A Pilgrimage of Self-Reflection: Enlightenment in the Foothills of Germany
As a teenager, I was lucky enough to go on a 17 day trek across Germany. It was probably the best trip I have ever been on and will be incredibly difficult to top. As well as being generally very fun, it was a much needed trip to improve my wellbeing and left many of us with a deeper knowledge of ourselves and the world.
I am a huge advocate for the Scouts Association. If you are lucky enough, you will have a good group nearby where you are growing up (they’re not all great I must admit). You’ll be even luckier if you have an Explorers section, aimed at 14 to 18 year olds. I think we were some of the luckiest, as not only did we have a section, but it was awesome. Our main leader Jim, ex-firefighter and a well-qualified legend, was one of the few leaders who were able to take his own group on the Explorer Belt expedition. This was essentially a bunch of work that resulted in a fortnight of trekking in a foreign country of our choice, with 10 cultural investigations a must.