Ultralight Hike
After I had already had insane "luck" with the weather on Madeira, all that was left for me was to look forward to the next tour.
A quick look at the weather forecast for the Harz for the coming days unfortunately showed nothing pleasant. Rain, sleet and a little sun in between. The temperatures were expected to settle between seven and minus three degrees Celsius.
I thought this could be fun. I won’t get another chance anytime soon to complete such a quality hiking trail all by myself in one go.
So I had to think about my clothes again. The weather slightly extends my spring packing list with a few winter components, because if the tour is not only damp but also wet, then please not also cold!
Now the time had finally come - Maundy Thursday, and at exactly 12 o’clock the hammer falls and the Easter weekend in the Harz can begin!
At 2 pm I started in the beautiful town of Oster(r)ode and immediately took on the first meters of elevation. After all, the town is geographically located in the southwestern Harz, and roughly speaking I had to head northeast. So take along everything there is.
Surprisingly, the weather was better than expected. The down jacket and the beanie quickly disappeared back into the backpack and the sleeves were rolled up. The first kilometers of the trail had the motto "On the old trade routes!. It seemed to me that this motto was no coincidence. After all, so far I had only hiked on well-developed field paths, sometimes mockingly called hiking highways. But so what - I’m outside, the weather is glorious and I’m making good progress. The first kilometers passed quickly, despite the various meters of elevation.
There were a few opportunities while walking or during the breaks to snap a picture or two of the surroundings. After all, I wasn’t here for fun! I wanted to get through the Harz and, much more importantly, I wanted to get up onto the Brocken! Maybe this time I would have the great luck of actually seeing something of the landscape. Visibility of more than 50 meters would be a fine thing!
Of course, I also diligently signed the Hexenstieg book. After all, you can’t miss such an important step and the opportunity to write down who you dedicate the tour to.
We continued into the evening sun in glorious weather.
During dusk I was able to set up my camp within a few minutes. This MYOG tarp is a real hit and will accompany me on many solo tours. It is not only quick to set up and spacious, but also lets in a lot of fresh air when needed.
The sky kept clouding over while I was setting up, so for safety - in case it really started to blow and spray - I additionally got into the bivy. With the high humidity that was rather counterproductive. I had a dripstone cave that was out to get the loft. And I was still countless kilometers away from Rübeland.
If the sun came out again soon, I wanted to dry the sleeping bag. The bivy was probably destined to live out the rest of the tour as a pillow.
The new flashlight (NiteCore Tube) had proven itself during the night. A hunter must have been sitting nearby and apparently had hunting success. That’s why, whenever I crawled out of the tarp to take something away, I made a lot of light, contrary to my habits. Better than getting a load of buckshot in the backside ;).
The trails to the next spring got nicer again and the hiking highway was occasionally abandoned for beautiful paths. Personally, I like such small paths much better anyway. But I also read online that until the last third of the tour you are almost exclusively on wide trails. Unfortunately, the main part of the hike doesn’t go over such small paths. Too bad - maybe next time I’ll do the Hexenstieg 2.0.
The good weather from the start of the tour gave way to a nice gray-on-gray. The current stages of the tour had the motto "Upper Harz Water Management". It vaguely reminded me of the levadas in Madeira. It was exactly that hazy...
When I arrived at the Eisenquelle (iron spring), I met a couple from Thale hiking the Hexenstieg who had asked about the next stamp box. After a quick look at the map, it turned out that the next box was still a few kilometers away.
As I was just setting off from my next break, the two of them arrived. These meetings repeated themselves several times over the course of the day. Every now and then we chatted for a few minutes. So it went on until the Magdeburger Weg (Magdeburg Way).
Damn, was that slippery! I was really glad to have my trekking poles. A narrow path, a deep gorge and snow compressed into ice combined with meltwater makes a proper soap-like substance. It was a queasy feeling. At least I could take my time, because my daily goal of getting a bit beyond Torfhaus was coming within reach.
When I set up camp at the foot of the Brocken that evening, I noticed that the sleeping bag had absorbed quite a bit of moisture through the bivy. The footbox had little loft left; the weather had once again increased the humidity and brought a lot of rain.
In the face of a strenuous and cold night, I remembered the couple who wanted to spend their night in a youth hostel in Torfhaus. That seemed like the better alternative to me. So I first walked back to rent a bed there for a night too and put the quilt on the heater.
The next morning we went up the Brocken together from the Goetheweg.
Once on the Brocken, we parted ways again, because I wanted to treat myself to a break with pea soup, while the two of them wanted to move on.
Unfortunately, the restaurant wasn’t open yet, so I had to feed myself with my own provisions and lighten my backpack.
The view of the Brocken Railway let me revel in memories of rides on steam locomotives. The last ride must have been ages ago.
Later, in Drei Annen Hohne, I photographed the trains of the Harz Narrow Gauge Railway at the station.
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Guess who I met when I took my next break. Right - the two from Thale. We decided to walk the next few kilometers together.
Only from Königshütte did our paths separate again. It was just 4 pm. Too early to stop walking, but the two of them had rented a room there for the night. So I climbed the castle ruins and the two of them called it a day. In the hours that followed, I found one sleeping spot after another in the most beautiful places you can imagine.
From the moment the time was right, things unfortunately looked quite different again. Well, then I settled for the next-best spot. It was a bit sloping and without phone reception, but no big deal. At least it was halfway comfortable and without widow-makers. Sometimes priorities just have to be set pragmatically.
The next morning I continued via Rübeland. The trails got nicer and more pleasant from hour to hour. So the first hours flew by.
From the height of the Rappbode Reservoir, things unfortunately went steeply downhill with my hoof. Once at the Kuhberg, the pleasant part was over. Every 10 minutes of walking had to be followed by at least 10 minutes of rest. Well... what was I supposed to do? The options were limited. Should I slog through the last 15 to 20 km at this snail’s pace? Another alternative would have been to set up camp already at midday and hope that I would manage to finish the route the next day. My third option was Friese’s invitation to drop by his hut for a coffee if I ended the tour early.
After much deliberation, I chose the last option. It was too uncertain for me whether I would make it the next day.
It is enormously annoying to have to throw in the towel so close to the goal, but it was almost 80 km that I was able to walk. Not least, I am of the opinion that the Bode valley, which was described by my temporary fellow hikers as the most beautiful section of the Hexenstieg, deserves my full attention. Even if that means it will be at a later time.
All in all, it was a successful Easter weekend!
PS: The packing list is now available here!
