They supposedly know better

I generally don’t dream, but last night I had a nightmare. I dream that my little tent is floating on water. It’s not a problem per se; I’m sleeping soundly in it, but when people panic and try to pull my tent to shore, things go wrong. They pull so hard that water pours in and the tent sinks with all my belongings. I shout that everything is fine, but no one listens. They think they know better how I should live.

Meanwhile, the rain is pouring on my tent. At the table in the inn, I have my breakfast and gather courage to face the day. The weather is terribly awful. I try to navigate between the showers, but there aren’t many places to hide, at most some trees. That helps for a bit, but never for long.

Swimming, that’s something I should do too

By a lake, I hide in a changing room. After a while, a woman enters who is getting dressed to go swimming. ‘You should do it too,’ she says. ‘Very healthy!’ That may be true, but I’m already swimming in my rain suit, which is wet inside and out. I think that’s enough for now.

Sheltering in the village

On the map, I see another shelter near a village. It doesn’t look like the weather is going to clear up soon, and to be honest, I’m fed up. Luckily, it turns out to be a beautiful spot right in the village, with shelters and picnic tables under a roof. There, I make coffee and fry an egg.

With the dogs on the bike to Lapland

Not long after, two women with two dogs come to shelter. They are heavily laden and practicing, as next year they want to bike to Lapland with the dogs.

Finally dry and the most beautiful route so far

By the end of the afternoon, it finally stops raining. I decide to keep walking, and that proves to be a good choice. It is the most beautiful route so far. For the first time, I also have to climb a bit, and I immediately feel it. My fitness could use some improvement.

Unfortunately, I misjudged the distance and it is quite far to the next shelter. Despite my late start and long hiding, I still walk over 28 kilometers. But then I arrive at a beautiful shelter in the middle of the woods.

Amen.