Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail for Debt for Climate

Hi! My name is Fenna. Beginning of 2025 I will sail with the sail-cargo ship Avontuur, from Timbercoast, to Mexico and start hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. A long distance hike through Turtle island (an indigenous name for the North American region) from Mexico to so-called Canada. It’s 4,256 kilometer long and will take me approximately 5 months, during which I will raise money for Debt for Climate.

Coming from a muli-cultural family, with mixed Indonesian, Chinese and Dutch roots, I am literally a product of colonialism. The consequences of the fact that the Netherlands colonized Indonesia for 400 years can be seen throughout my family history. My great grandfather drowned while being transported on a ship as a war prisoner and some of my female ancestors were njais; concubines or housekeepers of Europeans, without formal rights or recognition. Some male ancestors were part of the Dutch-Indo-European Army (KNIL), an army with mostly European officers and European and Indo-European soldiers.

The implications of colonization are still felt today, and the relation between colonized countries and the colonizers is still not equal. Former colonized countries are still paying a financial debt for because they had to buy their freedom after being colonized. Which is unfair, thinking about the free work and land the colonizers took during the colonization.

Debt for Climate wants to give back the power to the minorities and indigeneous communities, and ask for compensation for the implications of climate change. Because too many global North companies are destroying global South environments, and only the local communities experience the consequences in their food, water and other supplies. Apart from that, global North is mostly causing climate change, while the global South is feeling most of the consequences.

Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail is a great way to raise awareness for this subject, also here colonization and climate change come together. The Pacific Crest Trail goes through many national parks, where all parks were created as part of a larger project to displace and disposses native people of their lands. Therefore the creation of the PCT has been made possible by killing and displacing native Americans. Along the PCT, the consequences of global warming are felt as well. Large parts of the PCT are endangered by forest fires, the dessert is getting hotter and therefore water becomes scarce. Glaciers and snow are melting fast, which makes crossing snow fields more dangereous each year.

Hiking the PCT and while raising money Debt for Climate is a great way to bring together and raise awareness for (neo-)kolonialism and climate change, two subjects which are very important to me. Going from Europe to Turtle Island by boat, is a great way to show how travelling is possible without hurting the environment.

More information can be found on the website of debt for climate or in this article.

If you want to support me per kilometer, check out the table below. All donations will be transferred to Debt for Climate.