The world reveals itself to those who travel on foot. – Werner Herzog
During the past few years our travels have evolved into alternating between wilderness backpacking treks, in which we rely on whatever is on our backs, and long distance hikes between villages and towns, with more creature comforts available for us. This year is no different with a combination of trail and road hiking adventures.
Earlier this spring we completed a four-day backpacking trip on the Arizona Trail. During that time, we contended with rain, hail, and snow in the Four Peaks Wilderness. Now we are readying for our Pilgrims’ Way and Via Francigena trek that will take us 800 miles between villages and towns in the countries of England, Switzerland, and Italy.
Researching and Mapping the Trekking Routes
While wilderness backpacking and town trekking may seem like totally different trips, they require similar planning and preparation. Due to the remote nature of backpacking, we need to have a good idea of how far we want to go each day and water availability. This dictates how much food we need to bring and our overall pack weight.
We have also found that having a good plan for our “civilized” town trekking translates into a more comfortable experience. So as we poured over maps, blogs, and books when we planned our recent backpacking trip, we are doing the same as we prepare for our European journey.
After doing some Internet trekking research, we purchased a Pilgrims’ Way book. As much of this trail overlaps with a planned Via Francigena extension, we also researched the trail variants between the two paths.
Because the Via Francigena stretches over 1,200 miles in total from Canterbury, England, to Rome, Italy, there are three books detailing the route. We purchased the two books covering the portion of our hike. In each instance, we found the books to be invaluable in detailing each stage and the potential trekking options. By buying the Kindle versions of each book, we also can easily refer to them on the go.
Books that we purchased to assist with our route planning
The Via Francigena is an ancient path, so there are many trail variants to consider. With the help of the books, we created our own custom routes for each stage, taking into account mileage, elevation gain, and accommodation availability. Most days we stuck to the book’s suggested stages, but some days we extended or shortened our hike distance, based on the above factors.
We have a Gaia GPS premium membership that includes routing tools, but many people also use AllTrails or other similar sites to do the same thing. Similar to what we do when we backpack, we will download each stage onto my phone and Darren’s watch to ensure we stay on course as we trek.
from Switzerland to Italy
Choosing Gear that Works for Both Types of Treks
Because we spend time both backpacking and town trekking, we need gear for both. When possible, we try to purchase items that can be used for both types of treks.
Similar to what we did on the Camino Portugues in 2018, and on the California Missions Trail (CMT) in 2023, we will carry our own gear while trekking the Pilgrims’ Way and Via Francigena. This means that every item we bring needs to be scrutinized to ensure that it deserves a place in our pack. And that scrutiny begins with the pack itself.
Backpacks are the one item that differ between trekking types. On a backpacking trip, the packs need to be large enough to hold camping gear. We can use a smaller pack size for town trekking.
As we have for our past two town treks, we will use REI Trail 40 packs this year. They are carry-on sized, yet can hold enough gear for a multi-month trip such as this. The two things that we like the best about this pack are that it comes with a custom rainfly, which keeps everything dry, no matter the weather, and that it has large side pockets, making it easy to access water bottles.
Trekking on the CMT (2023) with our REI Trail 40 packs outside of San Luis Obispo; rainfly in use while hiking in Orange County
Trekking poles are also an important piece of gear for us. Unfortunately, they have to be checked on planes. So on journeys, such as our 2022 British Isles trek, we sent new “budget” poles ahead to pick up after our flight. When we completed our trekking we donated them before flying home.
During the California Missions Trail, we only needed poles for a handful of steep stages. We timed our new poles for pickup right before those days. Afterwards, we donated them. I was glad to have them for the steep trail that we encountered.
This year we plan on doing the same thing. Amazon has several types of trekking poles for reasonable prices, making it cheaper to buy and send the poles to us rather than pay for a checked bag.
Trekking poles on England’s Hadrian’s Wall Path (2022) and climbing down from Refugio Pass near Santa Barbara on the CMT
Our clothing is pretty interchangeable, no matter the type of trek. It consists of layers that can be worn in all kinds of weather. For us that includes a fleece layer and a rain jacket. These layers will suffice all the way down to freezing temperatures, which we encountered earlier this year while hiking the Arizona Trail.
Last year we wore sun hoodies on the California Missions Trail. They are thin enough to wear in the blazing sun and even provide some SPF protection.
We are big fans of this top for backpacking as well. It can even be worn on cooler days, with the rain jacket used as a windbreaker. Coupled with the sun hoodies are hats we have worn for years – the Outdoor Research sun hat. We keep items that we need to quickly access in fanny packs.
Sun hoodies, hats, and fanny packs on the Arizona Trail
We are making a shoe change this year. We love Hoka shoes and the cushion they provide for our legs and knees. Their Speedgoats are the ultimate trail shoe, and we wore them as we trekked the British Isles and completed the Pacific Crest Trail last year. But they don’t last as long when the path is a combination of dirt trail and paved road surfaces.
After doing some Internet research, we decided to try another Hoka shoe called the Challenger. It is touted to be a multi-surface shoe, but still has some lug gripping capability in the soles. Our hope is that we will be able to hike more miles in these shoes before replacing them.
There are several smaller items in our packing list that we have refined over the years. This year, we transitioned to USB-rechargeable headlamps, moving away from reliance on batteries. Having a portable battery charger also protects us in case one of our phones runs down while hiking.
A water filter is a must when backpacking, and we plan to carry one with us in case we come across a Via Francigena source between the towns and villages. We love the Katadyn BeFree filter system but are trying a newer bottle and filter version from HydraPak.
One of our favorite pieces of gear is the least expensive item that we own. Several years ago we bought a reusable grocery bag to bring on our travels. It now comes on every trip, from backpacking to a car journey. We use the bag in grocery stores when purchasing food, and it also holds our daily lunch and snacks as we hike or backpack. When it is not needed it folds down to almost nothing. Unfortunately, the one we purchased is no longer available, but there are many similar brands on-line.
Reusable grocery bag and same bag folded up
Having a Sense of Adventure as We Prepare for Our Travels
Expect the best, plan for the worst, and prepare to be surprised. — Denis Waitley
No matter how much we plan and prepare for this year’s journey, we know that we need to expect the unexpected. Items will need to be replaced on route, and transportation may have to be modified (which happened in 2022 during strikes in the UK). Weather can always be a factor, causing us to delay or skip one or more stages. But whatever comes our way, we are looking forward to our journey and experiencing Europe’s cultural significance and natural beauty while being back on the trail (and road) again.
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