© Thilo Brunner

"I’ll call it Extreme Power Hiking (EPH). Ten straight hours of marching fast, with one maybe thirty-minute break for a bite to eat and a couple of brief pauses if we’re lucky enough to spot wildlife or the sign of wildlife (we spied foxes, roe deer, red deer, an owl, and lynx tracks). No other stops. Not even for a moment. If you stop to take off a layer, or tie your laces, or relieve your bladder, you’ll have to utilize your momentary deliverance as a source of inspiration to quicken your step, or you’ll be left behind."

— page 33, Into the Carpathians, Part 1
© Alan E. Sparks