Tales and adventures of a Belgian lady and her fourteen furry friends
When the time had finally come to fly back to Europe I was nervous: nervous about having a culture shock, nervous about seeing the same people again after all that had passed, nervous about disliking Belgium even more than I used to. Surprisingly, I loved being there. It was great spending time in my home… Continue reading To the end of the road. And then a little bit further.
Tonight, it is the last night of the winter season. Tomorrow all guests will be heading home, followed by most of the staff on Friday. It has been an intense, strong and unforgettable experience. There have been ups and downs, but overall it has been great. I will miss being here, being out on tour,… Continue reading Season’s End
Finally! After one month of non-stop clouds, grey skies turned blue again.The snow fell off the trees and sunny spring days cheered up all visits to the forests and swamplands. More than 4 weeks early, the winter ended and spring arrived. We've had days of +5°C and more. The end of the season is slowly… Continue reading Springtime
(photo by Karen Mitchell) There are three essential components of preparing for the cold. When you go out, you need to have the right mindset, the right equipment, and the right way of using this equipment. One of my colleagues reminds his guest that when you want to avoid being cold, 30% of your success… Continue reading Gear up for the Cold
About one week ago temperatures started falling drastically, first from between -5°C and -10°C to -20°C, afterwards further down to -30°C and below. All activities are continuing just as before, so there is suddenly much more to think about and to care about on every trip. Once under -25°C and especially under -30°C the risk… Continue reading Winter Finally Arrived: Guiding in Extreme Temperatures
While on snow mobile tour two days ago I noticed something extraordinarily amazing. When I drove up a hill, I suddenly saw the sun fully above the horizon and could feel its warmth. It was the first day in 3 weeks that the sky cleared up, and the first time in 5 that sun rays… Continue reading The Light Returns
During the past years I gained a lot of experience on hiking and outdoor life. But how should you pass this experience on to others, and how should you make sure that others feel comfortable and are safe when you take them on a trip? During the first couple of days I was here, we… Continue reading An Introduction to Guiding
Lost in the Hills 