Bikepacking around a chimney

The idea of this journey, though it’s a very exaggerated expression, rather a micro trip, kept in my head the whole time we were confined within the municipal cadastre. Unfortunately, due to the weather, I didn’t make it in time, so I took it only when the opportunity to travel within the entire county was open again. But I liked the idea so much.

Bikepacking is a drug for me, I can’t do without it for a long time, let alone after winter, let alone when I’m in distance education with my son for the seventh month. But what can I tell you, many of you know it, and many of you are worse off than I am. Every day, in front of a computer, taking classes, making lunch, doing homework, preparing for the next day, and so on and so forth. Unlike a lot of people, we have the advantage of living right on the edge of the forest and so it is always possible, after the day-to-day duties have been carried out, to go out into the forest for a while. The forest is interspersed with a network of trails, paths and illegal trails, so there is fun to be had, and with a little effort you can drive twenty-five kilometers without taking the same route every time.

I get up early on Thursday morning, make my way to our local temple of consumerism, shop at home, and myself for the evening. Hurry home, prepare breakfast, wake my son, and class starts at eight. I’m particularly slow today, and to make matters worse, teachers are putting in an unusual amount of homework. It doesn’t really matter. The light has been on for quite a long time and there is no hurry. Anyway, the woods are full of people in the afternoon, and I don’t want to provoke anyone by seeing me pitch a tent in the woods. So I might as well save the packing for the afternoon. The weather is optimal. It’s sunny and warm, but the forecast promises night frosts. Adam’s finishing his homework and I’m in the garage finishing up my bike. I have a tent, for the test, I have cooking, I have beer for the evening, I have everything I need.

After 5:00, I say goodbye and head out. I don’t want to go straight to the place of lodging, because I’m only three kilometres from home, so I’m taking the opposite direction, twisting the route in different ways and delaying my arrival at my destination as much as possible. After less than two hours, I have roughly twenty kilometers on the road and am approaching a pond in the middle of the forest where I want to pitch a tent for tonight and spend the night. There’s no one around, which is quite unusual because there are quite a few people here and at this time of day. Luck favors me. Not far from the shore, I have a suitable place for a tent. It will stretch out a bit, because you have to photograph all the details, but that doesn’t matter enough time.

My tent is up, the sun has gone down, but the light is still plentiful. I make a cup of coffee, sit by the water’s edge and enjoy the peace and the freedom. Originally, I didn’t want to start the fire at all, but as it gets dark, the ambient temperature starts to fall, so I head into the woods to gather some wood. Fortunately, there are two fireplaces on this bank. I have the smaller and more private one near the tent. Before long, I’m warming the fire, roasting my sausage, sipping my beer, and since I’m hungry, I’m still roasting my ermine. Ideal dinner and comfort. I look at the prowling bats above the water and wonder if they’re in a bit of a hurry to wake up from hibernation, what can they be hunting? Their business, at least I have partners. I’m running out of wood, so I turn on the headlamp and go get some more wood. With a beam of light, I flush out a pair of ducks that have landed on an unfrozen part of the pond, flap their wings angrily, and fly away. Even the bats finally understood that the insects probably weren’t much and were disappearing. I’m alone.

Fire’s out, beer’s out, winter’s creeping in, time for bed. I bundle up in my sleeping bag and pretty soon I’m sleeping like a baby.

I wake up in the morning just after five o’clock, making tea for breakfast and adding a good strong coffee after breakfast. I’m packing, which turns out to be a rather difficult task, because the cold is quite severe and I haven’t worn warm gloves, but I can do that, too, eventually, and I’m getting on my bike at six-thirty. But I don’t want to go home. Classes don’t start until nine o’clock today, and that gives me plenty of time to go out. Since it’s sunny again, the target is clear. Lookout! I’m taking a long detour to warm up my numb body. Which I do, given that lookouts tend to be on a hill. I only meet the morning jogger along the way, otherwise there’s not a soul around. Climb the lookout tower, enjoy the view of Liberec, Jablonec, Bohemian Paradise, some pictures and hurrah for home.

I come home just in time for the start of distance classes, I even get to shower my smoke-soaked body, and we’re back at the monitors. Adam’s teaching and I’m working from home. But I’m working considerably better than I did the days before. I managed to snatch one night in nature. And I missed that. I missed it so much.