This is the route I hope to take.
About Me
- Graham Anderson
- In July/August 2008, I walked across Latvia from the Russian border in the east to Liepaja on the Baltic Sea on Latvia’s west coast – a total of 750 km in 24 days. The blog from that trip is at www.acrossthealps.blogspot.com. The next year, I walked 380km in 11 days from the Lithuanian border, south of Daugavpils to the Estonian border north of Mazsalaca. In 2010, I walked 370 km over 11 days from Nica, on the Lithuanian-Kaliningrad border, to Kolka, the north-west tip of Latvia. I generally describe myself as a “cross-country walker”. In Australia have been rogaining for 18 years and bushwalking for more than 40. In 2005, I completed the Australian Alps Walking Track from Walhalla in Victoria to the Namadgi Park office near Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory - 680 kms over 38 days. In September 2008, Janis Apsitis and I competed in the 8th World Rogaining Championships in southern Estonia, my third World Championship having competed in Western Australia in 1996 and New Zealand in 2000. In 2011, we are unable to visit Latvia. I am going to blog from Melbourne my first visit to Latvia in 1987.
8 comments:
It is the eve of the Big Walk. We are planning to set off from Riga early in the morning for an approximate midday start from Meik�ni, close to the Russian border near the easternmost point of Latvia. Gunta and I will accompany Graham and Ziedonis to the starting point. They will be left at the 'Draudz�bas kurg�ns' which marks the convergence of the Latvian/Belarus/Russian borders. This may not be straightforward as special permits need to be obtained, as it is a border zone.
Graham and our very dear friend, Ziedonis, who is mobilised to accompany Graham through Latgale, have done a final check of all equipment and requirements and are fired up to launch into the Big Adventure tomorrow!
Graham has been interviewed by one of the major newspapers in Latvia, Diena, for the 'Lifestyle' supplement. [What sort of lifestyle might this escapade encourage?...] I am very excited about Graham's project and will be supporting him with the essential support of Ziedonis' wife, Gunta. Backpacks seem to be packed and it's off to bed! Over and out and all the best to the intrepid walkers! Anita
Just a note to wish you well. Not another "long walk"! Who's going to be the Latvian "Tim"? :-)
By the way, the Across the Alps blog is still there at http://acrossthealps.blogspot.com.
Regards
Colin and Sue
good luck dad! i hope your feeling tops and don't collapse after the first hundred kms. practice your latvian with ziedonis as much as possible and don't power on ahead just to meet an impossible target. take some decent photos and look around once in a while; the tree you're counting 300 steps to is not the only one you have to look at. i can't wait to read your blog updates and hear about all the new friends you'll no doubt make while trespassing on country properties, simply to go the most direct route! buca, janite x
Good for you! I wish you all the best! Juris Benkis just sent me this site! I look forward to following your progress! Make sure you say a special hello to Varaklani for me! Cheers, Brigita in London
Sveiks Graham!
Have you seen any loons? In Latvian these are called gārgale. These are very rare in Latvia. In ~ 2003 it was thought there might be only 8 - 10 pairs of nesting black neck loons (Melnkakla gārgale). Apparently brown neck loons (Brūnkakla gārgale) no longer nest in Latvia.
Visu labu
Pēteris Dārziņš
They will probably be hard to spot, loonies on the other hand . . . .
A few days in and the Graham machine seems to be gaining momentum...
Graham, I hope the satisfaction of the achievement will long outlast the fatigue and frustration from the bush-bashing on Day 3.
My grandfather's favourite breakfast was hot porridge with a large dollop of rendered pork fat flavoured with onion (putra ar tauku aci). Perhaps something like this might get you back into positive energy balance? - The Latvian equivalent of yak-butter tea of the Himalayas!
čau
Peteris
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