Aggenstein – Germany

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Aggenstein, germany

Photo: Moonlight silhouette of Aggenstein from Ostlerhütte, Allgäu, Germany. Oct 2012

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, You’d know that I was cruising around the Alps for a week.  And a week of absolutely fantastic weather it was.  If I actually had any idea of how good the weather turned out to be, I would’ve skipped renting a car and just done some long hut tours in the mountains.  But anyhow, I still stayed a few nights in the mountains in the Allgäu and Berchtesgaden regions.

 

Aggenstein, Germany

Photo: Climber on Aggenstein with Tannheimer Tal (Austria) in background, Allgäu, Germany.  Oct 2012

A Few Kungsleden Trail Photos

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Kungsleden hiking trail sweden

Photo: Kungsleden Trail, Sweden.  September 2012.

I’m back on the Lofoten Islands now after having finished the northern section of the Kungsleden trail in Sweden; starting in Nikkaluokta and finishing in Abisko.  Overall the trip was fantastic.  Some days of bad weather which is to be expected, but also some amazing days as well.  I even found myself hiking in a t-shirt at some points, a far different experience than my last time on the trail in 2009.  I was even happy, and to my great surprise, to meet a few readers of my blog out there.

If you are looking for more info on hiking the Kungsleden trail in autumn, I have a more detailed writeup -HERE-

I’ll make a full writeup of the trip later on when I have a bit more time.  The weather here in Lofoten has been surprisingly good as well this autumn so I’m out and about more than I had planned.  So for now just a few photos…

Kungsleden hiking trail sweden

Photo: Afternoon sun, Kungsleden trail, Sweden.  September 2012

 

Kungsleden hiking trail sweden

Photo: A moment of sun between the rain, Kungsleden Trail, Sweden.  September 2012

 

Kungsleden hiking trail sweden
Photo: Mountain sidewalk, Kungsleden Trail, Sweden. September 2012

 

Kungsleden hiking trail sweden

Photo: Afternoon light, Kungsleden Trail, Sweden.  September 2012

Hiking Gear Packlist For Lofoten Islands Norway and Kungsleden Trail Sweden

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Lofoten Islands Norway mountain camping Reinebringen

Photo: Camping on Reinebringen, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  July 2010

Backpacking gear 2012

Photo: Backpacking gear 2012

Backpacking gear list for travels to Lofoten Islands, Norway and hiking the Kungsleden trail, Sweden.

Here’s a quick rundown of the gear I’m taking with me on my travels this year.  First part is 2 weeks of late summer on the Lofoten Islands – a mixture of camping and hostels.  Next is camping at a festival in Germany for a few days.  This is followed by 10 days of hut-to-hut hiking on the northern section of the Kungsleden trail in northern Sweden.  Then I’m back to the Lofoten Islands again for another 2-3 weeks of chasing autumn storms; I’ll probably mostly stay in hostels this time around, but maybe a night or two in the tent if I get a good forecast.   Finally I’ll slowly head south. I’ll probably hang out in Stockholm for a few days and then head down to either Germany or Poland for a few weeks before flying back to the UK.

1 – Backpack
Golite Odyssey – 1.6kg/47oz – 90 Liter

2 – Clothing
Shell Jacket – Mountain Hardwear Trice jacket 489g/17oz
Shell Pant – Marmot Minimalist pant 292g/10.3oz
Insulation 1 – Patagonia R2 fleece 371g/13.1oz
Insulation 2 – Patagonia Ultralight down shirt 167g/5.9oz
Pants – Mountain Hardwear Nima pant 607g/1.5lb
Shorts
T-shirt – 2 cotton, 1 synth
Socks – 3 pair
Underwear – 3 pair
Gloves
Beanie
Sandals (for hostel showers)
Shoes – Montrail Mountain Massochist II Outdry

I’m trying something new with clothing this year.  I probably have mentioned several times that I don’t really like hard shell jackets, as I often get way too hot in them until the temperature drops a few degrees below freezing.  But from my wet, cold, snowy, windy experience on the Kungsleden trail in the autumn of 2009, I think a shell jacket will make sense (of course with my luck, every day will be 15˚ C and sunny.  Not that I would complain!)  My reasoning is along the lines of: Most days I will need to wear a fairly weather resistant jacket while hiking.  If I were to wear something like a soft-shell or Marmot DriClime windshirt, I would still need to carry a rain shell anyhow, albeit a light one.  So I might as well just hike a heavy duty rain shell and avoid carrying the extra couple hundred grams of a second jacket.

I’m also going without a second pair of ‘normal’ pants, instead taking only a second shell pant.  This will also help to save a bit of weight.  For my normal day to days pants, I chose something a bit warmer, so again, I hope I don’t overheat.

For footwear I’m going with waterproof trail runners.  It’s possibly a bit risky and I’ll likely end up with some wet feet at a few points, but since I’ll probably be staying most nights in the STF mountain cabins, and with a warm fire to dry everything off, I don’t think it will be a problem.  If I knew I was going to be in a tent the whole time, I would definitely take a lightweight waterproof boot or mid level shoe.

3 – Sleeping
Tent – Big Agnes Fly Creek 2 Platinum 992g/35oz
Sleeping Bag – REI Sub Kilo -7˚C/20˚F  820g/29oz
Pad – Thermarest NeoAir 397g/14oz (old version)

The only new addition here is the tent.  It’s 2 person and lighter than the old 1 person tents I used to carry.  And costs a hell of a lot of money!  The sleeping pad is a bit heavier than if I were to take a foam one, but the savings on space, as well as added comfort, is worth it for me.  The sleeping bag should be plenty warm.

4 – Cooking & Food
Stove: Primus TiLite + Titanium pot (.9l) – 9 oz.
Water filter – Katadyn mini
Food
Fork and Spoon

5 – Trekking Poles
Black Diamond Ultra Distance 297g/10.5oz

6 – Hygiene
Toothbush/toothpase
Camp soap (multi-use)
Camp towel
Hand cleaner
Deodorant (only because I feel sorry for anyone who has to sit next to me on a train/bus/plane if I haven’t showered in a few days)

7 – First Aid Kit

8 – Rain Cover

I’ve also made these gear list for the past couple years:

-CLICK HERE- for my list from 2010 for a few weeks in Lofoten Islands and central Norway in summer.
-CLICK HERE- for my list from 2011 Autumn/Winter in Lofoten Islands and northern Europe. It was similar to this trip but with more time in cities and no long distance hiking.

Reindeer in mountain landscape, Kungsleden trail, Lapland, Sweden

Photo: Reindeer, Kungsleden Trail, Sweden.  September 2009

Lofoten Islands – Germany – Kungsleden Trail – 2012 Europe Travel Plans

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Summer twilight over mountains of Lofoten islands, Stamsund, Norway

Photo: Twilight over Lofoten Islands, Stamsund, Norway.  July 2010

I’ve finally finalized my travel plans for Europe for late summer and autumn.

First stop: Lofoten Islands.  I fly north of the arctic circle to Bodø, Norway on August 20th.  From Bodø I’ll catch the late night ferry to Moskenes, arriving to Lofoten in the early morning of the 21st for a 2 week trip to the islands.  I’m traveling a bit later than I had originally planned, but the summer has been pretty cold and wet so far, so I don’t think I’ve really been missing much.  Hopefully I’ll get a few days of decent weather so I can get up a few mountains and maybe a few nights camping on the coast.

In early September I leave Lofoten for a quick trip down to Germany to see a few bands play at the Festival-Mediaval in the small town of Selb, in northern Bavaria.  I was there in 2010 and had a good time.  I can already taste the Flamkuchen and Käsespätzle.  Should be good fun.

Next I’m flying back north of the arctic circle to Kiruna, Sweden for my second journey along the northern section of the Kungsleden trail.  Lasts there three years ago in 2009, I’m looking forward to another week wandering among the rugged mountains of the Swedish arctic.  Hopefully the weather is a bit warmer than my last trip; fingers crossed.  I was originally thinking of heading into Sarek national park, but I’m going to be a bit short on time, so that will have to wait till another year.

After a week or so on the Kungsleden, I’ll head back over to the Lofoten Islands for another 2 weeks to photograph the autumn color; again, weather dependent.

By mid October I’ll be looking to head south again.  Here things aren’t so planned out.  I love Stockholm in the autumn, so might head back there for a few days.  I also have Gotland on my mind as well.  I almost went there way back in 2001, so maybe it’s finally time.  Otherwise, and if the weather is cooperating, I might spend a week or so in the western fjords region of Norway, trying to get a bit more autumn color.  As usual, the best plan is no plan.  Will have to wait and see how the weather looks once the time gets a bit closer.

All and all, I’m excited.  I think it’s a bit strange for me always to head north during the time all the birds are heading south to warmer climes.  But ehh, bad weather makes good photos …sometimes.  Mostly it’s just bad weather and I get to complain about how much I don’t like the rain.

In the next weeks I’ll make a few post about the gear I’m taking.  I’ve changed things up a bit in the last year and will try a few new things all in the hopes of shedding a few more grams from my backpack weight.

Faun Festival Mediaval Germany

Photo: Faun live at Festival-Mediaval, Selb, Germany.  September 2010

 

Kungsleden trail, Lapland, Sweden

Photo: River flows through mountain valley, Kungsleden trail, Sweden.  September 2009

 

Dramatic light over mountains and coast, Maervoll, Lofoten islands, Norway

Photo: Stormy light, Maervoll, Lofoten Islands, Norway.  Octover 2011

Mount Dana – Yosemite National Park

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Mount Dana, Yosemite national park, California

Photo: Summit of Mt. Dana, Yosemite national park, California.  July 2012

Trying to avoid being too lazy while spending a few days in the Yosemite high country, we decided to head up Mt. Dana, the 2nd highest peak in Yosemite national park.  The forecast was for mostly clear skies, but things began to cloud up as we headed up in mid afternoon.  I had initially though of staying up there for sunset, but conditions looked a bit risky.  Heading up we even had a few minutes of snow/hail as some clouds passed over.  Once back off the mountain, thunder rumbled though the sky.

For some reason I’ve never been up Mt. Dana before.  I once had plans of climbing Dana coular, but those fell though.  In reality though, I don’t spend that much time in Yosemite as I mostly stay further south in the Sierra.  There were some nice views from the top, so I’m glad I finally made it…

View over Mono lake from Mt. Dana, Yosemite, California

Photo: View over Mono lake from summit of Mt. Dana, Yosemite national park, California.  July 2012

 

Hiking mount dana yosemite california

Photo: Descending the loose talus slopes of Mt. Dana, Yosemite national park, California.  July 2012

Ice Lake Basin – Colorado

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Ice Lake Basin, San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Photo: Ice Lake, San Juan Mountains, Colorado.  June 2012

After hiking Mt. Sneffels on the previous day, we headed up for a night at Ice Lake Basin, near where we had begun the trip at Clear Lake a week before.  All the pictures I had seen of the basin were spectacular, and one of the reasons why I wanted to head to Colorado in the first place.  I guess I saved the best for last.

Once again, rain decided to join us on the hike up.  And this wasn’t any wussy California rain.  Colorado rain drops are so big they almost hurt as they hit you in the head.  From time to time we’d have to hide under trees for a few minutes as the heavier showers passed but luckily enough the sky began to clear as we reached to tree line and headed out into the open.

I hiked into sight of Ice lake and just stood there, taking it all in.  Probably one of the most beautiful mountain landscapes I’ve ever seen.

After setting up camp for the night we just wandered around for a bit.  Rain still threatened but held off for the most part.  The sun came and went in a dance of shadows across the land and the day slowly turned to night; my last night in Colorado and I probably couldn’t have chosen a much better place.  The next day would begin the long drive across Utah, Nevada and back to California…

Ice Lake Basin, San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Photo: ‘Hurry up and take a damn photo, my feet are cold!’ Ice Lake, Colorado.  June 2012

 

Hiking Ice Lake Basin, San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Photo: Glad the sun is on us! Ice lake Basin, San Juan Mountains, Colorado.  June 2012

 

Backpacking along Colorado summer wildflowers

Photo: Walking among summer wildflowers, Ice Lake Basin, Colorado.  June 2012

 

Hiking Ice Lake Basin, San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Photo: Watching the rain, Ice Lake Basin, Colorado.  June 2012

 

Ice Lake Basin, San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Photo: Mountain Reflection, Ice Lake Basin, Colorado.  June 2012

 

Camping at Ice Lake Basin, San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Photo:  Night descends on camp, Ice Lake Basin, Colorado.  June 2012

 

Flowing river, Ice Lake Basin, Colorado

Photo: River at dawn, Ice Lake Basin, Colorado.  June 2012

Mount Sneffels – Colorado

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Panoramic view from summit of mt. Sneffels, Colorado

Photo: Panoramic view from summit of Mt. Sneffels, San Juan Mountains, Colorado.  June 2012

After Mt. Elbert we headed to Aspen to check things out and grab some lunch.  We had the rough idea or heading into the Maroon Bells area for maybe a two or three night trip out in the wilderness.  That plan more or less ended when we saw that you had to park at some hotel and take a bus.  So with that, and not being overly impressed with aspen – too many fake boobs and stretched faces wandering around for my tastes, we began the long drive back towards Ouray with our sights on a new mountain: Mt. Sneffels.

By this time the heatwave that had been baking most of Colorado had sort of broken and a bit of weather out of the west was rolling through the San Juans.  We spent an afternoon in Ouray doing our best to hide from the rain.  And Ouray is a cool little town, glad I got the chance to spend a bit of time there.  In late afternoon we headed up towards the trailhead at Yankee Boy Basin.

As night came I closed by eyes to the sound of distant thunder and the light patter of rain on the roof of my truck.  When my 5am alarm woke me in the darkness of the morning, the rain was still there.  Back to sleep I guess.  A few hours later the sky seemed to be thinking about clearing up, so we headed along the road and towards the mountain.  It was going to be a low milage day anyhow, so if the weather turned us back, so be it.

The sky held off until we were halfway up the loose scree/talus slopes of the south face of the mountain and we were wet again.  Nearing the summit the sun returned, making me glad I hadn’t turned around.  But I knew the weather wasn’t going to hold off for long so I didn’t want to waste much time hanging around the summit, especially since we got a fairly late start.  Once off the summit and heading back down, thunder rumbled the sky I we picked up the pace a bit.  Several late parties were slowly heading up, but smartly decided to turn around at that point.

Mt. Sneffels was probably my favorite mountain of the whole trip.  The views are simply spectacular and the weather was perfect for mountain photography.

Climbing mt sneffels colorado 14er

Photo: Endless scree and talus on the south slope of Mt. Sneffels, Colorado.  June 2012

 

Summer storm San Juan Mountain Colorado

Photo: The storm has passed, for now.  View from the slopes of Mt. Sneffels, Colorado.  June 2012

 

Climbing mt sneffels colorado 14er

Photo: Slopes steepen as the summit grows closer, Mt. Sneffels, Colorado.  June 2012

 

Summit of mt sneffels

Photo: Finally at the top, Mt. Sneffels, Colorado.  June 2012

 

Colorado mountain landscape san juan mountains

Photo: Dark skies over the San Juans, Colorado.  June 2012

 

Mt sneffels colorado view

Photo: View down the rocky slopes of Mt. Sneffels, San Juan Mountains, Colorado.  June 2012

Mount Elbert – Hightest Colorado Mountain

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Hiking mount elbert south ridge trail, Colorado 14ers

Photo: Heading up Mt. Elbert.  Still a couple hours away.  June 2012

 

Mt elbert summit, Colorado

Photo: On the 14, 433 ft summit of Mt. Elbert, the highest point in Colorado.  June 2012

After Handies Peak, we were a bit indecisive on where to head next.  We were thinking of the twin summits of Sunshine and Redcloud, just down the road from where we already were, but driving past the trailhead, the area looked like a zoo, and it still being early in the morning, the cooler running out of ice, and not wanting to sit in the back of my truck all afternoon, we hit the road.  Initially we had planned to hike Scarp ridge the next day, but the photos in the guide book proved to be somewhat more scenic that what we found, so motivation was mostly lost.  And there was a fair bit of smoke filling up the sky so the thought of carrying my camera gear all day when I knew I probably wouldn’t be taking any photos didn’t inspire me much.  So after spending the night up there, it was off to Mt. Elbert in the morning.

Being Colorado’s highest mountain at 14,433 feet, I was expecting it to be a bit more crowded, but as we pulled up to the trailhead it was mostly empty.  Another night camping in my truck and then at the crack of dawn we were headed up the mountain.  It was another day with a fair amount of smoke and haze from the wildfire’s so I didn’t take to many photos.  It was still nice to at least be the highest person in Colorado for a few minutes.  The hike down was hot and dusty. Passed a few groups of some sort of scouts with way too heavy packs and sweating away under the hot sun.  Hope they at least found some water to fill up their bottles.

Next up: a stormy day on Mt. Sneffels…

Mt elbert panoramic photo

Photo: Panoramic view from summit of Mt. Elbert, Colorado.  June 2012

Handies Peak – My First Colorado 14er

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Hiking Handies peak from American Basin, Colorado

Photo: Into the sunlight on the way to Handies Peak, Colorado.  June 2012

After a couple days acclimating we set our sights on Handies Peak (14,048 ft) as the target for our first Colorado fourteener.  This was partly because it would be a good easy hike for a warmup and partly because we were already somewhat in the area;  Though crossing Cinnamon pass isn’t the smoothest way to get to the trailhead.  It something that it still a bit odd for me:  in California we typically drive to the end of the pavement, park, then start hiking.  In Colorado the mountains are crisscrossed with roads, and depending on the abilities of your vehicle, it’s often possible to drive to around 12,000, making the approaches to many of the mountains a lot shorted than what I’m used to.  My knees probably wont complain about this though!

We hiked Handies from the American Basin trailhead on the west side of the mountain.  Even with a start just after dawn and being in the shade most of the way up until hitting the final ridge to the summit the temperatures were quite mild and I was glad to delay putting on sunblock for as long as possible.  It got a bit windy while up on the ridge, but nothing too bad.  We were the 2nd group up the mountain for the day, with one other guy approaching from Grizzly Gulch on the other side.  On the way down we passed lots of parties on the way, making me glad I we got an early start to beat the crowds.

Next up: Mt. Elbert…

Hiking Handies peak from American Basin, Colorado

Photo: Still a few flowers around high up on the mountain.  June 2012

 

Handies peak summit

Photo: On the summit under clear blue skies (well, a bit of haze from the wildfires).  June 2012

 

Hiking Handies peak from American Basin, Colorado

Photo: Descending the gentle ridge from Handies Peak, Colorado.  June 2012

 

American Basin landscape, Colorado

Photo: View from the American Basin trail head.  June 2012

Colorado Trip

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Ice Lake Basin Colorado tent camping

Photo: Night descends on camp at Ice Lake Basin, San Juan Mountains, Colorado.  June 2012

For the last couple weeks of June I was on a little road trip to Colorado.  Other than 1 afternoon about 15 years ago, this was my first time there.  It’s pretty far away from here in California and there is a lot of ‘nothing’ to pass through on the journey to get there, but I really wish I’d made a few journeys before this as it will probably be quite a few years before I ever get back there again.

For the most part we stayed in the southwest in the area of the San Juan mountains.  We managed hikes up 3 14ers (Handies, Elbert, and Sneffels) and a night camping at Ice Lake basin which is an absolutely amazing spot and reminds me of the Alps quite a bit.  All in all, the Colorado mountains are much more green and lush that what we have here in the Sierra Nevada in California where it is basically just rock once you get above the tree line.  Flipping through the guidebooks I picked up, I was a bit overwhelmed as to what to do.  There are just so many mountains and trails!  It seems the choice here in California is a bit easier as you either enter the mountains from the west, or more typically for me, from the east.  But Colorado has so many roads, so many peaks in every direction, and having no idea of what to actually do, it was a bit difficult to focus in and make a choice.  I probably wasted a few days here and there, but overall it was a fun trip.

Conditions wise we were a bit lucky and unlucky.  Due to an abnormally dry winter, ever local I ran into up in the mountains said the late June conditions looked more like early August in typical years.  The made access to the mountains quite easy and my feet hardly touched any snow.  Temperatures where hot!  I cursed the sun anytime I was below 10,000 feet.  Even in the early mornings on the way up the mountains I was often in a t-shirt, and sweating thoroughly in the hot sun on the way back down.  Though miraculously enough, I managed the whole trip without a sunburn.

The tragic fires were all the news while we where there.  On a few days the sky and valleys filled with smoke when the wind changed directions, but for the most part we wouldn’t have been aware there were any fires.

And Aspen in summer sucks, wasn’t even worth a few hours.  Not sure what all the rage is about.  But that’s generally my opinion of most ski towns.

I’ll make a few more post in the following days/week with more photos about each hike.  But this is pretty much the only road/photo trip I’ll be making stateside this year. For the past months I was too poor to get very far from the house, even resorted to selling off a bunch backpacking/camera gear on craigslist so I could at least eat some decent food and cover some bills.  Luckily I’ve now found a job that will keep me super busy for the next weeks and then hopefully I’ll be back on the Lofoten Islands by mid August.

San Juan mountains backpacking Colorado

Photo: Waiting for the rain, Ice Lake Basin, San Juan Mountains, Colorado.  June 2012

 

Summit of Handies Peak Colorado 14er

Photo: Summit of Handies Peak, Our first Colorado 14er.  June 2012

 

Colorado mountain storm San Juans

Photo: Dark skies and distant thunder on the way up Mt. Sneffels, Colorado.  June 2012

 

Colorado mountain landscape Ophir Pass

Photo: Last light from Ophir Pass, San Juan Mountains, Colorado.  June 2012

 

Travel map

Photo: Lots of miles on my truck, time for an oil change…