I Feel That By Now A Few Introductory Words Are In Order.

I feel that by now a few introductory words are in order.

I have a plan. It consists basically of walking from Denmark to Spain, ending on Cape Finisterre on the western coast of Spain.

My only company on the road will be Chanel. She is a six year old Jack Russell terrier with a slightly neurotic mind, an abundance of energy and an obsessive curiosity. She became mine a little over a month ago when her owner became too ill to care for her.

The Danish part we have already covered, following Hærvejen/E1 from Nr. Snede to Padborg (the border). The German part of the trail follows the E1 long distance path, the Rheinsteig, and some trails found on Waymarked Trails. The French trails are The Alsace wine trail and the Camino de Santiago from Thann to Vézelay, and from Vézelay to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. From Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port the plan is to follow the GR10 trail, which runs along the Pyrenees all the way to the coast and Irún where the Camino del Norte starts. The Camino continues on to Santiago de Compostela, and from there it’s only 90 km to Cape Finisterre.

I am hoping to spend around four to six months on this project. Any longer and I would just be drifting, any less and I would be setting myself up for failure. But who knows, maybe I fall and twist my ankle a few days across the border and this will all seem pretty silly… Hopefully I will make it through without a (serious) scratch, and return home with some great stories to tell.

I will try to keep this blog updated with stories and observations as well as pretty pictures.

Wish me luck.

Bruno, the sweet, young, male dog who fell head-over-heels in love with Chanel :)

Second day on the Rheinsteig.

Again lots of mountains/hills. But I actually felt better than the day before, despite starting out with sore legs.

Also, so far, my new anti-blister system seems to be working. I slather the toes, arches, and heels of my feet in Vaseline, and then on with the hiking socks. Nothing more. I have a cousin who’s in the military, and he gave me this tip. I’m cautiously optimistic about this approach, praying it will last.

The pictures are: the moon of the first morning (enhanced), a super creepy old house we walked by, the trail, the view, Chanel, and myself.

In the second-lowest to the right Chanel is eating grass. She always does this. At first I thought it was because she had an upset stomach, but according to the internet, most dogs who eat grass just like the taste of it. She doesn’t throw up after eating it, and she also seems to look a while for the right grass to eat, smelling all the shrubs we walk past before deciding. She’s a little strange, but to be honest, this just makes her more lovable.

So lovable that I made her a little floral wreath. That’s the last picture. She didn’t seem to mind when I put it on her head, she just went back to sleep in the sun.

The first stage of the rheinsteig. It was dirt paths through beautiful scenery the entire day. And despite it being Easter, there weren't too many people on the roads. The only thing I hadn't anticipated was the constant change in elevation. Up one mountain, down into a valley, up another one, etc. All day. Forgive my ignorance but I thought we would be following the Rhein river, and rivers usually run pretty flat... Maybe it's a cultural thing. But at least I got a great workout out of it, and for the first time I have drained my two litre water bottle in one day. Chanel seemed to love the climbing as well, the little show-off. She would run up, look disapprovingly down at me (I walk really slowly uphill), wait a while, walk down a bit, and once I reached her, repeat the whole thing. It made me walk a little faster, and every time I reached the top I felt like I was going to die. Which is also how I decided on our resting place for tonight. It's in a little hut at the top of one of the mountains. I keep saying mountains. They're really only hills, but I'm from Denmark. In Denmark, our tallest "mountain" is lower than these hills. The pictures are of the area, and a selfie I took when we came across some church ruins. Yep, I use the word selfie now. Enjoy the sunset.

Starting again after a long and final break. The completely clear sky hints at an amazingly starry night. Here in the quiet of the countryside I doubt any light will spoil it. At least I hope so. Chanel has been her usual merry self, rolling in just about anything smelly along the road. However, for some strange reason, that I am grateful for, she has not retained any bad smells. This is a great comfort, since we will be sharing a sleeping bag.

First part or my hike in Denmark.