change of pace

i found that as i was bouncing from city to city in typical "backpackers" fashion, that i was unsatisfied. I frequently found myself drawn to the parks within the cities to spend hours sitting by a river or chilling in the shade of a tall tree. So when I got to Cologne, Germany, i met up with my good buddy from the appalachian trail, Cheeseburger, and found out that he had 2 weeks of holliday in just a couple of days, we started plans to hike across switzerland. our plans got derailed a few days as he found out about the death and funeral of his college friend. we waited. then started hiking at lake konstanse (on the German side). the first couple of days were hot and kind of shakey as we both were still trying to look tough and cary on a seasoned thru hiker's pace. after a few days i felt the tendons in my knees and ankles tightening, the muscles starting to tighten and grow as the old habbits started to kick in. I remembered fairly qickly just when my body needs water to be strong. After a few days of hiking, the Hunger kicked in. The Hunger is more than your average hunger. One evening i consumed an entire loaf of bread (that was supposed to be 2 or 3 meals), half a jar of nutella, then (because the other people at the hostel had pitty on me) 2 large helpings of some pasta dish that was fantastic, a healthy serving of homemade apple sauce, and 2 more slices of bread. I dont know how many calories it was nor do I care. What I know is that after that I was no longer hungry. It is amaying how strong you can hike the day after a strong dinner! Every day i feel stronger. Every day i feel more at home in a country in which i have a lot of difficulty communicating. Every day, despite the heat, the blisters, the hunger, the fetigue, i am rewarded with a body that respinds almost automatically to the slightest change in the trail or environment, scenery that never ceases to amaze, and chance encounters with some of the most fantastic people God has put on the earth. Hike on my friends.