Ascension Day and 'To the Kingdom of Heaven'

Kraichgau Hike

Over the many years of the Ascension hike, we've encountered almost every type of weather, sometimes even intense heat. But it never rained – until today. We got quite soaked, even though we were in the woods.

As the ice saints made their name known in the past few days and the wind was harsh, surely all participants checked their phones beforehand for the weather forecasts. Nevertheless, more than 20 hiking friends gathered in Stettfeld.

“The hike is about 15 kilometers long,” was the announcement from our hike leader. The paths, mostly through the forest, are not very difficult to navigate, just short steep ascents and descents.

At the meeting point at the primary school, we reunited with many familiar faces, and there was no sign of rain yet. In good spirits, we reached the viewpoint 'Zeuterner Heaven', where the Zeutern music society invited us to enjoy food and drinks; coffee and cake included. However, the view into the valley was quickly obscured by gray clouds. And then the rain came. Fortunately, at that hour, there was still plenty of space in the tents and under a huge sunshade. Once the rain passed, we continued on our way.

Unfortunately, the wind did not blow all the rain clouds away as hoped. Umbrellas were opened, and the hoods of the rain jackets came into play. We couldn’t take a shortcut since the path around the field was so muddy that we preferred not to sink into the muck. So, we took a detour and followed the forest path. When we arrived at the Zeutern East tram station, the rain had also passed. No shoe was dry or clean, and we dare not talk about the pant legs.

The tram took us back to Stettfeld, and in the sunshine, our route led directly to the last stop of this hike. There, at 'TO THE BIRD'S NEST', Greek food awaited us. Truly delicious and highly recommended, as was the beer garden with a view of a large meadow, where unfortunately, the sheep were missing today. And due to the weather, the beer garden was closed.

We enjoyed the hospitality, the food, the warmth, and pleasant conversations for a while. Together, we then made our way back to the primary school, where our cars were parked. Then this rather damp but very lovely hike sadly came to an end.

See you soon!