Helena Algermissen

My name is Helena and I'm a thru hiker, artist and molecular biologist. My greatest passion is the outdoors and when I first heard about people hiking long trails, I immediately knew this could be my thing. Ever since my first backpacking trip in 2017 I've hiked the Kungsleden in Sweden, the GR221 in Spain, the Harz Witches Trail (twice) in Germany, the Slovenian Mountain Trail (SMT) in Slovenia and the GR11 in Spain (in that exact order). Until now I am mostly thru hiking in Europe but next year I will finally embark on my longest hike (and longest dream) yet, the PCT! But so much about the future, this year I will be hiking the SMT again because it's been my favourite trail so far and I'll take you with me on the blog :-)

Posts

SMT Chapter 11: I Finished the Slovenian Mountain Trail!!!

SMT Chapter 11: I Finished the Slovenian Mountain Trail!!!

Day 31: Nero (Near Zero) As you can guess from the title, I didn't hike much. My stomach hadn't fully recovered yet, and I felt weak, so I only

Aug 19, 2023 : Helena Algermissen
SMT Chapter 10: Hiking Amidst the Relics of the First World War

SMT Chapter 10: Hiking Amidst the Relics of the First World War

Day 28: Forwards and Upwards Since I wasn't in a hurry, I woke up just before 6:00 a.m. without an alarm. From the balcony, I observed the rising

Aug 17, 2023 : Helena Algermissen
SMT Chapter 9: Back to the Mountains!

SMT Chapter 9: Back to the Mountains!

Day 25: Lucky Coincidences I slept surprisingly well and left my hostel around 8:30 am. Thankfully, I felt much better than yesterday, though not

Aug 13, 2023 : Helena Algermissen
SMT Chapter 8: This Year is Cursed – Should I Keep Hiking?

SMT Chapter 8: This Year is Cursed – Should I Keep Hiking?

Day 22: The Sun is Back!! At 5:00 a.m., when my alarm went off, I quietly left my hostel room. After a quick breakfast in the communal kitchen, I

Aug 10, 2023 : Helena Algermissen
SMT chapter 7: The Worst Natural Disaster in the History of Slovenia

SMT chapter 7: The Worst Natural Disaster in the History of Slovenia

Day 20: The Deluge We started our day slowly, without an alarm and had a big breakfast from the supermarket next door. Then, we made our way to the

Aug 6, 2023 : Helena Algermissen
SMT Chapter 6: We Bailed Out of The Julian Alps

SMT Chapter 6: We Bailed Out of The Julian Alps

And that’s why this post is rather short… Day 18: On The Top of Slovenia We shared our room at Aljazev dom (mountain hut) in the Vrata Valley with

Aug 4, 2023 : Helena Algermissen
SMT Chapter 5: The Karawanks and the Party Hut

SMT Chapter 5: The Karawanks and the Party Hut

Day 14: Back to the Trail Although we hadn't set an alarm, M and I were already awake before 6:00 a.m. I still didn't feel well, and we searched for

Aug 2, 2023 : Helena Algermissen
SMT Chapter 4: Sick Again

SMT Chapter 4: Sick Again

Day 10: Zero Day On this day, there's not much to say. Due to the predicted storm, we all decided to spend the day in the hut. That turned out to be

Jul 28, 2023 : Helena Algermissen
SMT Chapter 3: These Mountains Kick A**

SMT Chapter 3: These Mountains Kick A**

Day 7: Thunderstorms from Italy are not Bringing „Dolce Vita“ The alarm clock rang at 4:30 a.m., and at 5:00 a.m., three hikers equipped with

Jul 26, 2023 : Helena Algermissen
SMT Chapter 2: Entering the Kamnik-Savinja Alps and Racing with Storms

SMT Chapter 2: Entering the Kamnik-Savinja Alps and Racing with Storms

Day 4: Thunderstorm and Power Outage In Poštarski dom, I slept through the night for the first time. So, it was much harder for me to get up at 6:00

Jul 21, 2023 : Helena Algermissen