#4: [30-Dec-24]

#3: [16-Oct-24]

#2: [24-Jan-15]

#1: [02-Mar-07]

11-Jul-2025 -- I visited this confluence point on day #125 on my long hike and on my second day in Bosnia. This is the 10th Confluence point that I am visiting on this trip.

The hilly terrain led me along field paths and small roads with sweeping views, passing through impoverished villages. Here, haystacks still stand—a sight I’ve long missed in Austria. As usual, I paused for lunch in nature, took my now-habitual selfie, and ate my muesli .

Since it was still early, I detoured for an hour to visit the confluence of 45°N and 16°E. The 45th parallel is one of my favorites—it perfectly balances Earth’s extremes, lying midway between the North Pole and the equator, where seasons and daylight hold equal weight. I once dreamed of visiting every confluence point along this latitude from the Atlantic to Vladivostok, but the logistical chaos made me abandon the idea. This particular spot, however, I’d already sought out ten years ago in January snow, during a whirlwind weekend trip from Zurich to Bosnia. Today, it lay in a mixed forest, just 40m off a trail. In Bosnia, you never stray off-path due to landmines—but I’d researched this spot thoroughly back then.

As I walked along a small paved side road, I spotted a bird lying in the middle of the street—clearly hit by a car. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a small owl . It could flutter but couldn’t fly properly, and there was a small wound above its wing. When a car suddenly approached, risking another collision, I scooped the owl into my hand. It sat there calmly, staring at me with its huge round eyes and dilated pupils, as if declaring me its new guardian. Its adorable "baby schema" instantly triggered my protective instincts. But how could I transport it? I’d need a ventilated box, then figure out how to feed it insects, worms, or mice. As much as I wanted to take it with me, it wasn’t practical—plus, the hiking heat would’ve stressed it further. I carried it for a while until I spotted people outside a house. The moment they saw the owl, they were smitten. Such a cute creature makes everyone eager to help. I’m sure it’s in good hands now, though I’ll never know if it’ll survive the ordeal.

CP Visit Details:

• Distance to a road: 150 m
• Distance to a track: 40 m
• Time to reach the CP from the road: 10 minutes
• Time at the CP: 13:47 AM
• Measured height: 501 m
• Minimal distance according to GPS: 0 m
• Position accuracy: 5 m
• Topography: hilly, on top of a hill
• Vegetation: mixt forest with young confier and deciduous trees.
• Weather: sunny, 24° C (felt temperature)
• Given Name: The Winter-Summer Confluence

You are very welcome to visit my blog of the long hike. If you want to see where I am currently hiking, you can find my daily update on Polarsteps.