Michael Friebe – Me, Myself, and I

My Passion – Outdoors Activities – ⛷ 🥾 🐕 and more!
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  • TGOC — summary — learnings for the next trip
    12 actual walking days plus one break day in Braemar — 325 km, roughly 10.000 altitude meters, total walking hours = 100, 6 days wild camping, 1 day in a bothy, 1 day in campground, 4 days in a B&B / Hotel, average 4.750 calories per day burned and significantly less taken in … I expect 3kg weight loss! 6 days with rain, 3 with lots, 1 day with very very heavy headwinds (up Glen Roy) and several with heavy…More
  • Day 13 — Final Challenge Day — to the Park Hotel in Montrose — 16km
    08:15 start for the last day — with some sidetours just 16km mainly downhill, the first 8k along a street though. In Hillside I turned in a smaller sideroad that brought me to a malting plant and then to the famous strawberry farm. And then it was just a few more kilometres to the beach (touched the water) and then on to the headquarters at the Park Hotel in Montrose. Wow! I am excited and now we are on to…More
  • Day 12 — Tarfside to Northbridge — total 28km and 200 altitude meters
    Was a really nice evening yesterday. We went to our tents around 22:30 and I slept again very well. Morning started with precooked breakfast … water added. The Decathlon Muesli is really good, the milk rice just OK though. This was the first day that I walked with others. First with Neil from Sussex to Edzell and subsequently with Mark from Ohio to Edzell castle (quite nice) and then on to the Northwaterbridge campground. Mark and I decided to make…More
  • Day 11 — Glenmuick to Tarfside — 30km – 1.200 altitude meters — lots of wildlife!
    Daniel was still limping … and it does not seem to improve. He wants to continue though. The first destination was the Shielin of Mark bothy. Nice setup for maximum 5 people inside but plenty of camping spaces outside. The 4 km took 1,5 hours – pathetic! So I asked Daniel to take a different tour via Glen Lee while I was going the planned route towards Mount Keen and we would meet again later when both paths and his…More
  • Day 10 — Lochnagar Range — 26km — 9 hours — 1.500 altitude meters — 8 Munros
    Excellent breakfast – thanks Jennifer from the Ivy B&B … 5 stars – and then we took off a little after 08:30 in light rain. Less than 2 hours later we arrived at the Lochcallatar Lodge. TGO tea and some familiar faces. What a neat setup … would like to come back here and experience a couple of nights and the infamous men‘s bar. Then we started out Lochnagar range munro bagging tour. Initially it was really aweful … rained…More
  • Day 9 — Break in Braemar — Feet Recovery
    The IBU cream that i bought yesterday in the local pharmacy certainly helped. Not really good yet, but swelling is down and I see improvements. The break day was really needed. This little city is packed with tourists, walkers (challengers and others) and lots of campervan‘s. I own one myself (Volkswagen Bulli California), but this is almost getting out of hands here. End of May! Wonder what it will look like in the summer? Anyway, did a little 4k walk…More
  • Day 7 — through Glen Feshie to the River Dee — 24km, 6:30 hours, 600 altitude meters
    That was an interesting night! I went to bed at 20:15 … of course still very bright. By the way as a reminder for me and others: Do not take the smallest tent! If I should make such a trip again then I will carry 500g extra and get a bigger one. You need to be able to sit and turn in it especially when you are stuck due to rain. Talking about rain … at around 1am it started…More
  • Day 6 — Newtonmore – Glenfeshie — this was such a great day!
    Rained till 9:00 this morning … but my plan was anyway not to leave before 10:30 towards Kingussie and on to the impressive Ruthven Brarracks. Weather is supposed to be decent and I sure hope that holds true, as I will be camping for the next two nights I had to resupply food and blister bandages plus a can of beer for tonight 🍺 I was supposed to be an easy day — only 24km, 400 altitude meters and a…More
  • Day 8 — short trip (only 16km) from White Bridge River Dee to Braemar via Mar Lodge
    I am really looking forward to actually see Mar Lodge with their thousands of deer antlers. Was there in March already, but was not open at the time. They apparently also have a Cafe open … also needed, because I ate my last food yesterday evening already. 3 other tents were build up by last evening … guess it was a popular stop. I left last at around 08:15 and made it to Mar Lodge (about 4 km before at…More
  • Day 5 — Melgarve to Newtonmore — 34 km a little over 8 hours and only about 400 altitude meters
    Left the bothy around 07:30 … plan was to go down to Laggan and then take the inland route to Newtonmore. The deer came up to almost the bothy … I walked along the Spey river to Laggan – Ok as I was promised a cafe at around half distance that I reached at 11:30 — cafe is closed though on Mondays and Tuesdays. I was so looking forward to that 😢. It was not that strenuous today, but my…More
  • Day 4 — Roybridge to Melgarve Bothy
    Started with a full scotish breakfast 🍳 (including haggis and black pudding) and left the B&B around 09:30 up the Glen Roy. Initially with a lot of rain and subsequently fighting against heavy heavy headwind. Total of 30km in a little more than 7 hours. And I stayed for the first time in a scotish bothy with 4 other challengers that I will meet again on friday in Braemar. This is a very long stretch to Brae Roy Lodge (hunting…More
  • Day 3 — made it to Roybridge after getting lost and some catch-up — total of 35km and 11 hours of walking (a mere 1.000 altitude meters)
    Got up at 06:30 because I knew it would be a long day today, as i was 2 hours short of the place I actually wanted to be yesterday. Luckily I stopped when I stopped … the actual site would not have been very nice. Well the weather was nice at least … quite a mess to pack everything when it is raining and blowing. Then I got lost for the first time, because the new roads / paths for…More
  • Day 2 – 30km – 1.600 altitude meter – much better weather
    It rained till around 09:00 — I patiently waited in the tent. Very long day today … it actually took the 9h as indicated … I am completely exhausted and the first blisters show … now wonder with wet boots to start. Day started with some major incline and the first Munro (Sgurr Corr – over 1.000m) and a traverse followed by an even steeper descent. The rest was rather boring and very muddy. I was short 2 miles /…More
  • Day 1 – Knoydart – 25km, 1,400 altitude meters – aweful weather and too strenuous first day 🥺
    At 10:15 I boarded the ferry to Inverie … with 20 other challengers … many of them in sneakers! How stupid is that! Met a german on the ferry and we walked the first 3k together — eternally grateful, because he gave me his spare gas cartridge for my cooker — the german custom took it! Pretty lousy weather and I can already say that it was miserable pretty much the whole day. The weather forecast said 15mm from 11-20:00…More
  • Scotland Crossing Travel Day
    08:55 Regional Train to Düsseldorf — 10 minutes late so I take the IC instead. Arrive on time at the airport. Eurowings check-in with a huge line, luckily I still have my Senator status despite virtually no flights in the last 24 month. Flight was also full, but completely uneventful … Good! You have to fill out a landing card now in the UK – was new to me. I wanted to charge my phone with the battery pack that…More
  • SCOTLAND – Crossing – t minus 2
    I am departing tomorrow, train to DUS airport at 08:55 (CEST), then plane to Edinburgh, bus to Glasgow and on to Fort Williams, train to Mallaig — arrival 23:31 (GMT+1). Next day (Friday) to Inverie / Knoydart with the ferry. Total weight of my backpack (including two days of food) — 15.3kg … actually less than I thought! Weather forecast for Friday to Saturday 😢 … but my experience is that Yes, it rains pretty much every day, it is…More
  • “Sleeping” Equipment
    I started with a tent that I bought only based on the weight — the lightest that was available. Once arrived I build it up and realized that it is impossible to sleep in … way to short for me! So I gave to my youngest son 🙂 And bought this one — 2.25m long, 1.6kg weight, took me not even 4 minutes to build up and the equal time to take it down again. 10.000mm water durability from the…More
  • Getting ready — collecting THINGS
    So, pretty complete my preparation. I will start my tour exactly 4 weeks from today. On May 12 I will take a flight from Düsseldorf to Edinburgh, followed by a Bus to the Glasgow Queen Street train station and then the HARRY POTTER train via Fort William to Mallaig. Arrival 23:35 😴 Next day with the short ferry from Mallaig to InverieMore
  • TGOC – The Grand Outdoor Challenge 2022 – May 13-26 2022 – Michael‘s planned trip
    I am preparing now for my TGOC participation that was originally planned for 2020. I will walk – alone – about 20km-30km for 12 days (with a break day roughly in the middle – at BRAEMAR) and about 1.000 to 1.500 altitude meters in average. On my path from West to East I plan to ascend/descend 11 Munros. Most of the days I will sleep in the middle of nowhere in the Scotish Highlands in my single tent eating pre-prepared…More