[DyslexicAtheist]

I hiked across the Alps, alone, on foot and camping in the wild for 3 months. I had no phone with me (no GPS) and just paper maps, and a pen to keep notes on paper. It was the best time I ever had my whole life. I thought I might get lonely but being in the flow of walking every day actually created some kind of an internal dialogue in my head which never made me feel lonely. I met others who were on a similar trail but they all looked and talked like they needed to achieve some kind of a "goal" by posting shit on Insta and none of them would do it without GPS. Since I didn't grow up with all that nonsense and have been using Tech since I turned 20 - I really appreciated being "bored" again after so many years of being distracted. Paper and pen (and your ability to walk) are all you really need. Tech is what makes things complex and as soon as you remove all of it is an empowering experience unlike nothing else.

[agitator]

I did a 10 day trek in Patagonia last year. Best experience of my life.

I totally agree. Not having any any tech with me, allowed me to live in the moment. I remember every part vividly, and have some of the best memories spending time with others on the trail, cooking breakfast, setting up and tearing down camp, and enduring crazy weather. Just simple things that we take for granted everyday, just felt rewarding and great to do. It was a crazy realization that you don't need all of this stuff we filled our lives with. You really can get by just fine with less.

I can't wait for the next opportunity I have to just get away from all the tech noise.

[DyslexicAtheist]

Patagonia is one of my biggest dreams, I envy you!! :)

What you describe about making your day work, e.g. being forced to think about simple things like weather/food was also what took my mind off (and why I never got as bored as I thought I might).

There was some level of alertness in my head all the time (not really adrenaline because it was a much more peaceful feeling) ... something kept me focused even I had not much "to do". I remember every time I came across some cave in the rocks, or some hunters-lookout I took a mental note and checked my time so I would know how far back I'd have to walk back in case the weather turns. I have never done anything this useless that made me this happy. E.g. having a beer and a warm meal in a mountain lodge, or a hot shower after a week in the woods ... impossible to put into words!

Nature is the best really :)

There is a cheesy series on History channel called "Alone" where one season is about Patagonia. I think Patagonia is a lot more difficult than anywhere in the Alps or Western Europe. Check out that season of Alone, you might like it. :)

Also I too can't wait for spring to be here. Then I'll be off again.

[throw51319]

What part of the Alps and what time of year? Did you have a lot of outdoorsman experience before?

[DyslexicAtheist]

The route was based on this: https://www.alpenverein.at/weitwanderer/weitwanderwege/norda... but I entered in Styria/Austria and headed West to Bregenz, from there I went South and taking a route back towards East towards the "Ortler Group". Time was August until end of October. I was quite lucky with the weather apart from 2 nights where I got quite a scare from the weather. Strong thunderstorms with wind and lightening ... so I had nowhere to escape - if I stay inside the forest I might get squashed by a falling tree branch. if I stay in the open field lightening might finish me off. Apart from these 2 nights it was mostly crystal clear skies (no need for a rain cover just a moskito net so I could watch the skies before falling asleep). Once a sangliere (wild pig) visited me because I had a sandwich in my tent. Lesson learned hang it up into the trees.

> Did you have a lot of outdoorsman experience before?

I grew up on the Swiss/Austrian border so mountains aren't that much of a big deal for me. My grand-dad was a hunter (so was my mum). My childhood I spent most of my time in the woods because it was country side where I grew up and the closes neighbor was 3km away. I would often be really bored as a kid and my dad's response to this was "get of the house and play if you're bored" and so I usually went to the woods (look for mushrooms), built tree-houses and even named trees (yes I was a lonely kid :D). I did travel (backpack) since I am 17 yro and been doing similar things in Sri Lanka and Australia, but not alone, not for that distance and with much younger legs :D It's not something that requires a lot of effort or skill though. The Alps, compared to the Appalachian trail are densely populated, and if you want you're always just 1 days hike away from civilization.

edit: initially the idea was to reach the Julian Alps but I had to give up since my slow tissue (knees and joints) were totally not making it any more. I could recover my muscles easily with just an extra day of rest. But the slow tissue never recovered. I went for a slow run in December and was still in pain. I think most of the damage I did during the first 2 weeks when I still carried all the weight on my back.

[highhedgehog]

How did you managed food, water and hygene?

I love hiking but I often rely on mountain huts here in the alps, limiting tent

[DyslexicAtheist]

I brought 2 servings of cat-food[1] for absolute emergency, never had to use it. Also made some pemmican before I left but fed it to a stray dog since it tasted like lips+assholes :D also had a gas-cooker initially but got rid of it due to weight, ... instead I carried oats|bran|cuscus, dark chocolate, nuts, figs, dates. Anything that is nutritionally dense and light in weight. I cold-soaked the oats or cuscus with some water which was another reason I was able to ditch the cooker. Not exactly a Michelin star meal, but gave me enough energy during the hike. Whenever I arrived in a village I'd "stock up" on fresh veg+fruit (whatever fit in my belly) to minimize weight. I ate probably several kg of mushrooms, blue-berries and raspberries (whatever I found really), but it was also good to know that if I wanted a real meal just go to one of the huts and order a Schnitzl or Kaiserschmarrn.

There is plenty of water in the Alps, even the "Tote Gebirge" has water if you do enough research. Some stretches I had to carry more water than normally but I never had to carry more than 3L (2L Platypus type of container integrated into the backpack and 1L sport-bottle to easily grab on my belt) most of the time I only carried 1-2L and usually had 500ml or even 1L by the time I reached another water source. I drank from all rivers that looked OK and didn't bother to filter (and never had problems). I wouldn't do the same thing in Sweden or Finland but considering the population density it really was no issue. Also I made a habit of asking people who I would meet about any knowledge they had about water.

Hygiene was easy since I left at dawn (4-5 AM in summer) and was still above the tree-line when it got dark, I just used whatever I could find (streams, lakes, or just those things where livestock drinks out of - don't know the word in English). Also I couldn't wash myself every day I managed to clean myself pretty decently like this at least 2-3x/week at least. And a hot (or cold) shower every 7-10 days when I found one. (The huts sometimes have coin operated showers which was pure luxury for me). I also had a small bottle of anti-bacterial soap I used 2-3x/day on my hands.

Going to the loo was more of a challenge. I hated the idea of leaving anything behind, including my own stink, (and a lot of the frequently used trails are littered enough with toilet paper as it is). I usually dug a small hole so I wouldn't leave anything behind. My philosophy was that "if somebody knew I was there I had made a mistake". Also being a total coffee-addict served me well up there because I was able to control the timing of my bowel-movement with having a strong coffee in the morning (brought some instant coffee powder and just mixed it with cold water for this purpose ... sounds horrid but I wouldn't have been mentally able to survive without it :))

[1] this was overkill, but the idea was that there would be no way I was going to eat this unless I would be in real trouble. I was told that this is what people in Canada recommend to bring to survive long stretches. No idea if that is true but it made sense. In retrospect the pemmican had the same effect, but was slightly better in taste than the smell of cat food (and also why I opted to feed the dog with pemmican instead of giving him my cat food).

[jborichevskiy]

Re: cat food, I hope you don’t mind my asking- why not protein bars, army rations, or even another bag of nuts + dried fruit (in my experience easily 1,200 cal+)? I know cat food is technically edible, but it doesn’t seem lime the best idea. ‪

[DyslexicAtheist]

I did _NOT_ eat it :)

Just brought it as a last resort. So that if I'd run out of food, I don't eat the last supplies unless I absolutely have to. Imagine how good that cat food tastes after 7 days of nothing? If you were to bring nuts or similar those would be gone on day #2 :)

[thebruce87m]

I suppose that’s one way of making sure your last resort really is your last resort.

[jborichevskiy]

Agreed nuts would disappear much sooner, and yes I agree anything would taste amazing after a week. Last resort really is last resort.

[rhcom2]

I'm curious, did you bring a book?

[DyslexicAtheist]

yes I wanted to bring a few because I was sure I'd get really bored. But getting up at 4 or 5 am and hiking till 5 or 6 every evening I was in no condition to read anything. I had a hiking guide with me initially which weighted 400g ... and after 3 days I left it at an "Alm" so other people could pick it up. Also had a sharpening stone for my knife, a gas camping-cooker, gas, ferro-rod, fishing telescope rod, and a whole lot of other stuff with me. Weight was everything so I sent it all home very quickly after realizing my new reality.

edit: my rucksack had initially 17kg when I left home. for this type of thing it is much too heavy. But the reason I packed so much was because I thought I will not be covering such a large distance and instead hang out at great spots that I'd discover, build a shelter, make a fire, build traps, catch some fish etc. Once I was on the road I changed my mind because the actual walking was so fulfilling. So my initial list of items weren't needed. Next time I do it I will either stay in one place and bring a lot, or keep my weight below 8kg. One thing I never regretted is to use a proper 1-man ultralight tent (700g) instead of a tarp. The one person who I met who used a tarp was harassed by ants and bugs every night :D