Packit Gourmet is excited to sponsor Philip Werner as he embarks on a 175 mile hike across the Scottish Highlands! This 14 day coast-to-coast
hike is an annual, international,
non-competitive hiking event called the TGO Challenge. While the TGO Challenge is open to everyone, very few Americans participate with the majority of hikers hailing from Europe. Philip is striving to open the doors to more American hikers, by participating in and blogging about his experiences hiking across Scotland. | The TGO Challenge is an annual self-supported walking
event across the
Highlands of Scotland. 300 participants hike cross-country from the west
coast to the east
coast (about 175 miles) over 14 days, each May. This year will be the
31st year that the event has been held. All walkers start from one of
ten places on the west coast and converge on one spot on the east coast.
Everyone designs their own route, which must cross several mountain
ranges. Philip was chosen to participate this year along with a half
dozen other
walkers from the US with the remaining 295 participants mainly hailing
from England. |
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Started in 1980, the TGO Challenge was the brainchild of the well-known writer and mountaineer, Hamish
Brown. The Challenge demands a good level of competence in navigation, survival techniques, campcraft and general hillcraft but is entirely non-competitive, promoting enjoyment of the natural environment during the walk.
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| “While I did a lot of dehydrating myself... I added Packit
Gourmet meals for variety. They kept me from getting bored with my food
and were so good tasting that I decided to build my 13 day TGO Challenge
food list around them from the get go.”
- Philip Werner
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Philip Werner is a lightweight backpacker who has a passion for writing about backpacking and related outdoor topics. He enjoys blogging about his experiences section hiking the Appalachian Trail as well as other hikes. Philip has hiked the full Long Trail (all 270 miles!), logged 444 miles of hiking in New England and
completed section hiking the Appalachian Trail in Massachusetts,
Vermont, and all but 3 miles of New Hampshire.
His trail name is Earlylite because he likes to break camp at sunrise.
Adventure Update
Philip
returned from Scotland well fed and full of stories! Read on for
detailed trip reports, meal reviews and more. Beware - reading these
entries will make you want to don a backpack and head into the hills!
TGO
Challenge Trip Report - Part 1
Hiking
across Scotland in the 2010 TGO Challenge this year was a great
adventure and one of those life-list hikes that I've always dreamed of
taking. But while the scenery is breathtaking, there is a lot more to
the Challenge than its physical and navigational demands.
TGO
Challenge Tips for Yanks & Non-Residents
If the thought of hiking across Scotland in
the TGO Challenge appeals to
you, here are a few lessons learned for first timers such as Americans
and non-UK residents. People who walk in Scotland regularly know all
this, but if you live abroad it's hard to foresee these issues until
you've completed your first crossing.
TGO
Challenge Trip Report - Zero Day
When
I was planning my original Challenge route, I built in an rest day
into my schedule, called a zero day here in the states. My plan was to
stop in Kinguissie, at the half way point of my hike, to pick up a mail
drop and spend a full 24 hours off my feet.
TGO
Challenge Trip Report - Part 2
Looking
back on my Challenge crossing this year, the most exciting days
for me were the 3 days following my zero
day in Kinguissie where I walked down Glen Feshie, past the Linn of
Dee, climbing Lochnagar, and walked along Glen Muick.
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TGO
Challenge Photo Galleries & JournalsOver the past week, a lot of 2010 Challengers
have started to post
photo collections, videos journals, and trail journals documenting their
experiences. I thought I'd compile a list of the ones that I know about
to share with you if you've completed the Challenge or have gotten the
bug to try it in the future.
What did Philip eat?"Not having cooking gas for the first 4
days of the Challenge was a bit
of a hardship, but I managed to get by eating the no-cook dehydrated
meals provided by my food sponsor Packit Gourmet. I
ate a lot of Cajun Chicken Salad, Energy Nuggets, Banana Pudding and
Berry Trifle those first few days and remained quite well fed."
Philip's FAQ
We asked Philip to take a few moments to tell us about the TGO Challenge and what it means to him. Here's what he had to say:
Why did you choose to partner with Packit Gourmet? How do Packit Gourmet’s products align with your own personal goals, needs, etc?
I got turned on to Packit Gourmet’s backpacking meals and grocery last summer when I was planning to hike the 100 Mile Wilderness on the Maine Appalachian Trail. At the time I was planning a 9 day food list that needed to be lightweight, nutritious, and have a lot of variety. While I did a lot of dehydrating myself for that trip, I added Packit Gourmet meals for variety. They kept me from getting bored with my food and were so good tasting that I decided to build my 13 day TGO Challenge food list around them from the get go.
If you could add one food item not currently on the Packit Gourmet menu what would it be and why?
That’s easy….my mother’s Hungarian Goulash with baked potatoes. It’s my favorite comfort food, full of paprika, flaky stew meat, protein, fat, carbs, and a killer sauce. My mother knows it’s my favorite meal and she always makes it when I visit my parents in Texas. She lives pretty close to Packit Gourmet headquarters. I bet she’d be happy to share her recipe secrets with you!
Why have you chosen to participate in
the TGO Challenge? What does it mean to you as a personal
accomplishment?
The TGO Challenge is an international,
non-competitive hiking event that has been held for over 30 years. Each
year, 300 participants hike unsupported across the Scottish highlands
from the west coast to the east, about 180 miles. All participants
require a significant amount of backpacking and navigation experience,
and the field of participants includes some of the most accomplished
long distance hikers and mountain climbers in the world. While this
section of Scotland is magnificent and beautiful, the weather and
terrain are very unforgiving, making the crossing a physical and mental
challenge.
The Challenge has meaning for me on many different levels. First off, I
am honored to have had my application for the
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international event, very few Americans have the required experience to
participate and I am grateful to the Challenge organizers for selecting
me. They do a great job of organizing this event, particularly Roger
Smith, the TGO Challenge Coordinator, and ensuring that all hikers
remain safe during the crossing.
Next is my love of Scotland. I
love the place and the people who live there, from the Borders to the
northern islands of Orkney and the Shetlands, from the elegant charm of
Edinburgh to the gritty coal stained toughness of Glasgow, and the
welcoming cheer of a Highland Ceilidh. The Scots are wild, brilliant,
unorthodox renegades that have carved out an renaissance existence in a
hostile landscape. You have to admire them. I first fell in love with Scotland during graduate school when I got a Master’s degree from the University of Edinburgh, and since
then have returned many times for hiking and vacations with my wife. |
Finally, there is the Challenge of the hike and a years worth of planning to get ready for it. Make no mistake, this is a major expedition that has required me to learn specialized navigational skills particular to the UK, extensive gear testing and equipment changes. There is also the physical challenge. I turned 50 this year and although I’m in great hiking shape, I’m not as young as I used to be.
How will hiking across Scotland compare
to some of the other long distance hiking you’ve done?
In
term of remoteness, hiking across Scotland will be a lot like hiking in
the 100 Mile Wilderness in Maine. There
will be long stretches of
wilderness across wild land without access to emergency services if I
get in trouble.
In terms of difficulty, I expect the Challenge
to be similar to hiking the Long Trail in Vermont. That trail is
notorious for its rough terrain, horrible weather conditions, rain, and
mud. Scotland weather is equally fickle in May. I expect snow pack on
the peaks I plan to climb, wet boggy conditions in the river glens, and
numerous stream crossings.
The biggest difference, however, will be the lack of a coast to coast
trail. This is literally a cross-country hike and there will be sections
where all I have to go on is a compass bearing and a map. Hikers in the US rarely hike routes that are not well blazed. Hiking
cross country is very different than following an obvious treadway like
the AT. | 
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It sounds like there is the option of spending some nights in B&B’s and dining in restaurants along the way. Will you be camping and dining in the outdoors exclusively, or taking advantage of some of these perks?
I plan on camping out exclusively except for a zero day at the half point of my journey. If I happen to run across other Challenge hikers in a hamlet with a pub, there’s a chance I’ll stop for a pint with them, but I’m going to Scotland to spend as much time outdoors as possible.
Will your route take you through towns or will you be hiking completely in undeveloped lands. How will this aspect of your trek compare to others you’ve done?
The final 15 miles of my route passes through a series of small towns, but the majority of my route crosses completely undeveloped land. Unlike the US, hikers in the Scotland have access to hike and camp on private land without the need for permission. The only area that I need to steer clear of is the Royal Balmoral Estate near Lochnagar, in order to respect the privacy of the royal family.
Anything else you like to get off your chest - food related or not - we’d love to hear it.
I’m dedicating my Challenge hike to raising charity to fight blood cancer, with all donations going to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Last year, my hiking pal, Cross Country Mom, was diagnosed with Leukemia after experiencing extreme fatigue on a backpacking trip with me on the New Hampshire Appalachian Trail. By the grace of God or whatever power you hold dear, she was cured after multiple courses of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant.
