As of: February 26, 2024, 2:48 p.m
By: Joshua Eibl
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Christine Thürmer (56) is an ultralight hiker.
According to her own statement, the woman from Forchheim is the most hiked woman in the world with 60,000 kilometers.
Thürmer is 1.85 meters tall, strong, and she considers herself “unathletic”.
She finds a 1000 kilometer tour “short”.
When she's not hiking, she writes books and gives lectures.
What was your most strenuous tour?
Christine Thürmer:
The Greater Patagonian Trail in Chile.
There are no hiking trails there, it was hot and there were volcanic eruptions.
For three months I considered dropping out in every city.
Looking back, one of the most breathtaking tours I have done.
The only people I met were border guards who took down my passport details.
If the circling vultures had led them to a corpse, they would at least have known whose bones they were looking at.
What do you take with you on your tours?
Thürmer:
Only things that meet the four needs go into my backpack.
Warmth, weather protection, water, provisions.
I don't need anything beyond that.
A tent, a sleeping pad and a quilt.
A normal sleeping bag would be too much weight.
To save weight, I saw off my toothbrush or cut off the labels.
There are also no underpants - because when I pack, there is only one question: Without this item, is there a problem necessary for survival?
I look forward to my break day when I shower at the hotel.
You sweat like a chicken in rain pants.
Ultralight hiker Christine Thürmer Hiking is her great love: non-fiction author Christine Thürmer.
©Andrew Burns
They only weigh five kilos. How does it work?
Thürmer:
My tent only weighs 900 grams, my backpack weighs 494 grams and my sleeping pad is three-quarters long, which is enough.
You are not as sensitive to cold below the knee.
My luxury item is my cell phone, for which I need a charging cable and a power bank.
I need new shoes every six weeks.
Otherwise there is a rain jacket that costs 7.99 euros and a cut-up garbage bag.
This is my raincoat.
You sweat like a chicken in rain pants.
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On the Oregon Desert Trail in the USA you started with eight liters of water.
Thürmer:
You have to calculate the water carefully and if not, you have to run thirsty.
But usually two to four liters are enough for me to get to the nearest water source.
While I was on the Oregon Desert Trail, I got Corona and had to drag myself along despite having a fever.
If I had rested, I would have run out of food.
But my body is so used to hiking.
If I reduce my daily commute from 35 kilometers to 20, it's pure relaxation.
How dangerous is hiking?
Thürmer:
Hiking is actually low-risk. I've seen hundreds of rattlesnakes and bears in my life, but we're not usually on their menu.
Hiking is neither a polar expedition nor a desert trip - I personally am more afraid of being a passenger on a German highway than on a long-distance hike.
Before you became a professional hiker, you were a manager and earned a lot of money. Why did you start hiking?
Thürmer:
That was a total coincidence.
I treated myself to a vacation in the USA.
I met a few strange characters at a campsite.
They migrated from Mexico to Canada completely filthy and exuding total joy of life.
I wanted to do that too, but I thought it wouldn't be possible in the middle of my career.
Six months later I was unexpectedly laid off and a good friend died.
That was the turning point for me to pursue my dream.
How easy was the change for you?
Thürmer:
I am stingy with all my heart.
I live on 1000 euros a month, my equipment is from a discount store.
That's what fascinated me about hiking.
You don't need much starting capital and you don't have to be athletic.
I am a curious person.
The hiking always remains the same, but I get to different areas.
A path suddenly led past the front line of the Battle of the Bulge or the stages in the life of Saint Francis, and suddenly I was interested in history.
Ultralight hiking is not a traditional job. Are you afraid of the future?
Thürmer:
Hiking takes away your fears about the future.
Even if there are problems, I just keep running and when I lie in my tent in the evening, the whole exertion is forgotten.
I'm left with the feeling that I did it all alone.
I was 37 on my first hike. Actually, I should have been afraid, I was unemployed and had given up my career.
But I thought: You just migrated from Mexico to Canada!
Looking for a job now is Pipifax against it.
You exude such self-confidence.
Interview: Joshua Eibl / je