Fitness and experience
The Arctic Circle Trail is a remote, rigorous, multi-day wilderness trek that is not to be undertaken lightly. There are several river crossings, the trail itself is usually less than 20cm wide, and there is nowhere to resupply along the route so you must be self-sufficient and carry everything with you for the duration of your hike.
Remember – all hikers undertake the ACT at their own risk and rescue is very expensive!
Every year there are several people who call for emergency evacuation from the trail so please assess your experience level carefully and do not overreach.
Required experience for summer:
- the physical stamina to walk ~20 kilometres per day for 8-10 days carrying all your own equipment and food. Depending on your equipment and how much you eat, this could weigh anywhere from 17kg (for ultralight hikers) to 25kg
- knowledge and experience in wilderness navigation. This is especially important for the Southern route as it is not yet fully marked
- an understanding of how to deal with rapidly changing weather
- basic first aid training
- balance and ankle strength to cope with a foot-width track, boulder scrambling, and river crossings.
Required experience for winter:
- experience in exercising (layers management) and camping in -30C – 40C temperatures
- the physical stamina to walk/ski/bike ~20 kilometres per day for 8-10 days carrying/dragging all your own equipment and food. Pulks generally have a starting weight of over 35kg.
- knowledge and experience in wilderness navigation
- basic first aid training
If you have any doubt as to whether you have the correct experience, please build up to your ACT hike by:
- undertaking shorter, unguided hikes where you carry everything yourself
- learning how to navigate in the wilderness
- learning basic first aid skills
- learning winter survival skills (winter ACT users)
Even if you do have the correct expereince, make sure you start training well in advance of your ACT expedition. In particular, train with the backpack you intend to use and fill it with bags of rice or cans of food to get used to the weight.