Gemeinsam mit meinen Wanderfreunden Anina und Gernot Boiger veranstalte ich Ende Juni einen Weitwander-Workshop in der Schweiz. Lernt uns in dieser Episode besser kennen und erfahrt, wie wir uns über diesen Podcast gefunden haben und warum wir unsere Erfahrung von tausenden Kilometern auf dem PCT, Te Araroa und vielen anderen Trails nun live an euch weitergeben wollen.
In dieser Episode spreche ich mit Kevin Kühnert. Viele kennen ihn als Politiker, der lange Vorsitzender der Jugendorganisation der SPD war und dann einige Jahre Generalsekretär seiner Partei. Aber heute geht es um das weite Wandern. Denn nach seinem Rückzug aus der Politik war Kevin knapp zwei Monate auf dem Nordalpenweg durch Österreich unterwegs.
Jan Bakker is my guest today. He is not just an adventurous spirit and hiker but also the person behind the Pamir Trail that crosses Tajikistan. I’m happy to have him on the show today for many reasons: I am very curious about the Pamir Trail and what it takes to create a trail in Central Asia. I am also looking forward to hearing more about Jan’s story, as he is a very experienced traveler and an outdoor person.
Endlich geht es los mit dem ersten Teil des zweiteiligen Specials zur Via Transilvanica in Rumänien! In dieser Folge spreche ich mit Jennifer, die mich im letzten Jahr über LinkedIn kontaktiert und gefragt hat, ob wir uns nicht mal ausführlich über den Weg unterhalten wollen. Gesagt, getan – und was für ein bereicherndes Gespräch das war! Jennifer berichtet nicht nur sehr anschaulich von ihrer Wanderung auf der Via Transilvanica, sondern auch von den inneren Prozessen, die lange Wege oft auslösen: Wie sich Perspektiven verschieben, wie Entscheidungen auf einmal leichter fallen – und wie man lernt, mit Unsicherheiten und Ängsten umzugehen.…
Well, another one of my favorites in the Hauraki Gulf is Aotea Great Barrier Island. Whenever things get a little much, I dream myself away to Aotea, and now and then, I make the time to head out there. I am not sure whether it is the remoteness of the last barrier before the vastness of the Pacific Ocean (hence the name), the time travel aspect of feeling to go back in time to an Aotearoa from 20 years ago, the plentiful hiking opportunities or if it is the characters you get to meet and with who I, to some extend, share the fascination of a place so out of the way.
Back in November, when I hiked through Northland while on Te Araroa, I had to skip the stretch between Ruakaka and Mangawhai. I attended a conference then and needed to return to Auckland for a few days. As we knew it would be much easier for me to return north and hike the section during a long weekend, my partner John continued hiking. Well, it took almost a year to go back and close the section, as it turned out a little harder to actually make the time to hike it.
The further north we got in Vermont, the more the landscape changed: pine trees became deciduous trees and hilly forests eventually made room for flat farming areas. It was a dreary day when we passed into Canada. Our passports were quickly checked and soon we were on our way to Montréal.
After a stressful week in Bonn, I made my way from the conference center to the airport the night before my flight to Boston was scheduled. A few hotels are conveniently located next to Frankfurt Airport, so I checked into my 8-hour flight with Condor relatively relaxed. Being used to flying long hours as I am giving in New Zealand, these 8 hours felt like a quick hop over the Atlantic.
The vessel was scheduled to arrive in Tromsø shortly before midnight. We had to check out of our cabin around 8 pm so that housekeeping could have the chance to clean the cabin for the next guests. Mom and I stood outside as it didn’t get dark, taking in the views while approaching Tromsø.
In the afternoon, we said our farewells to Trond, and he thanked us for being his guests. I cannot thank him enough for enabling us to approach this natural, cultural, and historical landscape. After he dropped us off at our hotel in Vardø, Mom and I explored Vardø once more and went to the Tourist Information booth to organize the trip to Hornøya. This tiny island, situated in the rough sea a quick boat ride off Vardø, is a protected nature reserve and temporary home to 80,000 seabirds such as puffins, Common Guillemot, Kittiwake, and Razorbill.