It was the morning of 24th December when I arrived at the car park, ready for a snowy climb. I was the first weirdo there, all the other sane Christmas hikers were still in their warm beds, which was a smart idea since my thermometer in the car was showing -12 degrees Celcius.
So you’re thinking about walking the West Highland Way and you’re wondering what gear you should take with you. Well, it really depends on 2 things: If you’re going to camp or stay in a hotel/Bnb and when you want to hike the West Highland Way.
The MSR Titanium kettle is a 850 ml mug with a sturdy handle and a flat lid. I’m not sure why it’s called a kettle since it’s more a mug/pot. It can be used for 1 person as a universal pot/mug or for 2 people if you don’t plan on cooking something complicated like lasagne. It works just fine for 2 portions of cous cous and similar instant meals.
Hiking alone is a powerful experience and I wish everyone would go for it on regular basis. And I’m not talking about a few hours in a local park. I’m talking about a multi-day hike when you see nothing but forest, hear nothing but birds and when the stars shine so much that you can’t sleep at night.
It’s time to think about this past year and what it has meant for me as a hiker. Just for a bit though as what’s done is done, and what’s to come is in the stars.
The Canary Islands are a relatively small Spanish archipelago of 7 islands waaaay down under Europe. They are a popular holiday destination for Europeans during the winter but they are also well known for their hiking possibilities. Culturally European, geographically African, the Canaries have something for every hiker.
Tenerife is one of the most popular islands of the Canary Island, and though it can get busy on the coast, don’t worry, the hiking trails are mostly empty as most holiday makers stay by the swimming pool.
The Canary Islands are most often associated with images of beaches and flashy resorts, full of the sunburned flesh of desperate northerners, escaping the weak sun of their home countries. But the Canary Islands are actually a goldmine when it comes to hiking, and Tenerife is no exception.
The West Highland Way is a 152 km walking trail in Scotland. Up to 36 thousand hikers walk the trail every year. I said walk because the trail is actually more about walking than hiking.
Walking the West Highland Way in November was quite a spontaneous decision, mostly based on a small window of good weather. I’d been in Scotland for a few months and hadn’t seen such a steady forecast lasting 4-5 days. It occurred to me that I could walk the West Highland Way in that amount of time and decided it was too good an opportunity to pass up.