It had not even been a week since the Sweden holiday had passed when the hiking bug had me fully in its grip again. I packed my things and set off on the Habichtswaldsteig. This is a hiking trail from Zierenberg to the Edersee with a total length of 85-110 km, depending on which of the extra loops you take. Timewise, I unfortunately had to split the trail into two stages, because covering this distance in one weekend including travel there and back is still a bit too much for me.
So I started on Friday evening just after six in beautiful weather at Zierenberg station. From that moment on, I could fully enjoy the Hessian Highlands.
Shortly after the start, I had to overcome the first hurdle: the gatekeeper had a "you shall not pass" look, but after a ferocious meow he let me pass anyway.
After covering only a few kilometres on the Habichtswaldsteig, I unexpectedly switched to one of the extra loops. These extra loops are marked H1-H8. This accidental departure from the main trail rewarded me with steep climbs up to the first summit. Rarely had a mistake been so worthwhile.
Since the sun was slowly setting during the climb, I had no choice but to start thinking about my sleeping spot for the night.
With the thought of simply lying down and spending the night at the next best spot, I kept climbing. Once I reached the summit, I enjoyed the last rays of sunshine and made the preparations for the night.
The next morning, I cheerfully continued alternating between the H2 and the Habichtswaldsteig. Every extra kilometre was rewarded with wonderful views of the Kassel hills. Slowly but surely, I understood why a few acquaintances love this region so much. The morning mist lay in the valleys while the summits rose out of the fog.
After several hours on my feet, I had breakfast at a perfect spot with a breathtaking view of the valley. Quite classically, there was chocolate muesli with water. Over the course of the last few trips, I had apparently got used to the taste of muesli with water instead of milk. It was a nice feeling not to need perishable milk powder anymore.
Apparently, my neighbours also liked my morning meal. For a brief moment, the thought of taking one of the sweet animals along sprouted in my mind.
Add a brief look into the valley and the moment was perfect - when I think of that morning, I immediately want to go back to the Kassel hills!
After breakfast, I packed my backpack again and continued on. After all, I still had quite a few kilometres ahead of me.
But just a short time later, I saw a hill that was too beautiful not to climb and take another short break on top of it.
The view from there was simply magnificent. A highlight of the freshly begun day.
The clouds hung in the valleys and the summits just peeked out. A picture that simply screams holiday.
I enjoyed the short break to the fullest and realised that I normally only get up at this time of day. Thanks to the early rising, I was able to enjoy so many beautiful moments.
After the break, I went back down to the pasture, which turned out to be a small airfield. The first gliders were waiting for their take-off. Hard to believe that cows were standing on the pasture no more than 500 metres away.
Some time later, I finally headed back into the forest along field paths. Just in time to escape the burning midday sun.
In this patch of forest, a few bushcrafters with sleeping pads came towards me. It seemed as if they were also having their fun over the weekend.
From there, I continued along small paths and field tracks. At the end of one path, I was quite amazed, because I actually discovered a spot I knew. I had been to this youth campsite once before for the North Hesse meeting of the BCD forum. The world really is a small place.
A short time later, the forest road passed a quarry; I could not resist a look over the quarry edge though.
From there, I continued towards the area around Kassel. There, Herkules actually showed me his bare metal behind.
Unfortunately, this place was crowded with hundreds of tourists. I did not want to put up with that much hassle any longer, so I hurried on through the forests to the stage destination as quickly as possible.
In the late afternoon, I met two more hikers who were also on the Habichtswaldsteig. However, they were spending the night at a guesthouse, so our paths separated here after only a few shared kilometres.
For me, it went on for a few more kilometres. The evening was still too early and a nice place to spend the night had not been found yet. In addition, the motorway in the valley created a noise level I would rather do without at night. So I walked a few more kilometres until I found a small strip of green at the forest edge, which I shared with countless mosquitoes.
In terms of landscape, the second day’s stage was completely different from the first. A large part of the route now ran across fields or along the forest edge. Once again, the early rising paid off, because it let me cover a large part of the route in the cooler morning hours.
In the midday sun, I would certainly have burned hopelessly. Shortly after noon, I already reached the destination of the second stage. Now I had to weigh up whether to continue to the next town and take public transport back to the starting point from there, or already from the day’s destination. I took a quick look at the public transport connections in this town and the next one. Afterwards, I decided to take the train back from this town so that I would be home by evening and not only in the middle of the night.
All in all, a wonderful micro-adventure that was well worth it. I can unreservedly recommend the Habichtswaldsteig to everyone!
The two stages of the Habichtswaldsteig were among the most beautiful trips I have ever hiked. On the next free weekend, I have to tackle the two remaining day stages; this trail is simply breathtaking!
