 Buffalos on the Rothaarsteig If you are going to take on the Rothaarsteig in central Germany anytime soon, you must not miss this: for the first time in hundreds of years, buffalos will again roam the forests of Europe – south of Kühhude (Bad Berleburg), alongside Stage 4 following the Rothaarsteig in a north-south direction. Urheber-Bildabdruck: Rothaarsteigverein:www.rothaarsteig.de www.kappest.de www.boconcept.de www.tatonka.de European buffalos have been living in the Rothaar Mountains for several years, but exclusively in an enclosure called “Wisent-Welt” (“Wisent” is Continue reading Not Quite American Buffalos  Hiking in Germany Of all our major hikes in Germany, the only one I have never told you about is our trip to the Rothaarsteig. This is a rather odd omission because the trip was, in a way, the most important of them all: our first ever, our baptism of nature hike, if you so wish, the place were Easy Hiker was born. Baptism of Nature Hike on the Rothaarsteig Without the Rothaarsteig, this blog would not have been possible, and Continue reading The Baptism of Nature Hike on the Rothaarsteig  Seemingly Rocks in Action I am sure there is a perfectly sound geological explanation of why there are so many rocks scattered around the Seelenfelsen section of the Pfälzer Waldpfad or the Palatinate forest in southwest Germany – something to do with the Ice Age, probably. But what I really want to know is this: why have so many of these look like rocks in action, sculpted to represent famous American sports teams? Exhibit A: The RAMS, Continue reading Rocks In Action  Easy hiking in Germany A Short Hike in the Island of Poel near Wismar The island of Poel is idyllic in a lonesome and slightly forlorn way, all flat land, empty beaches and unobstructed views all the way to the blurred line where the grey seas and the grey skies merge. And if, after all this melancholy, you need cheering up a little, you can combine today’s hike with a trip to one of the prettiest, largest Continue reading Baltic Blues and Reds in Poel near Wismar  The German Forest One more reason to go hiking in Germany’s forests: they may not be there for much longer. In 20 or 30 years, there will still be life in the German countryside, but perhaps not as we know it. In the 1980s, the German forest appeared to be on its last leaves. The German press was horrified. “Up there, all summits are toxic” was the title of a cover story in stern, Germany’s largest popular magazine (an allusion Continue reading Is The German Forest Dying? |