Walking
Slightly longer
Ever since I was little, I've always loved getting around on foot. I probably started by crawling at some point, and eventually learned to walk.
There was a lot of running—my first friend at school and I even started doing "training sessions" as early as first grade.
I've spent many years running and jogging, but I've become increasingly fond of simply walking. For long stretches, and over long distances.
Still, I've never tried those multi-day or even multi-week hikes that some people do.
Until now ...
Inspiration
By chance, I came across some amazing videos made by someone who had essentially documented some of Italy's most touristy—yet beautiful—villages along the Amalfi Coast south of Naples.
It left me wanting more, and further searches eventually led me to the Camino de Santiago—a hugely popular walking route that's been chronicled in thousands of videos.
Alongside these hikes, I discovered a wealth of content related to walking. There were packing tips, advice on how to avoid blisters, gear reviews, insights into what to expect from treks that can last weeks or even months—and so much more.
The more I watched, the more captivated I became. And I started to feel the urge to walk too.
Preparations
Since I don't have any experience with long-distance hiking, I didn't have much of the gear that's considered essential — nor the other things that are just "nice to have." Like I mentioned before, I watched tons of hiking-related videos, and gear seems to be the part people cover best.
Because my plan is to carry everything I need myself, the weight of what I bring becomes super important. I quickly realized you can manage with way fewer items than you'd first expect. I've seen people walking around with anything from just under 3 kg to well over 20 kg.
I'm not planning to head off into the wilderness or sleep outside. Most days I expect to be near shops or places to eat, where I can pick up food and other things I might need. I also plan to sleep indoors in some accommodation every night. A sleeping bag is good to have—but I'll skip the tent, bivy, and sleeping pad.
I've found tons of packing lists online for all kinds of trips and spent quite a bit of time comparing them. I've watched videos where people talk about what they missed while hiking, what they brought but didn't use, and lots of great advice and tips.
I quickly saw that gear comes in all sorts of price ranges and quality levels. Lightweight stuff is usually way more expensive than heavier gear. Weight sort of becomes an obsession for many hikers—and I'm no exception. An empty backpack alone can weigh anywhere from about 0.5 kg to over 4 kg. When you're planning to carry it for weeks at a time, things like that really matter.
One of the first things I bought was a digital scale — because now everything had to be weighed:
One t-shirt was nearly 200 grams heavier than another, one pair of shorts was 310 grams heavier than a different pair, and the blue beach sandals in the photo are 272 grams lighter than the ones I had before.
I ended up buying quite a few new items and became super aware of their weight. After doing a rough estimate, I found that my lightweight choices saved me about 2 kg in total. And the backpack itself is also one of the lighter models.
Training
Even though I might be in better shape than many men my age and don't have any particular health issues, I know I'm not fit enough to hike for days with a backpack on. So, I'll need to train so my body can handle it.
Up until now, I've never set foot in a gym or fitness center — and I've got no intention of starting now. Nothing wrong with that kind of exercise, it's just not really my thing. If I want to get my body used to walking long distances with a pack, I figure it's best to start gently and see how it goes.
I dug out a simple 30-liter backpack I got as a retirement gift and filled it with a bag of soil I found on the balcony. Then I started walking around my neighborhood. The walks varied in length but were mostly between 5 and 30 kilometers. I wore my well-worn running shoes, and they worked just fine. No discomfort, no blisters. I walked mostly on pavement, but also some gravel roads and trails.
As I got more gear, I started using my new backpack, packed like I was heading out on a multi-day trip. That made the weight about right — around 6–7 kilos in my case, including drinks. And honestly, it worked way better than I expected. I ended up doing quite a few of those training hikes over the next few weeks.