#throwback – June 6, 2024

All my electronics are charged again, my clothes are clean—I’m ready to hit the road and get out of this hotel as fast as I can. The room price includes breakfast. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve let go of fixed mealtimes—and wouldn’t you know it, today I don’t feel like eating early at all. But I force myself anyway, because hey, it’s “free.” What a dummy. Typical Dutch, right?

The start of today’s route is awful—an endless industrial zone and a busy road. Suddenly I realize I no longer have my trekking poles with me. And just like that, I remember exactly where I left them: in front of the cold-looking church in Norrköping. It had started pouring rain, I was distracted and just trying to stay dry. So incredibly stupid! I hadn’t missed them until now, because the terrain’s been flat and paved, and I haven’t needed my tent. You see, my tent is set up with one of the poles.
Going back makes no sense—it would mean walking 20 km, and who’s to say they’d still be there after a day and a half? I could kick myself.

Checking the map, I see there’s an outdoor shop 1.5 km ahead, still on my route: XXL, the Swedish version of Decathlon. And there I find beautiful carbon fibre poles—the kind I’ve always wanted. In the Netherlands they’re insanely expensive, so I never bought them. These are super lightweight, foldable in three sections, and €100 cheaper than at Bever. In the end, I’m honestly quite happy, even if it sucks that I had to spend €81 unexpectedly. But I really wanted poles like these.

The rest of the day is amazing. After a gorgeous hike along a winding forest trail, I cook dinner with a stunning view (rainbow included), and find a spot to sleep by a lake full of swans.
So… let’s not whine about those €81 anymore.