Hoʻopuka ʻia: 30.07.2021
Hiking day!
From the countless hiking tours that are wonderfully signposted here, we have "randomly" chosen the most beautiful one. With the servant, we drive a few kilometers to the starting point in Riedlhütte and, following yesterday's experiences, each of us has an ice cream on the way, so we are on the safe side, no matter what happens now.
Today our path leads us through the largest moor complex in the Bavarian Forest. An indescribable experience. 13.5 kilometers full of amazement, enthusiasm, simply enjoying and being grateful for this great day. The paths are quite different, we take endless photos and so many great pictures have emerged. At the beginning, we walk on a gravel road, but soon the surroundings show themselves so different from everything we know that the first photo opportunity arises. We are happy that the route is short enough to waste time and wait for minutes for some insect to sit down in a way that can be beautifully immortalized. Mushrooms and moss, nothing should go unphotographed. In the first part of the moor, the path runs on boardwalks. The indication that these must not be left is completely unnecessary, because no one wants to become a bog corpse that will be dug up in 2500 years.
Indescribable how many different sections of the path are included in this hike. Sometimes we walk through beech forests, then along the fantastically beautiful "Große Ohe" - the water looks brownish and orange due to the surrounding moor and golden tones seem to shimmer in the sunlight. Sometimes we walk in the blazing sun, then again in cool forests.
By the way, as we hike along a gravel path in the blazing sun, we notice a small hut on a sloping path. Once we arrive there, we find out that there is a water treading pool in the garden in the middle of the greenery. Nicely designed with flowing water, the water falls into a small pond through a small water wheel. Before the question arises whether we should do something for our immune system according to Kneipp, Petra notices the beer crate placed there when she enters the pool. Next to it is a glass jar with a lid: "1 beer 1 euro" self-service in the middle of nature. Okay - we keep our shoes and socks on and buy a beer - wonderfully cold and because we don't expect a refreshment at all here, the beer tastes outstanding. We consider this as a Kneipp cure and are glad to be able to do something for our health.
On our way through the second section of the moor, we are walking on wooden walkways again. Suddenly, a reptile hides in front of us and blocks the way! We wonder if the bottle of beer we drank together is playing a trick on us. Mario quickly pulls out his camera to be able to prove later in which dangerous situation we found ourselves. Even if we had to pay for this action with our lives, we leave our loved ones the evidence of our bravery. During the later evaluation of the images, we have to realize that this moor reptile was only 10.5 cm long and that we suffered a bit from the scorching sun during perception.
In the end, there is a small café in the starting and ending point, where they "randomly" also offer ice cream, so everyone gets a big ice cream sundae as a reward for the successful hike.
The sun is shining again, as it should be for a summer vacation, and we sit on the terrace in the late afternoon. Dinner is served 87 steps above - there, too, as regular customers, we get a spot on the terrace and see a wonderfully red sunset.