I knew it would be could. What I didn’t consider was the fog. This time I tried Hokas. Either my feet get to wide or they are still to narrow.
Mileage: 25
Again, I try to follow the river Sihl. I did a registration for the national Swiss trail maps. Now I can store my routes even offline on my phone. I can plan them on the computer at home. It’s everything you could possibly wish for and it’s sets you back just 20 bucks. There is no stupid navigation, so nobody tells you in advance if you must go left or right.
I bought a pair of long johns yesterday as I got could legs. Of course, not the cheapest ones in town. And they are from the super light line. The temperatures will stay below freezing the entire day. The cold is a problem but my gear works fine. I was a little bit worried because I washed the things with 60 degrees celsius instead of 30 but everything works fine.
I had to upgrade the gloves. The Venta gloves are too thin for these temperatures. So, I bought Teneo gloves. Much warmer but also much stiffer. They work fine, but I can’t operate my phone with them. And I must get out of them all the time. It’s just all day down jacket time. I am warm and toasty but there is thick fog all day long.
The Hoka One One Challenger ATR shoes are comfier than the Brooks Cascadia’s. And they are much lighter too! However, they are still too small. I touch with my toe joints on the in- and outside of both feet’s. This is annoying. I think my feet just got much wider. I used to wear narrow shoes in everyday life but of course I didn’t even walk a mile per day with them. Since I’m doing over 40 miles a day my feet just spread out.
It’s cold enough to kill my phone. So I have to walk with my battery in one pocket and a charging cable to the other to warm my phone up.
The fog eventually calls for a stop. In the night, you just light up a wall 3 feet in front of you. It’s just dangerous to walk with these temperatures in a remote place. I didn’t tell my room mates where I am heading and they will not get suspicious even if I didn’t show up. By the time somebody would miss me, I would be solid frozen.
The route is nothing to write about. There is no snow, but the humidity condensate on the trees. Apparently, there are beavers, although I see no fresh marks on the trees. The Sihl is known to be a dirty river for Swiss standards but there are sewage treatment plants all over. There is not a single household or commercial plant that is not hooked up to the sewerage system. But there is farming going on. The weather disappoints me, but I know now, that I can move for hours in temperatures below freezing.
Notable Accomplishments: Moving in 23 degrees Fahrenheit or minus 5 degrees celsius for hours, without getting cold.