Falkland Islands, South Georgia & Antarctica

2017: Falkland Islands, South Georgia & Antarctica

 

Probably one of the most epic wildlife trips I have ever done. Encounters with Humpback Whales so close that we looked each other in the eyes, a visit to the second biggest King Penguin colony in the world with 400,000 penguins and more...



Uruguay

2017: Uruguay

 

After my inspirational encounter with Dietmar Denger I set out again to explore my new photo skills in Uruguay...



Do What Make Good - Home



Thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail 2017 - looking back on an epic five month journey.

Now I had a few days to let the dust settle. It’s still hard to believe that I just walked from Mexico to Canada during the last five month. 4.265km. It doesn’t feel like it. The wounds healed pretty good and besides a general stiffness my body feels pretty good again. But I guess it was time for a break of hiking now.

My former colleague Arden who did our revenue forecasts in the team also forecasted something about me before I left. In my last presentation he included a prognosis of how I will look like after the hike in New Zealand. Now my journey has even be longer but his forecast skills are also pretty good outside of the revenue world.
On the top: his guess. On the bottom: me on the last day of the PCT.

IMG_0549.JPG

And this was on the last day on the trail. I don’t know what you think but that’s pretty close!

Where to start? Many people have asked me along the trail and afterwards what my favourite sections of the PCT were. I have to say in general the great diversity is probably one of its major beauties. You get all the extremes from deathly desert over high snow capped mountains, alpine areas, glacial lakes, volcanos, forest and so much more. It is incredible how the landscape changes over and over again. But if I only had limited time to do a few weekend or week trips here is my recommendation.

My favourite parts of the PCT:

From Mt. Laguna to Big Bear: Pure desert, very dry and a deadly environment which surprises with life everywhere! Beautiful flowers, lizards, snakes and tough plants combined with the beauty of endless views over deep valleys and plains.

 

Walker Pass to Toulumne Meadows - the Sierra Nevada: Without a question the most outstanding section of the PCT. The high Sierra Nevada brings you up to over 13,000ft / 4.000m. Massive granite mountain, high passes, glacial lakes and stunning scenery. Must do!

 

Kennedy Meadows North to Truckee: A short but absolutely unique and beautiful section. Volcanic valleys, ridge walks and the most dense amount of wildflowers on the trail. Really cool stretch!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elk Lake to Ollalie Lake: Starting out with the Three Sisters Wilderness - a stunning volcanic area which is very different to the rest of the trail. Rough and beautiful. And the stretch to, up and over Mt. Jefferson is definitely the highlight of Oregon. Sitting on the ridge between Mt. Jefferson and Mt. Hood - outstanding!

 

Trout Lake to White Pass - Goat Rock Wilderness: Maybe the most stunning stand-alone section on the PCT are the last 25 miles through Goat Rock Wilderness to White Pass. Views of Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helen & Mt. Rainier at the same time, high alpine terrain, ridges, lakes. Amazing.


Snoqualmie to Canada: Basically the entire North Cascades are just worth going to! High alpine terrain, lakes, ridges, valleys and in late summer early fall an unlimited supply of huckleberries. North Cascades I my go to place for hiking also offside of the PCT!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The trail itself.
The trail itself? It is not overly challenging itself. It is extremely well maintained - a hiking-highway. This makes it easy to cover great distance (we mostly hiked high 20s / low 30s every day when we had our hiker-legs) and also enables you to enjoy the views since you don’t have to watch every step. Since it is an equestrian trail it is also not very steep. The grade is very gentle and every hill or pass is approached with endless switchbacks. You still have to go up and down but it never makes an challenging climb. The river crossings can be challenging or even impassable in certain conditions like this year with very heavy snow conditions. But generally they are great fun and good refreshment along the way. Navigational wise it is usually very easy to follow the trail. It is the clearly heavily used trail with many footprints and hiking pole pokes. Sometimes marker exist but mostly it’s very clear. If not the various GPS apps (Guthook’s / Halfmile) are a great support. The keepers of the PCT - the PCTA organisation - also provides water reports, trail status information, updates on closures, alternates which are an excellent resource for planning. So all in all a very doable “hike”.

So should it be considered an easy hike? No! It is still a great challenge to master all of these things together. Especially if you have never hiked or spent much time outdoors. You will be very busy and challenged with your own body and the outdoor-basics and the hiking comes on top. The length of the adventure makes it tough too. You have to take care of yourself properly to be able to last for five month. It is not a short hike where you can kill yourself and then recover again at your desk at work. No, you have to be able to walk for five month. That requires extra care of your body, especially your feet but also your diet. And the mental aspect of pushing yourself through rough days must not be underestimated. Having to walk with blisters, being hungry, warm or cold on a miserable day knowing that the next town and place to rest is still a few days away and that it won’t get better - probably even worse until then - requires mental strength to continue. And we all have these days where you just feel like not walking anymore.

So all in all it is a great adventure and challenge. But it is definitely doable and with some preparation and the right mindset no-one should be afraid of starting.

Having done quite a severe amount of hiking, mountaineering and time outdoors I was probably not to challenged by the trail itself. But it gave me time and room to enjoy and fully take in the beauty around me. Also the fact that I had completed a long distance hike before made me worry way less about the challenges ahead and being able to finish. It was never really a question. I knew as long as I wouldn’t injure myself severely I would be able to do it. This definitely helped to relax, and having more capacity for nature, encounters and myself. I truly enjoyed this incredible journey through a stunning landscape.


Te Araroa vs. Pacific Crest Trail

I had promised myself to never compare my journey on the PCT with my first thru-hike on the Te Araroa in New Zealand. Why? The TA was my first thru-hike. The first of everything will always be unique and special for many reasons. And the TA for me was very special. It was the end of my 15 year long lasting corporate career and the first episode of my “new” journey. Therefore the TA was besides the mind-blowing Kiwi-nature and its hiking challenge probably even more a journey to myself. The TA will always be on of the most important and outstanding episodes in my life. My love for the TA, New Zealand and the Kiwis will always be special #germanbypassportkiwibyheart

But I have been asked many times now: “Which trail was better?” or “How are they different?”. Looking at the trails themselves in a retrospective now is interesting. Scenery-wise these two trails have much in common. They are epic! They both share and outstanding diversity in nature. I couldn’t pick a favourite. Concerning the trail itself though the TA is definitely a lot rougher. Amazing trail conditions like on the PCT can only be found on very few parts of the trail. Mostly the trail is more narrow, overgrown, full of rocks and roots or partly doesn’t exist at all. Combined with mud up to your hips it partly slows you down to way less than 1km/h. The Kiwis also have never heard of the word switchback. If there is a hill to climb there is usually only one way: straight up 😂. Way more river crossings and challenging parts - if it rains you pitch your tent for a few days and watch the water rise and (eventually) go down before you can continue. Also the weather in New Zealand is rougher. A lot more rain, wind and unpredictable conditions. All in all a bit rougher when it comes to the hiking and outdoor part. Doable? Yes! Fun? Oh yeah!< /p#>

When I hiked the TA in 2015 we were 12 people in total going northbound. 12. What does that mean? I most of the time didn’t meet a single person for days. It was a very individual journey and a lot of time to spend with yourself. Going southbound on the TA will give you more fellow hikers along the way since it is the more common direction but still way less than on the PCT these days. I sometimes referred to the PCT as a “social experiment”. Roughly 3,000 hikers start within a few weeks and all head the same way - north. Therefore you will rarely be alone. And since there are many great and interesting people out there it is almost impossible not to mingle, make friends and hike together. For many younger hikers it is also the first time away from home and an important time in their self-exploration process. Who am I? How do I fit into a group? What do others think? How am I perceived? So the social aspect of #tramilies (trail-families) is very important and integral part of the trail. This also applies for the amazing trail magic happening around the trail. Organised groups and individuals - sometimes former hikers, admirers, churches and other organisations or other just great people - who come out to remote areas to maintain water caches in the desert, place a cooler full of beer and food in the middle of nowhere, pick you up from remote areas, host you, invite you for a meal or a shower at their house. So there is a great community around the PCT and a lot of interaction. Whereas on the TA most people who live right next to the trail don’t even know it exists but the spontaneous Kiwi-hospitality which will almost be forced on you is a class of its own. For me the loneliness of the TA was the right thing at the right time. On the PCT I have to say I also stayed away from the big crowds and was way more interested in my own hike and nature than social interaction. But I enjoyed meeting people, hiking together with some of them and being able to share some of the most stunning moments for life.

So which one is better? None. They both are beauties in themselves. They share the great outdoors. The PCT is probably the easier start since there is more support along the the trail and the TA a bit more a physical challenge. But I would recommend to just do both and find out for yourself 😉 Hike your own hike!

I truly enjoyed my time on the trail. The journey was perfect the way it was. One thing which is referred to very often is “Hike your own hike!”. It is almost overused sometimes. But what does it mean? It means to hike your own hike. There is no right or wrong way to hike the PCT. It is a very personal and individual journey which goes way past the hike itself. Therefore it is important to follow your heart and do do whatever feels right or good to you. How I always say - Do What Make Good.

Don’t believe the fear mongering that some people do.
Don't believe people who tell you that you are doing it wrong.
Don’t listen to the people who call themselves “purists” and tell you what the rules of a “real” thru-hike are. Have you ever seen “THE Rule-Book of thru-hiking”…?

The trail is not a race (unless you want to break the speed record) or any sort of competition. It is a journey through nature and to yourself. So you better Do What Make Good and just whatever you want to do or what feels right for you at that particular moment. Hike your own hike.

Leave no trace.

The only idea I would like to encourage everyone to follow is the one of leaving no trace. All of us who are privileged to enjoy these amazing spots out there should do everything we can to preserve them. They don’t belong to us and the beauty is only sustainable if we take great care of it.

There is a great organisation which is also called Leave No Trace which has produced some good guidelines to help us with this. Some of them are very obvious others might have not been relevant to some of us so far. I found them really helpful. Just as a quick teaser the 7 principles - make sure to check them out if you don’t know them:

Plan Ahead and Prepare - minimise your impact by good preparation.

Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces - don’t step on sensible vegetation at any time, don’t cut switchbacks to minimise erosion and use established campsites instead of creation new ones.

Dispose of Waste Properly - pack it in, pack it out. Dispose human waste properly in a 6-8 inch hole and far enough away from any water sources.

Leave What You Find - don’t take anything and don’t introduce any non-native species.

Minimize Campfire Impacts - my opinion: if you don’t need one, don’t start one.

Respect Wildlife - keep a distance and also follow proper food storage procedures (hang food) - not to protect you but to protect wildlife. A fed bear is usually a dead bear.

Be Considerate of Other Visitors - a no-brainer; even though you see people with loud speaker in the middle of nowhere on a regular base. Some people may enjoy the peace and chance to see wildlife...

Check out the principles here: Leave No Trace 

Thank you Pacific Crest Trail for hosting, thank you PCTA for supporting and taking care and thank you all volunteers & trail angels for making this journey so special!

Happy Trails.


My final Pacific Crest Trail / PCT Gear List

Since I have been asked for advise and recommendations many times during the last weeks regarding the "right gear" I sat down and compiled my gear list again. This Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) gear list includes everything I have used on my thru-hike in 2017. You will see it also includes a few tips and tricks, recommendations & explanations on why and how I used certain items. At the end of the article you'll find an overview table with all items and weight. Also check out the Gear section on my site for further info.

Overview

I started out with more and different gear at the beginning of my Pacific Crest Trail journey. Even though I thought I knew what I would need based on my previous experience I changed and optimized quite a few things along the way again. You never stop learning. The most commonly used reference is the one of your "base weight". It includes everything which is in your backpack including the pack itself without food and water. And you usually do not count what you are wearing as your minimal/standard outfit.

I managed to lower my base weight to only 5.4kg (6.6kg incl. my camera gear)! When I saw the numbers earlier I was surprised myself..

Since most of the gear and thoughts are still valid I have recycled a lot from my original post which I put together before I started. If you want to read some background info and compare to what I have now feel free to check out the Post "My Gear List..."


What to pack?

First of all, everybody has a different comfort zone! So there is no right or wrong.
Every environment is different and requires different equipment!
You should never risk your health or even life by under-packing and not being prepared!

The main questions to consider are usually:
What weather will I have to expect? What will be the lowest temperatures?
How remote will I be and how quickly can I escape or receive help in an emergency situation?

This will determine a lot when it comes to the right equipment. The big three are usually your backpack itself, the tent and the sleeping bag. Tent and sleeping bag will depend on the conditions - how stable does the tent have to be (e.g. very stable in Patagonia with a lot of wind and no shelter, less in New Zealand where you can usually camp in the forest and have shelter) and how warm and big does your sleeping bag (and with this usually also the cloth) have to be. By volume and size of all these things you will be able to choose a backpack.

The entire gear list in a quick overview:

(Some links in the table are affiliate links)
Item
Product
Weight
The hiking outfit
T-shirt
130g
Shorts
130g
Socks
40g
Shoes
650g
Gaiters
34g
Sun protection
100g
Trekking poles
600g
Watch
64g
1.748g
The big three
Backpack
811g
Pouch for backpack
14g
Tent
539g
Stakes
MSR Ground Hog Mini tent stakes (8)
80g
Sleeping bag
595g
Waterproof stuff sack
25g
Sleeping pad
230g
2.294g
Cooking
Cooking pot
Trangia Pot incl. handle
142g
Stove
83g
Fire
Lighter
10g
Spoon
10g
Water filter
91g
Water container
40g
Water Bottle
Powerade
50g
Food bag
28g
454g
Cloth
Rain jacket
180g
Rain skirt
54g
Rain pants
180g
Down jacket
360g
Jumper
376g
Beanie
32g
Neck gaiter
40g
Gloves
40g
Socks
40g
Stuff sack
55g
1.257g
Medics & Hygienics 
Teeth
Half tooth brush
7g
Teeth
Tooth paste
24g
Contact lenses
Case, solution, extra pair
80g
Eye
Eye infection creme
3g
Nails
Standard small nail clipper
21g
Beard
Comb
6g
Toilet paper
Amount depends on days.
30g
Pain killer
Ibuprofen
15g
Diaria
Imodium
4g
Disinfection
4 alcohol pads
1g
Tape
30g
Antihistamine
6 capsules
7g
Sunscreen
30ml
34g
262g
Repair kit
Tape
Ductape wrapped around trekking pole
Fixation
6 cable ties
6g
Knife
28g
Repair gear
1m Dyneema Composite Fabric
60g
Repair gear
Special tape for air mattress
10g
Repair gear
Tenacious tape
15g
Repair gear
Super glue
15g
Stuff sack
15g
149g
Electronics
Charger
USB with double port & iPhone cable
66g
Battery pack
135g
Phone & navigation
iPhone 6S
145g
Waterproof case
35g
Headlamp
55g
Battery
2 spare batteries for headlamp
22g
Wallet
7g
Stuff sack
20g
485g
Camera
Camera
Olympus OMD EM1 II (incl. battery & SD)
390g
Lense
M.ZUIKO Digital ED 14-150mm 1:4.0-5.6 II
285g
Battery
2 extra Olympus batteries
90g
Memory card
2x SanDisk Extreme Pro 64GB
40g
Camera clip
84g
Camera rain cover
113g
Charger
Olympus charger & cable
115g
1.117g
Additional Gear
Pee-bottle
Gatorade 1l bottle
50g
50g
Total base weight
4.845g
Total base weight incl. camera
6.018g
Weight on the hiker
1.748g

Sweet as, brew! Let me know when there's new stuff online!

 

As summarised earlier for the PCT already:

Backpack:

Most important with a backpack is that it fits your back. They all have different harnesses and fit different backs. So make sure to try many. The other features are less important. If you carry heavier loads >15kg you want to have a good hip belt or otherwise you will have bruises on your hips and it's uncomfortable on longer hikes.

My backpack of choice is now the Hyperlite Mountain Gear 2400 Southwest. It's specially designed for ultra-light hikers with a 40l volume and only weighs 811g (in comparison my Osprey 50l bag weighs about 1,8kg!) and it is waterproof in itself. It helps you only taking the things you really need since there is not a lot of space 😉. As a reference my bag is maybe half full with all my gear. The rest is "reserved" for food and I usually fit 5 days in it easily. I would not recommend it with a permanent weight over 15kg, but if you exceed it in the first days of a long hike because of food it should be ok since you will get lighter every day.

I also have a Zpacks Backpack Shoulder Pouch on one of my shoulder straps for my phone, ND filter and snacks.

Tent:

The Zpacks Solplex is my choice. It is made out of Dyneema Composite Fabric (also known as Cuban Fibre) which is highly durable and super lightweight with 439g only! Including 8 stakes with 60g the total weight of the tent comes down to 499g. Comfort, space and durability are amazing. Keep your vestibules open for ventilation since in a single wall tent you do get condensation very quickly. It's not cheap with 555US$ but it's well worth every cent if you sleep in it every day.

Sleeping bag & sleeping pad:

The lightest and smallest version is always down. The higher the number of the filling (e.g. 850) the better the quality of the down and therefore the less you need for the same insulation. As mentioned above I would go with the Western Mountaineering Summerlite sleeping bag which is rated for +6C comfort and a max of 0C. I only had a 3 or 4 cold nights below freezing and used used my rain jacket and my backpack as a sack wrapped around my feet for extra insulation in cold nights - just make use of whatever you have if you need it.

Due to packing size I opted for an inflatable sleeping mattress. I am not a fan of the bulky foam pads which you always have to attach to the outside dangling around. The Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlite is the lightest one. I used to have a large one but now I go with the extra small one (119cm) since I put my legs on my backpack and other things. Saves 200g compared to the large/regular one.

Cooking:

Some people go without a stove and only eat cold or dry stuff. Apparently it works but I wouldn't want to go without one proper meal per day. So I carry a very small and light weight (83g) gas stove from Optimus Crux and a small gas canister. For cooking I have a 1.5l Trangia hardanodized ultralight aluminium cooking pot, the aluminum handle and  Sea to Summit plastic spoon.

My main water container is a cheap 1l Powerade plastic bottle - it does the job perfectly, is way lighter than the "proper" ones, the outflow of the Powerade bottle has the perfect size so that you can drink while walking (better than the Powerade one), you can replace it once in a while if it gets to nasty and it costs almost nothing! As a water filtration system you can go with the lighter Sawyer Mini instead of the Sawyer Squeeze. I only filtered my water 4 or 5 times on the entire trail. Since there is water everywhere in New Zealand and you rarely have two hours without a water source you can either carry a 2l Platypus or get an additional thin water bottle for the few occasions where you will need it.

I also have two stuff sacks (10l and 15l) for my food. It helps to easier squish the food into the backpack and I always separate breakfast & dinner from snacks. By doing that I can bury the breakfast & dinner bag in my pack and only have to take to bag with the snacks out during the day

(What I don't carry anymore different to before the trail and on the picture: camel bag, water bottle)

Clothes:

I try to carry as little as I can. Therefore I don't take anything which can't be used on top of each other for the worst case scenario. Don't over pack - yes, you will be smelly and a bit sticky. But everybody is out there. You'll get used to it. Not showering for ten days sounds really bad at the beginning but it's actually not. And once in a while there is also a river to jump in if you are desperate 😉

I usually hike in a Icebreaker merino wool t-shirt, my beloved red/pink Speedo swim shorts, short Icebreaker merino socks and my favorite Salomon Speedcross4 trail runners. To protect my socks and shoes from the insight I use very small Outdoor Research Sparkplug gaiters. As sun protection I have my new and cool Prana hipster cap 😎.

Rain gear: Outdoor Research Helium II rain jacket & Vaude Drop Pants II rain pants - for heavy conditions and when temperatures drop below 0C with rain and wind. And the above mentioned rain skirt Zpacks Rain Kilt. I would personally make it shorter and keep it over your knees for better movability.
My Patagonia Nano Puff jacket with Prima Loft Gold is the piece which keeps me warm in camp or breaks - very small and very warm. I find Prima Loft better on long distance hikes since it even warmth you if it's wet, it dries quickly and you can easily wash it - different to down.
One Icebreaker Descender Long Sleeve merino wool jumper - early in the morning or later in the day on cold and windy days I like to wear this one. Primaloft or down is to warm to walk in.
For the really cold days I carry a thin Icebreaker merino beanie, a Buff (neck gaiter) and a pair of Icebreaker Sierra gloves.
Since my swim shorts have a mesh inside I don't wear underwear. It also helps for better ventilation, less sweating and rubbing. So I only carry one pair of merino underwear to sleep in.
The only extras I carried were one Icebreaker merino t-shirt which is not really necessary - but it is nice sometimes e.g. in towns after a shower when waiting for the laundry to be done. But you don't need it. If its wet I either try to keep in on and dry it with body heat or I take it off and wear my jumper. It sucks in the morning to put it on again but after 20 minutes of exercising it's usually dry. In Oregon I changed one Icebreaker t-shirt for a long sleeve shirt because of the mosquitos and kept it to the end. I also have one pair of extra socks in case a sock breaks down. This usually happens quickly. I went through a pair in 3-4 weeks. Your feet are the most important part on this journey - you do want to do anything possible to prevent blisters and/or injuries! Other than that you only need one pair. Why? How many can you wear? Exactly. If they smell you wash them in a break. If they are wet? Then you walk in wet socks. If it rains on consecutive days even dry socks are wet after 20 minutes so there is no sense in putting dry ones on to into your wet shoes...

(What I don't carry anymore different to before the trail and on the picture: hat, rain skirt, thermal pants, towel)

Medics and Hygienics

How to go light: Try to buy the smaller sizes. No need to carry 200ml of something that will last for 2 month. Resupply more often. I have seen people carrying regular bottles of everything ending up with 3-4kg of liquids 🙈

My daily hygienics consisted out of a small and cut off tooth brush + toothpaste, contact lenses and cleansing fluid (extra pair and a few daily lenses in case of an eye infection), nail clipper, comb for my beard - therefore no razor 😂 and an amount of toilet paper suitable for the days - don't carry an entire roll!

In case shit happens. How much can you do in the wilderness? If it's a minor thing you usually don't really have to do anything and if it's a big thing (broken bones, etc.) you can't heal yourself anyways. So the only thing you have to do is get out and get help. So I am not a big fan of carrying a lot of stuff. For the heavy stuff I rely on painkillers (Ibuprofen), the cable ties and ductape.

I also carry Imodium for diaria (how many do you need? Not the entire pack for sure, just enough to get you out in case it hits you), a cream for eye infection which happens quickly with contact lenses, a couple disinfection/alcohol tissues (also work great if you have to clean camera lenses or surfaces before you repair / glue them). And a few Antihistamine pills after my shocking 25 sting-wasp-experience.

For the smaller issues and especially my feet I have a small roll of plaster tape (Mefix) which is a sticky plaster to seal open wounds and a 2m strip of Leuko Surgical Tape wrapped around a solid plastic tube: it's the only tape which really works. The adhesive is incredible and even stays on feet for days when they get wet. Don't try anything else!

Last but not least a 30ml sunscreen tube and a Ziploc bag to store everything.

(What I don't carry anymore different to before the trail and on the picture: Voltaren, Aspirin, hand sanitizer, bio degradable washing lotion, ear plugs)

Repair kit

Minimal as well. Tape and cable ties will fix most problems temporarily or even long term. For the electronics I only carry my iPhone for backup navigation (bad weather, emergency situations) and to write the blog.

Sufficient amount of ductape wrapped around my trekking poles so I don't have to carry it in the backpack fixes everything: equipment and also small injuries.
An Opinel Knife No. 6, a stripe of special waterproof repair tape for tents, rain jackets and repair kit for my air mattress, 6 cable ties, super glue, a spare lighter, a 10m MSR Ultralight Utility Cord (cloth line, rope to hang food and possible repair kit) and 2 small carabiners to hang food. On top I carried 4 one gallon Ziploc bags as emergency and rain gloves and socks and a small stuff sack to store everything.

Electronics

USB charger with double port, my iPhone in a waterproof Lifeproof Case - also my fall back navigation and emergency (if I have reception) device, a Goal Zero Flip 20 Powerbank for two charges. A Black Diamond Ion headlamp for hikes during night time and everything else when it's dark. And I have a small Zpacks Wallet Zip Pouch for credit cards &, ID and all of it goes into a 3l Osprey Ultralight Dry Sack.

(What I don't carry anymore different to before the trail and on the picture: compass & maps which you won't need for the PCT)

The only luxury equipment - my camera

Photography is one of my passions. So I can't go without a proper camera. I tried to find a compromise between a full DSLR camera which is to bulky and heavy and a smaller one which will still give me a very high quality. For the last 2 years I have used my Olympus OMD EM10II with a micro four thirds sensor and the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14–150mm 1:4.0–5.6 II lense. It only weighs 1018g including the lense, battery and memory card which is significantly less than a comparable SLR.

On top I have 2 spare battery, 2 SD memory cards, cleaning wipes, a grey filter and the camera battery charger.

And I also finally found a way to attach my camera to my backpack so that I can always use it without taking my backpack off or it dangling around and being annoying. The Peak Design clip straps the camera to your shoulder belt. It's fixed, secured and you still have easy access to it. And after two years of heavy usage I can only highly recommend this thing including the shell to protect your camera from dust and rain. If you take the extra weight of a good camera with you this clip is a must item - if you have your camera in your pack you'll never use it and just carry dead weight around! Peak Design Capture Clip v3 for the backpack & Peak Design Shell for protection. Use the link to get a free gift 😉

PS: Unfortunately my camera went swimming 3 weeks before the end. So I had to replace it on the go. I have to admit that I used this excuse to directly upgrade to the OMD EM1 II with a 12-100 Pro Lense. It is significantly heavier (+460g) but I will also use it for non hiking purposes now. On long hikes I might try to use the old lense if I can repair it. For the packing list I include my old camera since it was the one I used.

Additional gear

Leki Khumbu hiking poles which I always use. It's said that they save you up to 30% of energy in your legs since you use your upper body which normally is not used when hiking.

Suunto Core Watch. Simple watch, altimeter and compass. I am not a fan of GPS watches since they use a lot of battery which you don't have out there.

Additional 32oz Gatorade (big opening) pee-bottle for the night. I hate getting out of the tent at night. Probably one of my most favorite items 😊

 

Sweet as, brew! Let me know when there's new stuff online!


Gear

Pacific Crest Trail Gear

Final PCT / Pacific Crest Trail gear list

PCT Gear List

Te Araroa Gear List

Te Araroa ultra-light gear list. Based on my thruhikes.

Te Araroa Gear

TMB Gear

A ultra light TMB / Tour de Mont Blanc Gear list

TMB Blanc Gear

Unusual hiking tips

The "other tips" people don't write about on thru-hikes.

11 unusual tips


Latest blog posts about gear, recommendations and food.

Nothing found.


PCT #137, 2650mi: The last steps of a 4.265km hike. Arriving in Caanaaadaaaa!!!!! 🇨🇦

The last cold night for this season. Alarm went off at 5.15am again. Only half an inch of fresh snow during the night - not too bad.

After packing up, taping Kaylee's blistered feet and treating us with a hot mocha we started the last day on trail and our hike to the border...

11,4 miles to the border left.

Good bye campspot and back into the cold Cascades.

We were pumped up to get to the monument. The trail had mercy today and so the clouds were hanging low but precipitation was limited to a few icy snow flakes. Not too bad. That helps when hiking below freezing and turns up the moods of the tired hikers. Some of the last views of the Cascades before we dropped down in the valley.

The last cat prints on the trail. Fresh from this morning this hiker with four legs used the trail before us. They are out here! The one and only thing I did not get to see - a free roaming mountain lion. I guess that's a good reason to come back again, pitch a tent and look out for them.

And then the signs were getting clear. Almost done!

It just happened. The last few miles just cruising downhill in the forest. We hiked fast and silently for most of the time. Both lost in thoughts I guess. We were both ready to get there. And to be done. Not saying that I want to miss a single day of this journey. But the last six days being cold and wet all the time also made it easier to look forward to a shower and a bed now. For more than only one night always. Also our bodies are talking to us. Feet are swollen, ankles and joints just randomly hurt and pinch. Nothing serious. But just signs that they want a break. A d not only a nero or hero town day with less than 20 miles 😂

Will I miss it? I'll probably be wishing myself back on a trail in a few weeks. I know. And that's good. After the trail is before the trail 😉t now it's time to celebrate first!

The obligatory triple-pano of course:

The monument is in the glade of the US/CA border. Right next to an official milestone of the border. But that's it. No confetti or anything like this. Just a damp spot in the forest. We stayed for an hour, took photos and ate what we could still get down. Skittles, M&M's and gummy worms are definitely a no-go now and that's how I feel here and now.

Looking forward for what to come next, cold, exhausted, excited and happy to have made it.

After exactly 2,650 miles / 4.265km and 5 month on the Pacific Crest Trail we made it all the way from Mexico to Canada. Arrived at the Northern Terminus 🤘🏼
The trail provided us with sun, heat, lack of water, snow, raging rivers, mosquitoes, wild fires, trail closures, the love-hate relationship to candy and Washington's last week of ice-cold rain & snow. Our bodies tell the story. Thank you PCT for sharing your beauty with us! Even though we are glad to be off you today we will miss you in only a few days when civilisation hits us. #dowhatmakegood


PCT #136, 2639mi: The last full day on the PCT. Last time pitching the tent. Last dinner on trail... 11,4 mi to Canada!

It was freezing again in the night. The ground is also so cold now that the cold radiats right through my sleeping pad. Not a restful night. When we finally managed to get up we saw this:

At least 1-2 inches of snow came down during the night. But at least it was not rain.

Most of the day though looked like this.

And we accordingly...

The good thing about the weather. My ultralight rain gloves came back in use today.

German Engineering.

We also got a few spectacular views in berween. But mostly it was escaping the weather by running. It snowed all day. Sometimes more, sometimes less.

 

 

One of the highlights today. We had very fresh bear tracks right on the trail. Probably not older than 30 minutes. Unfortunately we didn't see it.

The clouds were pretty spectacular. But most of thr time we also walked head down covered in three layers and were lost in thoughts. The last day. The feeling about being done is definitely connected to joy and happiness. Very different to the Te Araroa. But it is also a completely different journey.

 

More thoughts about that tomorrow. Right now I am freezing and I desperately want to crawl into my sleeping bag and zip it up fully. We did another 29 miles today and got to our campspot right at sunset.

11,4 miles to the border tomorrow. Alarm at 5.30am. Good night...


PCT #135, 2610mi: Winter-Wonderland... 😍 40 miles to go!

The night was cold. After a few drops right before I fell asleep I woke up in the middle of the night with absolute clear sky and bright stars above me. A good omen?

In the morning it was bitter cold. Somewhere around freezing again. So it took a while to get moving. But once we got out of the campsite we couldn't really believe it. Blue sky and even the sun was coming out. Beautiful weather despite the ugly forecast.

And what else? We had escaped most of the rain yesterday. But other parts apparently not. Welcome to Winter-Wonderland...😍

Rainy Pass

Snow cover above 5,500ft. And clouds were forming in the late morning. Beautiful to watch...

 

 

 

All of the fear from the last days. Blown away. Instead of pain and rain we got to see this epic landscape with a bit of powder everywhere. We also had sunshine almost all day long. Clouds around us in the mountains but we were somehow always in one of the clear spots.

 

 

Our mood went up ten notches. Yesterday we still made plans on how to coop with wet food bags and so on and now it was almost time again to put on sunscreen. What a day!

We used our short lunch break to dry the tent and the sleeping bags from the condensation of last night. Another great thing. No matter how shitty the rest of the day would turn out we now had a completely dry tent and sleeping bags again. And so we cruised through the Wonderland for again 29 miles today.

 

Today we were both talking about our shopping trip in Vancouver and with which oufit we would try to re-integrage into society. I am really excited about getting some cool stuff to wear in a few days. We are both definitely looking forward to finishing now. Also the food topic is getting more and more difficult. Now not even M&M's go anymore 😝 All thoughts around zuccini, pumpkin, tomatoes, goat cheese, salmon, smoothies...

But it's great that we get to finish with views like today and not with three days if straight rain & clouds. Fingers crossed for tomorrow.

My fingers are already freezing inside of the tent. It will be cold tonight 😳


PCT #134, 2581mi: The race to Canada continues. 69 miles left 😳

The night was cold again and when we woke up the tent was soaked from condensation. Everything else as well. So we packed up and made our way down the last five miles to the Ranger Station and dirt road where the shuttle runs to Stehekin.

The ranger greated us warmly and also had the latest weather report on hand. 40-70% chance of rain for the next three days, 1 inch of snow above 5000ft per day and so on. 😝 Just wet and mostly miserable for the next days.

So the temptation to stay in town and get dry, dry our stuff and relax before the last stretch was big. But luckily our fate was decided for us by a crashed reservation system. So the only the place to stay didn't know if they had rooms available until 5pm. So we decided to just get our food and right back on trail again.

We got lucky and had a few sunny moments between the clouds and rain and with that we managed to get everything dry.

 

The sleeping bags went into the dryer for 20 minutes and are almost like new now.

And then just a normal stay in town. Standing in line in the post office...

...and consuming calories.

That was all mine 😊

After only four hours we were back on the shuttle to the trail. 11 more miles today for our camp spot. We got some great views of the salmon migration:

 

And that was the last resupply stop. The last town. The last beer on trail. The last... Jep, it's again this time. The last of everything now. The trail is coming to an end. Fast. Two and a half more days. What a journey. At this point of time I still kind of feel ready to get to Canada now. The weather forecast also doesn't help to slow down. Let's see how it feels like tomorrow. Or on the last day. But it feels like it will be different this time for me than after the Te Araroa in New Zealand. Not quite sure how, but different...