Walking | A Dutch lawyer became completely disgusted with his job and walked 3,000 kilometers to Finland

Helsinki In the bluish evening of the western terminal, a bottle of sparkling wine pops open. Three Dutchmen hug their friend who arrived from the ship.

Smiling Rynaldo Koerhuis digs out the Dutch flag from the chest and carefully attaches it to the walking stick. The atmosphere is warm, even though it’s still a bit chilly.

“I’m so relieved,” he sighs.

28 years old Koerhuis has achieved the goal he set for himself last December: he has walked 3,000 kilometers from Utrecht in the Netherlands to Helsinki. He has spent the entire summer and autumn, the last five and a half months, on the trip.

The idea for walking was born out of a need for a change in life. Koerhuis was disgusted with his job as a lawyer working with the Data Protection Act. The days at the computer and a cup of coffee repeated themselves.

In addition, a long-time friend and roommate wanted to move in with his girlfriend.

Koerhuis made a decision and started preparations: he quit his job, emptied the shared apartment of his possessions and handed it over to his friend. On the first day of May, he left the front door with only a twenty-kilogram pack on his back.

The long road would end at the “Finnishline”, i.e. the Finnish finish line to Helsinki.

Until October by now he has walked for a total of 105 days through Holland, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Sometimes he stopped to rest in the biggest cities. From Tallinn, he traveled to Finland by ferry.

20–40 walking kilometers were accumulated in a day. Even if it was tiring, Koerhuis also wrote notes about his experiences every day. A travelogue open to everyone and a map were gradually drawn on the Polarsteps platform, which was closely followed especially by my own mother.

While walking alone, Koerhuis’s thoughts wandered more often than usual to the environment and animals and sometimes disappeared completely. Connecting with nature, such as meeting a viper and saving a grasshopper, felt meaningful.

The hardest were still the days when you couldn’t talk to anyone. Especially in Poland, the language barrier and indifferent behavior culture caused loneliness.

In the end, however, there was always a friendly encounter that restored confidence in the journey.

“Many people took care of me during the trip, so I was never completely alone.”

Corona pandemic made people go out for a walk. Koerhuis also started the hobby in 2020. Soon he was inspired to tour the numerous walking routes in Holland and two years later to participate in two walking events. After walking 105 kilometers in one day, Koerhuis burst into tears at the finish line.

“The organizers said that it was part of the matter,” he recalls.

The friends who arrived at the port confirm that Koerhuis is fast as a walker and determined by nature.

“I still thought that he wouldn’t make it through this trip,” he says Wolter Veltmanwho was horrified by the weight of his friend’s backpack at the beginning of the trip.

But why Helsinki, when the destination could have been, for example, Santiago de Compostela? Koerhuis wanted to do differently than others, see the Baltic countries and Finland – and not leave. Hikers in southern Europe are plagued by heat and forest fires in the summer.

Now many well-worn pairs of socks, many potato dishes and unforgettable meetings later, Koerhuis’ last route goes with friends through the pub to the accommodation in Jätkäsaari. Life is at a turning point, and a backpack on your back still feels like home.

When Koerhuis returns to his home country by train or bus at the beginning of November, he plans to look for a new apartment and a job, perhaps related to writing. He wants a life that is balanced.

“Everything can always happen on the road, but I learned that things will work out. I want to keep that idea with me for the rest of my life.”