Michael Friebe – Me, Myself, and I

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  • WROTE A BOOKLET ABOUT MY TGOC EXPERIENCES … and what you can learn from it as Start-Up Entrepreneur and Innovation Generation Enthusiast
    Apparently, crossing Scotland on foot in your end 50s / early 60s with a backpack, a tent, questionable weather decisions, and occasional snowstorms is not considered a midlife crisis if you call it an “INNOVATION LAB.” 😄 Here from a posting on LINKEDIN: Since 2022, most May’s I have walked solo from Scotland’s Atlantic coast to the North Sea coast as part of the legendary TGOC – The Great Outdoor Challenge #TGOC26.That means:⭕ 30–35 km per day requiring about⭕ 8–11 hours of walking⭕…More
  • Last Day – Day 12 – TGOC 2026
    What a great day … unexpected … and a super Magical Moment … what it is? I will update tomorrow, as I need to first get ready and have a beer. But I made it! Yesterday’s walk was actually not as disturbing as I thought it would be considering it went along roads most of the time. Very little traffic and actually the same for today — the last 10k along the spectacular coastline. Did not meet a single walker.…More
  • Day 11 – TGOC 2026 – Tarfside
    Oh well raining very heavily since 5am … and according to the weather forecast 18mm throughout the day. I left as one of the last and changed my plan to now go to Edzell (20km) first, eat something there and then continue to the House of Dun (another 16km from there). I heavily rained till about 12:00 and then stopped a little to start again at around 15:00 and really heavy at 18:00. So not quite right the forecast —…More
  • Day 10 – TGOC 2026 – Ballater to Tarfside
    Left the hostel (actually seven sleep despite snoring women and a very short bed – Readiness 75, Sleep 77, Activity 75) to arrive on time for the opening of THE BOTHY. Was not the only one … I was #4 in line and by 09:00 (when I finally left) about 8 TGOer showed up. After leaving Ballater I had to first climb 400 altitude meters than go back down, back up, back down till I reached the junction for me…More
  • Day 9 – TGOC 2026 – Braemar to Ballater
    Had a nice dinner at the FIVE ARMS HOTEL in Braemar … one of the best hotels in the UK … they also have an excellent Bar/Restaurant that I visited several times in the last years. Awesome setup and really decent food. The bar was completely filled so they placed the lonely walker in a side room that I have not been before. I checked my OURA and saw a weird pattern. Everytime I staid at a hostel my sleeping…More
  • Day 8 – TGOC 2026 – to Braemar via Mar Lodge
    Had a little bit of a problem finding a decent campsite yesterday … but quite happy with the one I eventually setup. After that I walked along the River / Glen Lui towards Mar Lodge, now owned by the Scottish Trust. The TGO has a meeting spot there. The walk went through ancient forest and passed by some hunting relicts from another time (Derry Lodge … and later see the ballroom at the Mar Lodge). Before coming to the stables…More
  • DAY 7 – TGOC 2026 – Kincraig to almost Derry Lodge via Lurigh
    Felt very refreshed and strong 💪 this morning. I managed to get everything dried … even the tent (I was hanging it up in my room turned the heater up and opened the window 😱). BTW – more than half of the days and distance completed! Left around 09:30 after saying goodbye to my TGO fellows and the host and went straight to the BEACHHOUSE which promised to have breakfast starting at 09:00 … GOOGLE was right this time. Two…More
  • Day 6 – TGOC 2026 – River Findhorn to Kincraig
    Let me start by saying that after a really bad day there can be an even worse one … at least weatherwise. Luckily I only had 22km to go because I added about 8km yesterday. I was lucky that I found a decent campsite and was able to pitch the tent in the only 30 minutes of the day when it was not raining. It was a little like yesterday, first a decent path and then kilometres crossing the wet…More
  • Day 5 – TGOC 2026 – from Drumnadrochit, crossing Loch Ness, over the Monadliath Mountains to the river Findhorn
    This day had it all … weatherwise for sure. And it ended up my longest day with around 37km (48km in total, but around 10km by speedboat) and a total of 11:30 hours walking. My readiness is down to 49 now, expected with no recovery time, sleep was 73 and the activity dropped to 79, which is also normal based on the OURA algorithm. Anyway I am still feeling fine despite today’s tough walking. First I had to walk about…More
  • Day 4 – TGOC 2026 – … to Drumadrochit
    Well it did happen! MY MAGICAL MOMENT OF DAY 3! About 2km before my camping destination I came by a pretty run down building but with an intact roof … made me stop ✋ … door not closed … so I went in. Right side pretty dreadful, but why not look at the left side anyway. Nice little bothy room and with that I quickly decided to change my plans and stay here instead.  There are quite a lot of…More
  • Day 3 – TGOC 2026 – River Affric to Plodda Falls / Tomich and on towards Drumnadrochit
    Weather has greatly improved – actual ideal for walking except it was very cold this morning (freezing) and I slept in half wet clothes / sleeping bag. So surprised that I slept at all. Yesterdays campground was at the parking lot of the River Affric … even had a toilet. Camping was not allowed … but there were 3 other tents there already when I came 🤷‍♂️. I left around 09:30 and was planning to go to the Tomich Hotel…More
  • Day 2 — TGOC 2026 — Inverinate Estate to Affric Estate 
    As nice as yesterday was as dreadful was today. Raining all day long and much heavier than forecasted. I was soaking wet by the time I made it to my campsite magic happened … and my fancy new backpack promised to be waterproof … it ain‘t … sleeping bag is wet and many other things 🤬. And, I did not make it up the Carn Eighe range – for the second time already – last year I was not fit…More
  • Day 1 TGOC 2026 — PLOCKTON to INVERINATE ESTATE
    It was surprisingly tough … on the map it looked rather easy … but no paths for a good part of the walk and on top of that additional deer fences. Anyway, took me 7:30 hours for around 30km and about 800 altitude meters. Feet are fine and the new backpack wears OK. Weather was exceptionally good … sunshine pretty much the whole day … cold (8 degrees) but I walked the entire day just in a 👕. I found…More
  • Off I go … 09.05.2026 … 10:00
    Just signed out at THE PLOCKTON HOTEL for DAY 1 … 26km easy start (😌) with 800 altitude meters. Weather is much better than expected … let’s hope it stays. Tomorrow is a MUNRO day.More
  • TGOC 2026 Packing List
    Here is my packing list — 2.5 kg less than last year! 9.5kg backpack including food for 3 days! What I will wear (initially): Total 2.545g And here what I carry on my back: Total 9.416g Unfortunately the weather forecast is not brilliant and rather cold – I have to rethink my planned camping on top of the Munros could be down to -10 degrees C and my equipment (and me in it) is not suited for that. We will…More
  • Day 12 (Arrival in Stonehaven) — TGOC 2025 — Happiness and Gratitude
    It actually rained during the night and even shortly in the morning … so i had to pack up a wet tent ⛺️ Made my last tea and off for the last 21km. Was glad when I could finally leave the Feteresso Forest where heavy logging was going on combined with a closure of exactly the road and path of where I wanted to go … so I ignored the signs … not sure what else I could have done…More
  • Day 11 — TGOC 2025 — tough (last mountains), interesting countryside, and another surprising meet-up
    Left St. Drostan (again not a very good night) after waiting in line with many challengers for a beacon roll. I was ready to go at 08:30 … pretty early for me, but this second to last day was my longest (35km) and sounded with 1200am also quite strenuous. First time I took this route out of Tarfside … goes up pretty steep to eventually reach the last corbett (Mount Battock) with beautiful 360 degree views. Before reaching the top…More
  • Day 10 — TGOC 2025 — back in Tarfside … being among people again
    On paper an easy and fast day — only 21km, but as I did this before, with a very steep incline up from Glen Doll to Loch Brandy (what a fantastic name) that looks a little like a volcano … and maybe it is … need to check! But the good part this morning was my stay at the Clova Hotel … ate well in the evening … did some of my laundry … and was offered a full breakfast…More
  • Day 9 — TGOC 2025 — first and only Munro — back at the Clova
    The plan (and I made it) was to leave Lich Beannie and actually pass two hill ranges (Glen Isla and Glen Prosen) before steeply descending into Glen Doll. In 2023 I came down the infamous Jock’s road and this time the Kilbo path down the Shank of Drumfollow. But before that I had to first climb the one and only Munro (hills over 3000 feet), the MAYAR and the opposite DRIESH. Not a spectacular mountain but a great view and…More
  • Day 8 — TGOC 2025 — revisit Dalmunzie
    Long trip ahead, but about half of it known to me as I went it before. The first part from the Tarf River campsite to Glen Tilt is apparently not often walked … I lost the path several times. But beautiful views from above and below. From Glen Tilt the path lead up to the beautiful Fealar Lodge … apparently the highest altitude hunting lodge in the UK. I also passed my campsite from 2023 and once I reached Loch…More
  • Day 7 — TGOC 2025 — this cannot be true!
    Look easy on the map … how wrong was I. If you see the grass bushes on the map it indicates marsh / bog terrain. And I had to go 15km through that today … All in all I was completely exhausted and spend 11 hours walking … and people who know me also know that I typically do not take breaks or only short ones. Saw lots of frogs and beetles today though … on the positive note 😉…More