Terrain / Hiking / Trails / Signalling / Infrastructures / Weather / Obstacles / Season
The Lapland highlands
The northernmost tip of the route goes through the arctic tundra. Actually, I think it is not yet technically tundra as the terrain Nordkalottleden goes through is still forested and as far as I know the tundra is tree-less by definition but on this rolling hill landscape trees are small and the route often takes the high areas on the hills where trees are absent.
Expectations vs. Reality / About hiking in Lapland / People / Pace / Would I do it again?
Beyond the gear, the terrain or resupply logistics, there are memories not so straightforward to talk about which are yet a good part of the experience.
Tornetrask with a low “roof”
The blurred letters say “Nordkalottleden”
“What the hell am I doing here?… I want to go home…”
It eventually happens in most trips. There comes a moment when your morale weakens and you start wondering if it’s worth it. Usually, you soon decide it is, after all.
The PCT is getting increasing media attention. In 2006, two proffessional, independent producers took their cameras out and tried to show the world how it feels to spend a few months of your life on this wonderful trail:
Chaotically updated from day 0, April 27th 2006
September 22nd 2006, 10.30 h
Currently waiting not for the snow to melt but to stop falling. Record breaking March snow fall has changed everything but one thing: I’m going. Adding stuff to the seasonal list: crampons, VB socks, WP gaiters, GPS… ¿snowshoes?
I’ve been a very gear conscious hiker for years, always looking for that perfect balance between weight and function. This trip was, among other things, a test for the viability of my 3 season system from a versatility and durability point of view, hence it was important for me to keep the gear kit consistent throughout the whole trip: no gear swapping or even replacing
Northern Washington
| Where | Western USA (California, Oregon & Washington) |
| When | May to September |
| Distance | 4200 km / 2600 miles |
| Length | 145 days |
The Pacific Crest Trail was my dream hike. It’s great to know that dreams may come true, no matter how far they appeared to be and it’s great to know that we can take control of that cell where our dreams are.
In 2006 I’ll be chasing my dream of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.
Gear is important. It shouldn’t be more important than the trip itself but it’s so fun to play with gear, to try things, to see what works and what doesn’t, to add weight to the equation and play again…
I keep thinking of my expectations matching, or not, what I found on the trail, of others’ views on the hike, the come back home, what it all meant… the good and bad things, the difficulties, the feelings along the way… and all I can think of is how different we all are! which is something I already knew, we all know that but it’s still striking to find out with such clarity.
The PCT is not a particularly difficult route but it’s probably true that one needs some know-how and experience to do it. Just wanting to do it is not enough, this is not a long stroll in the park.
I’d hiked on the PCT before. The first time, I just didn’t even knew, I just wanted to hike in Yosemite because I was on holidays and I wanted to hike and Yosemite was famous and it had to be so for a reason. I then knew about this John Muir Trail and thought it’d be great for the scheduled week I had. Then I knew the JMT shared the tread with something much longer.
The Pyrenees stretch between Atlantic and Mediterranean. While the mountains create quite a weather of their own, the influence of the two seas clearly shows. The western Pyrenees are wetter and greener and since the atlantic weather systems usually approach from the northwest, the northern side is also damper than the south.
Camp below the Gran Astazu walls
| Where | Pyrenees |
| When | July/August |
| Distance | 800 km / 500 miles |
| Length | 29 days |
The Pyrenees are a magnificent range and it’s been amazing to cover their length through all the varied landscapes and environments within. I could see the range develop and fade away, it was like traversing its life story more than its length.
The High Route is as wild as it gets. 29 days, a good ratio of glory vs. misery and a great feeling about the long distance hiking coming home
If you don’t know about the Pyrenees but you do about the Alps, I can use that for an intro into the former. Compared to the Alps, the Pyrenees are not as high, not as wide, not that much in the middle of urban Europe but still high, rugged and, in a way, still wild. The Pyrenees are usually the destination of choice for those visitors who want to try something different from the Alps, who are tired of the overcrowded, overurbanised world of the Alps or who simply want to backpack without having to worry about crossing glaciers.
After four years in a row visiting North America, this summer the hiking’s coming home. It’ll be not a little bit less exciting while I’ll be tackling a solo traverse of the Pyrenees, sea to sea over the Haute Randonnée Pyrenéenne, the wildest and most rugged of the three routes that cover the distance from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. 4 weeks and a strong will to finish but above all a stronger will to have a good time so no marathons here… I’ll try my best but the goal is in the trip itself, not on the finish line.
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