Day 130: Up's And Down's

Shelter near Ahorn to Lemgo

Distance: 35km

Many up's and down's today. Not only the terrain but also regarding the weather, the trail and my hiking spirit

Weather: The days starts with some shy rays of sun, followed by a shower of rain, sun, more heavy rain, sun, rain and sun again to finish the day with. Wind makes it uncomfortably chilly at times. Luckily I have my umbrella handy, preventing me from getting soaked.

Trail: the first couple of kilometers are overgrown. It's walkable, no question, still, the stinging nettles and the ticks make it a rather unpleasant walk. The trail experience improves and plenty of lovely walk through beech forest follows. I very much enjoy this kind of forest as it provides a good balance between shelter without feeling too confined due to the limited undergrowth. And of course the contrast between the light green leaves, the blue sky shining through and the golden leaves on the floor from last year make for a pleasant contrast. 

Hiking spirit: the weather and trail are obviously influencing my hiking spirit. It's a tough start into the day, feeling a bit stiff and exhausted from the previous day. After an extensive break on top of the observation tower of Asch, to wait for a shower to pass, I feel much better and walking goes surprisingly easy for the next two hours, when I start feeling dizzy. A heavy head. A feeling I have not yet encountered on any of my hikes. I take another long break, having a short nap.

While the nap didn't work wonders, my head still feels clearer on the last 3 kilometers into Lemgo. I have another stop to clean my dirty feet, get some food and manage to make it to my 1nitetent host right on time. 

They ask me if I need anything. Shower? Laundry? I say yes twice, the full program. They reply their son is a thru-hiker as well and therefore know the drill of being trail angels. He's currently hiking Cape Wrath Trail. A small world. 

They invite me to join dinner and we end up talking until late. What a nice ending of a turbulent day.