Posts by gerrit
I am investigating the feasibility of a hike looping around Hofsjökull. This will take me through several “deserts” such as Hofsafrétt and Sprengisandur. On photos, this looks pretty dry, but Ice...
Several posts on this side make mention of tent "skirts". For example: A "skirt" at the bottom of the tent, which makes outer tent reach the ground, so wind is not beating into the inner tent; i...
As it happens, the easiest way to cross from the north is on the ice of the Þjórsarjökull glacier. The glacier in this area is almost completely flat. There are very few crevasses or other featur...
In Iceland, off-roading is strictly prohibited. Unfortunately, it still happens and one can find tracks of off-roading all over the central highlands. On the other hand, in the landscape, some ro...
When walking on Hofsjökull glacier in Iceland, I wondered: how do people camp on multi-day trekking trips across icecaps, such as when crossing Greenland? My primary choice of tightening a tent is...
As an extension to Openstreetmap, I recommend Opentopomap. It has the same trail data as Openstreetmap, but adds contour lines, which can be quite handy when hiking. However, I recommend to never...
Sometimes, people go into nature and go missing. A big search party is set up but they may be never found again. A morbid version of “leave no trace”. We probably all know examples: Joe Keller, ...
I talked to a person (employee or owner) at the Bush Craft Store in Enfield, Middlesex. He told me that the Hanwag Brenner Wide boots have been specifically designed to be quiet, with the use for ...
Many (online) shops classify boots between hiking and hunting; for example, see hunting boots. The hunting boots look more like the kind of boots I like, than the hiking boots do. What are the di...
Christmas 2014, my wife and I spent camping on an otherwise uninhabited car-free island in the Pacific Ocean. On Christmas Day, we hiked all day in superb weather in a spectacular landscape, less ...
You might want to consider an all-mesh inner tent: Image source: Hilleberg Akto Mesh That should make use of any breeze, and as a bonus, is light-weight (540g) Use it seperately when no rain is...
UNESCO, The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, has declared the Lake District National Park a cultural World Heritage Site (WHS), according to criteria (ii)(v)(vi), ...
What are some methods to obtain drinking water from a glacier or icefield, in the absence of snow or reachable meltwater? Collecting ice is much harder than collecting snow. Do I need to bring sp...
On Ordnance Survey maps in England and Wales, the brown background shows access land: see this legend. On such access land, access on foot is permitted anywhere. You cannot cycle here. A path is...
I am investigating the feasibility of a hike looping around Hofsjökull. Among the foreseen challenges are 17 crossings of named rivers (and many smaller ones). All rivers I need to cross have 4WD...
I'm considering heading to Kerlingarfjöll. I thought it was pretty barren, which would mean it doesn't matter much whether one travels in summer or autumn, but it looks like it does get some mosse...
In 2013 I visited Nuortakrågge: Nuortakrågge is located at 67.8084°N, 16.6203°E, above Vuodnabahta, Norway. It is open and free to use. It is not listed on official maps but there is a small s...
My wife does this with her hiking boots. She finds that it feels more stable and that the flap and knot remain in place better. We first learned about it from a seller at a local outdoor store, w...
I'm unsure where to go this summer/autumn. Among my options would be to join an organised trek somewhere I wouldn't (currently) want to go independently (such as for experience, language, cultural...
I would recommend going to Los Padres National Forest including the Ventana Wilderness in the Santa Lucia Range. No chance of snow there as even the highest mountain does not exceed 1800 metre and...
Choose a steady pace that you can keep up non-stop for two hours. If you notice that you need to catch your breath earlier, you are walking too fast. After two hours it's time for a break. The f...
Don't, unless you know the route very well and are sure the rivers can pose no danger. Travel the day before so you arrive to the trailhead before it gets dark, then spend the night at the trailhe...
I have experienced this problem, mainly in Spain, Germany, or the Alps. Some things I have found to work: Be assertive. Show who is the boss. This doesn't come naturally to me at all but the l...
Pass and col are synonymous. Col is French whereas the word pass has entered the Germanic languages (German word is Pass). The word col entered English usage because of anglophone mountaineers in...
Just change socks. I always wear different socks when hiking compared to when doing anything else, like driving. I don't like hiking with thin socks and shoes and I don't like driving with thick ...
