Late, later, too late, my blog post

So I did go to Scotland to hike through the whole magnificently beautiful country from the west coast all the way to the east coast. I just neglected to write about it. Since I'm about to embark on another try of the The Great Outdoors Challenge this year, I thought it would be about time to write something about the previous time (some people might argue it's about time to shut down the whole blog if your updates are this late but let's get on with it anyway).

It went like this:
I traveled to Scotland and started my walk in Inverie on Friday morning May 9th 2017. My rucksack was too heavy. During the upcoming two weeks I lost a chunk of my tooth, got heat exhaustion (in Scotland! Come on!) and two ticks and also suffered from a blister turned into an abscess. I met wonderful people, experienced great camaraderie, saw fantastic scenery and walked, walked, walked and walked, arriving in St. Cyrus (not the original plan) on Thursday afternoon, May 25th. And then I had to be taken to the emergency room because of a ghastly stomach bug, which also made me stay in Edinburgh two extra nights.

But yes, I did it and lived to tell about it. So I will. I'll post a couple of pictures with a few words from each day, with the original date stamps (so that somebody might even be fooled to think I wrote them as I went, ha ha!). Stay tuned.

A photo album in Flickr with all the pics at once.

TGO Challenge 2017: Day 3

Day 3: Sunday, May 14
Planned: Kinbreack to Laddie wood
Actual: as planned (except for the cow-induced detour)

Distance: 32 km
Ascent: 590 m

The day did not start well. I found a chunk of my tooth amidst my morning granola! Fortunately it did not hurt. What also didn't hurt, although it was extremely strenuous, was wading through that green and brown boggy hell in the picture above that was River Kingie and its surroundings. Having reached a slightly drier patch on the slopes of Doire nan Cluainean, Greg and I watched Rebecca of the Manchester gang sink very deep into the arms of Mother Nature, not succumbing beneath the surface but not remaining very dry either. We started to understand that Scotland was not a very dry place.

Glen Kingie in all its morning glory

But it is very, very beautiful in deed.

And wet. Very wet, as we already established. Just a reminder.

Most of the day's walk was quite uneventful in terms of weather (mostly sunny) or walking ground (it was either wet paths or hard tracks underfoot). But then, in the late afternoon, when getting near our planned overnight halt in Laddie Wood, there was a distraction. The cutest little fluffy calves on the road! And the huge, humongous mothers of those cute little calves. Greg, my friend, ex-Marine and not a skinny little guy, suggested we take a detour as to not disturb the calves - or their mothers. 

We did. In this picture you can see the easy part of the detour, because I couldn't take pictures in the difficult section (the thickest jungle of spruce I've ever been to in my middle-aged life, and I live in Western Finland!).

After the "let's not disturb the calves = let's run for our lives before those hairy monsters kill us" detour of about an hour and three extra kilometres, we finally walked to Laddie Wood to camp. The Manchester gang in its entirety was already there (and all the nice spots for pitching taken already as well, of course). When asked if they saw the cows they said that yes they did, and they just walked right past them. Well then. Brave Brits.

The worst pitch ever

TGO Challenge 2017 in pictures

TGO Challenge 2017: Day 2

Day 2: Saturday, May 13
Planned: Sourlies bothy to Kinbreack bothy
Actual: as planned

Distance: 18 km
Ascent: 750 m

Second day of walking started as half sunny, half overcast, but no rain. The path from Sourlies zigzagged along the Finiskaig river and all was well. Our team of three trotted happily onwards.

In the afternoon we reached Glendessary and parted ways with Anna, who continued towards Loch Arkaig. Greg and I fought our way up the path along All na Feithe, and fight we most certainly did. Mostly it felt like walking on a giant, squishy sponge. No complaints about the scenery, though, and it didn't even rain. The air was so moist, though, that it felt like it did.

When we got to Glen Kingie, it turned out the ground was even wetter. The path kept disappearing, as did my boots, into this brown, wet, boggy thing that is Scotland.

Finally, after 11 hours of walking (and resting, and half swimming in the bog) we got to the Kinbreack bothy. Greg slept in the bothy, I pitched my tent next to the ruined building on the left, and in the morning found out that apparently everyone treated it as an outhouse.

TGO Challenge 2017 in pictures (Flickr)

TGO Challenge 2017: Day 1

Day 1: Friday, May 12
Planned: Mallaig to Sourlies bothy
Actual: as planned

Distance: 15 km
Ascent: 700 m

Greg and I in Mallaig

To get walking, a ferry had to be taken from Mallaig to Inverie (cost 10 GBP). I embarked with an old friend I  had never met before, Greg, who is part of my international Fjällräven Polar family.

On board, we met Anna from Germany and the three of us walked together for the rest of the day.

Home for the day was Sourlies bothy, where we arrived after a bit of rock scrambling (due to missed low tide and a possibility to walk around the last of foreland before the bothy). We didn't sleep in the bothy, but pitched our tents outside to enjoy fresh air and magnificent scenery.

Gorgeous night at the bothy with the joyous Manchester gang (Lindsay, Paula, Rob, Rebecca, Tim, Carl, Andy and Faz - if I remember correctly).

What I liked:

• company
• scenery
• walking
• weather (just a little bit of rain, not too warm, not too cold)

What I disliked:

• my Smartwool X-heavy mountaineering socks that looked like they came from Pippi Longstockin's closet after wearing them for five or six hours, completely lost their shape and fit
• forgetting to buy any snacks in Mallaig (thanks for being such a great walking companion, Greg, and special thanks for your supply of trail mix)
• my too-heavy pack

TGO Challenge 2017 in pictures (Flickr)

It's the wrong trousers, Gromit!

"They're techno-trousers, ex-NASA, fantastic for walkies!" said Wallace to his trusty canine companion Gromit about the contraption operated by the conniving chicken-imitating penguin culprit Feathers McGraw.

I can only wish I had a pair right now, remotely operated by a penguin for criminal purposes or not. I'm not sure which of the ones that I actually have here would be fantastic for walkies - and I've only got 27 hours before I need to leave home!

Option One:

Fjällräven Keb gaiter trousers

Pros: 

• stretchy, with enough of G1000 to be durable and water-repellent
• nice leg pockets
• detachable legs and ventilation on thighs, in case of sudden summer weather 
• waxed and ready to go

Cons:

• just a little bit tight if I need to wear long johns underneath > might feel too cold
• mid waist, which means I need a belt so that the rucksack won't push them down > might feel uncomfortable under the hip belt 
• old, worn and permanently dirty
• the colour clashes with my T-shirt ;)

I also have another pair of the same trousers in sand/tarmac colour, but they are not waxed and I doubt I'll have time to do that (at least not if I'm sitting here blogging). They're a little less worn so they're a bit cleaner but therefore a bit tighter still. Also, in some photographs people tend to look like they're wearing no pants at all because of the colour. Can't have that now can we?

Option Two:

Tierra Light Track

Pros:

• stretchy and really, really comfortable
• ventilation on the thighs
• windproof and water repellent, rear and leg ends waterproof

Cons:

• soft shell can feel really cold in chilly weather (at least if you're a person who always freezes her butt, like me. Can be helped by wearing longjohns though, and they will fit underneath these easily)
• only one (smallish) leg pocket - having a map and a compass there might not work
• mid waist, which means I need a belt so that the rucksack won't push them down > might feel uncomfortable under the hip belt 
• can be really hot if the weather is hot, especially due to the waterproof membrane in the rear - then again I've worn them at work (inside) every other week for seven months now and survived.

Option Three:

Fjällräven Barents Pro Curved

Pros:

• brand new, waxed and ready to go
• high waist so I don't necessarily need the belt with the rucksack, and if I happen to loose weight and will need the belt, it will a bit higher up and not directly underneath the pack's hip belt
• ample leg pockets
• nice colour
• windproof, water repellent and breathable
• loose enough to fit longjohns underneath easily

Cons:

• high waist - comfortable with the rucksack, a bit uncomfortable without 
• raw lenght, so no fixed leg ending to tighten around the hiking boot
• no stretch

Just a few weeks ago I was sure I wanted to have the Barents Pros since the Kebs were a bit too tight and the Tierras a bit too hot for warmer weather perhaps, but now I have no idea what to do. Maybe I'll toss a coin... Maybe I'll bring them all to Edinburgh for some last minute testing and send the extra pairs home...

What would Wallace do?

"It's the wrong trousers, Gromit, and they've gone wrong!"

It's the final countdown

Not long ago I was excited having been able to say "this year I will be walking across Scotland". Then I blinked once or twice and now it's "This month I will be walking across Scotland".

How did this happen? Where did all the time go?

It was probably not a time warp, though. I believe it's just my knack for procrastination that creates this last minute chaos every time I plan a trip, whether it be a week, a month or half a year in advance.

So far I have some things beautifully covered (travel, accommodation, maps, rucksack, boots, tent, a new phone and a power bank), some things well under way of being beautifully covered (food, meds, stove) and then there are the other things. Well. You can't always win, not even every time.

Yesterday I took my dog to her "summer camp" at my friend's, where she will stay until I return, and so today, a day off from work, has been all work and no play. So many things to do and so little time to do it! I have only had 5.5 months! Not nearly enough! Somebody stop all the clocks!

Boots waxed and updated with new laces.
Waterproof map prints acquired.
Hygiene kit assembly started.
Food dehydration 2/4 done.

BOOTS

I have decided to walk in my trusty old Hanwag Tatra leather boots although I know a lot of people prefer trailrunners for the Challenge. It's just that I've had my Hanwags for five years, and on all the different kind of walks, from Swedish fells to Cornish coastal paths, they have never ever given me blisters. I think that for me it's more a question of the pack weight than the terrain when it comes to choosing the right kind of footwear. I wore lighter shoes last summer to Denmark for a 75 km walk mostly on pavement, and got horrendous blisters. I do realise that the Hanwags will feel really heavy and stiff with all the road walking and that I will need to take them off for all the fording, but honestly, I don't give a damn as long as I know I'll probably be free from blisters. And it's not like I'm not used to taking my boots off for fording.

Boots and other items of clothing, that is.

When it comes to the perfect combination of socks and insoles, the jury is still out. As should I be, out, testing them. I'll walk to and/or from work these coming days to see if I reach any conclusions. 

MAPS

I saved my route from OS online maps to PDF and got it printed on waterproof paper, double-sided. The whole route is now covered on two A3 sized prints (my route sheet on the other side of the first) and eleven A4s. Most of them are 1:50 000, but there are three 1:25 000 maps for the trickiest parts. The overall weight of these is just 150 grams! I will be carrying the six OS Landranger paper maps as well, divided into three batches (to go from the start and supply parcels 1 and 2), just in case I need to re-route dramatically. I like to carry the map in my trouser leg pocket, and now with the waterproof paper I don't need a map case at all. I've pierced each print's corner and will be running the compass lanyard through to be able to clip the whole lot to my trousers, just in case. Having once looked on helplessly when a gust of wind flew my map to Norway, I've learned to clip everything and anything smaller than a squirrel to myself or my pack.

HYGIENE KIT

is coming along. There's this really handy tip I learned from an ex-girlfriend (I suppose they all were good for something...) . The GoreTex tube at the bottom row is not GoreTex Paclite but a mini deodorant! Substance from a stick deo stuffed into an empty lip balm case and vóila! It weighs all of 12 grams and will suffice for a week. I'll have another in the second supply parcel. The only thing to remember with this item is to choose a lip balm tube as distinctively different from the actual lip balm as possible, to avoid any unfortunate mishaps. Not that I've done it. Not often at least.

The other genius item in my hygiene kit is the Kavat shoe wax. It's always nice to have an item serve at least two purposes when you're desperately counting grams. This shoe wax, made of solely natural substances, can be used as hand / foot cream as well. 

FOOD

I'm dehydrating lactose free feta cheese right now. It's a delicious way of spicing up any bland food I may encounter. I've already dehydrated some pea soup and flavoured tuna for my tuna and mashed potatoes dinners. The rest of my food has been or will be store bought, some here in Finland and some on the way.

STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION

I'm waiting for my new trousers to arrive, and as they are Fjällräven Barents pro curved trousers with raw length - meaning that I will need to adjust them to my liking - I really hope they will arrive sooner rather than later. I work in a Fjällräven Brand store, though, so I can do it at my workplace before work. As long as they will get here in time... If not, I will have to squeeze myself into my Fjällräven Keb Gaiter trousers, that would me nice if the weather gets too warm (!), but I'd have to loose a kilo or two. That or not bend wearing the trousers, or breath too heavily. Or eat.

Everything else is also pretty much were it was months ago. I have a spreadsheet with all the gear options, but it doesn't come with an "automatic decision" -button! I need to make up my mind all by myself. Sometimes I wonder how I ever got to deciding to participate in the Challenge in the first place.

I'm also not sure if I should get myself a prepaid SIM card from a Scottish mobile operator to reduce the costs of phoning in the Challenge Control at least four times and possibly other places such as hostels. My mobile is a dual SIM phone so that would be easy and probably cost less than using my Finnish operator. 

Ten days and fifteen hours to go. Better get to it, then.

Leap of faith

The Challenge is almost there. Or here. Or I'm almost there where the Challenge will be. In exactly one week I'll start my journey from home to Mallaig, Scotland. It will take me three days to get there and I'm not even walking! Since it is my first trip to Scotland I wanted to make the most of it, so I'll be stopping in Edinburgh first for a few days, to walk around without a rucksack, post my supply parcels for the Challenge and make any necessary last minute panic purchases. Like a plane ticket back to Finland.

It's not like I'm nervous. Because I'm not. Frankly, I'm terrified. I'm also super excited! What a lovely twofold feeling! Half of me can't wait to be in Scotland and start walking across it, while the oher half is screaming in agony. Why the bugger did I have to sign up for this? Why on earth did I think I can do it?

I have been walking and hiking a lot in the past 17 years, so I'm not new to this, per se. But I am new to the Challenge and the specific demands of it. So far, my longest hike duration-wise has been 8 days and distance-wise 110 kilometres. The Challenge will be 14 days and approximately 311 kilometres. Well, I suppose that's why they call it a challenge. Were it easy, they would be calling it The Great Outdoor Sunday Stroll in the Park.

Also, I'm physically not as fit as I'd like to be, and I'm not talking about dreaming of athlete fitness, but a regular "every limb works and there is no overall ache or pain until I actually start walking" -type of fitness would be nice. I don't have the luxury of that with my rheumatoid arthritis having decided this would be a good time to have a temper tantrum. A doctor's appointment on Friday will probably solve some of that with all the cortisone injections no doubt waiting for me there.

And then there's the actual training, as in "put your boots on and take your rucksack and go walking on the hills". Or the lack of it. The spring has been nonexistent in Finland so far. The last day of April, which is traditionally spent in light spring clothing sitting outside and sipping sparkling drinks, was not like that this year. It's like the installation of spring was accidentally forgotten in the headquarters of Season Control. So there hasn't been much of actual hiking. Fortunately, I do have a dog and my work is very dynamic, so I've been walking a lot, just not with a rucksack and not that much with the boots on. Also, there are no hills where I live.

So yes, it WILL be a challenge. But like someone, who has done it a lot of times, recently told me: the Challenge is for all. I suppose it includes me. So, I'm going to take a leap of faith and see where it goes. Hopefully all the way across Scotland to the east coast.

What's cooking?

Meal "cooking" in a 473 ml mug (up left), nice note outside the package,
and my selection for the Challenge.

Really, nothing is. It's just my try-outs for the Challenge, to avoid any disappointment, or downright crisis in the food department. As in I never want to experience what I did in Fjällräven Classic in Sweden two years ago. That is, walk 110 km eating basically potato crisps, Peanut Crunchy ClifBars, bilberry soup and coffee (and two cans of Coke, because yes, the Swedes know how to install a kiosk in the middle of the wilderness). I just couldn't stomach the freeze-dried meals they handed out at the start. Or the bread. Yikes. Finnish rye bread is nothing like that squishy sponge-like thing they equipped us with. It had mould on it on day three. So, no. No more surprises for me, thank you very much.

So, now that I ordered some vegan meals (not that I'm a vegan, but a lactose intolerant pesco-vegetarian) from the TentMeals (highly recommended, by the way: excellent customer service!) I took 2-3 packs of everything so I can try them out before I go. Today was Italian inspired main meal day (since I was too lazy to cook anything). Given my natural suspicion towards couscous based meals (due to some not-so-delicious experiments in the early years of my hiking career, back in the day) I was delightfully happy to find out that this meal was entirely edible - and better yet, it tasted quite good. I loved the Brazil nuts in the mix and will probably throw in some more for the actual meal on the trail.

TentMeal food comes neatly packaged, very compact indeed (average weight of a 500 kcal meal is just 124-125 g packaged), and since they are not the "eat from the tin foil bag" -type, they also produce very little waste. To avoid having to rinse my pot and still get my afternoon tea taste like sundried tomatoes and basil, I wanted to know if I could use my SeaToSummit Insulated Delta mug to prepare the meal. Yay! There was plenty of room for the ingredients and the 200+ ml of water. I'm quite sure the mug will be big enough for the Almond Jalfrezi meal too, although it requires 250 - 300 ml of water, and the third meal, Moroccan mango, should be fine since it takes the same amount of water than the Italian version.

I also purchased two Subtly cinnamon breakfasts that will be a nice change for my usual porridge with berry soup. In addition to the TentMeals I'll be eating my way across Scotland with instant mashed potato with dried tuna, nice Finnish thin crispy bread (extra dark), Tartex paté, coffee, tea, trail mix with nuts and berries, Pringles and salty liquorice, some fish & chips for certain, and of course all the possible cakes and biscuits that I can eat (meaning the ones that are lactose free, which might be a bit restrictive). I suppose I can manage. It will definitely better than my Fjällräven Classic diet, at least!

My sucksack and other kit issues

No. it's not a typo. My rucksack sucks. Well, that was maybe a bit harsh, since she has been the most wonderful rucksack for several (almost 8) years. Her name is Aura and she is an Osprey by name. We've seen a lot together, me and her.

Stone-stepping across a stream in the Paistunturi wilderness
area, Finland. June 2012.

But now, despite my desperate attempts in patching her up with Tear-Aid for the Challenge, it seems she just can't hold herself together anymore.

It's not like I feel a lot better at the moment, to be honest, since I'm suffering from a very tiresome flu and super achy knees, but I expect to get better before May. My Aura probably gets worse. Maybe it's just time to let her stay at home and swap her for a younger model.

I have tentatively looked at the new Aura AG 50 (sturdier, but heavier, but also comes with adjustable torso length and a zippered lower compartment) and Sirrus 50 (also heavier, but not as much as the Aura AG, also not as sturdy, but with both the aforementioned features that my current Aura lacks). I would love to have the Exos 48, speficially in blue and white to celebrate the 100th year of independent Finland, but even the smallest torso length is too tall for me. Bummer. Also, it might not be a good idea to get an ultralight pack since apparently I manage to trash a heavier one in less than eight years.

Since my hiking trousers (Fjällräven Keb Gaiter) surprised me and came out of the closet the other day well-fitting, as opposed to being too tight like they were two months back, I don't have to buy a new pair and thus could spend the extra money (What extra money? There is no extra money! Best regards, your bank account) on a new pack.

However, I'm already on the verge of a small panic regarding a lot of my current gear. Should I go for  lighter boots (although the last time I tried lighter boots I got really sore feet and a blister the size of Canada)? Should I get a new sleeping mattress (because my trusty old NeoAir is not that trusty anymore, it has the tiniest leak that usually never bothers me, but what if it starts bothering me on 2-week trek)? Do I need a new stove? Will my down jacket be a bit too much? Or a bit too wet if it rains all the time? Should I bring my Merrell barefoot sneakers for wading and camp (although it would mean that they get wet and I'd probably need to buy a pair of Sealskinz socks to go with them) or my Crocs Offroads (although they look hideous and wearing them in public is a fashion crime)? Getting a new rucksack was the ONE thing I thought I don't need to worry about.

Well, at least my back-and-forth with the tent has come to a conclusion. I am getting the Hilleberg Enan (2016 model with the slightly heavier but a lot stronger Kerlon 1000 outer material). In green, obviously. Sleeping in a red tent is a bit too Christmasy.

Now I only need to solve the twenty something issues with my other things and I'm good to go! 50 days left. Better start thinking about food next.

Eastward bound

It goes like this.

For the life of me I can't figure out if it is possible to share a Google Earth link, so here's a screen cap of my route.

I think it is entirely possible that walking across Scotland will be easier than planning the walk. It HAS to be easier than making the OS Maps' digital routes appear in Google Earth.

Two months and 7 days to go.

I'll just leave this here for now