TEARing Across Europe

Thousands of us aspire to hike across the United States each year, whether it’s via the PCT, the AT, or the CDT. For a lot of us, one long-distance thru-hike is more than enough to satiate the need for adventure, but for others it only leaves us wanting more.

In comes Dylan Ivens.

Dylan hiked the PCT in 2014. For him, this was not a one-and-done experience. From there, Dylan went on to thru-hike the Te Araroa (2015), the CDT (2016), and the Pacific Northwest Trail (2017). After all of those thru-hikes he was still craving adventure.

 

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One night, a month into his CDT hike, Dylan was inspired. “I had been pretty successful hiking across entire countries and wondered if I could cross a whole continent. I thought Europe would be the obvious choice because of its size and accessibility, so just for fun I pulled up Google maps and started looking around. The string of east-west mountain ranges jumped out at me and suddenly I thought it was a real possibility. That night I started researching trails that I might piece together, and then I was hooked.”

The idea for the Trans-European Alpine Route, or TEAR, was born.

What is the TEAR?

 

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Dylan says that the TEAR (pronounced like a tear in your shirt) is “an attempt to create a thru-hiking route across the mountains of Europe. It spans from the Black Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, traverses six mountain systems (Balkans, Dinaric Alps, Alps, Central Massif, Pyrenees, Cantabrians), and crosses 14 countries. Our current GPS draft of the route is roughly 6,200 kilometers long, or just under 4,000 miles.”

Planning and GPS Routing

 

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Dylan has been planning the route on and off for the last three years. He’s spent his free time downloading GPS tracks and creating spreadsheets on trail routes, resupply locations, water sources, hut locations, national park regulations, border crossings, visas, climate data, SIM cards, and anything else he needed.

His hiker buddies Judd, who he met on the CDT, and Jesse, who he met on the TA, also helped with the planning, everything compiled in a shared Google Drive folder.

There is no Guthook Guide for the TEAR, so Dylan, Judd, and Jesse will be using offline navigation apps on their phone, like Gaia and Backcountry Navigator.

“We’ve imported the GPS tracks that I’ve built,” says Dylan, “including waypoint data for huts, and resupply locations into the apps, and downloaded the relevant map sections for them…it almost functions like Guthooks—just clunkier and we never know if what we found online will be true on the ground. We’re updating and correcting things as we go, so once we’re done we’ll have an accurate GPS file that any interested future TEAR hikers can use.” You can see the Google Maps version of the route on his website here.

When it came to planning, Dylan says, “It’s incredible how much information and tools are now freely available online—such as  instant, accurate translation of Bulgarian hiking websites. I couldn’t imagine trying to plan something like this even 10 years ago.”

The Highs and Lows

 

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Dylan, Judd, and Jesse recently finished the highest parts of the central Balkans, the first mountain range of the trail and one of the biggest challenges. To Dylan, it has been the scenic highlight of the TEAR so far, but also came with the most intense weather. As most alpine hikers know, hiking in May through high mountains can be rough. The group walked along exposed ridgelines with high winds and inclement weather. 

They have taken the first few weeks slow in order to avoid any overuse injuries. To them “starting off with 20-kilometer days felt like a crawl,” but they kept the mileage low to play it safe.

With the Balkans and the initial few weeks of trail behind them, Dylan is looking forward to many things along the TEAR, but especially hiking through the Alps. “It’ll be two months of big mountain heaven,” says Dylan. “My very first time in the mountains was in the Alps, so it’s nice be coming full circle and heading back as a part of such a big journey.”

The Big Three

 

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For his Big Three, Dylan is using a Gossamer Gear Kumo 36 Superlight Backpack, Zpacks Hexamid Tarp with a Polycro groundsheet, and an Enlightened Equipment 20-Degree Enigma Quilt.

Follow Along

 

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You can follow Dylan on Instagram at @mountains.andme, where he posts daily about his adventures on the trail.

Who knows what Dylan will be up to next? “The AT is up there,” he says. “My hikes have become progressively less populated and I still enjoy the social aspect. I’d love to hike in the Himalayas though, and the Andes. So many places to explore…”

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