Ep.103 - Taking The Path Less Travelled with Matthew Robertson

Have you ever had a crazy vision that just seemed perhaps too funny to actually do, or you never get round to doing it?    Covering the house in Christmas lights? Hiking a mountain in a onesie? How about trekking a Christmas tree 13km into the Norwegian mountains for a photo that you have envisioned.    Well, Falke did just that.    Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and all other platforms; just search “Between The Mountains” or Ask Alexa!    A Yearly Tradition    Falke's tradition starts with a popular hike: Kjeragbolten. He managed to trek his way there through the snow and ice for his first Christmas Tree photoshoot. His want for adventure and doing something new and not seen before comes from within his passion for photography.    Falke had even planned to do the mighty Preikestolen, but someone managed to get there before him in 2018. Since then, he has always been one step ahead - and last year he managed to get the Christmas Tree to Trolltunga! This year? Well, you'll have to follow him on Facebook or Instagram to find out!    Heading Into The Storm    Falke details the kit you need to bring for this. Trolltunga is a fantastic hike. You can read more about this for a normal setting here. I wrote an article for Travel With Cooky all about Taking On Trolltunga (includes the YouTube video!).    For this, however, things were a little different. During the hiking season and autumn you can do this in a day. For Falke, this was a multi-day expedition; 2 days out, and then waiting to set the tree up (scroll down to see video of high winds!).    Trolltunga is on the edge of the Hardangervidda. In an incredible way, it essentially creates its own wind. Trolltunga sits down hill from the plateau, which means it can build to some huge intensity. Watching the footage make me realise just how lucky I was with my conditions for the hike.    In true expedition format, Falke conducted some great research: check weather forecasts, chatting to local mountain rescue who know the terrain. He needed the snow to pull the tree on the sled. It's a different expedition altogether if he had to carry all of his kit on his back.    Heading out to Odda and up to Skjeggedal the snow looked great... but the weather was taking a turn for the worse (remember that video I said to scroll to?).    After getting a snowmobile ride to the top of the first hairpins, Falke and his friend got ready, and set out to Trolltunga.    https://www.instagram.com/p/B6YDYGQnWMt/   Click next picture for some epic storm winds!   ------------------    If you enjoy the show please subscribe/follow and share with a friend!    If you really enjoy the show please check out our Patreon site here. Supporting through Patreon really helps cover costs and allow to invest more time into the quality!    To come on the show or work with me, please email on: btmtravelpod@gmail.com    Join in with the community. Instagram/Twitter/Facebook and our new Facebook Page to share your own photos and videos here  Between The Mountains – Adventure Travel Podcast  https://betweenthemountains.org/2020/10/03/trolltunga/

3 Okt 202031min

The Roof Of The Western Hemisphere    Aconcagua reaches 6,962m into the sky. Aconcagua is the tallest mountain in the Western hemisphere, and on the bucket list for many. For Alex, it was on his too. While in Argentina, he took the opportunity to head out and climb this peak. The episode includes brilliant information on permits, location, gear, and also on some smaller hikes before climbing the big one itself.    Fantastic Foundations    Alex bases himself in Wales where he has started his climbing career. Before that, he has been working 8 years in the outdoor industry. His experience includes being dropped off for an expedition in Svalbard - and it was this that encouraged him to organise things himself.    Alex then organised his time to spend 6 months backpacking in Chile and Argentina, with the focus of reaching the highest point in the western hemisphere.    Reaching The Roof    Hear in this episode how Alex details getting the permit and got to the mountain. There are two routes to head to the summit: The Normal Route and The Vacas (Valley) Route.    In this episode we discuss the Normal Route; it's better to have more people around when doing it solo... and the permit is cheaper!    Having done smaller hikes in the region, Alex was already starting to feel acclimatised. Listen to the podcast to hear where, and find out why this came in incredibly useful!    Alex spent a week hiking in the area before heading to Aconcagua, reaching 5954m as a highest point. With Aconcagua literally in sight, temptation was enough, and Alex headed the base camp.    ---------------    If you enjoy the show please subscribe/follow and share with a friend!    If you really enjoy the show please check out our Patreon site here. Supporting through Patreon really helps cover costs and allow to invest more time into the quality!    To come on the show or work with me, please email on: btmtravelpod@gmail.com    Join in with the community. Instagram/Twitter/Facebook and our new Facebook Page to share your own photos and videos here  Between The Mountains – Adventure Travel Podcast  https://betweenthemountains.org/2020/09/30/climbing-aconcagua-solo/

30 Sep 20201h 12min

Olympic National Park is a gem of the Pacific Northwest Region. Scattered with mountains, forests and wildlife, hear Melissa's anecdotes and information on Olympic National Park.    The Tip Of The US    Olympic National Park takes you to the most North Western tip of the lower 48 states - even giving you some Canadian signal at one point!    Flying into Seattle, you're going to need a car. It's quite the roadtrip (make sure you have the essentials with you!) to get to the first spot in this million-acre Park!    As we move through the podcast, or if you want more detail, please check out Melissa's own blog on the park with her '10 Best Things To Do' in Olympic National Park.    Hurricane Ridge is the first sport on her itinerary. This is a beautiful spot to take in the expansive mountains, maybe even a chance of seeing some inverse clouds! Well worth the slight diversion.    Lake Crescent is the next stop over with beautiful views and moody weather. Afterwards, you can stop off at two great hikes. Hear in the podcast for more details, one of them is a real thigh burner! Or, remember to check out Melissa's article for written details (it includes Google Maps!).    The PNW National Parks    Inviting Melissa on to talk about Olympic National Park was a real pleasure. That whole region of the US is filled with such enticing views, scenery and wildlife.    If you haven't already, be sure to check out Melissa's session on A Weekend In Mount Rainier National Park, her written words on it, or blog, or Instagram (where she is most active).    It was such a pleasure to sit back and hear Melissa's anecdotes and recommended itinerary. Especially recording at the start of the pandemic, it was great to be virtually whisked away to this gorgeous and stunning setting.    Melissa is also a fantastic person doing a lot for the outdoors community, climate, and social justice. Her interview with us is here and I recommend you check it out!    ------------------    If you enjoy the show please subscribe/follow and share with a friend!    If you really enjoy the show please check out our Patreon site here. Supporting through Patreon really helps cover costs and allow to invest more time into the quality!    To come on the show or work with me, please email on: btmtravelpod@gmail.com    Join in with the community. Instagram/Twitter/Facebook and our new Facebook Page to share your own photos and videos here  Between The Mountains – Adventure Travel Podcast  https://betweenthemountains.org/2020/09/26/exploring-olympic-national-park/

26 Sep 202040min

The Unanswered Question    How do you balance your passions with your profession... which may also be a passion of yours? Seeing Niki's updates and life as a medical student mixed with rock climbing caught my attention. Realising that there was more to this situation than the sport itself, we decided to do take a dive in to Niki's background.    The Importance Of Getting Outdoors    Rock climbing for Niki is her form of active meditation. You are focussed on your next move, everything else disappears.    Chatting through different types, Niki explains how she partakes in bouldering and sport climbing. This takes you from small walls doing complex manoeuvres with nothing but a crash mat underneath you, to technical rope work up steep cliff edges.    "When you're on the wall, everything in your mind disappears and nothing else really matters except your next move."    Even if your sport isn't your form of meditation, de-stressing should still be a priority of all of ours.    For Niki, she is a medical student working through a pandemic. We chat about trying to get out and decompress in the outdoors, especially in a time where we have to respect social distancing at time of recording.    The outdoors can find you some peace and rid your anxiety. Even if - as Niki states - staying indoors is seeing our muscle replaced with banana bread, you can still make time to do what you can and stay local. Whether you're in a pandemic or not, this is always a fantastic option if you can't reach your ideal place.    https://www.instagram.com/p/CB9DKC9jGuG/  Bouldering At Pirates Cove   "It's Like Walking On A Tight Rope"    Very quickly, we start the direct question of balance. Everyone faces this issue to different degrees, and I've avoided for the most part the topic; you can never truly balance everything. Graham Zimmerman (a previous mountain climbing guest on our show) shows great understanding of this. So, with a guest who has two extremely time consuming elements in her life, I popped the question.    "They both take a lot of time and commitment, and they are both huge parts of my identity. I'm not ready to give up either one of them."    There's something I saw when in university. It was a triangle that showed three choices: social life, sleep, and studying. You had to pick two.    That theme seems to run throughout. Niki faces these same issues; her studies come first, and the other third of her time are for luxuries.    You know, little things like eating, sleeping and rock climbing.    For people like Niki, it is fantastic that a hobby and sport involves others so much - at least that ticks a socialising box!    Adapt Or Die    It's something you hear from motivational speakers: adapt or die. Getting out in to nature and the outdoors is the most satisfying from of rock climbing. In Niki's case, she may not be able to get outdoors, but the gym is a quick solution that involves very little set up and travel time in comparison.    We can all learn something from this. Don't give up too easily on a passion, there is always a way to keep something flowing. The bad times are rarely permanent; a phase that will pass.    For another half an hour we carry on talking. Hear about different ideal places to climb, her travel history, medical missions, mental health, discipline cross overs, and music!    You can follow Niki's journeys and updates here    -----------   If you enjoy the show please subscribe/follow and share with a friend!    If you really enjoy the show please check out our Patreon site here. Supporting through Patreon really helps cover costs and allow to invest more time into the quality!    To come on the show or work with me, please email on: btmtravelpod@gmail.com    Join in with the community. Instagram/Twitter/Facebook and our new Facebook Page to share your own photos and videos here  https://betweenthemountains.org/  https://betweenthemountains.org/2020/09/23/mynamesniki/

23 Sep 202042min

An Inspirational And Eclectic Background      Lotta is a truly inspirational woman who you certainly can’t place into one category - and for good reason. Lotta has a masters degree in economics and volunteers. Having recently completed a 24 hour endurance challenge and returned from Lofoten, Lotta sat down for an interview with us to talk about mountains and more.   In 2013 she was crowned Miss Finland and while continuing with modelling and entertainment work is now a mountaineer having scaled mountains such as G2, Mont Blanc, Gran Paradiso, Broad Peak, West Spanish Peak, Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua... and despite all of these and more her Mum still calls it hiking!   Kicking the interview off, we talk about training in the high mountains of Colorado to the lower altitudes of Finland. Lotta sticks to a hard regime of training and stays disciplined to keep that up, while keeping her other business in entertainment functioning.    Growing up in Ethiopia surrounded by the mountains there, she recalls how the culture and landscape impacted her. When flying past Kilimanjaro (Tanzania) as a kid she remembers just thinking to herself "I'm going to climb that one day". You either that want to climb in your, or you don't, and I agree.    The Feeling Of The Mountains    You can train as much as you like, but when you actually reach where you've been planning to go - in this case the high mountains and the Karakoram - the feeling is incredible.    The Karakoram holds a special place in Lotta's heart, and is sorely missed as we go through the pandemic lockdown that is the year 2020. Starting from camp early each day and carrying half your weight on your back, putting one foot in front of the other.    It's rewarding and her decision to be completely natural on the mountains (carry her own kit, doesn't use supplemental oxygen) has not only been trained in to her by Don Bowie, but is supported by her body's clear natural ability to deal with altitude well. It's like she has hit the ground running.    A Passion for Climbing    Lotta's drive and motivation is paramount in everything she does, which you can follow along with her Instagram. Throughout her entertainment and modelling career, Lotta has kept up her passions and now she is focussing on them even more.     Although currently back in Finland, training with Don Bowie in Colorado has only strengthened this. It's one thing to enjoy getting out of your comfort zone, but when your trainer says you're not in discomfort if you enjoy it, you know you're in it to get the results.   It is not just a passion for the mountains you need though; you need the mindset too. We explore that in some depth as we discuss what it takes to understand that not coming home at all is the only true failure, getting to the summit isn't everything, and more.    I've often thought that the mountains - and travel in general - helps one to become more appreciative. Those huge chunks of rock being pushed over millions of years by tectonic plates, growing further into the sky can provide you with some perspective. Your problems, more often than not, really aren't worth worrying about. Lotta seems have this appreciation too as she discusses some of the Ethiopian people. She calls those trying to provide for their families as warriors, and contrasts this to typical Western culture where so many are upset when they don't have the newest 'thing'.    You go back to basics in the mountains.    Hearing from Ethiopia to Lapland, Colorado to the Karakoram, it was a pleasure to have Lotta on the show. Hear more about her history and explore her career and passions further with the podcast.    ----------   If you enjoy the show please subscribe/follow and share with a friend!   If you really enjoy the show please check out our Patreon site here. Supporting through Patreon really helps cover costs and allow to invest more time into the quality!   To come on the show or work with me, please email on: btmtravelpod@gmail.com   Join in with the community. Instagram/Twitter/Facebook and our new Facebook Page to share your own photos and videos here https://betweenthemountains.org/  https://betweenthemountains.org/2020/09/19/lotta-hintsa/

19 Sep 202039min

The Dolomites  A lot of people’s first view of the Dolomites might be that classic over the shoulder shot, over and along rising grass plain to a 3 peak mountain stood in front. Marta’s was too, and from there she dedicated time to explore the region.    In this episode we welcome Marta from In A Far Away Land. Marta is someone who has had a fantastic amount of experience in the Dolomites, and a perfect suggestion for the podcast from previous guest Kate Fletcher (from Bags Always Packed).  Kicking the episode off, Marta goes over some tips and general advice, including to book the mountain huts in advance. Later on, she also advises to take a map with you and advises of the best time to visit – and the busiest!  Hiking The Dolomites  First off, we discuss two hikes in the region; a day hike and a multi-day hike. But, Marta quickly explains how there are so many that are so beautiful; what are her favourite ones today, could be replaced by others the next day as she recalls stunning memories.  We go over in detail what to expect, where to stay and what we’ll be seeing.  Cable To The Top  The Via Ferratas are what grab my attention though. With different skill levels, and approximately 700 in the region, narrowing these down to favourites are hard.  Marta has done at time of writing about 60 of them, and is happy to share three: a beginner, intermediate and advanced route.  What comes next, as you would expect from a travel blogger, is fantastic information on the different ways to reach the start points, what to expect, the kit you’ll need… the information goes on.  -------------------------------  If you enjoy the show please subscribe/follow and share with a friend!  If you really enjoy the show please check out our Patreon site here. Supporting through Patreon really helps cover costs and allow to invest more time into the quality!  To come on the show or work with me, please email on: btmtravelpod@gmail.com  Join in with the community. Instagram/Twitter/Facebook and our new Facebook Page to share your own photos and videos here  https://betweenthemountains.org/  https://betweenthemountains.org/2020/09/16/5-must-do-the-dolomites/

16 Sep 202052min

Beautiful Budapest Budapest has been a on my list for a long time now. It seems to be a haven for travellers young and old. Interrailing through Europe, cruising the River Danube or even just there for a stag do.  Budapest has so much to offer though, so last year I booked my trip with my friend to go. A year later, this may well need to be delayed.  A 5-Day Itinerary  Which makes it all the sweeter that Ryan from Travel With Cooky came on the show to talk about his time spent there and photography. Ryan talks about all Budapest has to offer; cathedrals, ruin bars, and New Years Eve, and more over his 5 day itinerary.  As a travel blogger, Ryan leaks helpful and fantastic detail out of him throughout the episode. He discusses some tips along the way, how to get to Budapest, and good places to stay.  Travel With Cooky  Ryan's blog is incredibly helpful. It provides some of the best travel info, product reviews and discount hacks going. If you don't like that, then he also does quizzes! Check it out here: https://travelwithcooky.com/  Ryan also solo-travels mostly, so be sure to subscribe to his mailing list if you do too to get your top-tips and articles sent straight to your inbox.  The Podcast  If you enjoy the show please subscribe/follow and share with a friend!  If you really enjoy the show please check out our Patreon site here, starting from only £4 (that’s only a cup of coffee each month!). This really helps support the background costs and quality of episodes!  To come on the show or work with me, please email on: btmtravelpod@gmail.com  Join in with the community. Instagram/Twitter/Facebook and our new Facebook Page to share your own photos and videos here  https://betweenthemountains.org/  https://betweenthemountains.org/2020/09/12/backpacking-in-budapest/

12 Sep 202046min

Placing learning from others and producing work as a priority on expeditions, Tim’s foundations began in 2007 when joining the Royal Marines Reserves. Since then his expedition and photography career has taken him to beautiful and exciting places from bordering Taliban territory in Pakistan to entering the Patagonia Adventure Race. He has won multiple awards and is a member of the Royal Geographical Society and more, so it is a huge pleasure to have Tim on.  Where Do We Begin?  Taking a step to move out of your life’s “groove”, and away from negativity and patterns that you don’t like takes a lot of strength, and Tim has done just that. Moving away from the company car life, Tim re-focused his efforts into his passions and it has paid off tenfold.  “I think [training with the Royal Marines] allows you to suffer – and enjoy it!”  Opening with a question of mindset from his military training, we talk about his experience in depth. From the Himalayas, the Karakoram, climbing Denali, photography in the mountains, mindset, military training and more.  I really hope you enjoy it, and please check out more of Tim’s content too:  https://www.instagram.com/timtaylor_photography/  https://www.lisanorrisgallery.com/artists/49-tim-taylor/works/  ------------  If you enjoy the show please subscribe/follow and share with a friend!  If you really enjoy the show please check out our Patreon site here, starting from only £4 (that’s only a cup of coffee each month!). This really helps support the background costs and quality of episodes!  To come on the show or work with me, please email on: btmtravelpod@gmail.com  Join in with the community. Instagram/Twitter/Facebook and our new Facebook Page to share your own photos and videos here  https://betweenthemountains.org/  https://betweenthemountains.org/2020/09/09/tim-taylor/

9 Sep 202049min