Day 55, Zweifall Kartoffelbaum – Heimbacher stausee

Weather: 🌥️🌤️☀️☀️🌤️(perfect hiking weather)
Picnic: 🍖🍺🍖🍺🍖🍺 (6 out 5, BBQ picnic with our friends Niels and Saskia who came over for the afternoon to have a great picnic!)
Track: 🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪 (4 out of 5, beautiful hilly forest track, last part with great views over the Rursee)
Campsite: ⛺⛺⛺( 3 out of 5, in a corner on a closed campsite, because the owner wouldn’t turn us away ♥️)
Name of followed trail: Krönungsweg
Special mention: Niels and Saskia who drove 3hr one way to come and have a BBQ with us. Thanks guys, it was great catching up!

After a really good night of sleep we leave our Kartoffelbaum campsite. We hike for 17 km on a beautiful trail through the forest area of the Hürtgenwald. In this area there has been heavy fighting in WW2. The reminders of the war are present all around us. By memorials of lost soldiers, bunkers and by the sign remembering the first settlers of the village Raffelsbrand, which was build because the production forest was completely destroyed there ater the war.

On the, now very scenic trails, Mark picks me some flowers to wear on my backpack ♥️. We both do this every once in a while as a mindfull way to show love and appreciation to each other. A moment to connect as partners, not just hikers. Really important to do on a long journey like this one!

We continue our walk and have a break at a surprise cafe in a small village, before we walk to our lunch destination: a grillplatz near Schmidt where we will meet Saskia and Niels for a BBQ picnic!

Fro whoever read one of our first blogs about weighing options: Niels brought the 3,5 kg BBQ so it could be used on trail. To Fabienne and Ryan, it really works well, thank you again! We had a great picnic because of it!

Saskia and Niels got us a borrelplank full of snacks to enjoy with our beers before we got to BBQing. And if course there was dessert! Kaiserschmarrn with Ice cream!

Completely full after a good meal and great afternoon, we say goodbye to Niels and Saskia and continue our last 8 km to our campsite. It’s a great walk with amazing views over the Rursee.

The only thing that I don’t enjoy is my right shin. After all other pains disappeared yesterday with the new shoes, I felt a little cramp in my shin at the end of the walk. I had hoped that it would disappear again, but it didn’t. So I guess I went a level up in the thru-hiking game: new injury unlocked! 😅🤔

A bit more slow than normal, and a bit more grumpy too, we get to the holiday park where we ask for a spot. No option here unfortunately, but there’s a campsite further down. Half an hour before sunset we get to the campsite, which is closed. I ring the door anyway and the lady that opens the door tells us she’s closed, but she won’t turn 2 hikers away. 🎉🎉🎉 Relieved we pitch our tent and shortly after I fall asleep. We’ve had a beautiful day of hiking, and a great picnic!