44 essential items for hiking the north
I miss that crisp and fresh air of the north! Not only these vitalizing needs , but also the mountains, the forest and that healthy clean water that can be found in a solitary mountain stream! A place with very little people, a chance to see wildlife and an opportunity to dig into those thoughts about life there´s no time or space to find elsewhere. All this can be just found in the far north, above the Arctic Circle.
I had such a response on this article I wrote last week, 25 essential items for the beginning adventurer, so I decided to share this packing list with you, that I have compiled before setting off. It is based on living up there plus 25 years of experience. And it is a list I send to all my clients I take up north for teaching them the trade of living in the northern wilderness.
It is based on the knowledge of flooded rivers, still deep snow at high altitude, possibly continuous rain, mist and difficult orienteering. We are talking May and June.
The list is based on two people sharing stove, tent, axe, saw and gas.
- Backpack
- Raincover for backpack
- Garbage bag plus 2 spare ones, to pack all things in and tucked in the backpack
- Tent (3 season)
- 3 season sleeping bag
- Therma Rest plus a traditional foam pad (Not the thickest)
- 2 layered Gore tex jacket with hood and trousers
- Gaiters
- Boots (we will go for boots and use gaiters and duck tape to keep the water out whilst crossing)
- Trainers or type Teva sandels
- Trousers
- Long sleeved shirt
- Vest
- Underwear (3 pairs, one long john and two shorties, we will wash along the trek, Termo)
- Socks
- Tophat
- Baseball Cap American style or similar (light is strong on the mountain)
- Gloves
- Warmer style top hat
- Towl (small one)
- Toilettries (personal use ,e.g small soap, tooth paste, toothbrush, 2 rolls of toilet paper)
- Medical bag (aspirin, bandaid, bandage, rennies, Compeed, tape for feet, mosquito repellent, Volcan knee cover)
- Sun lotion, small tube
- Lip balm
- Sunglasses
- Plastic cup, utensils ( I only bring a spoon)
- Stove and gas
- Lighter
- Jukka stick
- Leatherman tool
- Food for ten days
- Compass, preferably a Silva
- Map
- Mapcover in plastic
- Headlamp
- Camera
- Binoculor
- Mobile phone (yours won´t work, I might bring the satellite phone)
- Dry bags to carry these items in
- A book
- Axe
- Saw
- Walking pole
- Snowshoes
- 2 12 kg dumbbells each
And there´s no doubt that light weight makes a difference. So leave those dumbbells at home. Just a joke. In case you didn´t read all til the end…..
Have you always nurtured a dream doing an Expedition that will change your life for the better? An Expedition that will create global attention? An Expedition to places which is considered off limits to most human beings?
Read more here at http://www.mikaelstrandberg.com/strandberg%C2%B4s-expedition-logistics/
