About
Hi there!
I’m Simona, the creator of this blog. Into the hike is a result of countless hikes and treks I’ve been collecting since 2014 when I went for a day hike to a proper mountain in northern Italy and got the “hiking fever”. Since then I hike whenever and wherever I can.
I created Into the hike as a platform to share my adventures with fellow hikers and mountain fans. Some might come for beautiful pictures, while others will search for practical information about a particular hike.
With Into the hike, I want to inspire people to go outdoors and spend more time in nature.
Hiking to me is a lot more than physical exercise. I like the sense of accomplishment I get after conquering a new peak or finishing a new trail. That feeling of reaching the pass after a few hours of sweaty climb, where the pass is like a window to a different world. I get this feeling every time I go trekking.
Each time on the trail I learn something new about myself, especially when I’m challenged to deal with situations that are out of my control, e.g. the pouring rain. There’s always a new experience from any hike I take, be it a few hours in the woods or days in the Alps. I love collecting those experiences and I hope my stories inspire you to collect yours as well.
In this blog you’ll find:
- my experiences as a female hiker who treks solo or with her boyfriend
- practical information about the trails I hiked
- my tips and opinion on various hiking topics
My hiking career
Friends consider me as a hardcore hiker who goes trekking for days with a backpack and tent on her shoulders. However, I did not wake up one morning and went into the mountains for days. My hiking progression is very gradual and I believe that everyone can become a long-distance hiker if you like it and keep on challenging yourself.
2014
My first ascent to a mountain of more than 2000m height! It was tough.
2015
We went on a few short day hikes in Thailand. Once got lost in the jungle, but gladly the locals spotted us being on the wrong path and directed us back to the right one.
2017
For the first time we dedicated an entire holiday trip to hiking. We went to Iceland for a week and hiked there every day. Short day hikes though.
2017
We went to the amazing New Zealand, where we hiked some epic day hikes in Abel Tasman national park, Wanaka region, Mount Cook national park, Tongariro Alpine Crossing, and many others (we had a month!). For the first time, we went on a two-day trek as we hiked one of New Zealand's Great Walks - the Routeburn Track.
2018
We went to Peru, where among many day hikes, we did two multi-day hikes: Santa Cruz (4 days) and Salkantay trek (5 days). Both of these hikes were organized and led by a private company. They were our first multi-day hikes with an extra new experience - camping!
I also went on my first solo day hike on my own in the Czech Republic.
2019
We went on our first independent multi-day trek - Tour du Mont Blanc (9 days). We had a lot of "firsts" in this trek: first time organizing a multi-day hike on our own, first time carrying all the gear on our shoulders (including camping gear!) and it was our first time hiking in the Alps.
2020
In the Philippines, we did an organized 3-day trek through the famous Batad & Banaue rice terraces.
2020
We came back to the Alps and challenged ourselves to hike even longer. This year it is the Walker's Haute Route in Switzerland - 14 days in the high Swiss mountains, hiking from Chamonix to Zermatt. One of the experience highlights - crossing a glacier.
2020
I went on my first multi-day solo trip - 3 days, 90km hiking GR5 trail in the Netherlands (yes, people hike in the Netherlands too).
2021
Our craziest adventure so far - we hiked GR5 from Geneva lake to Nice. 650km in 28 days. On this hike, for the first time, we used a camping stove, so I learned how to make simple, but tasty dishes on the trail. It was also our first wild camping experience.
2021
I went on a solo trip to French Pyrenees, where I've spent 9 days on the GR10 trail, hiking 180km. This was my first time sleeping in a tent alone and I camped the whole trip, the longest streak of camping ever!
2021
I went on a solo trip to the north of Sweden, the Kungsleden trail. I hiked alone from Kvikkjokk to Abisko (190km) in 10 days and camped for half of the nights. I wild camped and hitchhiked on my own for the first time. This was also my first multi-day hike in a much lower temperature (where 10 degrees = warm). One morning I woke in a frozen tent... So far this trip is the longest solo trip I've done.