Spot and I made it on the road with a self build cart. Here we'll share experiences and thoughts.

The cart can be disassemble and stowed away in a backpack. It does not take that much time to do so. In fact, once the tension from the ropes is loosened, the whole frame falls apart. I love this wood and rope combo!!

Burned markings on the wood help me to put the cart back together.

Finally I took a decent picture of the original cart, with the nice autumn colors.

Because of circumstances I decided to take a break from cart traveling. A few days ago I send the cart direction Belgium together with Patrick & Sophie, a lovely German couple traveling with their camper. So for now this blog will be silent until I pick up cart travel again. Most likely ;)

I'm staying in a forest for a while together with Spot. Alone time to reflect and nurturing body and mind. It's mainly because I feel without energy that I broke out the regular traveling routine. Now recovering slowly, with plenty of warm Portuguese sun, I jumped onto intermittent fasting again. This time with more dedication.

It's going well now for a couple of days, restricting my food intake to a 5-6 hour window. Leaving my body without food for about 18hours. Plenty of rest/sleep and the absence of cold do make this easier.

During this fasting it becomes questionable what hunger really is. Questionable what this sensation I labeled hunger really is. How I am conditioned, unconsciously, towards sensations that come from my belly area. How I mindlessly react by eating. Is there another way to relate to this sensation? One that serves me more?

The body manages it self differently during these longer periods without food. It does things it will not do if it would be continuously fed. Some systems of the body only become active through fasting. It might feel uncomfortable in the beginning as the body has not moved like this in a long time. This change in movement is one I want to welcome, to move the stagnant once again.

I believe in "fasting" as in "temporarily moving away from" as a dynamic that promotes and might even be essential for health of an organism.

Another night in an abandoned home. Amber fixing a meal on the wood gas stove.

Glad to be out of the wind, out of the rain and in a quiet place. Sleeping in an underground parking lot of an unfinished building. You can find these buildings fairly easy in cities. They make good sleeping places. If you get in.

It feels great to be able to transform some fabric or old clothing into something else. Sewing machines are great for that, but whilst traveling I stick to needle and thread. It's a great skill to have and it is fairly easy to start making a bag, tool rolls, toilet baggy, etc... from fabrics that come your way.

Carved a straight baby spoon for lovely baby Michel. It's a slightly bigger spoon with a heart shape on the end.

Being here in Portugal, traveling and away for several months without my laptop. I long to code again for the web, to build my own things. It is so rewarding and fun. Can't wait to be back home!

I just oiled the newly carved spoon with olive oil.

It's a nurturing action that will prolong its life and keep it in good health. Natural objects, just as this spoon, welcome and benefit from such actions. Many modern materials and objects do not. Modern materials resist the natural decay. They are designed to resist it and do not benefit from nor welcome nurturing in the same way that natural objects do.

Most modern objects are carefree and ask little or no nurturing attention. This could be seen as a strength, a benefit, as you do not have to take care of them. But it is this strength that turns into a burden a soon we want to rid ourselves of these modern objects. These objects can not Return naturally. We need to process them, recycle them. If left on their own accord they burden us and our environment. The whole recycling process is long and asks for a lot of human interactions, processes, transportation, energy and it creates even more waste. But to put it short, the act of recycling, which is a need when it comes to modern objects, is a burden for us, it takes huge effort.

Unlike modern objects, there is no effort, no recycling, no human interaction or processes needed, to rid ourselves from natural objects. Those objects decay the moment they are created. You can literally drop them on the ground and Nature will take care of it.

Producing and recycling modern objects, that cannot Return naturally on their own, demand huge amounts of energy. We could use a fraction of that energy to nurture natural objects instead. We could give the things around us some love throughout their life, keeping them healthy and in good shape.

Oil that wooden spoon, wax that cotton jacket. They'll stay with you longer with your loving touch. But when it is time for them to go, they will leave you effortlessly.

Today we stumbled upon a dumpster with just too much food. Bags and bags of perfectly nice produce, fresh grilled chickens, ... A part in us wants to save the food from being thrown away. In the past we ran around and hitchhiked with carton boxes full of food. Meeting only few people, if any, that are open in a way they except free food. This food saving thing became ridiculous pretty fast. So we thought of mixing it up and do a fun day project instead. Inspired by dumpster dive king Rob Greenfield, we made a food mandala giveaway near the beach.

Washing my wool blanket, and other clothing, by the rolling waves. Works really well. No soaps. It smells like the sea and feels super soft.

It is late, and we are still wandering the city. We are having a hard time finding a place to sleep. Next to dumpsters we find big carton boxes. Behind a wall, in a quiet corner, we create a simple carton shelter. It keeps the light drizzle from our sleeping bags and makes a cozy hole for the 3 of us.

Sleeping in the city like this, like a homeless would. Not judging whether it is a good or a bad thing, a should or should not. These thoughts are not relevant anymore. It works, it serves. Moving away from what I have been told about it in the past, from what my outside world says about it or on how I currently view a thing. Feeling comfortable and at ease sleeping like this. No fear, no worry, no polluting thoughts. The younger me would never thought my mind/emotions/conditioning would allow me to do this.

To see the beneficial parts, the richness. To cultivate a mind that is a bit more open, more free, a mind that sees simpler solutions for it is not framed, limited, by how things should be.

The spoon, that I carved a time ago, broke. I start to love more objects, just like this spoon, that decay naturally instead of more modern objects that where meant to avoid the Return. Just like the wooden spoon, once you let such a natural object go, you drop it on the soil, you compost it, it Returns back to Earth without any human interaction, effort or processes. It does not burden us or the environment. It actually enriches the environment as it will consume it. But most of all as soon we let it go we are instantly free of it, without any effort.

Walking out of the city with no place to sleep. Once approaching the beach someone offered us a shelter made of sticks, carton and garbage. Right when we needed it. We fixed it up, leaving it bit better than we found it.

Carved feather out of driftwood.

I walked passed the campervan that was parked near the end of the road. The trail did not continue there. Must have missed a trail marker a few steps back. I turn around and see a German guy sitting next to the campervan. He nodded and said "You'll find your way". I smiled.

A time ago I started making a habit to pickup anything littering the Earth. In my head it is no longer a matter of whom it belonged to or why I should not pick it up, it is not mine anyway. I go for the short and the mind easy solution, I pick it up, the place is cleaned, done. No more spending mind energy on why or why not I should pick garbage up. The most energy sufficient and serving thing to do is to stop polluting my own mind with this nowhere-leading-debating-nonsense and pick it up all ready.

It is still an exercise but at times I get myself as far to pickup others dog poo. I try not to act anymore on what my current/old internal story about my experience says. Its one of the steps I make from the Me towards the We. As in I drop a part of my ego/story doing it to serve that which surrounds/enables me. Because the right answers/actions are mostly so easy. Any unpolluted child or the child in you, knows what to do. My first thoughts become more pure and serving, they mostly do the trick.

But I do not always pick garbage up. There is always a bridge too far and that bridge is Spain. So much garbage everywhere, there is no end to it.

I do not wish to burdened myself with this garbage picking habit. So for now, here in Spain, being gentle with myself, I find a balance picking up far less garbage.

Spain clearly has to learn something about littering its own land. People picking up garbage could serve as an example-inspiration. But it also serves Spain to see the feedback of its current (none-)actions, climaxing soon into awareness and change.

I'm packed with a big bag of this home made wild bouillon (actually calling it bouillon would be like calling a lion a kitten, but hey) powder to top of my evening meals. It supposed to last a few months and will enrich cooked meals with some healty wild flora. It contains a multitude of herbs, from wild spinach, stingy nettles, dandelion, carrots, ground elder, ramsons and many many more. All dried and blended to an ultimate wild powder condiment to health up and spice up my meals. An easy way for me to eat (and become) more diverse and wild. Grooaawll!

Even in a country like Spain food can be found in dumpsters. Sometimes the loot is amazingly fresh and plentiful. From yogurt to veggies from slightly expired to not expired at all. Dumpsters have more than enriched our meals.

It seems easier to dance with life in a more gracious way when the typical kind of richness that comes with modern life is reduced. This dance with life is very different when you are not weighed down with daily luxuries that come for granted with modern life. When the dancer is too heavy, it is much harder to leap, to float, to move, to run. Not to expel all what is modern, I do can enjoy it, but I enjoy the ability to move away from it without fear. The movement feels like an essential and healthy breathing out. And with it you dance a different dance.

Throughout this trip we have been given so much by random people. We have been picked up on the street just to have lunch, we have been given fruits, paella, sandwiches, pancakes, rides, money, advice, hugs, … Many of it without asking for it or expecting it. This is new for me as it never happened like this during my past travels. It's amazing and beautiful.

It makes me want to give more towards others.

I have thinking about this for a while and it would be cool to see a different kind of product design. Products, like a backpack or bike, that are made in a way that they need the addition of Raw Natural Materials. To make an example. You could buy a backpack in the store and it would need you go out and find branches to put into the sloths for the creation of the frame. It would also require you to stuff in padding in several areas. One could use dried grasses or mosses.

There are a few characteristics that would go hand in with this.

skill

These products could require some degree of skill, knife handling so one can trim the branches for the frame etc. Knowledge of the Natural world.

caring

These products are not to be made in a way they last forever. They are made in a way they last a very long time if taken care of. If you nurture those products you will have a very different relationship. Many products, if not all, use materials, like plastic, that are meant to last. But when they are unwanted they are a burden to Nature. Once they are not used anymore, the very effort to make those materials last forever becomes a burden.

return with no burden

The product returns back to the Earth without any need of human interaction. No need for recycling, the energy used for the whole recycling process can be used to nurture your personal products into health instead. They are products that are unable to pollute the Earth as they would simply return back to the earth.

enhanced return

Products that do return to Earth could be actually be beneficial. In corporate seeds, minerals,… in the design for example.

independance & DIY

These products can be fixed and altered by yourself.

no warranty

Because I find the idea of warranty is nonsensical. I can explain why another time.

I lost the main bamboo parts of the cart. :'/ During hitchhiking I probably left the two largest pieces next to the road. Now I'm walking again as I started this trip with only the wheel and brace strapped to my backpack.

I might rebuild another version during this trip. It all depends on what building materials come my way. But for now I threw the remaining bamboo parts away as well. Lessening the weight of my pack. It is a letting go without feeling bad about it.

For now lightweight backpacking it is!

We are at an amazing project for a couple of days. Some kind of free self organising, self learning, ownerless homes, travellers can come to. Just amazing that these kind of project already exist. Check out the link below.

I've wondered before how I would find it to live with only what comes my way. It somehow has always spoken to me. To be outside society, on the edge, somehow alone, away from the saturated modern life. To create a space. Making it easier to welcome something new. I feel there is a beauty to it. For me there is something beautiful into walking where everyone else seems putting so much effort into trying to get away from. It is something I can not describe so easily but it brings tears to my eyes. It is a coming loose, loose of fears, assumption, conditioning. It is a cultivation of a grander belief, a belief that I am ok, that I am taken care of, no matter what. As long I balance my heart and my wild excited mind.

Well, I am being served, a day ago I lost my wallet.So no money, no ID... Let's see where it leads, slowly, gently...

It is clearer now to see when people are deep down not OK. You can see it in their eyes. Sometimes I am back in old patterns, I just let it be and we part ways. Thinking I am not capable of anything good in this kind of situation. But it happened a few times they even offered me money as their gratitude for giving them the unexpected (hug).

It is easy to disappear, to not be seen. While in the past, I spend so much thought and energy on how others would perceive me. As soon as I step down one step on the social ladder, I seem to disappear. To not be seen, to not be helped, to not be looked at. It feels good in away, very calm and free. But it takes a changing, to be right there, content, even sleeping in that abandoned sewer. A big part of me loves it.

Spot and I are roaming the city in search for a sleeping place. It took time to find a dry, quit and clean area where we could bunk down for the night. We walked a fair bit out of the city center and into the night. We found a fairly clean sewer. It's dry, out of sight, and I'm sure we'd be left alone. Sleeping underground in the city.

Today I have cleaned up a small part of the coast where I am camped at. Easily makes 3 full garbage bags. I like this to become more of a habbit, to spontaneously cleanup or pick up garbage. The story of who it belongs to or how it got there becomes less relevant.

Hitching our last 30k towards Cassis (France).

So far Spot and I have fast and smooth rides! On our way towards Dijon.

Can not believe we hitched from Belgium all the way to south France in one day. With huge pack and dog. Amazing. Thanks to all the rides.

In a couple of days Spot and I will be traveling with the one wheeler cart. I really have to go. Actually I should have left weeks ago. I kinda missed my cue as it has already been snowing here in the Ardennes.

We'll start of with hitchhiking through France. We do not have a plan except we will be traveling south. Exciting.

Made a brace for the one wheeler. You can see it sitting in between the branches. The brace is made out of wood and prevents the wheel from twisting or collapsing under heavy weight. It's not ideal yet though.

This spoon is sanded to bring out the smoothness of the curves. The emblem on the end of the spoon is burned.

During our trip through Slovenia we met Nara. He was one of the most interesting and impactful individuals I have met. For me he was the bare feet God and through him came my motivation to leave my shoes behind, again. As it was not the first time I tried. Because of this encounter my girlfriend and I walked bare feet for a whole day in a forest. As a result of the long walk we both had a headache that same evening.

Barefeet walking gives one's feet a sturdy massage. Doing so it can, according to my experience, loosen up all kind of things. In foot reflexology, different zones on the sole of the feet connect to corresponding organs. Walking barefeet for first times could present some discomfort or change in the body. But that is a good sign. It means that for too long the body has not been manipulated in that way. Having a headache as a result of this manipulation can be a sign. A sign that some form of stagnation present in your feet or any related organs is being released.

I do wonder how big the benefit of bare feet walking has on my health.

A while ago I wrote about "not trying to get somewhere" in Getting somewhere.
I stumbled upon this lovely Alan Watts talk that surfaces something similar of what I'm trying to get back to.

Today I made a quick cart prototype with only one wheel. It will make walking narrow trails easier. The cart will be constructed from branches that I find on location. The cart is mainly a rig around my giant backpack. I still will be able to carry my backpack, to hitchike for example, leaving the wood behind and only taking the wheel and axle with me. When in need, when loaded with dog food for example, or when walking trails, I can construct another cart from branches that I find.

Trying out different ways to connect the branches. The above formation is very stable as the center point of gravity sit low.

Carved and burn decorated spoon.

I have been wondering about this for a while now. Would it be cool to make a workshop around this cart thing? I could give two workshops. One workshop would focus on creating the actual cart. While the other workshop would focus on traveling with the cart.

Cart crafting

I'll take you through the whole building process. You'll be crafting your own wood and rope cart with hand tools such as sizzle, woodworking knife, spokeshave, etc. The cart can be tailored to your own height and needs. We can decorate with a burning pen or alternative ways. We finish the cart with (natural pigmented) linseed oil, ...

Cart traveling

We could travel with a small group of people (do bring your dog, Spot will be joining us as well). We'll expose ourselves to nature whilst remaining gentle to the body and mind. Such as cold swims, walking barefeet, fasting, welcoming the elements, forest pooping ("boskakker badge" to be earned!), etc...

We'll slow the flip down. This does not mean we walk lazy and slow. It means we take our time to do things. For example, in the morning we could fast, do breathing and body exercises, welcome the sun, etc, before we start walking.

In the evening and during free time we could carve (spoons), (learn to) play music (bring instruments if you have, plenty of space on your cart :D), practice fire making, etc...

I would like to put a bit of an integrated meditative and mindful character into this workshop, without making it fuziwasa.

Does this speak to you? Do you have input? How would you like to see this workshop? Do get in touch matthias.crommelinck@gmail.com

The perfect theme song: Blue Mind by Alexi Murdoch.

Clearing a passage for the cart. Progress is slow at times, but it sure is adventurous.

A cotton bag where I keep dry wood pieces, my cooking fuel on rainy days.

A typical meal, dry whole foods, such as brown rice and lentils, complimented with fresh picked wild greens.

This morning the cart had it's first flat tire. Brambles for sure. But I did not carry a repair kit or pump. Amazingly a cyclist stopped almost as soon we noticed the flat. Instead of borrowing, he just gave us his pump so we could inflate the tire on the go. Soon after, with the tire went flat again, another gentleman stopped and offered his repair kit and his help. So nice, thank you. 🙏

I was curious how easy it would be to catch rides with Spot and the cart. But we got our first ride! The cart disassembles into a giant pack and fits most trunks. It remains a heavy load dragging it in and out the car though. So it's not something for every day. But it worked, we got rides, with cart and dog.

I'm at the side of the road with my thumb up. Spot is laying behind the giant pack, drawing not too much attention.

Hitching rides with Spot has been proven challenging in the past. Now, with the extra giant pack, I'm doubtful if anyone would offer me a ride. It started raining and I'm laughing at the futility of my attempt to hitch a ride. Who would ever offer a ride to this guy with his huge pack and his wet dog?

Amazingly people stopped, I don't know how, maybe it was the smile of futility that did the trick, but people stopped. I never thought, amazing, thank you.

Sometimes I flow away in thoughts on how it would be like to live a life that holds everything I desire. Not the modern life filled with compensational acts, but a self invented life which integrates all those things servingly and beautifuly.

Cool mantra kinda song I learned from a nice guy at a gathering. I'm really fond of the lyrics and it suits this cart theme. Chords are C G F G

Lay yourself down on the rocks now
Lay your body down by the river
listen to the rythm of the other side
lose yourself in the mean time
Listen...
Let your body be your guide
Let the waters decide
Lose yourself in the meantime

I do love it, to just unroll my mat and lay myself down for sleep. No tent no tarp. It is so simple, so open, so free.

One of the downsides of this cart is the high point of gravity. The biggest mass sits high above the wheels. Steep trails can flip the cart over. The advantage: the cart does not sink so easily away in mud and it makes pushing the cart through bushes and tall grasses more easy.

When it is raining lightly you do not need rain protection. The heat you generate is often more than enough to keep your shirt dry. Sometimes, when it is not too cold, and the rainfall does gets me wet, I take of my shirt. It takes less effort being disturbed by the wet and the cold than to fiddle around drying clothes after. My feet are most of the time already naked and they welcome the rain and the wet first. It makes an easier life not avoiding puddles, clinging on to fences not to get you shoes muddy, and make your way towards that bridge just to cross that small stream. Welcoming your body to the elements like this makes you roam more free. Your gear dictates less the way and demands less care and attention.

I believe it is healthy to expose myself to the cold the wet. I see it as a counter weight in training a healthy body. It also brings me a joy, a joy that comes with being more capable, more free, healthier and needing less.

A friend let me try out his wood gas stove and I loved it. Now I carry my own with me.

Things I like about this stove:

• it lets me cook with little fuel
• there is little/no smoke when it is up and running
• I'm not dependend on fuels (alcohol, gas etc.. ) I have to buy
• I do not have to carry fuel.
• no more waste or packaging that comes with buying fuels.
• cost free use of the stove.
• a planet friendly cooking stove.
• fuel (wood) can be found almost everywhere, even in the city parks.
• I cooked in public places before, safely and without drawing attention.
• one packed chamber of dense wood is able to cook water for +40min (I do need to refill when burning less dense wood)
• I can fuel up on sticks and branches without the need of a saw or an axe. But I do useally put in some sawed bigger-denser pieces in the fuel chamber.
• I can cook real unprocessed foods like lentils and rice that require longer cooking times without worrying about fuel or fuel costs.

Even though it first felt like another bushcraft gadget, for me this wood gas stove gives me flexibility to cook real foods in a planet friendly way with fuel that is found practically everywhere, wherever I want and without leaving a trace. Love it!

For me it makes a good exercise, walking in the streets, without shoes, with a cart and a loose dog. It's an exercise in moving the way I want to, while the whole world around me moves differently. It is not a rebellion or a force against, but more so a giving in, finally, to what speaks inside.

This cart thing gives me opportunity to grow in this. It's a practice where I try to handle my thoughts and emotions and carry myself in a more centered and balanced way. It took time and practice but now my inner movement speaks brighter and with less assumptions on what others or the world around me may say.

What helped for me is to realise that how we look (towards others, objects), how we perceive, is through one of infinite possible ways. For me it is a matter of seeing through the more beautiful, the more serving. When I got this, nothing offended me or shook me up anymore. (at that time, but now things still can)

Judgement lost its emotional negative effect on me because all I see, when judgement is being poured over me, is how this person is seeing me. In that moment a view is being presented to me and with it that person reveals something very intimate. The quality of her or his seeing. You can take and leave what you want from it. It's a matter of integrating the most serving and beautiful views and let the lesser ones be.

When a more beautiful and serving view is integrated, the teacher, the fear, disappears. You then look with a view of your own conscious choosing enabeling you to move more freely within this world, with less fear. Somehow it feels like a breaking free.

I choose to do this cart thing because I try to explore "my own" talk and beliefs. Doing so I see what serves me or what I need to tweak or drop. It still takes effort to put myself out there and show more of what lives inside me. Seeing the response of the world around me, with a different understanding, makes it much easier to walk that path.

It's enriching to allow yourself to move your own movement, to move with less fear. To embrace and enjoy diversity more and more and naturally become a part of that by acting more on what lives inside you. It is beautiful to see more people to allowing themselves to move in their own unique way. They move more freely, with less fear, breaking the mold around our heads and our hearts.

The idea to create the cart with just wood and rope came from a previous project. Whilst living in my van I spend most of my time on my bed, which is just a big van-sized lounge area. This small folding table came in handy when I wanted to use my laptop. Now I could sit and work comfortably with my laptop on my bed. The table is easy to setup and to store away, it's light, it's made from scraps and made without hinges, just wood and rope.

Spot's coat gets complimented at times on how shiny and healthy it looks. It's an seemingly effortless feat. No washing, no oils, no products, just some dust and rain seem to do the job.

Isn't it peculiar that an animal like Spot has healthy and odorless skin conditions effortlessly? While we somehow are bound to products, to effort, to maintain our outer health.

Following Spot's lead has made my washing become soapless (Except on occasion because of the odd very dirty job) and it works. Nature handles things just fine if you are able to back off and give it some space. Big chance Nature finds a way to handle things for you. And when that happens life declutters, life becomes more simple. Be more like Spot, start to move away from this whole shampoo thing.

The most precious cart parts are the axle and wheels. Those I would not leave behind. All other parts can be repaired or recreated from wood with some basic hand tools. I carry one sizzle, a folding saw, and a wood working knife.

My intention was for both Spot and me to pull the cart. It is a bit of a dream to invent a way and life style that integrates and gives purpose back to dogs. This cart thing was meant to be a playful step in that direction.

Spot pulls the cart on his own and is hardly a physical burden for him. I made sure there is very little weight pushing onto his shoulders. Once the cart is rolling it takes little effort to keep it going. But he is not too excited about it.

I try to make him pull on easier stretches and for smaller periods. Hoping he might get more enthusiastic about it. We'll see...

Another very easy to spot wild edible. Goosefoot ("melde" in Flemish) gets it's name from it's goosefoot shaped leaves. The wild edible is easy to determine because of the particular white or purple (another but related plant) powdery stuff covering the top leaves. It's a good eating and tastes somewhat like spinach.

Looking at Spot, I see he does not mind being dirty. I would take it even further and state that him being dirty (exposure to dirt) is beneficial towards his health. I would not see it any other way for any other being including myself. With that I do not mean to go reeking like a dead fish around the office. If that is the case than the microbial cultures on the body obviously can not find a healthy balance. Maybe it's because of stress, food, surroundings. Or because you soap your skin too much and prevent it from creating a healthy, balanced and diverse bacterial population in the first place. It could take a few bumps and lifestyle changes to get there. Maybe it's all not that convincing to you but still,... be more like Spot, be a little dirty.

It makes for a good exercise, walking in the streets, without shoes, with a cart and a loose dog. In the past I would not allowed myself to do this. I would feel too insecure, too uncomfortable. Even if it would be an innocent act of exploration, something out of curiosity, I would suppressed it and not allow it. The critical and judging voice of my surroundings, or at least my idea about it, spoke much louder than the little voice I had inside.

The cart gives me opportunity to grow in this. To handle my thoughts better and to carry myself differently and in a more centered way. It took time but now my inner movement speaks louder than (my assumptions on) what others or the world around me may say. I see that how we look, how we perceive, is just through one way of an infinite possible ways. For me it is just a matter of seeing through the more beautiful, the more serving. When I got this, nothing really offended me or shook me up anymore. It's like judgement lost its effect over me because all I see, when judgement is being poured over me, is how this person shares how he/she is seeing me, nothing more. It's just a matter of taking from it what you want. Integrating the most serving and beautiful views and let the lesser ones just be. The beautiful thing is, that once this lesson is learned, once it is integrated, the fear, the teacher, disappears. When you look at the world and yourself with a more beautiful and serving view, you'll able to move more freely, with less fear.

Somehow it's a breaking free.

Now I choose to do this cart thing, not because of a play of ego, but because of a result of what I feel and think inside. I try to walk my own talk and by doing so I see if it really serves me. For me it still takes effort to put myself out there and show more of what lives inside me. But seeing judgement, the response of my outer world, differently, makes it much easier to walk that path.

To allow yourself to be different and to move with less fear. To embrace your diversity more and more and try to be a part of it by acting on what lives inside you. I believe we need people that allow themselves to move differently, move more freely, with less fear. Because they'll be the ones that break the mold around our heads and our hearts.

One of the goals was to be able to put the whole cart, wheels and all, in a backpack. It would allow for more movement, through public transportation and so on. The axle itself is easily disassembled as there is no need for wrenches or any other tools. Man I love so much simple things that work...

As with the bare feet walking, I like this path where I become more capable and as a result I am in need of less. I am exploring this (mentally and physically) for a while now and would love to see where it leads.

To sit perfectly fine without a chair. To not be depended on the comfort of the chair but to create that comfort from within. Doing so one becomes more, as in more capable, more flexible, more adaptable, more free.

There is a balance to be found between being nurtured and in being exposed. Both you are able to control. I believe there is a sweet spot right between exposure and nurture where growth is most powerful. It is a fine balance between the qualities of the Woman and the Man. It needs the more womanly sensitivity and the listening towards all aspects that are you, and it needs the more manly focus to be able to be disturbed by your experiences without them leading you away.

The above is a belief, and it has noise, is not so pure, not so clear, and will most likely change in the future. It is still partly a mental thing, but is a general direction where I want to go. I do believe the idea is a beautiful one because it implies that I am ever more capable the more I guide myself into exposure. Doing so it makes a journey where I get to know myself, where I see myself change. The more I get to know myself, more deeply, more finely the more I become capable. It is a vicious circle, one I desire.

I hope for the day he'll speak so vividly I'll have no choice but to drop my idea of what he is.

Pulling the cart with a bike trying to make Spot's journey a little easier. Depending on how fast I bike (downhill) I let him jump on or off.

Another kind of food I stumbled upon along the road. Even though wild foods are something I want to eat more, it's not wild edibles and rice all the time. I'm not there just yet.

I'm not the only one. This cart thing is catching on!

I love to have more freedom to camp were it presents itself. It's nice to just make camp where I stopped for the day. Free camping is "illegal" in Belgium. But more and more I try not to hide my presence anymore. The act of hiding enforces the limiting-unserving-narrow believes-behaviours in most others. The very things we-I do not truly want. Camping next to the road gives clear view on my innocent intentions to whomever is walking by.

Even when traveling with the cart, when there is no reason for hurry, still I have to remind myself. For a moment I stand still, breathing in and out, let my tummy relax-expand, let old habits fade away, reminding myself, I do not need to get anywhere.

The idea of getting somewhere is nested deep within me. It is the main drive-dictator-influencer of my movement (not just physical) throughout the day.

I remember, not so long ago, when I hiked that it was this same drive that send me from hut to hut. It seemed all about making it to the next stop. What if my movement through the day was not going to work according to the plan in my head? This can not be, let's​ walk a bit faster, let's have a smaller lunch break, let's take less photos, let's not explore this side track, let's (not) do this or that just to ensure the plan is realised.

This one belief-habit is a break on my playfulness-wondering-wandering-flexibility-easyness-curiosity-flowinglyness. It hinders life to throw in some interesting-surprising-fun-… experiences. It's the act of squeezing and holding onto an idea so tightly, of how it supposed to be, that I leave no room for anything else to happen outside my narrow frame of thinking. It makes for a dull and exhausting life.

Most of the times, it is still hard for me to recognise this drive and to jump out of it. But I'm trying. K is my inspiration for this. Life somehow moves around her. Good things happen to her, especially when she is traveling. She is carried in some way. I'd love to be more like her, hoping this whole cart thing brings me closer to that.

The cart now has some kids bike bmx kind of tires. At times these tires collect a whole lot of mud. Smoother tires would have been a better choice. They wouldn't hold on to so much mud and they'll probably roll smoother.

To my surprise I found a patch of ramsons ("daslook" in Flemish) when walking in the woods. Great garlic-onion-like wild edible to add to your dish. Crush the leaves, if you smell union/garlic than you are sniffing ramsons, or bear's garlic, indeed.

A while ago I went biking with the empty cart attached. Spot was walking along and for the downhill and faster parts I let him jump on the cart. It was a good test to see how well the cart works together with a bike.

When biking in between backyards I send the cart flying. One of the cart wheels impacted on a concrete pole that was laying on the side of the narrow path. (Good thing Spot was not on the cart) The cart got a beating but was remarkably ok to my surprise. Maybe it was luck but I think one of it's strengths is that is semi flexible. The ropes take the impact and not so much the wood. Awesome!

Nara, a guy I met during travel, inspired me to walk more and more barefooted. During these cart travels I will try to do so most of the time. My sandals are packed in case my feet need comfort.

For me barefoot walking is a process of gently exposing my feet to the earth. During walks I try to feel and pay attention to the sensations in my feet. Making sure I support-aid-relieve my feet when they ask for it.

It is fairly new for me though, trying to check in with my body so often. But it is a practice that is easier to do during these walks.

Just as with barefoot walking, I try to find balance between exposure and gentleness. I love to become better at orchestrating that balance.

I find this one of my favourite wild edibles. Taste so great in pesto and in soup, and so abundant. In Flemish we call it zevenblad. It is very easy to recognise because of it's particular leaf formation. Munch away next time you see one!

Spot has never got used to traveling with the van. Often he would have a hard time panting whilst we're driving. It is mainly because of him that I moved towards this alternative traveling.

Traveling by foot seemed to be the logical choice. But just thinking about dog food alone, baggage would be too much for me to carry. And I do not want to go dog food shopping every few days. So a cart seemed like a great solution.

I'm glad and find it rewarding to have Spot help me move towards something more different and exciting.

I gave, thanks to some pushing from a friend, my first (dog) workshop ever. It was the first time I was able to talk in public without "fear" bringing me out of balance​ or preventing me to share in the first place.

I would like to try this again by giving a workshop/session at the "Groot Bushcraft Weekend" about this cart and dog thing. The event starts somewhere in the beginning of October. Till then I will have plenty of time to gather more experience and be more accustomed to this cart life.

At times I love walking through the night but tonight the feeling of tiredness asked more attention than my drive to walk. I dropped myself in a field covered in tall grasses​. It feels good to rest. It feels good to act freely as things present themselves. It is so simple, I'm tired, I sleep. Not to be bound to any ideas like "trying to get somewhere".

A few days back a couple of friends got inspired by Philippe Gérard. They told me you could eat the leaves of the linden tree and that it serves well as a bulk for salad. I stumbled upon many during my first trip. One tree had particular sweet leaves. Almost like there was a little sugar coating on. Were it not ants that go for lice bum sucking? Could it be the excretion of the lice that make for a sweet thin layer on the leaves? Is that too​ far fetched? But if so, I love lice! They sure top of the flavour.

Our first full day walked is a fact. Yesterday Spot and I walked with the cart from town to town (Sint-Lievens-Esse to Meldert) which makes for a small 30k. It was great to create and feel that sense of wandering/adventure/freshness/joy/freedom in my own country. A feeling that in the past only came up when backpacking/hiking in a far away country.

Literally, during my first walk, I ate as I walked. I nibbled on different plants along the way. There are plenty of greens being lush, fresh and at their best. This adds so nicely to this whole cart experience. Like puzzle pieces.

For the record I am no herbal guy or into the whole wild plants thing but I am getting more and more into it. It starts with a few plants easy to recognise and to eat. I will share a few of those plants here. This way, maybe next time your out, you'll be munching some wild strong healthy goodness too.

Now I walk the city
I have to pee,
but I cannot. o My body's asking,
but I cannot.
It does not understand,
I have to deny,
what animals do not.

The cart was taken apart as the wood needed a few layers of linseed oil. Putting the cart back together I fumbled around with the ropes and ended up tightening the ropes another way. It is fun to be able to play-explore with it, to search and to improve on it.

Here's a timelapse video of me assembling the cart.

I bought a simple ground sheet that doubles as a shelter and a rain cover for the cart. The tarp in the background, a DD hammock tarp, I will leave behind. It is too fragile and too prone to firefly damage. Having the cart, a bit extra weight is no problem.

Spot and me tried out the cart. We pulled the cart with a dummy load just to see how well it's handled. First impressions where good. The cart rolls nicely and it feels fairly strong and stable. Great :)

The cool thing about the cart is that I did not use any screws or any other factory made hardware. The whole cart is made from wood and rope (except for the axle and wheels). Almost like our bones and muscles, the wood brings forth the structure and the ropes tighten it together to a semi flexible whole.

It took plenty of sketches and thought but now the cart, at least the prototype, is finished. Made with hand tools, no screws, no nails, just rope and wood. The rope holds the wood together, a bit like how our muscles and ligaments keep our bones together.

This sketch explores building the cart around my big Karrimor Sabre backpack. The wheels can go close together when traveling narrow paths.

Another sketch exploring different types of carts. This one with a big wooden box.

Making many sketches allows me to explore how I want to use the cart or what I demand from it.

• Be able to hitchhike with the cart?
• Be able to build/repair the cart with raw natural materials?
• Be able to fold/dismantle/stow away the cart?
• Be able to carry the cart on my back?

Another of many sketches I made, a cart with a metal frame with duffel bag.

Sketching is a great way to exploring a thing before building it. It's a fun way to foresee problems and gain insight in the product. The best things I have build so far where always sketched out first. This sketch is about a very lightweight cart build around my backpack.

I love to explore creations/ideas on paper before I realise them. This cart thing has been on my mind for some time. Here are some cart sketches from 2015.

All these carts have different properties with each their advantages and tradeoffs. The act of drawing like this brings out these differences and becomes an exploration of what I really want. It is a way to match the cart with how I will travel. Or at times adjust my way of travel to the cart.

For example a one wheeler cart would be excellent for narrow mountain trails, but it would be less convenient for carrying heaver loads compared to a cart with two wheels. Especially when the two wheeled cart would be loaded in a balanced way.

There are many answers to that question. But a short one is; because I have journaled about it since a long time.

When something sticks like that over the years, than I want to answer and honour that knocking on my door. I do not know where it will take me. But it feels like it is something I have to do, that I will learn and grow from it in someway.