Day 135: Forest, what Happened To You?

Kalte Kirche Shelter to Grossgemeindenstein

Distance: 40km

A similar morning mood like the day before. Only warmer. My motivation to pack and leave could be better. I rather prefer to snooze for another hour until I get itchy feet.

About the hike itself there really isn't much to say. Progress is somewhat slow, with the heat the limiting factor. I take an early break, eating all the food that is still in my backpack. My next resupply is only 8 kilometers or two hours away. In Bad Berleburg. 

Once there, I'm a bit reluctant to enter the supermarket. I'm sweating like a bull, my feet and even shins are black from the dusty road. Seeing 90 percent of the customers still wearing their face masks (I wonder why, initially I even wonder if it's mandatory) makes me feel a bit better and I enter the store. Also the desire for an ice cream is becoming too strong. Water and fruits are on top of my list as well though. Keeping myself hydrated. 

With 3.5 liters of water  in my backpack, I continue. Not many places to fill up water until tomorrow afternoon. And you really don't want to run low on water. Not during this heat wave. 

After the initial shock, my body starts getting used to the new weight

10:00 and a temperature gauge at a gas station already shows 33 degrees Celsius. I'm battling with the heat, especially in the climbs. During these moments, I am happy  I do all the running in Switzerland. With the acquired stamina I can squeeze out some extra energy. 

The forest is of not much use. In many area it's just gone, some scattered, sorry looking trees not bringing any relief. 

As during the previous days, the sight of this esolate landscape, truckloads of timber piling up left and right of the forestry roads makes me sad, thoughtful. It's scary what damage human interference can do. I wonder how many years, no, decades it will take for these scars to heal. 

Mid afternoon approaches. I'd kill for a swim, even a quick dip into the water. But there's nothing. Nada. How lucky we are in Switzerland with lakes and rivers scattered all over the place. 

E1 makes quite a long detour via the outskirts of Bad Laasphe. As I've got everything I need, I decide to make a short cut via Sassmannshausen. Saves me some hours out in the heat.

After another short, late siesta, waiting for the sun to descend a little, loosing a bit of its strength, I continue. A last climb takes me up to Grossgemeindestein. A memorial and two shelters, once surrounded by forrest look a bit lost in the current wasteland. Still, they are as good as any other shelters and do what they are supposed to do. Giving shelter from the sun. 

My watch tells me I walked a bit over 40 kilometers. My gut tells me I have done less. Well, better this way than the other way round. Yet, the heat sucked out my energy today. Time to recharge for another hot day tomorrow.