Thunder, Rain, and Thumbs Up

7:43 AM

It’s completely silent at night. Every now and then you hear some rustling, but that’s all.

Today there are two big mountains on the schedule—well, big 🤔, about 2,100 m, and I’m at 1,500 m, so I’ll have to climb. How the day continues is a choice: do I walk 33 km and stay overnight in a mountain hut, or do I walk 45 km and hitchhike to a small town for great food and a hotel 🧐? Let’s just start walking and see how smoothly it all goes.

9:17 AM

9:47 AM

This is a severely damaged area. I walk through it for hours, and at some point it completely drags my emotions down. I keep walking with tears in my eyes. Everything—absolutely everything—is broken and feels lifeless.

10:45 AM

I’m warned that the area beyond the highway is closed due to wildfires. That’s the road leading to the town. I still haven’t decided whether to take the mountain hut or hitch a ride to the town 100 km away.

4:19 PM

I’m almost over the second pass. The moment of choice is here: I continue toward the road to hitch a ride to Chemult.

4:22 PM

From the top I can see three lakes below. I have to walk past them and then another 8 km to reach the road.

Give me downhill any day; you just have to lean forward and keep moving your feet. You can almost run down the mountain, but don’t forget to keep putting one foot in front of the other—otherwise you’ll fall.

5:04 PM

At the third lake—now it’s another hour to the road. I have internet, so I can already book a room 😛.

5:57 PM

I walk to the parking area first, hoping to see cars with people I could talk to. Unfortunately, there isn’t a single car in sight.

Suddenly there’s heavy thunder and rain 🤬. I rush to the road and try to hitchhike, but after half an hour the rain is coming down so hard and the cars are driving by so fast that I have to take shelter and put on warmer clothes. It’s 2 degrees, everything is cold. I’m standing there soaking wet in my shoes, and my fingers are almost freezing off.

I try hitchhiking again. Trucks honk at me to move away, cars cut me off. What kind of country is this?

I walk a bit farther and stand at another trailhead. The thunderstorm is raging and visibility is ridiculously bad. I need a ride!!

8:48 PM

I’m getting impatient, standing drenched on the roadside with my thumb up. Everyone just drives straight past.

After an hour and a half I give up and head back toward the forest. A van had been driving behind me, but it didn’t really seem like it wanted to help.

I try to pack myself up as waterproof as possible and walk along a side road toward the closed forest, shut down because of the wildfire. You have to sleep somewhere 🥴. Suddenly the van pulls up next to me. Turns out he was making space for me inside, which is why it took so long. The rain is pouring down, and in one smooth motion I pull off my poncho, backpack, and rain jacket and toss them in through the sliding door.

Pff, I’m in!

Luckily, Chris is willing to take me to the restaurant next to the motel. Thank you for being willing to help me in these harsh conditions.

A hot cup of tea and real food. Time to warm up.

Total: 44.82 km in 11:15 hours · 786 m up · 1,056 m down