Скачать с ютуб Solo Section Hiking the GR221– a Mallorcan adventure в хорошем качестве

Solo Section Hiking the GR221– a Mallorcan adventure

After an intense week of conferencing in early June 2023, I got the chance to stay on Mallorca for a little bit longer in order to do about two thirds of the GR221, also known as the Ruta de Pedra en sec (The Drystone Route). I was originally planning to walk the trail from the southwest tip of the island to however far I got (which is the conventional direction of the official route), but upon discovering that there is a historic wooden train that leaves from Palma de Mallorca to Sóller, I decided to try and hike the route in the other direction with the aim of making it all the way to Port d'Andratx. As you may notice, I did wild camp all of the three nights that I was out on the trail, a practice that is not exactly condoned by the Spanish authorities on the island. During my hike, I made sure to practice the principles of leave no trace at all times and respected private property signage as well when selecting a spot to set up camp for the night. As a woman, I find solo multi-day hiking incredibly empowering as it pushes me to test my boundaries and to discover strengths that I didn't even know I had. That being said, solo hiking heightens risk, and solo hiking as a woman adds an extra layer of complexity to the whole issue around personal safety on the trail. Personally, I never felt unsafe on the GR221, not least because there weren't a lot of people hiking it and everyone was hiking in the opposite direction to me (so it while passing some folk every day was reassuring, it also made it easier to make sure that no one would be deliberately following me), but I still ensured that I had implemented measures to keep me as safe as possible on the hike. I would like to note that everyone has a different comfort level surrounding their own personal safety on the trails and while I felt comfortable wild camping alone in this context, some may feel that it is risky to do so. Some useful tips that I wish that I had when planning for this hike (especially doing it solo): - Most of the trail is signposted really well (at least on the leg that I did), but there are some sections where you either have to rely on a downloaded map, or try to follow the cairns that nice people have left to mark the almost non-existent path. I highly recommend downloading the map if you can. I used AllTrails and it was fine overall. I had also purchased a physical map of the route that I didn't really end up using, but its always good to be prepared, especially solo. -The half of the trail that I did had very good cell coverage, there was 3G at least in most places, except for a few really remote places. -Carry AT LEAST 4 litres of water with you if you are attempting in the summer! Though there were streams and wells marked on my maps, everything was dried up, which of course is also weather dependent, but it is an extremely dry island overall. That being said, if you're a relatively fast hiker then you can easily make it into one or two villages in one day, where there are usually plenty of cafes and stores that would sell bottles of water to top up. The only section that is quite a long and hard stretch and doesn't go through any villages is between Estellencs and Sant Elm, however the trail does go through a farm/ bed & breakfast called Ses Fontanelles where they sold 1,5 litre bottles of water for a euro, which I gladly took two of myself as I was quite dehydrated at that point. -On the topic of dehydration, be prepared to sweat like in an authentic Finnish sauna if you're doing this with a big pack and in summer! Precisely because of this, it is important to gain back those electrolytes that you lost so do yourself a favour, don't be like me and bring some electrolyte tablets with you. -If you're wanting to eat or purchase anything in a village you're passing through, be mindful of the opening (and closing) times of the establishments. I found myself having to power through to the next village or waiting around for things to open on several occasions, mostly because I started hiking quite early in the day and got to a village too early. -If you're attempting the hike in the summer, I would suggest getting up before the sun and getting in as many kms as possible while the weather isn't too hot. Taking a page out of the Mediterranean lifestyle and doing a siesta midday ensures that you're not sweating on top of a mountain and getting a massive heatstroke. -Wear, and generously reapply that sunscreen and wear your hat!!! ========================================================== All in all, this half of the GR221 was an amazing hike to do in early/mid-June and I am quite honestly very sad that I didn't have time to do all of it. It's definitely not the easiest trail, with some considerable (although overall manageable) elevation, breathtaking views and pitstops at villages that make you want to return as a non-hiking tourist. 12/10 would recommend. Music: Pixabay Instagram: ‪@margaretapinter‬