My Blue Trail Hike

Introduction

Everyone experiences hiking the Blue Trail differently, although there can certainly be many common points and similar experiences along the way. My own story in connection with hiking the Blue Trail developed as follows.

What was needed:

• Completing the “A Million Steps for Your School” program, which inspired the idea of hiking the Blue Trail,
• Determination,
• Abilities and skills,
• Free time,
• Equipment,
• Support from my family

Completing the “A Million Steps for Your School” program, which inspired the idea of hiking the Blue Trail

The idea of completing the OKT occurred to me in January 2025, after I had completed the 77-day “A Million Steps for Your School” program in the autumn of 2024. The essence of the program was that you had to walk every day for 11 weeks. I joined the program one week after it started, so I walked one million steps in 70 days. At first, only about 5 km, which in my case was approximately 6,000 steps, and later even 20,000 steps, averaging 14,000–15,000 steps a day.

Determination

That is why I thought last January that I now had a little experience with walking and perhaps I could take on the Blue Trail. ☺

Abilities and skills

Determination, willpower, diligence, perseverance, courage–recklessness, tolerance of stress and pain,

Planning and organizational skills, problem-solving skills, sense of direction,

Fitness, energy, love and respect for nature.

During the hikes, I also disrupted my established biorhythm for the sake of the goal by getting up early and giving up sleeping after lunch. Once my hike had started, this minor personal problem / inconvenience did not even cross my mind.

Free time

As I am retired, I had free time available.

Equipment

I acquired the necessary clothing and equipment: waterproof hiking shoes, hiking trousers, a cap, a Blue Trail booklet, a stamp pad, and ink. I bought a whistle, which could have been used to scare away any wild boar that might appear. I never had to use it in “action” during the entire hike. I already had the rest of my clothing and accessories: a cycling jersey, and a jacket, backpack, and towel. Later, I bought hiking poles, which was a good decision, and I was able to use them excellently during my hikes. Moreover, I had previously cross-country skied and ski-rolled, whose movement pattern is very similar to using poles while hiking, so for months I could enjoy the pleasure of exercising my whole body. Also later, when I was able to hike after longer bus and / or train journeys, I got a pair of earphones. Among my hiking essentials were also hand-washing liquid, adhesive bandages, disinfectant, tick repellent, Vietnamese balm, paper tissues, isotonic drink, and after the Kékes–Sirok summer hike, magnesium granules, as well as a thermos from the winter season onward. Naturally, I always carried my Blue Trail booklet, the ink-soaked stamp pad, and a pen with me as well. During the winter season, which this year also meant snow and icy sections in the mountains, I bought snow grips that could be attached to my shoes, without which completing the Írott-kő–Kőszeg hike on January 8 would have been difficult.

Support from my family

First and foremost, I had the support of my wife, because beyond being a little concerned about my hiking alone, she always helped me. I often shared my hiking plans with her. There were times when I modified my original plan based on her suggestions. We always discussed the hiking equipment I was planning to take. During my journey, we spoke on the phone. I shared my location with her, my daughter Orsi, and my daughter Kata. My granddaughter Mira had just become independent in getting home from school in May 2025, so I did not have to go to school to pick her up.

At the same time, on Mondays and Wednesdays, in most cases I was the one who picked her up after her extracurricular dance class.

Getting in the mood for the hikes

I started studying the OKT websites and collecting information. I thought I would walk an average of 15 km per hike, so I planned to divide the Blue Trail into approximately 80 hikes. My estimate was relatively good, as I completed the nearly 1,200 km in 73 hikes. In the end, I walked an average of 16 km per hike. The actual distance covered was in fact more than 1,200 km, because transportation does not always connect directly to the Blue Trail route. One example is the approximately 2 km section between the OKT route in the Gerecse Mountains and the settlement of Tardos, which I covered twice.

I studied the OKT sections and the possibilities for dividing them into smaller sections. How long the given section was and how much elevation it involved. From which direction should I start the hike, and how could I get there, primarily by bus or train? I read the description of the planned section on the kektura.hu website. I took screenshots of the addresses and photographs of the stamping locations and saved them in my gallery. I planned the journeys on the http://www.menetrendek.hu website. This process required a lot of time for me because I checked the departure and arrival times of the various means of transport and the possibilities for transfers. I saved screenshots of the selected timetables in my gallery. My basic principle was to set off in the morning and finish the hike before dark.

I continuously monitored the weather forecast in the days before the hikes by reviewing the data from several services.

As a resident of Buda, I started my hikes in the Pilis and Buda Mountains because they were easier to reach. I continued my subsequent hikes eastwards along the OKT route. I temporarily skipped the final part of the easternmost Section 27 because last autumn there was a very cloudy period in October and November, and I would not have been able to take good photographs of Füzér Castle.