God and Wives

Only a few weeks left before my dad and I fly to Europe for our 34 day alpine hike!  As we get closer, I think back to the time my dad brought up the idea and the two factors that made this trip possible.  The two variables, without which, we could never go on a trip like this.  Our God and our wives.

Our God

Since God created the heavens and the earth, it follows, without him, none of us could do anything, because we wouldn't exist.  However, God made the ocean, mountains, animals, and people for us to glorify Him and his character.  So, we thank God for providing the people, places, and things that we get to enjoy and give him all the glory.  We are going to see majestic mountains, breath-taking glaciers, and great lush valleys.  This beautiful, amazing creation we will experience is just a reflection of our beautiful, amazing, and creative God and Father:

"Bless the Lord, O my soul!  O Lord my God, you are very great!

You are clothed with splendor and majesty...

The mountains rose, the valleys sank down

to the place that you appointed for them...

O Lord, how manifold are your works!  

In wisdom have you made them all; 

the earth is full of your creatures" Psalms 104:1, 8, 24

Our Wives

The second place prize for making this trip happen goes to our wives.  My mom, Dorothy,  has supported my dad and I as long as I've been alive.  She is a great example of patience, love, and encouragement-- she made this trip possible.  Also, my wife, Alina, helped make this trip a reality.  When she first heard of the hiking expedition that would take her husband away for 5 weeks, the challenge had potential to overwhelm her.  However, after a few months of the idea, she warmed up to it, then supported me 100%.  She's been hiking with me and very gracious as I've continuously swiped the credit card for my hiking gear.  Without our wives cheering us on, our trip would have been trampled.  So, to God, thank you for your wonderful creation and to our wives, thank you for your unending support!

15 Day Countdown

We are now a half a month away from our departure for Switzerland!  My dad and I are both very excited about this adventure.  Both of us are busy with physical training, shopping for gear, and practicing foreign languages.  I'll be going into a little more detail on these preparations as the time gets closer... 

Hiking the Alps 2013 Blog:

http://tullmanntravels.blogspot.com/

Facebook Group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/hikethealps2013/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/htullmann

YouTube Channel: 

http://m.youtube.com/#/user/htullmann?&desktop_uri=%2Fuser%2Fhtullmann

Intro: http://youtu.be/9tfbNzSFHP0

Gear:

http://youtu.be/AT5jL8E9fU8

Hiking the Alps Gear

When considering long hiking trips, what kind of gear do you need?  Well, you need food, water, clothes, shelter, etc.  Right?  Partially.  It depends where you going, how far, and for how much time.  

Food and Shelter

My dad and I will be hiking for 34 days in the European alps for many kilometers.  These trails will include "Huttes" (translated Huts) along the way.  A hutte is similar to a hostel; a cheap place to sleep and eat.  For one price (20-30 Euro), we can get a dinner, a warm place to sleep, and a breakfast in the morning.  The huttes are so frequent, you can plan  to stay in one every night for the duration of your journey.  So, all that is required is money and some type of sleeping bag liner, for sanitary purposes while sleeping in beds, bunks, or cots, with the hutte's provided blankets.  We won't need to pack tents, sleeping bags, or meals for breakfast or dinner.  This will change they type of gear we will bring.  

Weight and Clothes

The more we pack, the more weight we will carry for miles and days on this hike.  If you have 50 lbs of weight on your back for that amount of time, you will tire quickly and lose the enjoyment of the experience.  My goal is to pack as lightly as possible.  Since it's the high mountains, we will need warm clothing. I've gotten a lot of ideas from http://www.hikelight.com and have tried to purchase the lightest gear possible, with the exception of my jacket, boots, and other items.  Light, durable, and breathable materials, such as silk, nylon, etc., will help keep our pack weight down.  Every item must be critically chosen and weighed, to calculate the exact weight we'll be hiking with.  The weight of clothes and physical supplies is called, "the base weight", but for the full weight, you would add water (3 Liters = 6.3 lbs) plus food.  You might think, "why are you sweating the small stuff?!", to which I would reply, "Because we WILL be sweating the small stuff... literally".  Every ounce or gram will result a weight lifting session every step, minute, and mile of the trip-- multiplied by 34 days.  So the question we're often asking is, "Do you really need that?" 

Hiking in cold climates requires 3 layers:  1) A base layer, 2) an insulating layer, and 3) a shell.  A base layer is a light, thin clothing, that serves as undergarments and keeps you warm in wind, rain, and snow.  I chose silk underwear for my base layer because of the light weight, durability and breathability.  The next layer is the insulating layer, for which, I have a down jacket, hoodie, shirt, and pants.  The final layer is the shell, which can protect you from rain or snow.  I have a waterproof jacket and rain chaps.  Hiking in wool socks and good hiking boots will keep your feet fresh and ready for the next day's hike.

The Rest...

I could explain the rest, but instead, I'll show you:

Hans' Gear List: 

Backpack - Deuter ACT lite 65 + 10: 1884g

Stuff Sacks - Equinox ultralite: 142g

Hiking Boots - Asolo Fugitive GTX: 1535g

Pants (2) - Columbia zipaway: 688g

Short Sleeve Shirt - REI Saharia: 170g

Hoodie - North Face Full Zip Fleece: 464g

Rain Jacket - Hi-Tec Sandstone Peak Down Parka - Waterproof, 3-in-1: 1134g

Socks (4) - REI Merino Wool: 405g

Underwear -  ExOfficio Box Briefs: 252g

Headlamp - Black Diamond Storm/Batteries: 249g

Base Layers - Terramar Men's Thermasilk top/bottom: 167g

Rain Chaps - Equinox Full Moon Chaps: 104g

Hydration Reservoir - Geigerrig - 3 Liter Engine: 239g

Crampons - Stubai Ultralight Crampons: 626g

soap - Campsuds biodegradable: 161g

hair product:  36g

toothbrush 16g

toothpaste 78g

deodorant 101g

sunscreen 120g

reading glasses: 23g

Medicine: 211g

Face Towel - Pack Towel-Nano 18x23: 36g

MultiTowel - REI XL 54x25in: 196g

iPhone 4S 64G: 162g

Charger: 45g

Solar Charger - Solio Xcellerator and HUB Battery Pack: 292g

Coverter Plug: ?

Extension cord: 132g

Tripod - Griptight GorillaPod Stand (for iphone): 64g

Headphones x2: 44g

pile hat - Ultralite Pileus Hat: 35g

gloves - Polypro Glove liners: 23g

Buff Headwear: 39g

Sunglasses/bag: 27g

Trekking Sticks - Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork: 527g

Sleepbag Liner - Cocoon Silk Travelsheet: 148g

27 Piece utility bag

2 compass' 3g/8g

whistle 6g

mirror 19g

comb 2g

book matches 7g

safety matches 11g

pen 5g

paper 10g

5 rubber bands 8g

floss 0g

SPF Lip balm 9g

Vaseline 11g

Benadryl 32g

40 Ibuprofen 14g

24 Aspirin 17g

8 Imodium 12g

Vitamin C 32g

Allergy Med 4g

6 brass safety pins 2g

50 Potable Aqua tabs 32g

light Nylon cord 98g

Gerber Micro knife 17g

2 Princeton Pulsar IIs 14g

5 extra batteries

Favorite scriptures 9g

pictures 15g

needles/thread 2g

Ultralite/small day bag: 86g

Biodegradable Toilet paper: 82g

Passport case - Sea to Summit waterproof case: 60g

First Aid: 94g

Crocs - Yukon Sport: 523g

Journal - Moleskin: 337g

Gaiters - Outdoor Research: 95g

Adventure of a Lifetime

          The next series of blog posts for Tullmann Travels, will unfold the epic journey of Bob and Hans Tullmann, the father-son duo, and their hiking trip to Europe, Summer 2013.  Since my dad proposed the idea to hike across the European Alps in 2012, there has been a lot of thinking, praying, planning, saving, purchasing, and training to accomplish this massive campaign.  Instead of overloading readers with excessive details, I will distill the process into 5 categories:

1. The Idea
2. The Wives
3. The Gear 
4. The Training
5. The Trip

The Idea

          My dad (Bob) had called me (Hans) around July 2012 and brought up the idea of hiking in European in the Alpine Mountains.  The trail he had in mind was a long distance trail, called the "E5" (one of many long distance European trails) which goes through 5 different countries and spans 1988 miles (3200).  The idea made me very excited, however, there were so many variables like money, jobs, equipment, timing, money.  Plus, getting both spouses on board would have to be a separate mission altogether.  

          My dad originally got the idea of hiking in the Alps in 2010 from a trip my mom and he made to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.  There, they got a taste of the German alps and gave my dad a hunger for more.  To learn more about their trip, check out his blog:

Garmisch-Partenkirchen Summer

At any rate, I made a secret Facebook page including my dad, another hiking friend Aaron, my good friend Don, and myself.  There we discussed the trail, training, and equipment needed.  Currently, we are set for leaving from Los Angeles to Geneva, Switzerland on July 4th and will return August 6th, 2013.

Follow Us as the Journey Unfolds!

  

The are many venues for tracking our progress:

1. This Blog: You can click "Join this site" on the right, or scroll down choose "Follow by E-mail", which will send you an e-mail each time there is a new post on the blog.
2. Facebook Group: Look for updates by joining our Facebook Group, "Hiking the Alps 2013"
3. Twitter: follow at  @htullmann
4. YouTube: We may be posting some video\s to YouTube if we can, so Subscribe!

More to come soon!