25th of February - departure minus three.

Less than three days to go, feeling very apprehensive.  It is a good job I've made so many commitments, without them I'd be staying at home.

The list of things I'm going to miss just gets longer, including some really important and exciting family things.  I'm also going to miss the "mighty Spurs" end of season run-in and the last six episodes of " The Killing".  Why am I doing this!

The good news is that the weather looks great in Tarifa.  I know the weather can still be unsettled in March and that it can be very wet - nice weather at the start of the walk would be a real bonus.

The bad news is that my bag has got heavier.  With all the bits and bobs it is now pretty full and 45 litres no longer seems excessive.  I guess I could drop the spare pair of Inov-8s for the first month, they don't weigh much but they take up a lot of room.

Going to the River Cafe tonight, having a leaving do in a pub in London on Saturday, and then a quite day with Christine on Sunday.  Monday, involves a 7 o'clock flight to Gibraltar,  a couple of buses just down the road to Tarifa and then I start. 

Final I packed my bag..

Well it's too late to worry now.  Flight's are booked, deposits on hotels have been paid and friends have even scheduled holidays to come and join me.  I have even made the decisions on what I'm going to wear and what I'm going to carry.


Firstly special thanks to Berghaus, Inov-8 and Osprey who between them have kitted me out.  180 days constant use will be a pretty extreme test of their gear and I know they are keen to see how it does.


In the world of walking footwear is perhaps the most controversial thing.  Well I'm not going totally bare foot but I am going very light weight and taking two pairs of Inov-8 trainers, the Inov-8 Terroc 330 and the 345 GTX.  I am already convinced that light footwear is best, particularly for this type of walking, and my only question mark is its longevity.  Taking two pairs is insurance against things falling apart but will also mean I will be able to change footwear in the evening. 


Nearly all my clothing is Berghaus.  I'm taking GORE-TEX® Paclite® Shell Overtrousers;  Dru Stretch GORE-TEX® Paclite® Shell Jacket; 2 pairs of Terrain zip off convertible trousers (hoping for maximum zip off) and a pair of Berghaus shorts; 4 T-shirts with argentium technology to prevent the smell (fat chance), one with long sleeves; and one Brenta Microfleece half zip top.  Apart from socks (4 pairs) all fabrics are synthetic, very easy to wash and very quick to dry.


I have already talked about my Osprey Exos 46 bag but I'm also taking an Osprey 3 litre Hyproform water reservoir (has a really neat magnet to keep the mouth piece in place) and their water proof cover.  Really worried about getting stuff wet so have go a couple of fold dry bags as well.


Other items of course include hat, gloves and walking sticks.  Always struggled with hats but at the moment I'm wearing a East German Army issue forage cap which at least is different. On sticks I have bought at pair of Fizan Compact which were both relatively cheap and very light.  


On the electronics I'm taking my Iphone and an Ipad.  The Ipad is probably a bit mad (adds about 800 grams) but it means I will be able to use it to read i-books and perhaps even watch a film.  It also provides some resilience in terms of GPS because I'll be able to use it as back-up to the Iphone which is going to be my main means of navigation.  Will do another blog on navigation although it is now too late to change my navigation approach.


Nearly all my overnight stops will allow me to recharge my electronics (just a couple of places where this might not be possible).  To supplement the Iphone battery I have bought a New Trent Iphone case, which both protects the Iphone and massively extends its battery life. I have also bought an additional Trent battery pack.  Have tested the Iphone and have been able to get 10 hours from it both listening to stuff and tracking my route. Everything charges of the same Apple charger although I will need a separate charger for my Panasonic Linux camera.


Based on the scales in my kitchen and excluding water and food I will be carrying just under 5 kilograms in my bag.  Food and water will add another 4 kilograms to this so I will starting each day with just shy of 20 lbs on my back.  


  

Support from Sir Chris Bonington

Sir Chris on Cleopatra

"I wish John Hayes the very best of luck for his attempt to be the first person to walk the trans-Europe E4 route in one go. Tarifa to Budapest looks like an epic trip.  John is trying to raise money for a really important Britain Nepal Medical Trust project and deserves all the support he can get".

Getting slightly apprehensive as the departure deadline approaches so support from Britain's best known mountaineer is a real fillip.  Sir Chris Bonington's record of achievement, including numerous first time ascents, is inspirational and his support for my project is a great honour. 

Guest Blog from Christine (the wife)

It's her indoors and it's only four and a bit weeks to blast off. I have to confess, I'm the kind of person who likes to be busy and I'm not exactly what you would call 'reflective'. So the prospect of John being away from the beginning of March until mid September is only just starting to sink in.

On the E4 in Austria

How will I fix those electrical goods when they conk out? How quickly will I feel terribly lonely? Will I recognise the hairy monster when I go out to join him on the walk? And the biggest one of all - how will we both feel at the end of it: is he going to be a different person? Will we click back together?

Clinging onto the E4 in Austria

One thing I do know. John's embarking on a wonderful adventure and I'm dead jealous. I'm also just a bit cross that he insisted on doing this in 2011 rather than wait till I was ready to abandon work and come with him. My initial theory as to his motives was that this was his way to stop me nagging him to 'do something'. But I now believe that he really wants to test himself and do this huge scary thing, and have the experience after to savour and share. And that's why I'm jealous.

An Austrian E4 meadow

Perhaps its as well I'm not joining him. I've just had my knee done and the Doc reckons I'm down to the last scrapings of cartilage in places. This salutary reminder of the ageing process suggests I'd be wise not to try this particular 5000k.

While John's away I am planning a number of displacement activities to keep me going - decorating the room in Hove which I hate (and which we argue about); knitting stuff for first grandchild due in June; having friends down for weekends and doing girlie stuff; getting that wetsuit out and swimming every weekend. But that won't stop me missing him.

So I shall be following the adventure through John's blog, just like everyone else. I've got my first 3 trips out to join him in Spain fixed, and am keen to get other slots firmed up. And be warned - I would really like to have him to myself when I go out, so please John mark the dates in red or something.

Christine




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

I packed my bag and in I put

My bag

Getting into the final final countdown now and starting to put my gear together. Got my backpack today and I'm really pleased with it - it's an Osprey Exos 46.

Must admit I have been a big fan of Osprey bags ever since Christine and I bought their bags for our Haute Route trip eight years ago. It was the first time we had planned a place to place trip and carried our own stuff, and was such a brilliant adventure, that everything about it has taken on a sort of mythical status, including the bags.

Christine with bag with the Grande Combin in the background

It is amazing how much bags have changed in just eight years. The Osprey bags we bought were Eclipse 32s, and were pretty leading edge, but look really dated now. In particular the approach to compression has changed (the Eclipse has boards), the material has got lighter and even the straps and buckles have been downsized with the Exos.

Compared to anything else we saw at the time, it was clear that Osprey put a lot of thought into the design of their bags - call me simple but I just loved the whistle on chest strap. The functionality is still there but they have added loads more. Perhaps the biggest development is all the different compartments you now get. This means you can pack things in terms of frequency of use. Overnight stuff in the main bag, waterproofs in the rear zip pocket, food in the top bag and suncream, and possibly camera in the pockets on the hip belt.

The best thing about the Exos 46 is its comfort. Although it looks like a day bag, it comes with sort of aluminium frame you associate with bags designed for much heavier loads. While the mesh panel fits really snuggly on your back, everything is ventilated which should keep me cool as well as comfortable.






The picture above shows old and new sat side by side my front room. New not only looks really cool, but is less than half the weight of old with 30 per cent more capacity.  If anyone wants old let me know!

Hotel Support for the E4 Project

Have only just started to ask for support from hotels located along the E4 route and, so far, the response has been really encouraging. What I'm doing is emailing them, letting them know about the walk, and then asking them if they mind accommodating me free of charge.  Have only approached  hotels along the first couple of weeks of the trail and, so far, I have had positive responses from eight - so special thanks to:

• Hotel Castillo de Castellar
• The Olive Branch at El Chorro
• Hotel Rural La Poloma at Villaneuva de Tapia
• Casa Henrietta at Jimena de la Frontera
• Hostal Rafi at Priego de Cordoba
• Casa Pernias just north of Moratalla
• Ubrique - accommodation organised by the tourist office
• La Linda Tapada - just to the north west of Cieza

The support is particularly welcome because a private sponsor has offered a 50 Euro contribution to the BNMT every time I get free accommodation.  I am of course hoping that everyone who makes use of the my E4 itinerary recognises how supportive these hoteliers have been and stays at their accommodation.    I'll also make sure that I provide a full report back on the facilities provided when I stay there -  they all look brilliant.

Hotel Castillo de Castellar

The Olive Branch

Hotel Rural Paloma

Casa Henrietta

Hostal Rafi

Casa Pernias

Ubrique

La Linda Tapada

The Plan - A day-by- day schedule for the E4 Walk

"The best-laid schemes o' mice an men

Gang aft agley"

I might be mad but I have a plan, a schedule of where I'm going to be every day of the E4 walk (attached to this link).  Although it's almost certain to go wrong, it's necessary for the people who want to join me (my wife, Christine for example) to plan their journeys and book leave.

I'm now pretty certain about the route and the stop-overs.  The main issue has been about rest days, how many to take and where.  There is a lot of conflicting advice on this. Some people saying I should stop on a regular basis (every 2 weeks for example), while others have said "crack on" and build up contingency to cope with the things that will inevitably go wrong.

My schedule combines both approaches (typical).  It's got 10 stop-overs in places that are accessible and where it should be possible to do some essentials, getting my hair-cut for example.   I'm planning to take two days in Tarragonna because it looks such a like a nice place and there is lots to see. 

If all goes to plan I should be in Budapest by the 8th of September, which is a couple of weeks earlier than I anticipated when I started planning. I want to get well past the Alps by August, so I have two to three weeks contingency. 

I've been particularly encouraged by Nat Severs' experience on his walk around the UK coastline (great blog by the way).  Nat describes how he struggled at the beginning with 20 miles a day, but after a while found 30 miles easy.  I know Nat is 30 years younger that me, but I'm not carrying anywhere near as much as he did, and only rarely will have to do 30 miles.

Stamina, I think, is one the attributes you can hold onto as you get older (my memory went years ago).  On my recent trip to Nepal, there was a big American who, at 67, played with the Kanchenjunga, and who, a couple of years ago, climbed Aconcagua in Argentina, which is just shy of 7,000 metres.  

Well the first person I need to convince is myself, and I have a plan!

I will get to:

• Alacala la Real by the 14th of March;
• Cazorla on the 21st;
• Montanejos on the 18th of April;
• Tarragonna on the 29th of April;
• Carcassonne on the 21st of May;
• Malataverne on the 8th of June;
• Grenoble on the 18th of June;
• Konstanz on the 13th of July;
• Salzburg on the 31st of July;
• Kozeg on the 21st of August;
• Budapest on the 8th of September.

Of course all the things I will miss while I'm away are starting to become apparent.  Perhaps the best one will be the dodgy start my team usually makes to the football season - by mid-September, the mighty Spurs will be all guns blazing.

Budapest in September