Hike 1

The hike went from Gernsbach to the summit of the Merkur and back again. We started by taking a look at the old town of Gernsbach, as one of the participants had missed the train and was keen to catch up. In addition, our hiking guide Judith wanted to take the students for a walk around the town anyway. When the student arrived, we set off across orchards. A large part of the route ran along roads and gravel paths until we followed a narrow path upwards on the final ascent to the summit. Due to the heat, we took frequent breaks and were glad when we arrived at the Merkur. There we had an extensive picnic with a great view. Despite being exhausted, most of the participants were still able to climb the observation tower. Afterwards, we stopped off at the restaurant at the summit. The descent was characterized by more forest paths and therefore more varied. We also spotted a few animals, such as a slow worm and a tiny frog. After around 6 to 7 hours, we reached the train station in Gernsbach again.

Hike 2

On this hike, the hiking group returned to the Gertelbach waterfalls, as the feedback from the previous semester was that the tour was particularly beautiful and the first hike this semester was a tour along the river to make it less hot. The latter worked out particularly well, as the students kept talking about how pleasant the climate was. In addition, the participants very often stopped to take photos, which certainly shows how beautiful they found the hike (especially the section along the Gertelbach). In between, our hiking guide Judith told them about the concept and origin of the schnapps fountains, as well as the most important information about the modern forestry. After hiking down from the Gertelbach, we checked out some of the beautiful rocks scattered around. The Wiedenfelsen had a beautiful view, but we had to hide behind it to have a picnic in the shade. After climbing a few rocks, we stopped off at the Kohlbergwiese hiking restaurant. There we all treated ourselves to a drink, ice cream or a slice of homemade cake. The rest of the walk went by quite quickly.

Hike 3

The hike on 19.07.2025 started in Loffenau, a cute little town near Gernsbach. From there, we climbed up towards the Devil's Chambers - the first major ascent of the hike. The participants were very interested in the Devil's Chambers and Judith was able to talk to them a little about how they were formed and how they are used. After a short section in the forest over bridges and footbridges, the route went temporarily downhill to Plotzsägmühle. From there, the second and final ascent began, which started gently and then increased sharply, exhausting everyone. The high humidity did the rest. When we finally reached the highest point, we came across lots of blueberries, which accompanied us all the way to the Teufelsmühle. The internationals took several breaks to replenish their supply of blueberries. Once we arrived at the Teufelsmühle, we stopped off at the mountain restaurant of the same name. After enjoying the view from there, we made our way down the steep path into the valley and arrived safely back in Loffenau.