Drescher Fichten to Steimel (Wirges)
Distance: 50km
Seems like I got up with the wrong foot today.
Firstly, I left the camera's wifi turned on overnight, a mishap, which completely drained battery. Then, on the first couple of meters, I pick up several ticks. Then I follow some old, wrong markings and end up on a busy road. An annoying 10 minutes road walk is the result.
After the road walk I find myself a bench. I sit down to eat a bit and to press the reset button in my head. And after the reboot things go smoother, much smoother.
No more getting lost, the battery is still drained. But this I can't change anymore.
The views are lovely at times. At one point I climb the observation tower of Alpenrod. With 33 meters, the observation platform offers sweeping views. Towards the south, were I am heading, the terrain doesn't look too hilly. Only in the far distance one can make out the higher hills of the Taunus Range near Frankfurt, where I plan on being on Saturday.
The day gets better when I reach the Westerwälder Seenplate, some lakes scattered in the Westerwald, and find a good place to swim. All legal (I think). After not going for a swim for days, I am a bit hesitant. No idea why. Too many "no swimming" signs floating around my head.
But eventually I go in, it's so tempting with the air temperature being around 30 degrees Celsius. And it's beautiful! I swim some circles, enjoying the refreshing water. Surprisingly, I have the place to myself. I'm wondering where everyone is but don't exactly care.
The next lake is 5 kilometers away. And guess what, I have to go in again. Go swimming whenever you can, I say to myself. It might be the last swim for a long time.
The remaining 15 kilometers are fairly unspectacular again. But it seems like everyone wants something from me: ticks, mosquitoes and horse flies on this last kilometers.
Doesn't matter, my day has already been a success and I won't let them spoil it. Yup, I have definitely lowered my standards compared to Scandinavia, where I could have gone swimming 20 times a day ;)
My legs eventually start lacking energy. I decide to camp on top of a hill, next to chapel under some oak trees. Most probably I won't pitch my tent. The weather is good. It won't be tomorrow night though, with heavy rain und thunderstorms predicted.
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Rob (Thursday, 23 June 2022 18:52)
You hadn't of those starts to uour day. Good to read how you got through it. It can be very much a mental game eh. A rhetorical question, are there not many walkers doing this walk?
An interesting point, today we got a postcard from a friend of ours (Pauline), from Germany, who did TA 2019/20. I think I wrote about her to you soon after she finished her TA and returned to Germany. In her postcard today, which is sent to us from her holiday in Sweden, she writes that she feels like hiking while there. But, back home in Germany she has to interest to hike. It made me think, 'Sandro doesn't write of meeting, or crossing paths with any German walkers, or is it early in the season for them, or is it not a holiday time in Germany?'
You don't think you're reaching the mid walk blues?
How are you finding the ways to look after your wairua? Never mind the need to walk! How are you looking after your wairua? Look inward. Look inward.
Kia kaha e hoa mā.