I continue the rest of the journey on my own. I hardly
meet another soul in the final stage of my 2016 ramblings. Four days of almost
no people! The weather is incredible for a Danish September. At one point it
reaches 27°C. Fortunately, most of the hike is in the shade of oak and fir woods.

Acorns litter the forest floor. At intervals I hear
more acorns falling to the ground and wonder when one of them will land on my
head. At one point the silence is broken as I pass under the highway. I can
hear it several kilometres away.
Later on, I meet a wild deer and then a
fenced-in elk that bellows when I approach.

My feet get swollen, my back gets tired, and I feel hot
and bothered. In the deep of the woods I decide to take a break. I prop my
backpack up against a tree, eat my lunch, drink some water, and read my book. A
headache bothers me, so I curl up and sleep on the ground under the tree, like
a forest animal.

Waking up much refreshed half an hour later I trudge
onwards, hour after hour, day after day. More misty mornings with dew-laden
spider webs that make me think of fairy hair.
Sunny days with dappled light
sneaking through the trees. The forest smells of fir trees, autumn leaves and
mushrooms. It is so quiet around me I can hear the leaves fall. I pass through landscapes with lakes, and through farmland.

One foot in front of the other, again and again and
again. Finally, on September 15, I unfold the last page of the last of the three
maps that have guided me through the first half of the walk through Jutland. An
event! Hurray! An end to the first half of this crazy project is in sight!

Before I reach my destination I have one more
challenge. I have arrived at Dollerup Bakker – the Hills of Dollerup. They are
beautiful, heather-covered hills with lovely views of the lake Hald Sø.
To
follow the route to the hostel where I am to spend my last night I need to
clamber up a very steep hill. There are steps, but the risers are so high that
I can hardly lift my weary bones and backpack up each of them. This is not the
kind of challenge I was looking for after having walked about 80 km in three
days.

Not much further on is the hostel. It is housed in one
of the buildings of the manor Hald Hovedgaard from 1787. With the meagre energy I have left I wander around and look at the buildings, enjoying the details of the masonry and ironwork. They knew how to construct lasting buildings in those days!