Ultralight Hike
To show my friends from the north my new home, I invited them for a weekend tour in the Palatinate. The weather forecast predicted a proper temperature drop and we expected temperatures below -10°C at night. On top of that, the sun was supposed to show up all weekend - that sounded like perfect conditions for a tour.
We met at my place on Saturday to drive to Neidenfels together. The weather was exactly as cold and sunny as the forecast had predicted.
The trail first led us to the Neidenfels castle ruins. Shortly after noon you could already see the moon in the brilliant blue sky.
The Palatinate showed itself from its most beautiful side. After letting the mountains sink in a little, we continued heading north. The trails were narrow and steadily led us up many meters of elevation.
When we reached the north side of the Salweidenkopf, the snow increased with every meter. At first, small patches of snow could be found here and there on the forest floor. A few hundred meters later we plunged into a landscape of snow and ice.
It really seemed as if this tour would turn properly wintry. A short while later we reached the forest hut at the Lambertskreuz, where we drank two beers before hitting the trail again.
The trail was marked by crusty, slippery snow. In the midday sun the top layer had thawed and immediately frozen over again.
To avoid landing flat on my back on the descent into the valley, I decided to make the most of the conditions and cover the trail sledding on my butt. Sledding was not only fun, it also reminded me strongly of my childhood.
Just a few meters of elevation lower, the fun was over and I continued on two legs.
The sun was already low, so we hurried a little and made our way to the Friedrichsbrunnen. There we let the evening wind down with conversation and good food. It was very chilly, but thanks to plenty of down it was properly warm.
The next morning we refilled our water supplies, packed our backpacks and set off for our next destinations - the Drachenfels and the Drachenhöhle. There was not a single cloud in the sky that morning either, and the sun was shining with full force.
Once we arrived at the Drachenhöhle you could watch the water in the water bottles/bladders freeze. You can see that very well in the picture below.
The temperatures must still have been well below zero degrees Celsius even after sunrise. Despite these circumstances, everyone got their water hot - whether with gas, the Trangia or the Speedster Stove.
After the breakfast break we took a longer loop back to the Lambertskreuz and rounded off the wintry overnight stay there with a hot chocolate. Afterwards we set off on our way back..
Even though the tour was not very long, it was really beautiful. I will certainly not have been in this corner for the last time. The Palatinate Forest is truly beautiful and predestined as a hiking destination!
