Friday was registration and a piece of cake. Filling out a simple form I got my start card and had the rest of the day to explore the town and the area. Viborg is an older town in Denmark going back hundreds of years. The buildings have settled into the earth considerably and over the years it was required in some places to rebuild the front steps. The lake on the east side of town offers its own walking areas. The start point for the walk is a former military barracks and base. Most of the facilities were turned over to the town and civil/civilian organizations. I did find out only when I got there that I could have stayed at the officers quarters again, but the link on their site appeared to have been deactivated as there was no method of contact.
The first day of the walk was wet and it drizzled or lightly drained most of the day. Starting from town we headed westerly and along the city streets which were quiet, as most of the residents were not up at 5 in the morning. The route took us out of the town and into the nature preserve and the atmosphere went from country roadway to a "ramble" which is a cross-country fare. The care the Danes take with their pristine areas is commendable.
The ramble section was the middle half of the day and then we worked our way down bike paths. All along the way I was meeting friends from past marches and catching up on old times. Eric and Eva (Dutch and Swedish marching couple) were at the 20K point. I found some Dutch military colleagues shortly thereafter. Later on in the day I learned the hard way I had a blister and really only noticed it when it broke and the skin was pulling the wrong way. Five minutes in a medical tent and all was right again.
About 15K out from the end I met Mette Madsen who I met in 2001 during the 300K Schleswig to Viborg walk when she was a medical orderly assigned to the march. We made out way to a point 5K out from the end I lo and behold it took me right by my B&B. I wandered off the path long enough to knock on Emil’s door and he was out on errands.
The remaining 5K took us across the lake and into the old town and to the finish to a well earned beer and sausages. Here Mette and I caught up on events and then it was off to my room.
The next morning, the second day, I left the room at 0430 and this time the first 5 kilometers were a reverse of the last 5 of the previous day. The good luck I had was I was able to walk past my B&B again and properly say goodbye to Emil who insisted I return the next year. I said I would bring it to the attention of my superiors and see if I could get two months off next year and do all the marches I dreamed of doing.
The weather for the beginning of the second day was promising, but some people say promises are made to be broken. The sky went gray and it started raining off and on to the point I gave up pulling on and off my poncho as soon I was simply trapping moisture underneath. After leaving the area of my B&B the path turned rocky and we were again in the forested areas. It had rained the previous evening and the going was a little gimpy. I met an American Captain who was working his eighth different European IWA and was soon to celebrate the receipt of his European Walker medal in addition to his Denmark country tab for his blue medal.
Just beyond halfway the path got muddy and primitive and we were going down a 30-degree incline for about 800 meters. At the bottom we turned left and were faced with a stairway 60 degrees, nearly straight up, to get out of the gorge. As luck would have it at the crest of the stairway there was a rest area so some serious planning was given to the placement of the rest areas.
6 kilometers out the heaves opened up and the rain came down in sheets. The remainder of the walk in was laborious, and I finished with three minutes to spare. My late arrival was contributed to by meeting friends and making new ones.
Denmark is a quiet walk, and situated perfectly in Denmark. One has the chance to strike out before and after the walk to many beautiful and historic locations on the western island. Although three hours from Copenhagen the area where the walk is held is full of places to go and activities which will interest everyone.
