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.

Gear-y Christmas

This is the inevitable phase in any hike planning. Gear talk. The weight and bulk of gear. And quite possibly the excruciating need to update it.

As a middle-aged, rheumatoid arthritis ridden gal I'd rather go on treks where I have sherpas carrying my equipment, leaving me practically skipping along the paths and off of them with just a tiny little pack on my person. I have never done that, though. I have always carried my own belongings, as I also enjoy the wonderful feeling of being completely free, in charge of my own route and pace, carrying everything I will need in a week's time on my back. That and the fact that I couldn't afford a sherpa.

I have tried to keep the weight of my pack down without giving up the sense of security and reasonable comfort, having succeeded in my efforts quite nicely. I'm not saying that it is a particularly lovely sensation to haul a 12 to 14 kg pack over the hills all day, but it is at least tolerable. What wouldn't be is being cold and hungry, wet and miserable after a day of walking with a much lighter pack. The more comfortable, the more uncomfortable, as the saying goes. I always choose the after walk comfort, without going overboard with luxury items.

A typical kit for a week long hike, from a few years back (some of the gear has since been replaced).
Among the Absolute Essentials note the Pringles can on the right. Never leave home without it!

Since I've done this hiking thing for years, I've created quite a functional kit to draw from for all kinds of treks. And yet I find myself at loss when preparing for the Challenge, as it is the longest trek I've ever done, both in duration and distance, and I need to be sure that whatever I take with me will work for me in those conditions. Which is a bit of a challenge (pun intended), considering I've never been to the Highlands before. Judging by all the stories and photographs in the internet I have been able to deduct that hiking in Scotland will likely be reasonably close to hiking in Lapland - windy, boggy and wet, that is, so I am going to plan accordingly.

So far I have only been able to decide on a few items, and the rest is all a big, fuzzy jumble of ideas and need-to-buy-new things kind of a mess. 

Definitely coming with:

Sleeping bag: Therm-A-Rest Mira HD 

Sleeping pad: Therm-A-Rest Neoair medium

Probably coming with:

Backpack: Osprey Aura 50

I'm tempted to update to a Aura AG, although it's heavier, but supposedly even more comfortable to carry. Also, I've been repairing the current pack with Tear-Aid here and there, and would not want it to burst to smithereens in the middle of Scotland.

Stove: Primus Eta Solo. Not the lightest portable kitchen possible, but the weight to gas consumption ratio is the best I've yet encountered. I've typically gone 7-8 days with just one 110 g cas canister. Admittedly, my hiking pals have been quite fed up with me taking my sweet time making tea or coffee on the last day, waiting for the precious last grams of gas finding their way out of the bottle. I might consider a new stove and a titanium pot, but the gas consumption worries me. I really don't want to carry any extra canisters. Since I'll probably be spending at least a third of my nights in hostels or B&B's and having tea and/or lunches in pubs and cafes on the way, I might be able to take just one 110 g canister with the Eta Solo.

Trying to decide between:

Tent: borrowing a Fjällräven Abisko Lite 1 for free or buying a Hilleberg Enan. The former would be a no-brainer if it wasn't 700 grams heavier than the latter. And don't even start with all the dapper UL shelter thingies they have over the pond (in the Americas, that is. The Tarptents and MLD:s and whatnot).

Boots - my trustworthy Hanwag Tatras or a new pair of lighter boots. Tatras have never ever given me any trouble, no matter the terrain or weather. I even walked along the Cornish coastal path in them quite happily, even though they are a bit heavy and stiff. I bought a pair of lighter boots for the Fjällräven Classic Denmark last summer and nearly couldn't finish in them, as all the hot weather road walking and not being able to cool my feet off in streams and ponds and lakes, caused my feet to swell so badly the boots felt like three sizes too small. I also got my first proper blister that was the size of Canada. So I'm really tempted to trust the good old Tatras even if they would be a bit overkill for all the roadwalking (not so much for the boggy terrain though).

Insulated jacket: down or synthetic? With or without a hood? I've got perfect candidates for each option. Not sure if the hood is worth the extra weight, or if the obviously lighter down is a good choice if the weather is really wet (they all fit under the shell jacket though).

Definitely going to have to buy:

New trousers. The current ones have downsized themselves in the closet!

All this and the route planning (which has progressed to "starting from Mallaig, probably, or from Lochailort, or possibly from Morar, and walking to the east coast!"), what a way to spend Christmas. And I haven't even started on planning food parcels and the like. I have a feeling that May can not approach too slowly...

Be prepared!

No, I am not a Scout. It would probably help if I was, since apparently they are great at preparing. I'm great at procrastinating, though, so there's that.

However, I have actually done things to help my big fat Scottish adventure along. I have ordered the Scottish Hill Tracks book from Amazon and subscribed to the OS online maps. I have sat in front of the computer a lot and stared at said online maps. I have also lounged on my futon sofa with my laptop a lot and read stories of previous Challenges. What I have done most, though, is wondering if I should get my head checked.

There's still a shit ton to do. Like actually plan a route and have it vetted and book travel and accommodation. And start stretching my hill legs. On it!

Stretching is always important. Demonstrating at the top of Tjäktjapasset in Sweden.
August 2015.

And so it begins.

"Many thanks for your application for the 38^th Great Outdoors Challenge. We are delighted to inform you that you have a place on the 2017 Event".

Oops. I might  not have believed that I could be accepted. After all, in my application I generously confessed that I've never been to Scotland (but I have, however, hiked a lot in Lapland where some parts are almost identical to Scotland with the bog, the wind and the rain and the snowy fell tops) and that I've got rheumatoid arthritis (which, however, has not stopped me from hiking in Lapland, or Cornwall with all of its glorious ups-and-downs for that matter). Apparently I was deemed qualified enough, and so I am now in for a whole new hiking experience. So exciting! 

Six months to prepare. Need to acquire paper maps and download e-maps. Need to plan and submit the route. Need to book plane tickets and accomodation for start and finish. Need to sort out, and quite possibly buy new gear, at least a solo tent. Need to decide whether to buy new boots and if so, break them in. Need to beg my boss for 2.5 weeks of vacation time in May. Need to organize a caretaker for my dog. Need to be in better shape. Need to stop panicking and start planning! Scotland, oh you land of the brave, I am coming!

Hiking in Kaldoaivi wilderness area, Finland, in Midsummer 2014.
The weather is balmy +2 C with strong winds. Adequate training for Scotland, eh?