PORTLAND, Ore. — When Christof Teuscher moved to Portland, he was no stranger to mountains. Born in Switzerland, he grew up in the Alps.
"I moved to Oregon almost 20 years ago and love it here. It's amazing," he said, acknowledging the similarities.
Teuscher is a professor at Portland State University’s Maseeh College of Engineering & Computer Science. His mind is sharp, but it’s also mentally tough.
In 2022, Teuscher completed the 1,000-mile-long Iditarod Trail on foot. It’s the same trail used for the iconic dog sled race. Previously, he’s climbed Washington’s Mount Adams, run to Mount Hood and climbed it too in one shot —a feat he claims no one else has completed.
At the end of August, he took his latest challenge international, setting off on cross-country trek across Iceland. He completed the journey in eight days, 11 hours and four minutes, a new fastest known time for the country’s north-south traverse while being completely unsupported. Using his GPS tracking data, his trip was verified by the website Fastest Known Time.
"Meaning that I carried all my food, all my supplies, everything from the beginning to the end," said Teuscher.
That self-reliance was a key part of the criteria to break the record, and it was something he had to take seriously throughout the journey. He said at one point a car of friendly passersby stopped to chat with him and offered him some tea, but he had to turn them down.
"It started to get dark, there's this Jeep coming out of nowhere," he said. "They rolled out of there with their window and they go like, ‘here's a cup of tea and a packet of crackers’ and I go, 'I'm so sorry. I can't take this because I'm going unsupported. I'm not allowed to take any food from outside,' and they were just staring at me like I was insane!”
The traverse is about 375 miles, and Teuscher beat the previous record by over four days.
"I thought I could beat the time, but also Iceland is really this magical place. Going from the ocean in the north to the ocean in the south, really traversing the island, and was just a beautiful adventure," he said.
"There's more desert than what I thought," he said. "I mean, there is like, a large part in the northern part of Iceland that is desert, a lot of sort of black sand and these very open, amazing landscapes that are was extremely varied from torrential rains to really hot summer weather."
Walking along Iceland’s glaciers and through its wide-open landscapes was an unforgettable experience, but it wasn’t all enjoyable.
"You're on your own and for days. I didn't see anybody. So yeah, it's up and down for sure," he said, smiling. "You know, one minute you can feel great. The next one you're like surrounded by thousands of flies and you think you can’t handle it but then you just continue because there really is no other option basically."
He estimated his pack to be about 40 pounds, but said he didn’t want to know exactly how much it weighed to avoid the nagging thought. About three quarters of that weight was food.
Back home in Portland, Teuscher has no immediate plans for his next big challenge. He said he also realizes long distance endeavors and speed records don’t mix for everyonem but he hopes to inspire others to tackle their big dreams as well.
"My recommendation is always start simple," he said. "Start with something that feels manageable, and then build incrementally and keep doing it, don't give up."