ONE YEAR NST, WHAT’S GOING ON?
“Wandermaus” at Halfway Point
It’s been a year since the North-South Trail was officially launched, and what can I say? The trail is being embraced, people are talking about it, and most importantly: It’s being hiked. In our view, the NST is a significant success, and this is primarily due to the active trail community. Those who define success solely by the number of hikers will naturally disagree on this point. The NST has already become more than I had hoped for, and that’s just in its first (pandemic) year. Interestingly, some hiking clubs have provided the most substantial positive feedback outside the Find Penguins/YouTube/Instagram community. Actually, this isn’t surprising at all, as the NST is not in competition with established trails; instead, it supports them and helps make them even more well-known.
Certainly, a milestone was the launch of the website, a wonderful resource for all those interested in long-distance hiking. I want to express my gratitude once again to Esha for his fantastic work.
One key to the success of the NST is undoubtedly the “Find Penguins” app. It served me not only as a hiking diary and a simple documentation tool for Points of Interest (POI), but also as a rough proof of whether the trail was completed according to the rules by other hikers. Of course, this app, which is fully functional in its basic version and free of charge, is entirely voluntary, and no one is forced to install it. In the first year, a really large community quickly formed around this app.
Thru-hikers can communicate with each other, coordinate, and make plans. In the American trails, this role is typically fulfilled by the so-called “shelter books.” There are even spontaneous gatherings of the lovely Trail Angels. This app is slowly developing a momentum of its own, which I hadn’t expected. Wonderful!
To conclude, I would like to pay tribute to the “Wandermaus” (Hiking Mouse). She started her journey on Sylt in April 2021 and despite the worst weather and lockdown, she reached the Half Way Point of the NST. She was spontaneously surprised by many people from the FP community, a great example of the growing camaraderie on the NST. Thanks to this app, long-distance hikers are no longer alone and anonymous on the trail (unless they prefer it that way), as is the case on many of the long-distance European trails.
So, dear Wandermaus, congratulations and keep going, you’ll conquer the rest too. And to all other thru-hikers of the 2021 cohort out there… I am so proud of all of you.
v.l.n.r. DüsselSieg, Waldpassage, Pura-Vida, Sandra Soundso, BonnGiorno, OssiDlz, Wandermaus
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