Our summer hike in De Hoge Veluwe National Park turned out very different from the relaxed walk we’d imagined. Starting from the Hoenderloo Gate, we crossed open heathlands glowing purple, trudged through deep sand under a relentless sun, and cooled off in quiet forests where moss softened the light. A shaded lunch break at the central café revived us before the long, hot stretch across the flat sand plains. Between the traces of the Kröller-Müller family’s old estate, the debate over wolves, and a deer that appeared at dusk, the day revealed the park’s beauty and its quiet toughness.

Day 18 of our MCT thru-hike showed a different side of Minamisanriku — greener, calmer, and filled with stories of resilience. In Shizugawa, we visited two opposite memorials: one honoring the great survival at Takano Kaikan and another marking the deep loss at the former town hall. Later, on quiet forest roads, we met another Japanese serow and wandered into Iriya, where an octopus charm had become a symbol of recovery and good luck. By evening, we reached a former elementary school turned inn, ending a day that felt rooted in the spirit of rebuilding and everyday life along the northern trail.

Autumn in the Netherlands always feels fleeting. One week the trees are golden, and the next the wind and rain have swept everything bare. On one of those quiet November days, when the air was crisp and the light already turning wintry, we set out for a short walk in the woods — De Duintjes Trail in the village of Garderen.

Our long summer plan for 2025 was supposed to be a two-month journey across Japan, starting with the full Chita Pilgrimage. But the brutal heat changed everything. Even on Day 1, walking through the flat towns and endless paved streets of the Chita Peninsula, we quickly realized how unrealistic midsummer hiking would be. It was a clear lesson in how different this route is from Shikoku: no mountains, few signs, and almost nowhere to rest. By the time we reached a café that saved the day, the walk had already turned from an adventure into a test of endurance.