LOWA Mauria: Gem of my Gear Closet
June 24, 2024
Greenland. The birthplace of sea kayaking. Remote, isolated and rugged. Unsullied and untrampled by hordes of selfie-obsessed tourists obstructing views to breathtaking landscapes. Packing for Greenland is pretty much the same as any back country endeavor that involves living out of a backpack. You need the usual suspects, like a tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, first aid kit, compass, hat, bug spray, bug net, lots of wool socks, etc.
But Greenland offers a unique experience: It has no roads connecting the settlements and towns. Transportation is by foot or boat transfer. This is not the land of Hertz Rental Car and Lyft. Everything I pack will be carried on my back.
I expect a hiking landscape full of contrasts – from green and lush hillsides to barren rock deserts and rugged mountain terrain. I expect marshy earth, river crossings and boots schlorped in mud and sheep manure. “Trails” marked only by deteriorating cairns. Though I have a newer pair of LOWA boots, it’s my 5-year old Mauria’s, the gem of my gear closet, that I’m taking. They are waterproof. Have outstanding traction, support, stability and reliability.
Most important, they have the hiking cred I need for this trip: Five Colorado 14’ers, Austrian Alps, Swiss Alps, Norway and Scotland.
* This article shared from Grit Gear, written my Marie.
Marie is a California-born, Minneapolis-based mountain biker, bike commuter, sea kayaker, backpacker, trail runner and world traveler. She is inspired by all things outdoors and has searched (unsuccessfully) for life’s answers in the fjords of Norway and Greenland, Roatan’s coral reefs, Moab’s singletrack, the Swiss alps and while wandering aimlessly through Amsterdam with only a messenger bag, twenty Euros, and a dog-eared copy of In a Sunburned Country.