Barefoot in the Forest for the First Time and the Benefits of Forest Bathing.

July 6, 2024. Today I slept very long, until 10:00 AM. No wonder, since I was awake until 1:30 AM last night watching Criminal Minds.

After breakfast, I showered, soaked my T-shirt and underwear in the sink, and washed my hair. Of course, I didn't blow-dry my hair but let it dry naturally.

For breakfast, I took the last hair vitamin pill. Unfortunately, the hair vitamin supplement didn't help at all with my problem area "scalp."

I originally wanted to go to Hildesheim to relax in the city, but the bus didn't come again. So I changed my plan and thought, why not just take a walk here in the small woods between Borsum and Harsum? That's what I did.

Walking in the woods has countless health benefits:

• Reduction of stress hormones in the blood.
• Lowering of heart rate and blood pressure. The body relaxes.
• Faster recovery after illnesses and surgeries.
• Terpenes, the signaling substances of trees, strengthen the immune system.
• Positive effects on the brain region "amygdala."

Along the forest path, I saw many slimy spots. Later, I found out that they were from slugs. One slug even ate a dead bird. I wonder if you could eat slugs if you were in survival mode? (I later researched: Indeed, slugs can be eaten as emergency food when cooked. However, they are not very nutritious. It's advised not to eat them due to the potential infection with lungworms).

In the woods, I also used my compass, and it's amazing how even along a path you can feel like you're walking straight, but when you look at the compass, you realize you are actually walking in a different direction. That's why such a mini compass, which is attached directly to my bag, is really practical.

I discovered some interesting flowers, plants, and insects that I would like to learn more about. Therefore, when I get home, I will definitely install Google Lens or a similar app so that I can learn more about nature while I'm out. However, I need a mobile contract with data for that, because until now I can only make phone calls and cannot use the internet on the go. Especially in a survival situation, it would be useful to have such an app if one isn't familiar with wild plants, as it can be very helpful.

I stumbled upon a dead end on the forest path and had to either turn back or venture off the path to walk through the woods away from the trail. Out of curiosity, I chose the second option. I walked through the plants and small trees, away from the forest path. Then I realized while looking at my compass that I had been walking in circles. This clearly shows how important a mini compass is to avoid getting lost.

I tried to walk towards the clearing in the forest, but then I found that there were a lot of thorns and roses or something similar, as well as a pit, so I couldn't get out of the woods there. This shows that even if one seemingly finds an escape from the forest, there is no guarantee that one will actually get out—like a big wall of thorns and the pit. Eventually, I walked along this clearing in the woods and finally found the way out.

After this walk of about 6 km, I noticed that the battery on my phone had dropped by 20%. I wondered what I would do if the hike were much longer and there were no outlets nearby to charge my phone. Is there a way to charge my phone in the wilderness without any outlets?

Then the thought of a solar panel came to me. Would it make sense to acquire something like that, now that my backpack has become lighter due to leaving out the tablet? I will research this when I get home. With a solar panel, I wouldn't be dependent on an outlet, anyway.

One thing I learned from this forest walk: If you have no navigation, no compass, no GPS, and no idea what you're doing while in a vast piece of forest, you should try to stay on the forest paths and always follow them. Otherwise, you can quickly get lost and find it difficult to get out.

On the way back home, I was stopped by a man in a black Volkswagen van. Two kids were sitting behind him.

"Where is your girlfriend? She made a campfire on the table at a friend's house."

Then he mentioned other friends. One is missing the fire jacket, and the others are missing their bicycles. That was definitely strange. Everything points to Matilda since I have seen her in a fire jacket, and there were two bicycles at our house that I didn't recognize.

I explained to him that I had already called the police several times and that she is now in the clinic.

When I came back, Mascha and Tobi were there. They told about their trip to Greece and showed pictures from their journey.

When they left, I sat on the balcony and watched the impending thunderstorm. There was a heavy downpour, and during that, I ate a homemade pizza that Mom made.

It seems that the people passing by the house always look in the direction of where we live. That wasn't the case before. Apparently, the whole village knows us now because of Matilda.

My feet survived today's barefoot forest walk with flying colors.