Karlijn’s Charity Walk

Karlijn from the Netherlands hiked the Gudbrandsdalsleden in the summer of 2025 — the Olav Path in Norway. With her hike, she raised money for an ocean conservation charity.

"I’ve been in love with Norway ever since my very first visit back in 2013 — it was truly love at first sight. Since then, I’ve returned almost every year, mostly exploring the coastal regions because of my work. But I’ve always dreamed of discovering more of the inland, and when I came across the different Pilgrim trails a while ago, they felt like the perfect way to do just that. Since this is my first long-distance hike of this kind, I chose to start with one of the shorter routes — and this part of the Gudbrandsdalsleden felt like the right place to begin.

The trail so far has been absolutely breathtaking, and we’ve been blessed with great weather. There have been a few challenging sections, but overall everything is going really well. I’ve met pilgrims from all over — Germany, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands — and everyone has been so kind and open. That’s one of the things I love most about traveling: when you open yourself up to the people around you, you end up learning so much — not just about them, but about yourself too.

At one point, the idea just clicked: why not turn this hike into something that supports a good cause? I’ve been following the work of The Ocean Cleanup for a while and have supported them before, around my birthday, so this felt like a natural fit.

This time, I thought: I’ll walk for the ocean. And so I created a fundraiser — something small, yet meaningful and close to my heart.

If you’d like to support it, follow this link: fund.theoceancleanup.com/s/2112/2295Or follow my journey on Instagram: @karlijnverpalen."

Karlijn, The Netherlands