His girlfriend Monique is still recovering in Erica, but in the meantime hiker Barry Gepken is boldly moving forward with his hike from Southeast Drenthe to Jerusalem. The loss should not spoil the fun for him, although he hopes to arrive at the place of pilgrimage together with Monique.
“I now walk with my own shadow and a stick, my buddies are further away”, Gepken regrets leaving his hiking friend behind. “You hope for a miracle, but it didn’t happen.”
Despite the setback, Gepken hopes that he and Monique will be reunited and continue their journey together. “I assume she will come back to me soon. I see this as a pit stop, that she will come back to me like a racing car.”
In the meantime, he continues the journey, he does not lack motivation and fun, he hints at Radio Drenthe. “I’m enjoying it now”, as the Drent approaches the Czech border. “This is a very beautiful area, the people are very nice. For example, the woman from the church gave me a pot of beer, it’s well done.”
Gepken carries about twenty kilos of stuff on his back during the walk. That led to some back problems, but this heaviness makes him feel stronger. It also strengthens him that his girlfriend Monique is back on the road.
“We have hope and I am one hundred percent sure that it will be all right. If necessary, I will carry a few extra kilos with me. We will definitely arrive in Jerusalem together,” he concludes.