The closer you work to computers, the further away you have to go to reset.

We hiked from Abisko, Sweden to Narvik, Norway a couple weeks ago entirely off-grid with Ilia, Harsh and the Athene guild from where I can now say to have made multiple new friends. It was my longest trek to date and some of the most fun I’ve ever had, consisting of plentiful type 1 and type 2 fun both.

Some learnings and notes to self for future reference:

  • Off-road is way more fun and rewarding than sticking to the trails.

  • Dry socks are a luxury.

  • Crocks are great for climbing mountains and beat sandals as second shoes in every dimension by being lighter, drying faster and being easier to put on and take off.

  • Having time, energy and solitude for reading, writing or other extracurriculars is very optimistic.

  • A great rucksack is a pleasure to carry, even if it weighs over 25kg. If you can do a couple of pull-ups with it, you should be good to go. It only sets better and gets lighter as you go.

  • Volume is just as, if not more important as weight with gear.

  • Budget for your camping equipment according to how much you would be willing to pay for a warm, soft bed after walking 20km off-road in the cold rain for the third day in a row, multiplied by the number of nights you expect to use it in the coming 10 years.

  • A compact comfort 0°C or lower sleeping bag is never overkill.

  • Moisture is your enemy. Dry everything at every chance, even if only partially.

  • Firma Italia Penne ai Funghi with ~700 kcal and ~24g of protein for 1.85€ is the most goated, delicious, envy-inspiring value readymade meal that I am perfectly ready and willing to eat for months straight (I got the last laugh doubters 😈)

  • One bottle of Sinol should be just about sufficient for three people’s very simple breakfast, lunch and dinner on a Trangia for a week if used very carefully.

  • Streams in Norway with high flowrates are excellent water sources without any need for filtering or purification.

  • Freeze-dried packaged pasta meals lie about their carbohydrates content.

  • As a type 1 diabetic, if I’m walking right after a meal, there’s often no need to inject any insulin, even if the meal supposedly contained 120g of carbohydrates 🤯 (which I still seriously doubt, as that massive of a disparity would imply hiking to be almost a temporary cure).

  • If I’m not walking immediately after a meal, I still only need to inject around 30-40% of the bolus insulin I would normally need.

  • Rather start with injecting too little insulin than too much, as consuming half of your emergency carbs the first night puts you into a tricky position for the rest of the hike. Make sure to carry a lot of extra, as it’ll take a while to get used to just how drastically differently your glucose levels will behave.

  • Beef jerky is the perfect snack for the times when glucose levels should not be touched.

  • 600g Coop Roasted Nuts & Fruit Mix with near 600 kcal per 100g rationed into a smaller bag of salted peanuts with a couple chocolate bars a day makes for great snacks.

  • Calories the days before and immediately after a hike don’t count. In fact, it is surprisingly difficult to eat enough.

  • Take every opportunity to take off your hiking boots.

  • Blister bandages are a must. Sports and gorilla tape can also save lives.

  • Never ever let anything touch the tent rain cover from inside or out.

  • Never walk past a good skinny dipping spot.

  • Take way more plastic bags than you think you might need. These go for trash bags, laundry bags, rain covers and even socks.

  • Mosquito nets and gloves are sufficient even with a lot of mosquitoes. I didn’t end up even opening my spray, as I was fully covered at the one bad campsite we had and they won’t get you while walking.

  • Walking sticks can be genuinely useful in descents, river crossings and swamps but regular wooden sticks from nature are sufficient.

  • Always carry a deck of cards.

  • Deer antlers might save your life.

  • Weather can change fast and the brief parting of clouds might be your only chance to see the most breathtaking view of your life. Make sure to not miss these chances.

  • You can throw a frisbee off of a mountain and easily find and fetch it.

  • Don’t take shortcuts when changing and storing your stuff for the night - always make sure your tent is properly built, cover your rucksack with a rain cover regardless of the weather and store it under the tent’s rain cover. Don’t even deliberate, just do the smart thing.

  • Turn off the internet while using extreme battery saver to avoid significant battery drain from your phone trying to reach and hold on to a spotty connection.

  • Always maximize side quests and shenanigans.

Thank you Ilia for the invite and Athene RTMK for both welcoming people outside the guild and organizing an awesome trip with such competency! I saved the provided packing list for future reference too. Anything I may have missed during the trip was my fault only.