This website is still very much in progress. I will be adding more content and trips reports soon (hopefully!). Trip reports and other posts will be mostly about backpacking, running, and my real passion: gear. Plans for 2022 are pretty cool, so stay tuned!

Day 5-10

Kaitaia to Kerikeri

 Posted on December 3, 2022  |  7 minutes

Progress to Bluff: 7% Dates: 11/17 - 11/22 Start: Kaitaia End: Kerikeri Distance: 105 km Total distance: 220 km Day 5 was a classic zero day. I don’t think I’ve ever taken a rest day this early into a hike, but my body was feeling the effects of the hard sand and I knew the rest of the group wasn’t far behind. And indeed, Olivia and Adrian sauntered in midday and I greeted them with some ice-cold beers. [Read More]
log  ta  north island 

Day 1-4

Cape Reinga to Kaitaia

 Posted on November 17, 2022  |  5 minutes

Progress to Bluff: 4% Dates: 11/13 - 11/16 Start: Cape Reinga End: Kaitaia Distance: 115 km Total distance: 115 km My journey to Cape Reinga and the start of the Te Araroa began early Sunday morning in Auckland. The bus to Kerikeri left at 7:30 am, and from Kerikeri there was another bus to Kaitaia. The first bus was a mix of hikers and regular travelers, but once we reached Kerikeri and switched busses it was clear almost everyone was headed to the Cape. [Read More]
log  ta  north island 

Lescun to Gavarnie

 Posted on November 11, 2022  |  7 minutes

Dates: 08/28 - 8/31 Start: Lescun (Gité) End: Gavarnie (Hotel) Distance: 62 miles Vert: 27k+ / 25k- I was excited to leave Lescun. While it was a picturesque village in the mountains, I knew I was just at the start of the aforementioned mountains and couldn’t wait to climb higher up. After a disappointing breakfast at the Gité (weak coffee, stale bread, and a single croissant), I made my way to the ski town of Candanchu. [Read More]
log  hrp 

Overall thoughts and advice

 Posted on November 11, 2022  |  12 minutes

There’s already a ton of information for the HRP freely available online, and I’d encourage you to seek out some of the other resources listed below. What follows is my personal opinion and views after finishing the route and should be taken as such. Resources and maps The HRP has been around for a while, and I didn’t have any issue finding websites and blogs covering everything from maps, resupply, and navigation. [Read More]
overview  hrp 

Hendaye to Lescun

 Posted on October 25, 2022  |  8 minutes

Dates: 08/23 - 8/27 Start: Hendaye End: Lescun (Gite) Distance: 100 miles Vert: 35k+ / 32k- I got up early to catch the bus to the train station and make my way to the French-Spanish border via train. Thanks to the TGV, I quickly arrived in Paris, where I had to change trains and take the metro to another train station first. The stations were crowded with tourists, as expected in the middle of the summer. [Read More]
log  hrp 

HRP Gear list and thoughts

 Posted on October 19, 2022  |  4 minutes

The HRP was my first hike in Europe, so I wasn’t too familiar with the conditions in the Pyrenees. I started a little bit later than I had intended in late August, but luckily managed to bypass a heat wave that way. Like many mountain ranges, late September to mid October is shoulder season where anything can happen. I was pretty lucky and only had a few nights close to freezing. [Read More]

GDT Gear review

Not a gear problem

 Posted on October 18, 2022  |  15 minutes

Table Of Contents 1. Context 2. Framed Nunatak Bears Ears 3. Shelter 4. Cold weather and sleep gear 5. Wet weather gear 6. Snow gear 7. Summary 1. Context During the month of June, I hiked, or rather, snowshoed about half of the Great Divide Trail (Section A-D). With a start date of June 1, I was about 3-4 weeks ahead of the average start date on the GDT, and I knew months in advance that it would be a heavy snow year. [Read More]
gear  review  gdt 

Researching snow levels

Snow, snow, everywhere

 Posted on February 4, 2022  |  11 minutes

Background As I’m planning to start my hike earlier than usual, I need to do some in-depth research on what kind of weather conditions, especially snow depth, I would encounter. Prime hiking season in the Canadian Rockies is from around early July to mid September, and hardly anyone starts the GDT before late June. When I first asked questions about starting in early June on the Facebook page (which is actually super helpful! [Read More]

YHR Gear list and thoughts

 Posted on September 26, 2021  |  2 minutes

Yosemite in late August has typically great conditions: The bugs have disappeared, especially in a low snow year like 2021, the weather is still good, and you only get the occasional mid-afternoon summer storms. Typically, water is still available in most streams, although seasonal ones can be dry. This means that in general, you can pick your typical three season load and be fine.

[Read More]
gear list  gear review  yhr