Before I leave on a nature trek, I like to document the specifics in a TripDoc and share it on Google Docs with the trek participants and the people who stay at home. The document includes the goal of the trip, participants’ contact info, the route we’re planning to take, transport, gear & food to bring, estimated costs and the expected weather conditions. The TripDoc serves multiple purposes:
- It’s a preparation checklist so I won’t forget anything
- It simplifies communication between the participants
- It’s a convenient information source for the people staying at home
At the end of the trip, I usually add some extra info to the document: some travel statistics (time, distance, height ascended and descended for each day), a link to our final route, links to shared pictures and some lessons learned. That way I end up with a complete log of my trek which can be a useful guide for future trips.
Below you’ll find an example of one of my TripDocs. Feel free to use it as a template for preparing one of your own outdoor adventures.
TripDoc Scotland Trek June 2015
Activity
Goal
Date
Location
Trekking route
Participants
Program
Online info
Transport
Food & drinks
Sleeping
Costs
Navigation
Gear
Weather
Other
Results
Activity
Goal
Have fun, pretty intense hikes (about 5 hours/day with a backpack over rough terrain), learning some outdoor skills (e.g. navigation)
Date
Mon 15 June 2015 (about 6:00) – Sun 21 June 2015 (about 21:00). This is 7 days including 2 days traveling and 5 days in the mountains.
Location
The Cairngorms. This is the largest and highest national park in the UK. It’s located in the East of the Scottish Highlands, about 45 km South-East of Inverness (Scotland).
Trekking Route
See our planned main and alternative trekking routes on Google Maps (incl. distances, times, elevations and campsites). The main route is partly the hiking route described in Jolanda Linschooten’s Dutch Hiking Guide “Bergtochten in Schotland, Wales en Engeland”. In bad weather we might hike the alternative route.
Participants
| Participant | Contact in case of emergency |
| Marc Smeehuijzen Maasstraat 190-3 1079 BL Amsterdam The Netherlands Mobile: +31 6 24 525 136 E-mail: marc@onlinecaveman.com Date of birth: 27 Nov. 1972 |
Marcy Smeehuijzen Main Street 123 3000 AB Utrecht The Netherlands Mobile: +31 6 11 222 333 |
| Pete Jones High Street 44 1111 XY Amsterdam The Netherlands Mobile: +31 6 44 555 666 E-mail: pete.jones@hotmail.com Date of birth: 2 Aug. 1980 |
Pam Jones Freedom Ave 6 1222 PJ Haarlem The Netherlands Mobile: +31 6 77 888 999 |
Program
Every day hiking and wild camping except the last night when we stay in a hostel in Aviemore. (Typical day: 8:00 get up, 9:30 leave camp and hike, 12:00 lunch, 13:00 hike, 16:00 make camp, 18:00 dinner, 20:00 explore camp area).
Online info
- Photo’s of treks in similar terrain: Aug. 2014, June 2013, Sep. 2011
- How to pack a backpack by American outdoor store REI
- Navigation skills by the Mountaineering Council of Scotland
- Tips for finding a wild camp site by The Great Outdoors Magazine
- How to cross a river by Backpacker Magazine
Transport
- Bus/train from home to Amsterdam Schiphol airport (NL)
- Flight from Amsterdam airport to Glasgow airport (Scotland)
- Bus from from Glasgow airport to Glasgow train station
- Train from Glasgow train station to Aviemore
| Flight schedule | ||
| Date | 15 June 2015 | 21 June 2015 |
| Route | A’dam-Glasg. | Glasg. – A’dam |
| Flight no. | KL 1471 | KL 1478 |
| Time | 07:55 - 08:30 | 16:55 – 19:30 |
Source: https://www.klm.com/home/nl/nl
| Meeting time and loc. | Mon 15 June 2015, 06:30, meeting point Amsterdam Schiphol airport (= big red-white checkered cube in the hall with all the escalators down to the train tracks). |
| Travel distance | 10 km (train/bus) + 700 km (plane) + 15 km (bus) + 220 km (train) = 950 km. (Straight line: 800 km). |
| Travel time (excl. waiting) | 0.5hr bus/train + 1.5hr flight + 0.5hr bus + 2.5hr train = 5 hr |
| Public transport schedule | ||
| Date | 15 June 2015 | 21 June 2015 |
| Route | Glasg. air. – Glasg. station – Aviemore (about 250 km) | Aviemore – Perth – Glasg. station – Glasg. air (about 250 km) |
| Transport | Bus – Train | Train – Train – Bus |
| Time | 9:40 – 10:10 – 12:45 (3 hr 5 min) | 11:25 – 13:05 – 14:27 – 14:51 (3 hr 26 min) |
Source: http://www.travelinescotland.com
Food & drinks
We bring food for the 5.5 days that we are in the mountains.
| Water | Source: local lakes and streams (there are many). Purification: UV light (Steripen), filtering (Sawyer filter) or cooking (Primus camp stove). If there is enough wood around, we can also cook on a campfire. |
| 5 x breakfast | Cruesli/porridge with milk powder and water |
| 5 x lunch | Hartkeks (= crackers from the outdoor store) with toppings |
| 5 x dinner | Freeze dried expedition meals. For sale in outdoor stores. Preparation: just add boiling water and wait 10 min. A typical 2-person meal is 1200 kcal, needs about 800 ml of boiling water and costs about €10. (This trip each person eats 2-persons meals!) |
| Snacks | Chocolate, muesli-bars, dried fruit, nuts, crisps |
| Estimate calories needed per day | 3000 kcal |
Carry all food in a large stuff sack. Everybody brings their own food but Marc brings these items for general use: some tea bags and some chocolate powder.
Sleeping
| Shelter | Waterproof, wind resistant and lightweight tent (1 per person). |
| Sleeping bag rating | At least until 0C |
| Toilet & shower | Not available so we do everything in nature. Bury excrement at least 30 m from water sources. Use moss as toilet paper or bring toilet paper and burn it after use. |
Last night (20 June 2015): Aviemore Bunkhouse, Dalfaber Road (no number), Aviemore, phone: +44 1479 811181
http://www.aviemore-bunkhouse.com/index.html
Costs
| Item | Estimated costs/person |
| Flight | € 150 |
| Food | € 100 |
| Bus/Train | € 100 |
| Hostel (1 night Aviem.) | € 50 |
| Total | € 400 |
- Excluding costs own outdoor gear!
- Make sure you have travel insurance that covers off-trail hiking and wild camping in the mountains
Navigation
Maps
| Name | Scale | Last update | GPS position format | GPS map date |
| Aviemore & Central Cairngorms (AA Walker’s maps 28) | 1:25.000 | 2012 | British Grid | Ord Srvy GB |
| Cairngorms & Lochnagar (BMC Harvey Mountain Map) | 1:40.000 | 2011 | British Grid | Ord Srvy GB |
Gear
| * | = Optional |
| M’s pick | = Marc’s pick (brand and type) |
| W (g) | = Weight (grams) |
| P (€) | = Price (Euro’s) |
Per person
| Item | Comments | M’s pick | W (g) | P (€) |
| BACKPACK & CLOTHING | ||||
| Backpack | About 50L with hip belt | Hyperlite Mountain Gear 2400 Windrider | 830 | 290 |
| Backpack liner/rain cover | Waterproof | Mountain Laurel Design liner | 36 | 2 |
| Hiking shoes | Waterproof & breathable | La Sportiva Eco 4.0 GTX | 1230 | 170 |
| Gaiters* | Outdoor Designs Alpine AS-G10 | 240 | 30 | |
| 1 pair wool hiking socks | Perry Sport | 82 | 15 | |
| 1 pair wool hiking socks | Perry Sport | 82 | 15 | |
| 1 pair undersocks* | Against blisters | Coolmax (Synthetic) | 31 | 10 |
| 1 pair undersocks* | Against blisters | Coolmax (Synthetic) | 31 | 10 |
| Boxershort | Icebreaker Boxershort Anatomica | 55 | 35 | |
| Boxershort | Icebreaker Boxershort Anatomica | 55 | 35 | |
| T-shirt | Icebreaker Quattro Short Sleeve Polo | 160 | 90 | |
| T-shirt | Icebreaker Tech Lite Short Sleeve | 125 | 70 | |
| Long pants | Quick drying so no jeans | Fjällraven Forrester | 510 | 100 |
| Belt* | Eagle Creek AT Money Belt (money compartment removed) | 60 | 10 | |
| Long sleeve shirt/sweater | Mosquito-proof | North Face Men 100 Glacier Fleece | 233 | 55 |
| Puffy jacket/warm fleece jacket | A puffy jacket is a warm and compressible down/synthetic jacket | PHD Ultra Down Jacket: K Series Performance | 250 | 410 |
| Rain jacket | Mammut Albaron | 440 | 280 | |
| Rain pants | Rab Bergen | 340 | 110 | |
| Cap | Patagonia Unisex Beanie | 65 | 50 | |
| Gloves | Ziener Idea WS | 70 | 30 | |
| Buff* | OutdoorDesigns | 45 | 15 | |
| Hat | Fjällraven G-1000 | 67 | 36 | |
| Headnet | Sea to Summit HeadNet | 30 | 9 | |
| Little towel/dishcloth* | Bijenkorf | 100 | 5 | |
| SLEEPING | ||||
| Tent | Wind resistant and lightweight | Mountain Laurel Designs Duomid (2 person cuben fiber tarptent) | 460 | 390 |
| Tent stakes | 12 Easton Nano Nail Stakes | 170 | 27 | |
| Sleeping bag | Rated until at least 0C | PHD Minim 400 Down | 610 | 380 |
| Sleeping pad | Therm-A-rest NeoAir Xlite | 230 | 90 | |
| Bivy bag* | Preferably with integrated mosquito netting | Exped eVENT/PU (with integrated mosquito netting) | 585 | 229 |
| FOOD, DRINKS, COOKING | ||||
| Water bottle/bag | Volume at least 1L, for purifying with Steripen it needs a wide opening | Nalgene cantene PE folding bottle | 60 | 10 |
| Bowl to eat and drink from | Trangia | 81 | 9 | |
| Spoon | Preferably long one so you can eat directly from freeze dried food bags | Sea to Summit Alpha Long Spoon | 12 | 8 |
| Pocket knife | Bear Grylls (Gerber) Compact II | 33 | 30 | |
| Lighter | Bic Mini | 12 | 1 | |
| Matches | Flix veiligheidslucifers | 6 | 1 | |
| OTHER | ||||
| Hiking poles* | Leki Makalu Classic (also for supporting tent) | 510 | 60 | |
| Headlamp | Fenix LD02 (clip on cap) | 24 | 33 | |
| Spare batteries* | Albert Heijn Alkaline AAA battery | 10 | 1 | |
| Compass | Silva Field 7 | 28 | 16 | |
| Mobile phone | With phone no. trek participants and emergency no. | Apple iPhone6 | 127 | 654 |
| Whistle | Fox40 micro | 7 | 8 | |
| Sunglasses* | Julbo Reflex/Instinct | 30 | 100 | |
| Watch* | For navigation, e.g. dead reckoning | See GPS under Gear for general use | ||
| Toiletries | Toothbrush, toothpaste, lip balm | Lactona compact toothbrush, Elmex travel-size toothpaste, Lypsyl lip balm | 38 | 1 |
| Notebook & pencil* | Schrijfblok A7 + IKEA pencil | 50 | 1 | |
| Travel papers | Passport, tickets, insurance, money, cards | |||
| Stuff sack | To organize everything in your backpack | Granite Gear Air ZippSack 5L | 25 | 20 |
| Stuff sack | For carrying food | Granite Gear Air ZippSack 16L | 45 | 30 |
| TOTAL | 8320 | 3981 | ||
For general use
| Item | Comments | M’s pick | W (g) | P (€) |
| MARC BRINGS | ||||
| Camp stove | Primus OmniLite TI (for all types of fuel) | 341 | 230 | |
| Windscreen | Primus | 65 | 15 | |
| Fuel | Good for boiling about 23L water. (Not allowed on plane so buy in Scotland) | Primus large 975ml canister (450g gas) + medium 460ml canister (230g gas) | 1025 | 15 |
| Camp stove | Selfmade alcohol stove (Andrew Skurka design) | 6 | 1 | |
| Windscreen | Selfmade alum. foil windscreen (Andrew Skurka design) | 4 | 1 | |
| Fuel bottle | Nalgene 0.5L | 54 | 2 | |
| Fuel | Good for boiling about 5L water. (Not allowed on plane so buy in Scotland) | 500 ml denatured alcohol | 410 | 1 |
| UV water purifier | Steripen Adventurer Opti | 110 | 80 | |
| Spare batteries | For UV water purifier | CR123 3V Panasonic Lithium Power | 15 | 5 |
| Waterfilter | Sawyer mini filter | 60 | 40 | |
| Waterfilter cleaning plunger | To backflush the Sawyer waterfilter | Comes with the Sawyer mini filter | 33 | 0 |
| Water bag | Needed for Sawyer filter | Platypus 1L | 24 | 10 |
| Water purification tablets | Backup water purification method | Katadyn Micropur Forte MF 1T | 1 | 19 |
| Cooking pot | Volume depends on group size | Evernew ECA-252R Titanium Ultralight Pot 0.9L | 105 | 69 |
| Cooking pot | Volume depends on group size | Primus AluTech Trek Kettle 1.0L | 200 | 18 |
| Cooking pot grip | For gripping cooking pots/bowls | MSR | 45 | 10 |
| Hiking map | See Navigation for more details | Aviemore & Central Cairngorms (AA Walker’s maps 28) | 96 | 15 |
| Hiking map | See Navigation for more details | Cairngorms & Lochnagar (BMC Harvey Mountain Map) | 83 | 15 |
| Map case | Waterproof | Ortlieb 27 x 27 | 60 | 20 |
| GPS | Suunto Ambit3 Peak GPS watch (no built in map) | 89 | 500 | |
| First aid kit | Contents depends on trip and group size | Bandages, plasters, compeed (anti-blister), sports tape, scissors, tweezers, safety pins, tick remover, pain killers | 140 | 30 |
| Repair items | Sowing set, duct tape, air mattress repair kit, Seamgrip glue | 50 | 10 | |
| Sunscreen | Aloe Gator SPF 40+ total sunblock gel waterproof UVA-UVB protect | 32 | 3 | |
| Bio-degradable soap | Bever Zwerfzeep | 40 | 4 | |
| Toilet paper | Backup | From supermarket (only little bit) | 15 | 1 |
| Small plastic shovel | For burying excrement | Patrick Plastics | 50 | 5 |
| Camera | Sony Cybershot DSC-WX220 | 122 | 200 | |
| Camera spare battery | Jupio Li-ion Model CSO0025 | 13 | 20 | |
| Stickpick | To mount camera on hiking pole | BackpackingLight | 10 | 20 |
| Monocular | Bushnell Bear Grylls | 140 | 65 | |
| Kindling | For fire lighting in wet conditions | Roll of birch bark in plastic bag | 10 | 0 |
| Fixed-blade knife | For splitting wood | Mora Training Knife Model 780 | 110 | 23 |
| Extra rope | 2m paracord | 60 | 10 | |
| watersocks | For river crossings | Vincere Grip/Boat Socks | 88 | 23 |
| Wind & temp. meter | Kestrel 2000 | 95 | 140 | |
| TOTAL | 3801 | 1620 | ||
| PETE BRINGS | ||||
| Camera | GoPro Hero + headstrap | 111 | 140 | |
| Powerbank | For charging electronic devices | Anker 16000 mAh | 308 | 30 |
| TOTAL | 419 | 170 | ||
Weather
General
The Scottish Highlands are wet, gray and cool. The highest mountain tops are often in fog and hard wind (can be up to hurricane force!)
| Temperature, precipitation and wind in Cairngorms in June | |
| Average. temp. | Max. 12 C, min. 5 C |
| Average precipitation | 98 mm |
| Av. no of days with precipitat. | 19 |
| Av. wind speed | 3-4 Bft |
| Dominant wind direction | South-West |
Keep in mind: temperature drops about 0.8C every 100m of elevation (= lapse rate), and wind generally increases.
| Sun | ||
| 15 June 2015 | 21 June 2015 | |
| Rise | 04:19 | 04:19 |
| Set | 22:12 | 22:14 |
| Moon | ||
| 15 June 2015 | 21 June 2015 | |
| Set | 20:35 | – |
| Rise | 04:08 | 10:05 |
| Illumination | 2% | 22% |
Source: http://www.heavens-above.com/
Scottish Mountain Weather Reports (look under “Cairngorms National Park, Monadhliath”):
http://www.mcofs.org.uk/weather-reports.asp
Webcams (e.g. to check snowlines):
http://www.winterhighland.info/cams/cairngorm-mountain/
Other
- Keep your stuff light! Preferably max. weight: 17 kg.
E.g.:
| Max. weights | ||
| In backpack | Gear | 10 kg |
| Food | 4 kg | |
| 1 liter water | 1 kg | |
| On your person | Clothing & Gear | 2 kg |
| Total | 17 kg | |
- Airplane luggage: max. allowed weight (KLM): 12 kg (carry on) + 23 kg (in hull) = 35 kg.
- Packing tip: pack your bag at least 2 days in advance.
- Fitness: make sure you are fit enough to walk 5 hours with a backpack over rough terrain.
- Wild camping: in Scotland you are allowed to wild camp under the following conditions: in a small group, with lightweight tents, max. 3 nights in one place and out of sight of paths, roads, houses, etc. (Land Reform Scotland Act 2003).
- Currency in Scotland: their own version of British Pounds (same exchange rate). £ 1 = about € 1,4. One pound is subdivided into 100 pence (singular: penny).
- Time difference: in Scotland it is 1 hour earlier than in The Netherlands.
- Power plugs: if you want to charge electronic devices in Scotland, you need different power plugs than in the Netherlands.
- Mosquitos, midges and horse flies can be real plague in the Summer in Scotland so sometimes you need to wear long sleeve shirts, gloves and a headnet. Prime midge-time: 15 Jun. – 15 Sep.
- Ticks: every day check your body for ticks (some carry Lyme Disease). If you remove them within 24 hours after a bite, normally you are fine.
- Flora and fauna to expect: red deer, sheep, roe deer, scottish highland cattle, reindeer, rabbit, hare, fox, red squirrel, adder, all kinds of birds, pine, spruce, larch, common juniper, birch, rowan, gorse, bracken, all kinds of moss, grasses and heather plants.
- Hunting: the stag (deer) stalking season is from 1 July to 20 Oct. 2015 so we should not have problems with hunting during our trek. (The Heading for the Scottish Hills website has some [limited] information about where and when hunting is going on).
- Peaks: the Cairngorms are home to five of the six highest mountains in Scotland: Ben Macdhui (1309 m), Braeriach (1296 m), Cairn Toul (1293 m), Sgor an Lochain Uaine (1258 m) and Cairn Gorm (1245 m) and features 18 Munros (mountains over 3000 feet or 914 m) in total.
- Tree line elevation in Scotland is about 500 m.
- Scottish mountain words that might come in handy:
| Allt | Stream |
| Beinn | Ben = Mountain |
| Bothy | Small mountain hut |
| Burn | Stream |
| Cairn | Mound of stones |
| Coire | Corrie = Curved-hollow |
| Ford | River crossing |
| Glen | Valley |
| Loch | Lake |
- Other people: the Scottish Highlands are often very quiet so we probably won’t see many other people.
- Connection: Assume that you have no (or very little) connection with your mobile phone in the area (no calling signal and no internet).
- Alpine distress signal: 6 signals (e.g. whistle blasts) per minute, 1 min. break, repeat. Reply: 3 signals (e.g. whistle blasts) per min., 1 min. break, repeat.
- Emergency plan: If Marcy (Marc’s sister) has not heard that we have returned to civilization on Monday morning 22 June 2015, she will contact Scottish Mountain rescue.
- Emergency phone number in Scotland is +44 999 or +44 112 (ask for police and then mountain rescue).
< The section below is added after the trip >
Results
| Dist. (km) | Asc. (m) | Desc. (m) | Peak (m) | Time (u:m) | Break (u:m) | |
| 15 jun. | 7.0 | 70 | 0 | 280 | 1:30 | 0:00 |
| 16 jun. | 17.0 | 200 | 100 | 350 | 4:30 | 0:45 |
| 17 jun. | 22.0 | 530 | 330 | 615 | 7:00 | 1:20 |
| 18 jun. | 15.0 | 230 | 200 | 800 | 4:00 | 1:00 |
| 19 jun. | 15.0 | 350 | 600 | 825 | 4:30 | 0:40 |
| 20 jun. | 16.0 | 80 | 180 | 330 | 3:30 | 0:45 |
| TOT. | 92.0 | 1460 | 1410 | 3200 | 25:00 | 4:30 |
| Avrg / day | 15.3 | 243 | 235 | 533 | 4:10 | 0:45 |
Final trekking route (on Google Maps)
Photo’s (on Facebook)
Film (on YouTube)
Lessons learned
- Incorporating the latest mountain weather forecast (wind, snow, temperature, rain) is crucial for planning our hiking route on the Cairngorms plateau.
- Snow was still an obstacle on the higher routes on the plateau (even in the second half of June 2015).
- The midges were a real nuisance under the tree line. Good head nets (+ anti-mosquito stuff) were needed.
- Andrew Skurka’s selfmade alcohol stove + aluminum wind screen both work well but need some fiddling and care (need flat & stable surface, good wind protection, takes about 15 min. to boil 600ml water).
- The 1 : 40.000 BMC map was more accurate in some ways than the 1 : 25.000 AA map.