The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL: May fourteenth, mudwalking on the Waddensea.

Living in a county without mountains, canyons or white water rivers, the Dutch are hard pressed for local adventures. Witness the popularity of wadlopen, essentially mudwalking, a most unique activity in which thousands engage each year.

The Waddensea is a shallow strip of North Sea that separates the Netherlands' northern coast from the fringe of the West Frisian islands, which lie several miles off shore. So shallow in fact, that when the tide ebbs each day, many broad channels drain almost entirely, leaving behind mile after mile of mud flats and sandy bars. Of course, the natural instinct, at least for some folks, is to take a hike out to Schiermonnikoog or Ameland, two islands about five miles off-shore.

Actually, hike isn't exactly right. Slog would be more accurate. Treading over the soft mud is something like loping across a plain of paste. Pause too long and your stockinged feet start to sink, to your ankles, shins or even knees. Many wadlopen routes have been traced over the years to take advantage of sandbars and narrow channels along the way, but still it's no walk in the park.

Since conditions are always in flux, wadlopen can be demanding, disorienting and even dangerous. Any excursion requires a good guide and considerable stamina. The sea bottom landscape may be flat, but distances can be deceiving, and you don't want to caught midwalk when the tide turns. But once you've wadloped across the Waddensea, your idea of adventure will never be quite the same.

There's a look at this offbeat Dutch feat in the latest issue of National Geographic Traveler, a supporter of our program. You can register for a free sample copy of the magazine on our homepage.

FMI For information on wadlopen on the Waddensea, visit www.wadloop-dijkstra (in Dutch) or call (from the US) 011-31-595- 52-83-45.

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