المخاضات. هل نستطيع.

Another warm and dry night is behind us. Due to the squeaking of the mattress covers (our own), it can't exactly be called a peaceful night. But in our dormitory of the hut, we even have our own little corner where we can spread out and prepare for the day.

The sun remains faithful and so the first thing we do in the morning is go outside to the toilet houses & to brush our teeth at 6 degrees Celsius. It's refreshing but promising. And we have a lot planned:

We have two stages on the program for today. And since you can only overnight at the designated campsites on this route, we have to decide by the middle at the latest whether we still have the strength for the second half.

As happy users of the hut's kitchen, we unexpectedly get coffee and a small breakfast (porridge) with water.

And "already" we can start (those who know Jule also know that this is a flexible concept and it takes time to get there. But we always wake up early. And we have nothing else to do all day but this hike - so why worry. Or hurry ;-).

So we set off in good spirits and in shorts - prepared for whatever may come.. :)

After about 4 km through almost Mediterranean terrain, a river awaits us .. with our first real river crossing.

Today is the day Anne hasn't slept well for the past two nights. Travelers coming from the other direction who have already crossed this spot have told us about water levels up to the hips with such strong currents that crossing is a real danger. Well, we want to go through there now and it will somehow work out. So into the sandals.

A couple is making their way ahead of us, so we can already watch the spectacle.

Huh? Was that it? The boy just barely crossed the river knee-deep. We imagined it differently somehow. Was that really the river everyone was talking about?

A little surprised and barely believing our luck, maybe even a little disappointed because it was less adventurous than expected, we pass the river and continue - awakened by the cold and also somehow relieved.

This is followed by a march through rather flat terrain, so we make good progress and look confidently at the day. The sun keeps breaking through and we walk through dark desert-like terrain at times, while at other times we catch a glimpse of the next glacier from a mountain. The path winds its way through, we cross streams and rivers (but now on bridges) and slowly but surely look forward to a longer break in Emstrur. We arrive at 3:30 pm.

What's on the menu today? We have Asian noodles that we try to soften in lukewarm water we brought along. Yammi😅 Well, everything tastes good on the go (even if not good) and especially the salty snacks are a welcome change after our primarily sweet snacks of bars and more bars.

>> Excursion: At this point, I don't want to leave out 'Oatking' without mentioning it & expressing a small tribute. Without it, we certainly wouldn't have made it. I'm still unsure whether it will end after the trip in a daily addictive desire or a dislike (at least for a while). I'll say 2 kg of travel weight. One Oatking replaces one meal (quote Jule). Tribute over. If anyone from the company is reading this: sponsoring for future trips possible?

Fun fact: the bars come from Bonn & we brought them with us. So we were quite surprised to see them in every small supermarket, kiosk or rest stop on the way to the trail. Excursion over. <<

It's windy and somehow busy at the spot. The weather doesn't invite you to linger, so after lunch we set off on the second stage. 💪 The first wounds are already being licked right after the start and our feet are noticeably sore. Interestingly, the backpack is hardly noticeable anymore and feels like it has melded onto our hips, so while putting it on and taking it off remains a challenge, it is hardly noticeable in the flat parts (Carli had reported the same, but you can't really imagine it beforehand).

Well, the next ascent follows immediately and what do I care about what I just said: it's exhausting!! 🤣 Well, two women, one word. No one turns around voluntarily. So we bite the bullet and trudge on. We count down the kilometers and thanks to the relatively barren, bleak (maybe it's the mood) and rather flat path, we make good progress overall. In terms of scenery, there's not as much to offer here (in comparison!). The dreariness and walking through it could be "part of the experience" though.

Regardless, I would like to mention that we have really funny to wonderful encounters every day, which are unrelated to all the amazing natural spectacles, but they do accompany the journey in a way and create moments & memories!

The next kilometer sign gives hope and after a pee and snack break, we make our final push. That's the theory. But nature has other plans. And so, at the end of the day, we have to ford a river again, this time at twilight. A crossing pickup truck driver sees our astonished faces and asks if we're okay. We manage a half-convinced "yes" and off we go through the river. Puuuhhh 🥶 says more than many words. Looking at it positively: our feet couldn't get a better Kneipp bath right now. And we are also really excited again after this unexpected crossing, so the last 1.5 km are cheerfully chatted away. We arrive at the campsite feeling like the last ones. But apart from registration, finding a campsite (where could it be windproof & flat), setting up the tent & the "welcome beer," there's nothing else on the agenda.

Happy and exhausted, we fall into bed and are excited about our first night in the tent. xoxo