Snowshoe in the Black Forrest
SNNNNOOOOOWWWWW!
This past weekend there was so.much.snow. There was no hope of finding a place with good views so we went where we could play in the snow. The German Black Forrest (Schwarzwald).
Driving there was not to bad but the roads were snowy and people were driving cautiously. Even with cautious driving and pre-medication I still got car sick... the only good thing is knowing that it will go away as soon as we stop moving.
We parked at a street side parking lot with a sign that indicated the hut where we would later have a late lunch. We took off from Rheinfelden at 10:10 and arrived an hour later to the parking lot. By the time we had geared up, Clara had arrived from France with Juju, the boxer.
Almost immediately after the hike started we left the sledding route and got into the deep snow! The first kilometer was slow going but so nice. The trees all covered in snow, and it was so quiet. We passed the sledding route 2 more times and on the second passing Joachim informed us that the first leg of the trip was a well known snowshoe trail but now we are going ‘off road’ and that this leg was ‘the fun part’!
Some people may have different definitions of 'fun'! It took us an hour to travel 0.5 km. The snow was up to our chest in some places, and no one had come before us to blaze the way (part of the fun I learned). We now were high enough to get good pictures of the trees and down into the valley. It was fun, serene, beautiful, quiet, alone. All good things, plus a good workout!
We finally reached the top and for the third leg we walked between two rows of trees but on flat terrain. Soon enough we reached the cross country skiing trail and joined this all the way to the hut.
The term hut is slightly misleading, it’s a rustic restaurant and hotel offering warm food, quickly, and beds for the night. I had the goulash soup and two hotdogs.
After an hour warming up, we put on our semi-wet/dry gear and headed back to the car. For the way down, Clara and Joachim took the same route that we made going up. Jörn and I went down via the sledding trail.
Over all it was a great trek and we accomplished the goal, getting out of the house and playing in the snow on a gloomy Sunday.
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Take a leisurely stroll through Bruderholz, Basel, where a short, easy walk offers a delightful escape from the city. Explore the Bruderholz Water Tower, uncover hidden 'cut-your-own-flower' fields, and meander through peaceful farmland. Discover a perfect Sunday afternoon getaway just a tram ride away from Basel!