Into the woods

Section 1-6
Vaduz to Altdorf

Podcast of the day: 1619. I love everything about it. Sound design on point.

Audiobook of the week: ‘The Glass Hotel’ by Emily St. John Mandel. Makes me miss Canada.

I miss: Canada I suppose and pair of fresh legs.

I wasn't sure this time, if stepping on trail was going to be a good idea. I was emotionally drained and I wasn't sure if having time to think was a good or a bad thing. Now, 5 days in, I know I made the right decision.

Thru-hiking Switzerland is different than all the other trails I’ve done so far. It's kind of glamorous, because obviously it isn't this crazy wild grizzly track on which you walk without seeing people or food for days on end. The most dangerous thing you'll encounter is a cow or a marmot. Switzerland is tiny and with its 8.5 million people it's inevitable that you'll run into someone every day. That doesn’t mean that it’s boring. In fact it's the opposite. The mountains are intense and steep and they are getting bigger and bigger after each section I hike through. Snowy peaks wherever you look.

I wondered if I was going to meet any other thru-hikers, but on the second day I ran into Leonie and we started talking. A day later I met Meret, and the next day we all crammed into a room straight from the seventies in good ol’ hiker trash fashion. Tents spread out to dry all over the room, hand washed half dirty socks in the sink, smelly shoes on the balcony, pizza boxes on the floor and so on. Just the way I like it. So I found new friends but I also got to hang out with old ones. My friend Vico came out and joined me on an intense 10-hour day. We climbed a mountain called Märe which I had never even heard of. It tuned out to be the highlight of this trip so far. Highly recommend it. But only in dry conditions!

I’m excited to be back out in the woods after having been locked in at home for too long due to Covid-19. Being out here I feel free to do whatever I want, whenever I want and it’s the best feeling in the world. The first two days on trail were long. Jesus they were long… And they were rough on the back because I got a new pack and it had to adjust to my body. But other than that, I’m starting to get back into hiker shape and it feels amazing. It’s crazy what five days on trail can do to a body. And it’s crazy how much one can eat when on trail. And with ‘one’ I mean me. Pasta and Röschti all day every day.