Like Father, Like Son

Some of you may recognize my jersey: it belonged to my father, who died in an mountaineering accident two months prior.
Although this trip was never planned with my dad in mind, the vacancy that his loss caused was ever present. Starting at the preparation, where I was lost at the sheer range of options, no matter whether it regarded the clothes, shoes or other items of gear - I was overwhelmed as I am just a "commuter" and have not required any special gear so far and I would have needed his experience to navigate the almost unlimited options.

It was not just the practical advice and help that I missed, but also his commentaries: what would he had replied to my posts here on FindPenguins? I know that he as a student himself undertook several bike trips to Greece with friends; I would have loved to compare our experiences - why we set out in the first place, how it felt, the joy of little things like a cold beverage, social dynamics ...

But to my questions there will be no answers, and I am left with his jersey and a photograph of him that accompanied me on my trip.

So this footprint goes out to you dad: I miss you.Read more