'Winter' on the Hoge Veluwe

My biorhythm tells me it's time to get up, but I haven't heard my alarm clock - which is set about 8 o'clock - yet, so I muse for a while in my tent.
I hear that Rein is already busy packing his tent.
I look at my watch and to my horror I see that it is already 10 past 9!
In a hurry I'm going to make coffee first ... I'll give myself some time for coffee, so that I can make a quick start in about 5 minutes.
At about a quarter to ten when I packed everything. I haven't lost my camping skills - despite years of absence from the backpackers club! and together we walk towards the entrance of the Hoge Veluwe.

Yesterday at the end of the afternoon I arrived - at the same time as Rein - at mini-camping Kooningsveld. Herman was already settled, because his tent was already there.
A little later Wietske arrived ... and a little later in the evening Eline arrived. With the five of us we are going to make it a nice backpacking weekend.

The Hoge Veluwe is a beautiful park with alternating heath, grass, shifting sand and forest.
We mostly walked on the Veluwe Zwerfpad ... and did not meet any other hikers ... it seemed that we had the park to ourselves ... perhaps due to the rainy weather.

For most members of our backpackers club, bad weather is not a problem .. on the contrary: winter camping rather adds something special to the camping experience ... unfortunately, winter camping in the Netherlands is no longer what you would (or should) expect: no freezing temperatures and no snow, but plus 10 and mostly rain ...

After our coffee break in a drizzling rain we continued towards Otterlo. Along the way we searched for wildlife and traces of wildlife ... there are wolves in the Hoge Veluwe these days and - although we didn't see the wolves - we probably saw their footprints in the sand ... that's special enough!

Near the Kröller-Müller museum there is a kind of restaurant ... actually more of a luxurious canteen, but good enough for a coffee with or without cake.
Since I stopped smoking exacly a year ago, coffee has become a "drink of the gods" for me: coffee feels like a reward.

Well before the evening we arrived at camping Beek en Hei in Otterlo.
It was the same campground where I camped 12 years ago on a backpacking trip I organized... time flies

That evening Herman and I went to Otterlo. On a cozy terrace around a gas-fired campfire, the beers tasted great!

The backpackers weekend was almost over: via the Planken Wambuis we walked together towards Arnhem.
The pancake house in the middle of the forest was too enticing to just pass by.
After the coffee break and for some a pancake, we split up: Rein and I went left towards old Reemst.

It had been a long time since I had joined the backpackers club and I was glad I decided to join a backpackers-weekend again.
It was a very successful weekend, thank you Wietske, Eline, Herman and Rein!