Gear Observations: Gendarmstien

For this trip I was expecting snow and temperatures in the range of -15 to -5 degrees C with possibly some snow falls and mild winds, which turned out to be correct. Some of my gear reflections follow.

Sealskinz gloves


The biggest surprise for me was the Sealskinz gloves, the air was cold and along the coast windy but there was no rain, however, I often had my hands in the snow. These gloves whenever worn kept my hands dry and warm even when used to remove snow from the signs, benches etc. occasionally I combined them with Goretex overmitts which further helped to deflect wind and keep my hands comfortably warm, not uncomfortably numb. Though the outers did get damp during the day they felt drier the next morning having formed part of my Paramo Vista pillow. For those considering these gloves in my view they are worth a look, with the caveat that I did not use them in rainy weather.

Gendarmstien: Padborg to Skelde Kobbelskov

The weather forecast for the week was for a little snow and clear cold conditions with temperatures ranging between -15 and -5 degrees C, it was to be a cold trip.

The Gendarmstien is a 74 km route from Padborg to Høruphav and follows the border between Germany and Denmark mostly along the coastline of Flensburg Fjord. The Gendarmstien was patrolled by Danish police between 1920 and 1958 and the path now forms part of the European Long Distance Route 6 (E6).

I set off from Padborg Station as large snowflakes began to fall, no doubt getting a few strange looks from the locals wondering why would anyone go backpacking at this time of the year. I soon realised that whilst many people had been out walking and the snow was only supposed to be 15 cm deep, it was very powdery and soft. It was grey and cold as I started along the Gendarmstien.