After 206 days and 3,535 km I'm back home in Germany. After 7 months living on the trail and in the wilderness, I find myself wondering what home is. The loud, busy Germany with its complicated demands – where practically anything is possible and we allow ourselves to become dependent on that often enough – or the tranquility, simplicity, and beauty of nature?
In German, Heimat – which can mean "home" or "home country" or "where I come from" - can be diverse, and it can be found anywhere. This is what learned! On the trail, where everything's reduced (food, water, power) and also in the places off the trail where we resupplied, you quickly get to know and judge people differently; often you find yourself assessing others in a deeper way, seldom judging. This, too, was "home." Here in the USA.
Nowadays, many people form their opinions based on digital media – often parroting without thinking. But we discovered another side to Americans: spontaneous openness and helpfulness. We Germans can learn a thing or two from them! This realization alone made our trip worthwhile: the encounters, which remain both in our memories and beyond. We hope to stay in contact with some of the people we met, and hopefully with others when our film is finally finished. A documentary not just about the thirst for adventure, but above all about life, dreams, and the attempt to live out those dreams. I hope we succeed in sharing that PCT spirit with all our blog readers.
I would have loved to have finished the entire Pacific Crest Trail, but my time ran out. Had I maxed out, I could have hiked another 10 days. But that would have meant returning to normal life practically overnight, with no transition. This wouldn't have been healthful, coming after the serenity of nature. And even with these roughly 300 km more, I wouldn't have reached Ashland. Besides, my body rebelled in the end: my feet and right knee were at their limit. But I'm looking forward all the more to catch up on the missing kilometers next year. Which Sabine will already have chalked off. Nonetheless, I feel like I'm a thru-hiker anyway.
We'll see if and what something's changed, thanks to the PCT. In any event, the experiences Sabine and I shared will always remain!
