimen, Dovrefjell and Rondane, and the high moors in the less renowned Hedmarksvidda region.

The first leg was a 3 full day (plus a half day approach), anti-clockwise jaunt through this evocatively named region in the title, located in the transition area between the coastal fjords and the inland ranges. The name stands for Home of the Trolls, who knows why. It’s a very alpine looking area with sharp peaks, lots of precipitation and deep, lush valleys.

Trollheimen section

Norway South Highlights

When I think about my summer 2022 trip in Norway, these below are the subjects that first and most often come to mind.

Scenery

This almost goes without saying but let me remind myself that Norway is painfully scenic. I wouldn’t need to try to find the beauty, it’d just be there, all the time, no room for doubt. Add to that the diversity in environments and landscapes but let me elaborate on that under its own title.

Looking downstream from the upper reaches of Grovudalen in Dovrefjell

Norway South Preview

In the summer of 2022, I’ll be hiking abroad again. This is always a big deal, more so after a 2 year gap. I chose Norway and I chose The South.

Overview

I’ll be hiking roughly north to south across Trollheimen, Dovrefjell, Rondane and Hedmarksvidda for a total length of 456 km and a maximum of 15 hiking days. This is the planned route:1

Cantabrian High Route

WhereCantabrian Ranges
WhenJune/July
Distance434 km / 270 miles
Length15 days

Our average crest faint trail

I hiked the western half of the Cantabrian Crest in 2011 and the eastern section in 2015. In 2021, I went back to join all the dots because there’s nothing like traversing a whole range, end to end. The green grass, the grey rock and the blue sky, never mind the misty days.

This is a magnificent range and a high route is a challenging way to walk its length.

Cantabrian High Route Quick Facts

Bare data can contribute to define the character of a trip. Here are a few key figures and facts for my time in the Cantabrian High Route.

Cantabrian High Route Trip Summary

A 2 week trip on a high route along the spine of the Cantabrian Range. These mountains align east to west, parallel to the northern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.

Cantabrian High Route

The Cantabrian Range runs along the northern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It’s the boundary between two markedly different environments, the deep, lush, temperate coastal valleys to the north and the undulating highlands to the south, much drier with higher temp extremes behind the rain shadow of the mountains. The Cantabrian Watershed makes for a challenging, magnificent long distance trek.

Iberia Empty Quarter

WhereCentral-East Iberian Ranges
WhenLate October
Distance266 km / 165 miles
Length9 days

Lands of Iberia

An off-the-beaten-track route through the most sparsely human-inhabited regions of the Iberian Peninsula, away from the big mountains, inspired on my trips in similar areas in North America, enabled by the need to stay local in 2020 pandemic times.

Iberia Empty Quarter daily account

Because I needed to do something with all the pics I took…

Just arrived

Iberia Empty Quarter: Trip Description

The following is a set of land, human, environmental and personal aspects that shaped my trip in The Empty Quarter.

Plan vs. Realization

The plan was for a 2 week, one way trip, starting and finishing at a train station, with very little, if any concession on uninteresting terrain on either end. I had planned for one resupply point on day 6, possibly a second one around day 10. In both instances, I’d resupply and keep going. I planned for no overnight stays in town.

Winter backpacking in storm times

A long weekend, second wave pandemic times with inter-regional travel ban and a named storm bringing a winter spell to the local hills. A three-tier challenge to remind me why I love backpacking.

Iberia Empty Quarter: Background

Population shifts in Spain in the latest decades have gone through a dramatic polarization trend. It’s not only the typical move from rural to urban but also the lack of any thriving population hotspots in most of the inland areas. The highland regions where farming is tough have particularly suffered from depopulation and there were no regional urban alternatives.

The villages and the roads are still there but they’re increasingly empty. Empty of human things which, in turn, means it’s nature that thrives.

Continental Divide Trail

WhereRocky Mountains
WhenJune to October
Distance4900 km / 3044 miles
Length141 days

Wind River Range, Wyoming

A very empty place. Plenty hard work. A great idea about following a watershed, the spine of a continent. A certain sense of accomplishment and the great feeling about being where I had to be, doing what I love.

Gear for the CDT

The Black Range of New Mexico

The Black Range of New Mexico is a North-South alignment of mountains along the Divide in the southern half of the State. The official CDT track, as sanctioned by the CDT Coalition, takes in this range, closely following the actual Divide. As many other mountain groups in the region, the Black Range is an island of woods in the middle of the New Mexican high desert, with peaks around 10K’, heavily forested with pine, aspen and oak trees. It is a remote area in an already far-off, sparsely populated region. For a typical CDT section breakdown reference, the Black Range would lie between commonly used milestones Pie Town to the north and Silver City to the south.

CDT Gear Review, part 5: What didn’t work

This entry is part 5 of 5 in the series CDT Gear Review

Maybe it’s that I planned for this trip in a bit of a rush, maybe it was just bad luck, maybe a sign of the times but I had several cases of gear/strategy failure, something I’m not used to and makes for some worthy comment. These below are the main offenders:

Waterproof top

ZPacks CloudCover

This is an old item, no longer available, built with plain DCF. It is not breathable and it doesn’t mean to be. I find this an interesting idea, currently unfashionable, if it ever was, with some potential to work well in some circumstances. It is a jacket with full front zip, pit zips and a hood with cord-lock and visor, i.e. a full jacket. No other extras though. One key feature is it weights 83 gr. I’ve had this jacket since around 2011 and I had only taken it with me on one multi-week trip where it didn’t rain much.

British Columbia, 2012

CDT Gear Review, part 4: Planning & Navigation

This entry is part 4 of 5 in the series CDT Gear Review

I brought navigation and planning together as the relevant resources often overlap. In a bit of a stretch, let me consider the soft ware as gear.

As of 2019, there was 3 CDT-specific map sets and 2 smartphone apps. Then there’s the generic map sets and generic apps that you could adapt. I carried one map set on paper, the others on electronic form, plus the two specific Apps and two other generic ones. Most of my navigation was on the Guthook App, allegedly the most popular.

CDT Gear Review, part 3: Everything is important

This entry is part 3 of 5 in the series CDT Gear Review

Shoes, poles, stove or a kitchen wipe. Everything is important.

Shoes

Merrell All Out Blaze Aero Sport

These shoes worked well for me. They’re soft and ventilated with moderate drop. My feet don’t seem to have very specific needs anyway.

1400 miles vs. 0

The most remarkable fact is probably not that much about the shoes themselves but about my use of them on the CDT as I completed the trail in just 2 pairs where the average seems to be more than twice that. That’s 1500 miles per pair. This is probably not that much about the durability of the shoes but about my using them to the very last bit, something discouraged by many users that doesn’t seem to have any negative effect on me.

When the first pair was about done, I ordered another one online and shipped ahead.

CDT Gear Review, part 2: Layering System

This entry is part 2 of 5 in the series CDT Gear Review

Clothing is where function meets fashion more than anywhere else. Bring on the colors.

CDT Gear Review, part 1: The Big Three

This entry is part 1 of 5 in the series CDT Gear Review

Shelter, Pack and Sleep systems say a lot about a hiker. Here’s my CDT Big Three manifesto.

Shelter

Trailstar + Shaped Groundsheet + Bivy

The whole point of this combo was to meet successfully the diverse conditions inherent to such a long trip while providing all the usual: protection, comfort and light weight. The short answer is it did.

Highest camp of the trip at 12300′

CDT Trail towns

I enjoy the town stops in my trips and particularly so when the trip is wilderness oriented, it is then that coming down to town has a most distinct added value. During a long distance trip, hiking becomes your job and the town stops are the weekend break. To me, they become a very important part of the story.

CDT Route breakdown, southbound

This text below is a match between a satellite view over the Continental Divide and my own memories of the outstanding geographical units along the way on the grand scheme of CDT things.

Thoughtfully yours on the CDT

Some random thoughts beneath the surface of a Continental Divide Trail thru-hike.

Southbound is the way to go

Snow being the potential show stopper, I’m aware it really depends on the year but after having hiked the trail I find it odd that Northbound is so much more popular than SoBo. The window is tight either way but my impression is that going SoBo it opens nicely in front of you as go. NoBo, you get a good slam when you reach Southern Colorado.

It seems common that northbounders end up short-cutting or flip-flopping sections. If you value a continuous trip over the actual divide trail, definitely go Southbound.

CDT Highlights

Places, facts and feelings that stand out as I look back on my trip on the Continental Divide Trail, in no particular order other than a geographical north to south, where applicable.

Glacier National Park

If you start southbound on the CDT, you begin with a shock: the most impressive and postal-worthy scenery of the whole trip, right away, straight from the trailhead. It’s vertical walls, pointy peaks, deep valleys, endless woods, lakes and waterfalls. Glaciers too.

Songs for the Continental Divide Trail

Hiking is inherently rhythmic. If there’s rhythm, there’s music.

Music goes wonderfully well with the hiking. I let them both blend in and develop, free of external stimulae other than the environment I’m in, a world away from the constant over-stimulation of modern urban life. This I find a very interesting exercise: let my mind wander and let it choose the music so I become my own algorithm.

Final push, CDT Southern Terminus

This entry is part 6 of 6 in the series Continental Divide Trail live

It’s interesting how the mind works and how body and mind go together. Southern New Mexico had been very hard on both after my decision of sticking to the main CDT trail, avoiding all the easier/shorter alternates. My mind then focused on making it to Silver City, NM as a reasonable, meaningful mid-term goal. When I got there, I was relieved and happy. When I tried to keep going after a short break, it was like I couldn’t make it anymore.

The high desert of Southern New Mexico

Dare to do

This entry is part 5 of 6 in the series Continental Divide Trail live

The CDT is certainly hard work and some technical know-how about being out there for extended periods of time. At the same time, it’s all become quite predictable after the wealth of information we have at our hands, including on line updates about important aspects like trail conditions or water availability. You typically leave town knowing how long it will take to get to the next.

Water in the dry grasslands

New Mexico, New Trip

This entry is part 4 of 6 in the series Continental Divide Trail live

Shortly after I crossed the Colorado-New Mexico border, I climbed somewhere over 11 K feet for the last time on the trip. One would say it was all downhill from there and, in a way, it was.

All downhill now

Winter is Coming

This entry is part 3 of 6 in the series Continental Divide Trail live

Southern Colorado is probably the main key to a successful southbound CDT hike. The mountains are high, the trail goes through exposed terrain and hikers are forced to be in the area late in the season. Indeed, as the saying goes, Winter Is Coming and it comes early when you are consistently between 11 and 13 K feet high.

Light, dark and alpine profiles in the San Juan Range

CDT three months in

This entry is part 2 of 6 in the series Continental Divide Trail live

Three months and nearly two thousand miles after I started hiking on the Continental Divide Trail northern terminus in Waterton Park, I’m in Salida, Colorado. This trail is real hard work and it’s been only a few weeks since I feel like I’m finding my comfort zone within the hard work. Days are getting shorter and the Dawn-to-Dusk scheme is more necessary than ever before while all camp chores are by headlamp light and mornings get real chilly.

CDT first month

This entry is part 1 of 6 in the series Continental Divide Trail live

As I write this at the public library in Darby, MT it’s exactly one month since I started hiking from Waterton, AB but it feels like a year. Hiking is a slow thing for today’s standards but there’s a lot going on with every step. Here are a few things that stand out.

Glacier

Glacier National Park was a tough start for a long trip. The trails are excellent, the campsites are set, the environment feels under control and the mileage was set to be easy but the mountains are high, the passes are snowbound, the pack feels heavy and the stormy weather of mid June didn’t help. The end result: after 7 days I was exhausted, mosquito-bitten, happy and ready to take my first break day. In the Pacific Crest Trail, it took me one month to have my first break.

Glacier National Park

Bob Marshall Wilderness

Then it came The Bob, a huge chunk of wild land with no roads across it and my longer stage so far with 8 days worth of food in my pack. It felt even heavier than before and fact is it was. The weather was cold and stormy, it didn’t feel like summer and it was a wonderful struggle through rough trails, blow-downs and endless woods, either green or burnt. Bear prints on top of moose prints on top of human prints and the iconic Chinese Wall escarpment making for a perfect reminder that we’re hiking along the Continental Divide. We just need some summer weather for a perfect time.

Bob Marshall Wilderness

Helena & Butte

As the peaks lower in height, the trail jumps up to the divide with the treeline getting higher, way beyond 8 K feet or 2400 m. Woods, woods and more woods, very welcome for sun protection and storm shelter. Water goes from being a problem for being too much to being a problem for being scarce. It’s warmer but still stormy. I love long stages (7 days in this case) for the opportunity to be in the wilderness for an extended period so the following time I’ll have a coffee it’ll taste as good as it can get but once again my shoulders would hardly approve, tough initial days until my food weight comes down. Very stormy in the divide, still waiting for summer.

Typical camp in the woods

The Pintlers

The Continental Divide does funny loops and the trail follows. After the Butte orbital, we’re back to big mountains and patchy snow on the passes. This is another 7 day section for me and the good news is that midway through it the storms calm down eventually and we can have some relax in the hiking.

Tamarack larch in the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness

I say “we” all the time. There’s a whole bunch of us aspiring thru-hikers going southbound, many of them fleeing from the Colorado snow after having hiked New Mexico in the early spring. Now that summer has finally arrived we’ll need to earn each step with sweat. It’s gonna be great.

Gear for the CDT

What do you need for a 5 month trip? The short answer is pretty much the same as for any other shorter one with one additional, important factor in that it may be a trip through the seasons and different climate areas.

A fine-tuned 3 season kit should do, the same as for a shorter journey but greatest attention must go into maximizing versatility so the gear can cope with a wide range of conditions. A 5 month trip will be a great test to the validity of the kit described below.

Continental Divide Trail Preview

I was at this point in life where life itself told me it was time for a break. Come such time, I have it clear what I need to do is hike.

Along the Continental Divide

Via Alpina 1 Daily Account

Via Alpina 1

WhereSwitzerland
WhenSeptember
Distance268 km / 167 miles
Length8 days

The Blümlisalp massif from Hohtürli, highest pass on the Via Alpina 1

Via Alpina 1 Stage 8: Bundalp to Adelboden

This entry is part 8 of 8 in the series Via Alpina 1
StartBundalp
EndAdelboden
Distance31 km / 19 m
PassesHohtürli, Bunderchrinde

I wake up wondering if I’ll be fit for walking today. It’s difficult to say when nothing really hurts and a resting position makes everything feel right. Straight off bed I feel weak but that may be normal. I decide to give breakfast a go and see how it feels. It went down this well:

Alp breakfast

Via Alpina 1 Stage 7: Lauterbrunnen to Bundalp

This entry is part 7 of 8 in the series Via Alpina 1
StartLauterbrunnen
EndBundalp
Distance24 km / 15 m
PassesSefinenfurkke

For the first time in the trip, the day starts overcast. Chance of rain in the morning, getting dryer in the evening. Me, climbing right away, pretty much off the hostel door and up the glacial escarpment with interesting views back to Lauterbrunnen.

Lauterbrunnen from the other side

Via Alpina 1 Stage 6: Wetterhorn to Lauterbrunnen

This entry is part 6 of 8 in the series Via Alpina 1
StartWetterhorn base
EndLauterbrunnen
Distance29 km / 18 m
PassesGrosse Scheidegg, Kleine Scheidegg

After the early night thunderstorm, the morning is crisp and clear. The Wetterhorn is still there.

Dawn on the Wetterhorn

Via Alpina 1 Stage 5: Engstlensee to foot of the Wetterhorn

This entry is part 5 of 8 in the series Via Alpina 1
StartEngstlensee
EndWetterhorn foot
Distance33 km / 20 m
PassesNone

I’m glad I slept under tree cover, the Alps are a surprisingly damp place! but my shelter is mostly dry in the early morning and I didn’t need to compromise on views.

Dawn on the Engstlensee, Jochpass at the far end

Via Alpina 1 Stage 4: Brüsti to Engstlensee

This entry is part 4 of 8 in the series Via Alpina 1
StartBrüsti
EndEngstlensee
Distance36 km / 22 m
PassesSurenenpass, Jochpass

Morning is brilliant blue and it doesn’t take as long as on previous mornings for the light to shine, it’s the first time on the trip that I don’t sleep on the valley floor. I couldn’t arrange for tree cover overhead for the night but my shelter is dry nevertheless. Surenenpass is still there and it’s my next milestone.

Trailstar in the meadow, Surenenpass at the far end

Via Alpina 1 Stage 3: Urnerboden to Attinghausen and beyond

This entry is part 3 of 8 in the series Via Alpina 1
StartUrnerboden
EndBrüsti - Attinghausen
Distance33 km / 20 m
PassesKlausenpass

In the morning, as expected, everything is dripping wet and I need to leave well before the sun shines so I pack a wet mess and a good excuse for an extended break in the sun later on the day. The setting is not idyllic, too close to human habitation but the valley is beautiful and very well worth a camp pic:

Dawn in Urner Boden

Via Alpina 1 Stage 2: Elm to Urnerboden

This entry is part 2 of 8 in the series Via Alpina 1
StartElm
EndUrnerboden
Distance42 km / 26 m
PassesRichetlipass

Morning is dark inside the thick conifer woods where I’m camping just outside Elm village. I go through town in daylight but still well before the sun rises above the mountain tops. My legs are sore from day 1 efforts that no amount of stretching could heal but as soon as I warm them up, I can walk with reasonable dignity.

Morning in the conifer woods

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