Destination Unknown
This past Saturday, I decided to go bikepacking and spend the night in the forest. The idea came somewhat spontaneously. I have more and more people around me doing biking and camping. Yet I have not heard many that combine both.
So that's what I set out to do. I looked up a free camping spot in Belgium that I would bike to and back from. I found one near Eupen, which is a 50-ish-kilometre ride from Liège.
The one thing I did not mention to my parents is that I decided to leave without my phone. Instead, I printed out maps using TopoMapViewer and had my Garmin watch to use as a compass and a mediocre GPS.
One thing to take into account when planning such things is elevation. As you can guess from my bringing it up, I did not. Usually 50km by bike at a decent pace takes 2 and a half hours tops.
Well, I left at 14:30, and by 19:30, I had arrived. I did have multiple necessary breaks since it was rather hot, but still, I did not expect the journey to take 5 hours, even when getting directions with a map. But combining 30-degree weather with a lot of elevation change was fatal. The idea of taking the same route back seemed scary, since I was cramping up on the way to Eupen.
So, on the way back, I decided to take a gamble. I woke up at a quarter past seven and got myself going by 9 A.M after a quick pitstop at Bäckerei Niessen Denise. The gamble meant taking a route that I did not have a map for. My route followed the Dutch border, but I was reluctant to take it again.
Around 10 A.M., I saw a sign towards Liège and decided to just try to find my way back. Reminder that I still do not have a phone, so no real way to know where I am going. That being said, with my Garmin, I could just make sure that I was indeed heading west (which, let's be honest, is a lot).
On one part of the ride, a biker helped me uphill by catching the wind. By following him a bit further, I found a path that I was not expecting to find. As you may know, I did the Compostela pilgrimage about two years ago, right out of the army.
It is an experience that I cherish to this day. So you can imagine my surprise when I found the Compostela pilgrim sign. There is a single path of Compostela in Belgium, and it spans from Aachen to Brussels with Liège on its way. Finding the sign with Liège written next to it made it feel like a divine intervention.
Suddenly, the journey that initially took me 5 hours was done in 2 on the way back. It was a true pleasure; the whole ride was flat and mostly in the shadows.
The fact that letting go and seeing how things turn out was the fastest way back is something that brings a smirk to my face. Especially since I feel like I seldom let go and go with the flow. So it is a pleasant reminder that it works as well.
This Week's Suggestions:
Next week I will be at I Land Sound, and I am sooooooo hyped for it. Last year's experience is still with me. Wednesday's set is something I am hoping to hear during the festival.
📑 "How to Do What You Love" – Paul Graham:
I found this article recently, and it has been of help with my career reflections. The information is not novel per se, yet I like the path down which it took me.
Have an excellent week!
