back in Luxembourg. what will be the next adventure?

back in my home COUNTRY. (this should be proof enough it actually exists..)
Canada, I miss you dearly.

leaving Canada...

That moment when you step into the plane with tears in your eyes because you don't want to go.. well.. home.
It feels like Canada is my new home and I can't believe I am leaving.

Man. I've been dog sledding, hiking in breathtaking nature, canoeing on beautiful lakes, skiing crazy mountains, driving incredible roads... I learned valuable skills and made friends for a lifetime that are like family to me.

I lived in my car for almost 3 months exploring and I have never been happier.

Driving my Jeep while blasting out country music and smelling like dog shit was what made me happy.
Now it's back to being "European"..

A valuable lesson I learned is that there are no goodbyes. I will be back

Baamaapii my friends, I love you

joining the Sourtoe Cocktail Club in Dawson City, Yukon

join the Sourtoe Cocktail Club: ✓

jep I enjoyed my drink with a real human toe.. yummy yummy!

Achieve life goal (hiking to Fairbanks bus 142 from Into the WIld): ✓

Achieve life goal (hiking to Fairbanks bus 142): ✓

I disagree with a lot of ideas and actions of Chris McCandless; I don’t think burning your money and isolating yourself from friends and family solves any problems. If anything, it causes more problems.

However, his views and thoughts about this world and society are just incredible and should be an inspiration to everyone.

I am not one of those people that watch the Hollywood adaption of Into the Wild and decide to hike out into the Alaskan wilderness, thinking it will solve all my problems, just to be rescued by State Troopers because of a failed river crossing or because I got lost.

Well.. that’s almost exactly what happened.

In order to make it to the bus in which Chris McCandless spent the rest of his life you have to cross the Teklanika river.
The Teklanika river is known for its failed crossing attempts that even claimed lives.
I was keen and motivated to cross the river on my own. After 15km I got close to the river and met a group of people who told me to turn around because the river is uncrossable.

And holy moly that river indeed looked very very uncrossable.

I met 4 French people of whom 2 appeared to have made it across the river.
They told me they have been trying for 2 days now and finally found the solution.
I asked them how the hell they got over there to which one of them replied:
“Oh, we use se backpack to swim over se riveur, my friend got dragged for 100 metrés but it is possible.”
Yeah right. “swim over the river”.
“Nono, I am serieux, watch me”
He grabbed his backpack, jumped in the furious glacier river and instantly got pulled underwater. A few seconds later he re-appeared and somehow swam/walked/got pushed to the safe side.

“Your turn! We will help you!”

Eeeeehm okaaaay. Is it worth dying to see a bus? Probably not.
But… I hiked 17km already and I got 4 people ready to drag me out of the water.
And I really really want to get to the bus.

I grabbed my backpack took 1 step into the river and wush. In the river I was.
Using my backpack as a floating device I tried to regain footing and somehow lunged myself towards the shore until I reached the helping hands of my new friends.

That was crazy.

This hike was definitely the most adventurous and dangerous thing I have ever done but I just had to see where this young man spent the rest of his life. In absolute freedom.

Being out there in that little old bus in the middle of nowhere made me realize why he spent 113 days out here until his death. I never felt so free. For once I didn’t care about taxes I have to pay, about paycheques, rules to follow, insurance, relationships, the future, obligations etc.etc.
You can just do and be whoever you want to be. And it feels so good.

“It should not be denied that being footloose has always exhilarated us. It is associated in our minds with escape from history and oppression and law and irksome obligations. We are longing for the absolute freedom.”

McCandless escaped the modern-day rat race; he elected to get away from the mundane "study hard, get good grades, work, eat, sleep, work some more, pay taxes and die" routine.
Although he was an excellent student and graduated with a first class degree he described this process as an irksome obligation that he only completed because it was expected from him. In Alaska he was able to live on his own terms and escape those "irksome obligations." Getting away from it all and enjoying TRUE freedom was exhilarating to him.

I could write pages about his and my views about this world and this society but the most important thing I learned is to think for myself. Don’t be a slave to society. Think independently. You don’t have to be part of the rat race.

Chris McCandless could have walked out back to civilization if he wouldn’t have been so reckless. Ironically his death lead to the spreading of his story which is an inspiration to so many people.

And the biggest inspiration in my life.

I hope all of you read the book (don’t watch the movie) and think.

Maybe you will get inspired! :)