Today was going to be our longest day of 17 miles, and three fellow hikers opted to travel with the luggage. The rest of us looked somewhat worried at the continued flooding--how much would it impact the hike?
After an uphill start, we enjoyed views of the partly rebuilt castle.
We continued on, glad about our raingear and pack covers. While we might have preferred a sunny day, I was continually amazed about meadows. Here, what looks like a field of salvia!
And here, predominantly buttercups and Sauerampfer, a plant with edible leaves that promote digestion (the reddish tinge is Sauerampfer).
Thomas has announced earlier that we should expect a swampy area, and the flooding streams seemed to indicate we might be in for more.
And indeed, after slogging through a narrow, wet meadow path, we suddenly found the trail was fording a river, which was well over knee high.
Theoretically, a crossing was possible, but because we couldn't know what was on the other side - and more stream crossings or even a small lake were likely, Thomas decided wisely to have us turn around and take a detour. It added a kilometer and some elevation gain to the day, but it seemed preferable to a swim.
Furthermore, the views and the flowers continued to be spectacular.
I was especially chanted by this orchid, a Knabenkraut.
Later in the hike, we passed several wind turbines. This lead to a brief discussion of the Energiewende in Germany, the attempt to get off nuclear and coal. Amazing progress has been made, and we were impressed by the solar farms and wind turbines we saw everywhere. In addition, Germans are usually more energy conscious and would not dream of sitting in an idling car, with the AC on. When you stop, you turn the car off. Everyone knows that...
The inclement weather and desire to get to the hotel cut our discussions short, and we headed on. For this day, we had a treat waiting for us, the Landhaus Sponsel-Regus (sponsel-regus.de). The family owned place catered to Germans interested in Activeurlaub, that is, a vacation where you could do something for your health. We loved the excellent food that included a huge salad and appetizer bar, great breads, and the best dessert ever. A sauna, which they left on another hour especially for us, an air room for after the sauna, and a small pool were appreciated by all. The long and challenging hike was soon forgotten and the only question was: Will it clear up tomorrow?
