The start: Hike of 2016 – Day 1

Woke up early, frankly a lot earlier than I had to, with most of my stuff already packed. Only had to add the fresh food and then get some gas for the stove (they don´t allow that in checked in or carry on baggage…) as well as some red for the first evening after landing in Kiruna. It turns out the pack ends up at 30kg…too heavy for my taste…gotta eat some salami and parmesan cheese during the first days 😉

Leaving home at 5:45AM to catch the airport coach, check-in is smooth and I have plenty of time for a coffee at Arlanda airport. Departure is slightly delayed (original time 8:30), conditions are good and we land on time 10:00.

On the plane I reflect on the fact that I still have not really planned out the tour and feel weirdly relaxed and even content about that. That´s something different, a new observation and I look forward to where this non-planning might lead me – trusting that it is all for the best I order a ticket online for the train leaving Kiruna at 11:58.
I normally prefer going by buss in this area as there´s so much more to be seen, this year the connection was just to off and I didn´t want to spend 2,5h extra in Kiruna.

Approaching Abisko, the place that popped into my head when ordering the ticket, I decided on short notice to stay on the train a little longer. One of the main objections for me on this tour was to have the quite time by myself to internally work through my recent divorce and some deeper issues in my relationship to her.
So, it felt proper to start the tour on the same trail the two of us started our four week hike last year, and so I did.

Getting of the train in Katterjåkk around 14:00 I immediately got onto the trail, first part being more 2016-08-19 14.05.50of a dirt road, heading south along the Norwegian border. Weather was overcast and mostly rain free though it was obvious that there had been some rain earlier. Trail was in part pretty muddy and I was grateful for my high shaft boots, never needing to have a second though when passing wet areas. The same day was the start of “KEX” a mountain race for long distance runners and most of them had used parts of the trail leaving it a bit run down and very muddy.
Just about 4km in the traces of these runners disappeared and I found myself virtually alone in nature, just the way I like it to be.

2016-08-19 14.24.51Compared to the year before river crossing proved to be super easy with low water flow in the creeks and rivers, the result of less snow last winter and a summer that had been a lot drier than in many previous years. Some of the smaller creeks were actually carrying no water at all and I quickly picked up the habit of drinking a little extra every time I crossed a bigger one. It´s just a bad idea to let oneself get dehydrated during a hike!!!
Despite of the rather heavy pack I did the good 10 km to Stour Kärpel in about 3,5h and decided to stay near the security cabin. With no one else around it just was comfortable to get out of the cold wind and cook inside, later hitting the tent I raised in a decent spot I know from earlier hikes.

First night out is always special, I really enjoy the close proximity to nature, the sound of flowing water is comforting and, knowing my gear, I´m super convinced that the tent can take any beating the wind brings on during the night.

The journey continues, please share this with friends and loved ones who might benefit or be interested!

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Peace // Claes

Avakas Gorge

When I first visited Cyprus in March 2008 I stayed with friends in Anarita outside Paphos in the western part of the island. Naturally they recommended a few sites to visit, one of them the canyon Avakas Gorge. That time I wore flip flops and was unable to safely proceed very far up the trail.

Since I’ve read about the hike I became intrigued to continue through the whole canyon and climb to the crest, finding another way back to the coast. Due to living on the opposite side of the island I never got to do it… Until today!

Spending the weekend at a wonderful hotel nearby I chose to go for a short walk through the hills after breakfast and the idea of hiking Avakas Gorge took over my mind.
Said and done, 25 min later I parked the car and set out with 1.5l of water in the backpack and not much more.

Shortly after starting I checked my iPhone and, YES, the hike qualifies to be on here – no signal ?

In short it was a beautiful hike involving some climbing and crawling over and under obstacles. Still, if you´re reasonably fit and into hiking it´s just a treasure of fun and enjoyment. Due to the presence of water the vegetation is rather lush for Cyprus and marvelous pink flowers enhance the beauty of the path.

No need for hiking boots here, sneakers are cool or any kind of sport shoes. I used my beloved Five Fingers and they did the trick just fine!

The whole tour took around 2.5 hours and I neither stressed it, nor lingered long anywhere. Trickiest part was that after climbing out of the actual gorge up to the right, be sure to follow the trails that climb the hillside to avoid getting to close to the edge of the canyon.
Initially it looks like you can take a shortcut, but that would be costly!

Track is easy to follow and after some time turns into wheel tracks and then a dirt road. Back at the parking lot there’s a water faucet with portable water for refreshment!

Good luck, have fun and love the experience!!!

Fruits

Bring Fruit for Energy & Taste

For me there are two reasons to bring some dried fruit on a hike, energy and taste. The first is pretty obvious as sometimes we have to do some energy intense parts and need the more fast paced sugar fuel. And fruit is also a treat than can be vitally important, even if I think you agree with me that almost any food tastes great after a day of hiking, you’ll probably also agree that every now and then we need something sweet and tasty to raise our mood. It matters little if the reason is lousy weather for days and days or a particularly strenuous day on the trail, pampering the taste buds can save the day or even the relationship with our company!

I normally advise against buying dried fruit as most brands are soaked in sugar solution and often contain preservatives that are all but healthy, the all natural brands, on the other hand are mostly ridiculously pricey. If budget is no issue they are a convenient alternative, though, as most fruit takes time to dry and leaves the grid rather sticky and more difficult to clean.
Organic prunes and apricots without added sugar or sulfur are less pricey, though they add quite a bit of weight to the backpack.
As with meat and veggies, for me it’s part of the experience to dehydrate the fruit at home and as I personally don’t bring that much, the time investment is seldom an issue.

I like having a variety of different fruits both for taste and nutrition, my favourites are:

Dried_Fruits

My Favourites

  • Pineapple
  • Orange
  • Figs
  • Banana
  • Grape fruit
  • Apple
Avoid more moist varieties like melons, grapes and pears as they dry very slowly and actually risk spoiling before the process is completed.
On shorter hikes up to a week, when the extra weight doesn’t matter that much, some commercial dried dates without added sugar are an easy and tasty variety.
Good luck, have fun and love the experience!!!

Veggies

Bring Vegetables for Nutrition & Variety

Dehydrating veggies is easiest using a dehydrator, most just don’t do well with the heat in the oven. Some ovens can be set at low enough temperature while most can’t and therefore will burn the more delicate veggies. This can actually be a good thing when drying onions as they get a nice roasted taste from slightly browning in the oven, other veggies don’t, though.

I recommend to bring a variety of vegetables, partly to increase nutritional value, partly to enjoy more variation. Out door cooking doesn’t have to be dull or boring, you can eat very good and tasty meals far away from your kitchen with just some preparation!

Using a dehydrator minimizes the need for checking on the drying veggies, just load the thing, go do your stuff (or have a good nights sleep) and about 8 hours later it’s time to remove the batch, replacing it with the next.

The trick is to cut everything into thin slices to shorten the time of the process, most vegetables can be processed raw while crusiforous varieties like broccoli, cauliflower and brusselsprouts need just a few minutes boiling.

WHAT I USUALLY DO

Veggies

I usually do:
  • Onions, red and yellow
  • Spring onions
  • Leek
  • Bell peppers
  • Zucchini
  • Carrots
  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
Next to try are:
  • Brusselsprouts
  • Spinach
  • Kale
Good luck, have fun and love the experience!!!

Beef Jerky

Hey, what could possibly be more genuine provision on a hike than this classic? Dried meat has been used for thousands of years to provide sustenance to our hunter-gatherer ancestors and, together with dried fruit, berries and nuts actually prevented utter starvation during the lean months of winter when game was rare and hunting made difficult by the season.

The ability to preserve food through the process of dehydration made it possible for early humans to inhabit regions with harsher climate and has played a crucial role in humans conquering virtually every corner of the earth.
While we will address the dehydration and preparation of a wide variety of food on these pages, for me this is the natural place to start and I personally use jerky as a staple of my diet when on a hike that’s longer than just a few days. Going on a two or three day hike you could chose almost any food as neither the weight nor the risk of it getting spoiled (just avoid the most delicate food items that spoil extremely fast) needs to be considered for such a short hike.
2016-05-24 15.39.16
So, keeping first things first, most important is to chose was kind of meat to use and, as the nutritional value of the foods we eat is what fuels our hike, it’s a no-brainer to chose the high quality stuff. Now, this has less to do with the cut and everything with the animal. Frankly you can use almost any cut, as long as it’s reasonably lean. Fat doesn’t get dehydrated and so choosing fattier cuts increases the weight and shortens the life span of the jerky, fat gets rancid which renders it inedible while lean cuts of meat gives you a jerky you can still use after a year or more of storage.
Still, of course, it’s recommended to use freshly made beef jerky and left overs  a hike is a delicious and nutrient rich snack!
The fact that almost any lean cut can be used is a huge advantage when it comes to buying organic grass fed beef or game meat as the finer parts can be ridiculously pricy. Go for the parts around the thighs of the animal that we usually would cook roasts from and trim away any excess fat (if You want to go really hardcore here just melt that fat down and make tallow, You can even ask the butcher for more fat. That´s usually very inexpensive).
2016-05-24 15.35.24Then cut the meat in thin slices (3-5mm or 1/10-1/5 inch) and flavor them to Your preference. You can use virtually any kind of marinade or rub You normally use for barbecue, just make sure that You´re on top of the ingredients. There are more fun situations in the wild than getting a stomach upset from too much chili powder ?
Now, if You use a marinade the meat needs some extra time absorbing the fluid and also longer to dehydrate. Using a rub lets us get on with the process immediately and also saves time drying.
Usually we have two methods to chose from to dry our meat:
1) using a dehydrator – here, as always, it pays long term to go for quality. There are numerous different devices on the market and they differ between countries so you have to do your own homework here. Begin by determining the right size for your needs and do your due diligence. Once you purchased one, follow the instructions that come with it.
A word of caution here – many dehydrators are designed merely for mushrooms, veggies and some fruits and run on too low a temperature for drying meat. If in doubt always check again with the manufacturer before closing the deal.
2) using the oven – use a grate that fits the with of the oven and hang your slices of meat over the bars, rub the bars with some olive or coconut oil to prevent the meat from sticking and make cleaning the grate easier. Turn on the oven at low temperature, we want around 50 Celsius (120 Farenheit) to get the meat dehydrated and not cooked. Finally leave the oven door ajar about 10cm (4 inches) for the air to circulate and let the moisture out.
Despite some rumors that you can’t make jerky in a gas oven I’ve been doing that for years and it works just as well. I use the minimum heat and that level at about the right temperature.
The time needed for the process to complete itself depends on the amount of meat, the thickness of the slices and if you marinated or rubbed the meat. Ventilation and temperature also play in and I can only give you a very estimated time frame. In my experience it should be thoroughly dehydrated in 7-12 hours and usually it works fine to just leave it over night.
That leaves us with another two methods that require some special equipment or circumstances:
1) Drying the meat along the stovepipe or at the opening for the camp fire smoke (actually this is more a combination of smoking and drying that´s can be seductively tasty) of a cabin, tent, Native American tipi, Mongolian jurta or Sami kåta. Of course providing You having access to one of the above.
If not I highly recommend that You try the finished product if and when You get the opportunity. Smoked and/or dried reindeer meat is a delicacy in northern Sweden and I´m sure it´s equally good anywhere else You can get it!
2) Making the jerky utilizing the sun and wind might be the most ancient and traditional way of preserving meat. Naturally this only works in certain climates and I just started a promising looking experiment here on Cyprus. More about this in a later post though I can only encourage You to give it a go if You live where it might be possible. I just love the feeling of using original methods!
Good luck, have fun and love the experience!!!