When you have never participated in a march before and initially set out on the Haervejsmarch alone to cover the event and subsequently describe it via the media, it is a fantastic feeling after the deed is done to sit with the thought that you have now become part of a community. A community bound together around the joy of hiking. The joy of experiencing nature at a pace where there is time to see even the little things. Time to enjoy the company of others, your own and let your thoughts run free. And the courage to repeat the experience and possibly expand it with even more.

International atmosphere

That was my experience when I walked the Haervejsmarch for the first time in 2019. An experience that surprised me and not only offered the stereotypes of people I had imagined beforehand, but to a much greater extent offered an international atmosphere, with people from several countries who, in larger or smaller groups, made themselves noticeable by their positive attitude and joy at seeing or revisiting the Danish routes.

There were young people who challenged themselves and each other on the longest routes, military personnel in formation, families who met, walked and ate along the way, 50th anniversary celebrants who had walked the Haervejsmarch every single year without a break and all of us who more or less fell into the gallery of characters and completed the impression of a multicultural and international experience.

Along the way, you encountered conversations, laughter, thoughtfulness, determination and endurance. You encountered music and entertainment, atmosphere and humanity. The marching of German and Dutch soldiers to song was spiced up with horn music at the posts along the way and at the end of the road, you were greeted by a parade ground where the atmosphere was like a better city festival with food stalls, entertainment and massages.

Plus on experiences, minus on sleep
As the icing on the cake, I also had the experience of spending the night in the nearby sports hall. A form of accommodation that did not immediately add many hours to the sleep account, but which to a very large extent added experiences to the life account. Because here too, the differences were great and the ability to be together was enormous.

Already on the first night I had to revise my attitude towards who was participating in the march. Well equipped with a soft air mattress and duvet, I was somewhat surprised when the most common color in the sports hall was military green. There were camp beds set up everywhere and the camouflage-colored backpacks were lined up so neatly that my flowered duvet cover and relatively loosely packed gear were too much to bear in mind at first. But here were all types. Here were those who snored, those whose alarm clock rang at 4 a.m. to be in good time. There were those who farted in their sleep and those who smelled of soap from several meters away. There were those who slept early and those who took advantage of Viborg's festive bars and only came back when the relatively short night was about to turn into morning. But in a strange way, it was part of the experience. Part of the community to also have that experience. I actually enjoyed it, even though the alarm clock at 4 a.m. combined with a couple of slightly loud party-going gentlemen every few hours didn't leave much room for sleep.
 

Sore legs and good memories

And my legs were sore after the two-day march. My body was used up and my energy level in a place that didn't immediately lend itself to a workweek. Just 16 hours later, the finish line had been crossed for the second time that weekend. But with adrenaline still running, a sense of pride in having completed it, and an account of experiences so packed that the stories were waiting to be told, the Hærvejsmarch has established itself as one of the experiences I like to repeat, expand upon, and remember in the future.