Day 14 - Althütte, Germany - Wasserfall Murrhardt - Europe 2022

 Day 14 - Althütte, Germany - Wasserfall Murrhardt

I woke up earlier today, ate breakfast, packed, and set off to find Murrhardt Waterfall. I planned to be gone for the majority of the day because the waterfall was about 5 miles away and I was going to walk there. Just before leaving I found a small thermos, filled it with water, and added it to my backpack. Now I had 3 water bottles, although one wasn’t that large. There are very rarely water fountains and I was nervous about running out of water. There are also very rarely public bathrooms, so it may be a blessing drinking water isn’t easily accessible.

Although it wasn’t totally clear on Google Maps, it seemed like a route that was only a couple of minutes longer than the primary suggested route passed through more forested areas. So, that was the route I chose. The temperature was in the lower 70s and it was a gorgeous, sunny day.

The route I choose did indeed pass through a forested area. Google Maps again led me astray and I was on a “trail” but not really. Vanessa had shown me where the bug spray was before she left, but I hadn’t bothered with it because so far the bugs had been minimal. As I tromped through knee high brush, I wish I had used it. I tried not to think about ticks. A couple of mosquitoes bit me.

A trail seemed to be visible down and to the right, so I slid my way down a steep embankment onto it. A proper trail!

There was a pipe shooting out of the trail spouting water. Was this for drinking? There were no signs and I decided it wasn’t worth the risk. There was still water in my backpack.

This was a gorgeous area but now flies were buzzing round my head. They hadn’t yet bit me, but no matter how I waved my arms or hat around, I couldn’t shoo them away. I remembered that I had headphones in my backpack and considered putting them in, but didn’t. I was coming up to a fork and was hoping the new path would be fly free. Just before reaching it, a fly bit my shoulder through my shirt. 

It was a relief to be free of the flies on the new path. Yes! 

As today was Sunday, lots of people were out walking, cycling, and on e-bikes. There were lots of e-bikes. They seemed to be pedal assist electric bikes, as everyone was still pedaling and no one was going super fast on them. On Sunday stores are closed in Germany, as far as I know. Vanessa told me that noisy housework and all yard work is banned on Sundays, too. So, not a big surprise people were outside enjoying the beautiful day.

The forested area ended and shortly afterwards, I descended into another wooded area. This one housed Murrhardt Waterfall. I came upon a knee-high falls over some rocks and was disappointed. It was pretty, but not a waterfall. Then, I checked Google Maps and realized I still had another .1 miles to go. 

Shortly afterwards I saw people, picnic tables, and signs. This seemed more promising. There may have been a sign saying the path down to the falls was closed, but it was in German. I had read a Google review saying several paths were closed due to rough conditions. There were several people going up and down the path, so I decided to go ahead. I was a little uncomfortable, though, because Miles had been telling me stories about how sometimes old people call the police on younger people who they think are breaking rules in natural areas. The police sometimes do nothing, but occasionally fine the offenders. As I headed down to the waterfall, I decided I would plead ignorance. 

The waterfall was pretty but didn’t have much water going over it. Then, all of a sudden lots more water started coming over the falls. Not long after, it went back to its reduced flow.

There were several people coming up the river, both in the river and on the path next to the river. Many had dogs with them. The river was really lovely, so I started walking up river. I stopped and sat on a rock to eat lunch. After walking upriver a little further, I stopped again to work on the blog.

My mom grew up in Ohio. When, as an adult, she visited Germany she said that it reminded her of Ohio. This spot reminded me of Ohio and the river walking I did there when I was younger. The other areas I have visited around Althütte reminded me of the foothills in North Carolina and Tennessee. 

According to Google Maps the path continued upriver for quite a long while. After traveling about 1/3 the length of the path I decided it was time to head back to Althütte. Of course, I didn’t have cell service so Google Maps wouldn’t load walking routes back. So, I followed the river path back toward the waterfall. 

At the top along the river, just above the waterfall, I saw a hiker and his family opening a manhole size cover on a small reservoir. This let a gush of water go over the falls. That explained the increase flow I experienced earlier!

Cell service had returned and I headed back toward Vanessa’s. I thought I had selected a different route back than the one I had taken to the falls, to make a giant loop, but that was not the case. The route I followed was similar, but not exactly the same as the one I had taken earlier. This route had a few benefits over the earlier one. It passed by ripe raspberries growing along the road, which I picked. They were delicious - sweet and tart. No buzzing flies were encountered. Even better, I was directed down more shaded forest paths than before. This was excellent because I was running low on water and had started rationing it and the sun was out and it was quite warm out - just above 80 F.

By the time I got back, my expected 10 mile hike had become almost 17 miles! As far as I know it was the second longest hike I had ever done. 

It was just after 16:00 when I arrived back at the house. For the next 4 to 5 hours I ate snacks and also a meal that Edon and I prepared. 

We took the compost out to the end of the driveway to be picked up the next morning. Here compost is just one of the categories of waste picked up weekly by municipal services. A light brown garbage can is provided for each resident to use.

John and I tried to chat on the phone but I kept falling asleep. Edon had washed laundry, but had fallen asleep himself. After hanging the laundry up for him, I gratefully and exhaustedly made it to bed.

Day 13 - Althütte, Germany - Bühlhauweiher and Strümpfelbachtal - Europe 2022

Day 13 - Althütte, Germany - Bühlhauweiher and Strümpfelbachtal

Yesterday Vanessa sent me the Google Maps location of a nearby pond, Bühlhauweiher, that is nice to walk to.

After breakfast I packed up to go there. This time I made sure I had Google Maps offline, a portable battery bank and charging cord, and more water.

As I went to put on my hiking boots I discovered that they were still damp from the day before. I set them out in the sun and put on the pair of tennis shoes I had brought.

The walk to the pond was really nice and the weather was beautiful - in the lower 70s. I sat by the pond for a bit and worked on the blog. I came back a different way than I went, making a large loop.

By the time I got back, Edon had already made himself lunch. I wasn’t sure what I was going to make, but ended up with a yummy chickpea and potato curry dish.

After lunch I went to explore a natural area , Strümpfelbachtal, that I had seen on Google Maps. Up to this point the walking directions on Google Maps had been excellent. However, this time the path I was following through a field seemed to dead end. I floundered a bit unsure what to do. I was along a small river and the place I was trying to go to seemed to be directly ahead of me. It looked like there might be a trail across the river and after crossing the river, I did find a trail. I was unsure if it was the correct one, but followed it anyway. Based on the footprints I saw, it was definitely a trail that people had used recently. Plus, it was so pretty. Walking by rivers is my absolute favorite type of walk/hike. I kept following it. 

Eventually I seemed to get to where Google was telling me I wanted to go. Then, I needed to get back to Vanessa’s. Service was spotty though, so I didn’t get a clear route back right away. I wanted to wander around a bit along the river anyway, so even when I got service again, I didn’t take a direct route back to Vanessa’s. The hike was absolutely beautiful. And luckily I had switched to my hiking boots before leaving,l because certain parts were quite muddy!

Today was Saturday and throughout the day I saw people working on their houses and in their yards. Several folks were out walking, hiking, cycling, and e-biking

Back at the house Edon and I made dinner together. I was feeling sad about things going on back in the US, so it set me in a melancholy mood for the evening.

After dinner Edon spoke with a friend about his apartment plans in Gainesville for the fall. Then, for the first time since we arrived, Edon went outside. He joined me for an easy one-mile explore in the woods behind the house.

Once we returned to the house, I showered and did dishes and laundry. I spoke on the phone with Ezi and John. Ezi and I finalized the hostel reservations we each needed for Dublin for our return journeys later in the summer.

Since I wanted to get up earlier than I had been, I made it to bed sooner than previous evenings.

Day 12 - Althütte, Germany and Surrounding Areas - Europe 2022

 Day 12 - Althütte, Germany and Surrounding Areas

My friends had left the house by the time I woke up.

I ate breakfast and showered. Then, I checked the weather. Rain was predicted at 17:00. There was a lake, Ebnisee, about an hour’s walk away that I wanted to walk to, so I packed my backpack with peanut butter, cookies, fruit, water, and a raincoat. Then, I said bye to Edon, who needed to stay at the house and work.

Within a few minutes of leaving I realized I was entirely dependent on my phone for getting to the lake, but more importantly back to Vanessa’s. I didn’t have a portable charger with me. It was already after 13:00 and I didn’t want to turn back, so I just hoped my phone battery would last. 

It was much warmer out than I was expecting. I was definitely hot in my jeans and hiking socks.

I followed Google Maps to the lake. Like In England, the paths seemed to cross through a mixture of public and private lands. Along the way I was messaging Vanessa and she let me know there was a small waterfall, Gallengrotte, that wasn’t much further than the lake. I put the location in Google Maps and as it slowly loaded, it dawned on me that I had forgotten to get offline maps of the area. I hoped my phone was able to keep getting service!

The waterfall location finally loaded and it was only 20 minutes away. Since I planned to be back to the house by 17:00, going to the waterfall fit nicely into my time schedule.

I sat down next to the lake for lunch and noticed that the sky seemed quite dark for storms being more than 2 hours away. I pulled up Weather Underground and discovered that rain could start at 15:00, which was very soon. I was going to get wet. Since I had a raincoat and a walk in the rain seemed inevitable at this point, I walked to the waterfall.

There were one or two occasional drops of water at the waterfall, so it wasn’t very waterfall-y today. The rain started to fall, but not too heavily. There was also occasional thunder. The large rocks in this area were really neat. They also looked like good homes for bears or some other potentially dangerous animal.

I now realized that in addition to all the other things I had overlooked, finding out about dangers in this area - animal, plant, insect, human - had also been overlooked.

I took comfort in the fact that I thought my friend had said her kids visited these areas…

I walked back in a mostly steady but light rain. Edon asked me to get wine for a sauce we wanted to make for dinner, so once I got back to town I made a detour to the tiny grocery store. Since I was already quite wet with sore feet and knees, I figured the extra walking wouldn’t matter. I purchased an incredibly cheap bottle of Merlot and headed back to the house.

In the future, I want to hike long distance trails. The thought of hiking during thunderstorms was a concern I had. Walking in the rain today alleviated some of my fears. I will admit, though, it was really nice to be able to get to a nice dry house and change out of my wet pants, socks, and boots. This is a luxury that won’t be available if I am backpacking.

Edon and I made an awesome dinner. He continued working while I did dishes and worked on the blog. It was really wonderful to spend a warm and dry evening hanging out together while the rain continued to fall outside.