Tuesday morning the
Pension had breakfast 8:00-9:00, so we got an early start after a
great German breakfast: warm rolls, jams, cheese, meat, honey, nutella, muesli, a soft-boiled egg...For the second leg of the journey we went through forests, fields, and then back into the more difficult terrain of the National Park. This section of our hike had some of the most spectacular views...but you had to earn them through lots of climbing!
Animal sightings: field mice, cows, goats, sheep, and, DAD, 2 deer!!
We came across a few trail sections that were not
quite as
well marked...including one section where we weren't quite sure which
side of the creek we were supposed to be on. Had to do a bit of
trailblazing, and crawl on our bellies under an electric fence...but we
made it out okay and back onto the main path. :)
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| some Bratwurst for lunch |
After a huge climb involving stairs and ladders, we arrived at the Schrammsteinaussicht...an
amazing 360 degree outlook, waaay above the treetops: 417 meters, or 1,300 feet up. It was beyond words and pictures. So beautiful.
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| chocolate bar break |
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| last view from the top before it goes down to Elbe-level |
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| Ende. after 40km in 2 days |
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| putting our feet in the Elbe after the hike |
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| Andy swimming in the Elbe |
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| the victory photo |
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| putting the feet up |
We were not really "roughing it". At night we showered and slept in a clean bed... for almost every meal we had something wonderful. But the last meal was the cherry on the top of a great trip. We happened to end up on lounge chairs at a café overlooking the Elbe, which was a Bio-Restaurant with amazing food. Some of the best food I've had in Germany.
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| the hike. |
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| Jessica walking along the train platform |
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| some stretching on the train platform |
Was ein Uterschied macht eine Tag!!!
ReplyDeleteRailings to keep hikers from the dangerous areas...not like the trail along the cliffs of the Baltic! Your hikes were long...how do they compare in difficulty to the Superior Hiking Trail?
ReplyDeleteYeah, the railings were novel and fun, so I probably have more pictures of them than the parts of the trail with just forest bed and tree roots... :) I thought it was good though because they made really high areas accessible and safe--so you were able to reach very high points on the trail without it being too scary. I think there was probably more elevation change than the Superior Hiking Trail, but I'm not sure. We'd have to look at the maps. You have more experience hiking in MN than I do. :) Some of the climbs were pretty difficult though. You get out of breath and our knees/legs were shaky by the end of the day.
ReplyDelete