The end of the dark season is a tough time, every season again. After the sun has officially risen above the horizon it still takes an undefined amount of time before one can actually see the yellow ball of joy, depending on where you are and how many obstacles are to be found towards the… Continue reading Seven days of sunshine (but mostly snow)
Just as the best meal can be spoiled by eating too much of it, the finest place on Earth can feel too tight when you end up spending too much time there. "Cabin fever is a term for a claustrophobic reaction that takes place when a person or group ends up in an isolated or… Continue reading Cabin Fever
Twenty days ago PJ and I left civilisation behind once again and together with 36 huskies we were relocated to a cabin in the woods. When I wake up in the morning and step out of the door they are the first things I see, swinging their tail, jumping around. I see the sky turn into… Continue reading Howls in the woods
Hours upon hours, days upon days, even weeks, I spent wondering what New Zealand looked like before humankind lessened it forever. Lush forests that are still related to another era of the world, inhabited by creatures as old as the dinosaurs like the tuatara. An entire ecosystem based on birds: grazing birds, pollinating birds, predatory… Continue reading Walking on thin ice
Slowly but steady autumn is changing to winter and the training season is coming to a close. The days are getting progressively darker, every day, and the headlights come out earlier and stay on longer both mornings and evenings. The sky is getting its seasonal painted look: an explosion of streaks of color. The light… Continue reading A Snowless Autumn
After having been in the kennel and on short tours during November, December and January I had really itchy feet. The trails I was running only made me grasp at the vast wilderness out there, and I could only imagine how nice it must be to go out and get lost into those endless hills… Continue reading Three Days of Howls in the Woods
I have written it before: coming back to normal life was a bit of a shock. Staying in one place for 7 months, a working rhythm, a boss telling us what to do and when to do it… It took some adjusting in the beginning. After being nomads for a year however it has also… Continue reading Sledding through Winter: Recap of the Season so far
When the time had finally come to fly back to Europe I was nervous: nervous about having a culture shock, nervous about seeing the same people again after all that had passed, nervous about disliking Belgium even more than I used to. Surprisingly, I loved being there. It was great spending time in my home… Continue reading To the end of the road. And then a little bit further.
Finally! The short hiking season in the Scandinavian mountains is about to kick off. Time to let your boots get lost in the mountains and woods over snow-free trails, to enjoy summer evenings in absolute silence and to disappear of the grid for days or weeks on end. These mountain areas are wild. You can… Continue reading The Hiking Essentials
A couple of months ago I found a job for the summer season in Norway's fjord country. So after finishing the winter season in Lapland, I packed up in Sweden and left for its neighbour. Living in one of the most beautiful countries on the planet was most certainly something on my bucket list. The… Continue reading Hello Norway!
Team Belgica 