Ultralight Hike
The past year had been marked, among other things, by many beautiful trips. That settled it: the year should end with a shared trip. Originally, several people were on board - unfortunately, something came up for me, so Bimbi and I headed to the beautiful Odenwald one day later than planned.
In the morning, Bimbi and I both realised that we had not packed our backpacks at all. Time was running relentlessly and we gathered our things together. Once our gear was stowed in the backpacks, we got around to packing the provisions. This trip was not only to feature ultralight trekking food, but also the leftovers of the previous day’s beef goulash. I had last carried such a heavy load of food for ten days in Sweden!
Then off to the train and into the charming little town of Schriesheim. After the first metres of elevation, we reached the Schriesheim vineyards. The great weather conjured up beautiful light on the winter scenery. The weather reminded me strongly of the trip to the Harz. The temperatures around freezing were pleasant because the air was very dry. All in all, the perfect weather for hiking. There is hardly any chance of overheating, and yet it is not too cold either.
A few metres of elevation later, it was time for the first break - snack time!
The tricky thing about hiking is that you quickly miss a turn-off and therefore either have to take a different path or turn around. We opted for the latter so that we could enter the level of the quarry we had previously targeted. The glorious weather invited not only us to go hiking, but also a few climbers who were battling against the rock in the quarry. My fingers were really itching to hit the wall again. But not this time; after all, I was here to hike, not to climb.
The next kilometres took us further along the edge of the Odenwald. In the early evening, we reached Schauenburg castle, from which a beautiful sunset could be observed.
There is little that can make such a beautiful sunset even more beautiful, but enjoying tasty goulash while watching it definitely counts.
(Photo: Bimbi)
After the sun had set, the other people slowly but surely disappeared from the castle and we had it a little to ourselves before we descended to sleep. Unfortunately, the area around the castle is a nature reserve and therefore very poorly suited for wild camping.
During the night, the thermometer dropped to a crisp -6°C. Both of us stayed pleasantly warm during the night. Bimbi lay with her new Fluff Monster (winter sleeping bag) on a Klymit Static V Insulated and supplemented it with an 80 cm long piece of Laufbursche sleeping pad for her upper body.
On this trip, I tried combining several sleeping pads. So I had a 5 mm Evazote mat on the ground. For my upper body, I placed my three-season Neoair Trekker in large torso on top of the Evazote mat. My legs still had six segments of a Z-Lite sleeping pad, which were also the back padding of my backpack.
(Photo: Bimbi)
Despite the temperatures, we had a very warm night. The next morning, we climbed back up to the castle and put our sleeping bags in the morning sun to dry while we drank tea and prepared our breakfast. The temperatures were still crisply below zero and we could watch the ice crystals in the water as they grew.
After the refreshment, we set off again on the hiking trails of the Odenwald towards the inn "At the White Stone". The way there led us not only along forest roads, but also along many small paths. In between, there were incredibly beautiful views. The Odenwald has a few real gems. I am already looking forward to the next trips in the area!
Once we had arrived at the White Stone, we did not miss the chance to treat ourselves to a portion of roast venison at a top price. The food was magnificent! I cannot remember when I last got such good quality food for such a price. I will probably not have visited this place for the last time. We were also able to refill our water supplies there without any problems.
After a final hot chocolate, we continued on our way towards Heidelberg. We had chosen the Thingstätte as the next stop of the day. Slowly but surely, the weather turned. A thick fog already lay over the Rhine plain. With its consistency and cold, this fog could even compete with the clouds from Madeira. But even here there were places above the fog that made for wonderful pictures.
The thick fog lay at the Thingstätte as well. And so, after Bimbi had searched for a geocache, we walked on towards Heidelberg and drove home from there.
All in all, it was a very nice trip and I am glad to be out and about in the area more often soon!
