Thursday 6 January 2022

First Hike in 2022

Sunday, the 2nd of January, saw us out on our first hike of the year. We were lucky in that the weather was not as wet as we‘d feared, and at 12C it was rather warm for the time of year.
We had packed our usual array of food and water in our rucksacks, plus extra bits of warm clothing (which we did not need).

I love it when we start straight from the cottage front door, without driving first, although I also enjoy those drives past typical Black Forest farms and villages to reach the starting point of a particular circuit. It is just that I can‘t help seeing the contradiction of wanting to enjoy clean air and nature, but using the worst kind of transport to get there.

Back to our hike: We walked on familiar paths, and I name the various stations along our route more for the sake of my own memory than for you - most of my readers will not know those places anyway.

Leaving the village by way of the Hohlweg and passing through the small communal wood (called Hohhölzle), we walked downhill and crossed the road towards Nächstenbach, a parking lot meant for walkers, with information boards and maps.
From there, it was uphill (not too strenuously) for a while until we reached the Sägereck hut, where we sat down for a few minutes to have a sip of water.



I know I have posted picture of this particular place before, and even of the inside of the hut. You should be able to find it by typing Sägereck in the search bar in the top left corner of my blog.

From there, we walked on the ridge of the chain of hills, on the path fittingly named Kammweg (meaning ridge way) to the next hut called Barack. A large group of people were alredy gathered there, lighting a fire and having a noisy BBQ. Good for them, but we chose a bench and table away from the crowd and sat down for our packed lunch. Just as we started to eat, a former colleague of O.K.‘s (now retired) and his wife came walking up the path. Of course they stopped for a chat, which was nice, but it made our break much longer than expected, and by the time they left and we finished eating, we were both very ready to move on; even at 12C, when you just sit there and the relative strong wind blows about you, it does get rather chilly.

Next along our route we passed the third and last hut, called Handwerker-Hütte. No stop there, as it was full of families with children, and we wanted to keep walking anyway.

From there, a gentle downhill path leads out of the woods and to the edge of Diersburg, a village next to O.K.‘s which I have frequently mentioned on here.

We just skirted the last row of houses on our way across the road, then over fields and through orchards, before reaching Hofweier again.




The last of these pictures was taken just after 4:00 pm - time to go home before it was going to be too dark to walk the unlit paths. Also, by this time, we were looking forward to mugs of coffee.


All in all, we were out for about three hours. A good start into another year with hopefully many more walks and hikes.

22 comments:

  1. There's a lot to be said for walks straight from the front door. We have quite a choice and they are different every time.

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    1. O.K.‘s village has the advantage of being surrounded by vineyards, orchards and fields, with the hills of the Black Forest rising behind and the Rhine valley with views of the Vosges Mountains and Strasbourg in front.

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    2. Drool and thrice drool. And five minutes from the French border on the other Rhineside, no doubt.
      S'not fair!

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  2. Glad you could start of the new year with a good walk.

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    1. We did not really have time for a walk on the 1st, but we made up for it over the following days!

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  3. I have to drive to get to a place where I can walk in the woods. How lucky that you can do that from OK's front door. Lovely!

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    1. No substantial woodland in my immediate neighbourhood, as I live close to town centre, but I can be out of town on the fields within 10-15 minutes - always on foot, as I don‘t drive.

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  4. I love to read of your walks as I am so immobile - and your photographs always really enhance your commentary so that I am nearly going with yoy.

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    1. Pat, that is what I am hoping to convey with my walking posts, thank you!

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  5. Meike, may you and O.K. walk many paths, climb many hills and enjoy many adventures during the years ahead.

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    1. Graham, that is one of the best and nicest wishes for 2022 anyone has sent me! Thank you.

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  6. What a lovely start to a new year. Like you, we are able to walk into the surrounding woods from our front door. Even the shortest walk, just half an hour or so up the road is uplifting.

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    1. When we do not have time for a long walk, or the weather is averse, we just walk around the village. That is better than no walk at all, and we like looking at people‘s houses and gardens anyway.

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  7. If I envy you anything it is the ability to walk for miles in such stunning landscapes. My part of Shropshire and the Welsh Marches is beautiful too, but empty of people and there are certainly no places for a food or drink break, unless you sit on fallen trees or field walls.
    I hope 2022 brings you many glorious walks with your 'significant other' and altogether a happy and healthy year.

    You asked about TV programmes: I usually find something on ZDF; Christmas Eve it was music with Jonas Kaufmann. I also saw most of a programme on things connected to Christmas in alphabetical order but can't remember the channel.

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    1. Thank you for your kind wishes, Friko! I hope that, too.

      The last time I watched any TV on Christmas Eve was as a kid, to pass the time until the long awaited evening with Bescherung and everything. But it is good to know that there are indeed watchable programmes on TV that day. Sometimes there are documentaries on the Thirds (SWR Baden-Württemberg being my local one) about what certain festivities, seasons, customs etc. used to be like in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. I sometimes catch those by chance and find them very interesting.

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  8. What a wonderful way to start the new year. It is especially nice to be able to have such a walk leaving from the cottage door. When I walk from home it is in the neighborhood and on pavement. It gives me fresh air and exercise but I love your beautiful wooded walks!

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    1. Those pavement neighbourhood walks are the same for me during the week, Bonnie. Often I don‘t have enough time to venture further out of town, but I also like those walks in town. It makes me keep track of what is happening, where houses are sold, pulled down or newly built, what shops have changed, how people‘s gardens change with the seasons and so on.

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  9. Oh yes, those mugs of coffee would have been very welcome, I am sure!
    It is a wonderful way to start the new year (I just read the comment above here!) and happy that you are well and healthy! Lovely photos.

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    1. Thank you, Kay! By the way, your beautiful card with the peaceful fox arrived in the week between Christmas and New Year, so it was still displayed along with the others on my sideboard until I put all Christmas things away today.

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    2. Oh, I am glad you got the card at least within the Christmas season! You know the fox made me think of you! Peace!

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  10. Love the next to last photo, with the tree silhouettes against that dramatic sky! :)

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    1. Me too, Monica; the silhouettes of trees being visible like that is one of the few things I like about winter.

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