Somehow, I’ve gotten a little off track on my planning today. According to Google Maps, my destination was just 20 km away. The Jakobsweg has given some detours, since in contrast to Google Maps where roads are avoided as much as possible and real hiking, fields and forest paths are preferred. Probably the roads, which mostly show a shorter way at the time, when the Jakobsweg was fixed, did not exist yet. I expected 2-3 km more compared to the course of the Way of St. James. In the end it was 10 km more, i.e. by more than 30%!
That makes a lot of walking, especially as today it rained the whole day and the paths were softened, sometimes really muddy and covered with slippery autumn leaves, sometimes very steep and sloping. Twice I slipped down a steep path in the mud and fell lengthwise. At times I slipped on my back and the side just further uphill through the loamy mud, it was so smooth. I think I haven’t looked like that since I played in the mud as a child when it rained and my mother didn’t let me into the house at first, but sprayed me with the garden hose in my full outfit. Today I finally arrived at my destination, I first got rid of all my clothes and took a shower. All of my clothes and a part of my equipment (rain protection and backpack cover) are now in the laundry. The shoes also got a full wash.
