Fleece, a rain jacket, and 4 degrees

After a sleepless night on the bus, I fall asleep like a log well before ten following an enjoyable conversation with Nico, the German world cyclist. At 1:00 AM, I wake up: I’m cold. The thermometer has indeed dropped to 4 degrees, but normally I stay warm enough in my sleeping bag with thermal sleep gear. For a moment, panic sets in because I don’t have many warm items with me. Is this going to be another sleepless night? I put on my fleece and wrap my rain jacket around my sleeping bag. Luckily, that’s enough. I quickly warm up and sleep beautifully until I wake up the next morning to, yes, the sun!

Coffee with a globetrotter and a toilet with a view

Together with Nico, I drink coffee. I’m still comfortably lying in my tent, deep in my sleeping bag, while he walks around a bit and we continue talking. Globetrotters among themselves, always fun. After more coffee, nature calls. That’s quite a unique experience: very basic here, not far from my tent, even without a door, but with a beautiful view of the forest.

Stiff legs and no desire to walk

Nico leaves, and I still enjoy the sun and the peace until the clouds reappear. Only at 11:20 AM do I continue on my path. Although I’ve slept wonderfully and enjoyed my new mattress, truly a luxury, I sense that I’m very tired. My body feels stiff, my legs heavy. I really don’t feel like walking at all. A strange feeling, one that I’ve rarely experienced.

Sold to the sleep barrel

The plan is to walk to the next supermarket, ten kilometers away, and then another six kilometers to a camping spot. A piece of cake, you’d say for this experienced long-distance hiker, and I have all day for it. But when I come across a luxurious barrel after an hour where you can sleep, with a table to write on and a place to shower, I’m quickly sold. I’m just not going any further.

I can’t even reach 10,000 steps, but that’s just how it is. The supermarket can wait until tomorrow. I still have instant soup, an apple, some peanuts, cans of tuna, brie, and wraps. I’ll manage just fine.

Relax!