Here’s to my mates

Building strong relationships is easy when you're walking side by side with good people, and on the morning of the fourth day, luck had it that I was found on the side of the road by three amazing guys. I was shivering, tired, and ready to head back to town by the first available route, but I stuck with them without really knowing why, and thanks to them, this stormy morning turned into a victory.

Of course, you can be assured that the people you meet on a long hike have interests in common with you. They are crazy enough to embark on a five-month adventure, they don't mind skipping a shower and don't expect you to be clean either, and there's a good chance they love nature and The Lord of the Rings.

But I still was pretty lucky when I crossed paths with those three guys. We were all very different, and perhaps in our regular lives, we would never have met, but after a few hours, I already had the comforting feeling that we had each other’s back, and that somehow we cared for each other.

So here's to Nick, the first to leave us (for good reasons) but who hid the best heart behind some sometimes grumpy outlook, always helpful, modest, funny and kind. To Alex (aka Idaho, though i’m not sure that would have stuck), who reminded me of a little brother, who’ll always be associated with the joy of the first evening’s victory burger, a guy whith a complex relationship to his spoon, and all the little episodes that we would remember and laugh about for the rest of the trail (like when we found his socks thief 4 month after). Last but certainly not least, to Alex (aka Cucumber, then Meth Trout), a big brother, a man of wisdom and who would have gladly showed us how to wield a pickaxe like pros had we not been too stubborn to admit that we needed the help.

I never expected to find such great companions on the trail so early on. We didn't hike the entire way together, but those first few weeks will always hold a special place in my memory, and and it is something to be thankful about.

So, guys, wherever you are, thanks