With tourism opening up again in Germany and the long weekend due to a public holiday, the only chance to enjoy nature alone was an early morning call. The day started at 5:30 am with preparing some snacks and coffee to go. In order to enjoy breakfast in nature. We started this weekends hike around 7 am in Schönmünzach in the National Park of the Black Forest. Plan ahead was the Romantic Tour Trail, with ~18 km and ~ 500 m altitude.
The morning was peaceful and a bit chilly with only 8 degree but nothing can beat the solitude of early mornings. The trail can be started in Schönmünzbach at the hikers parking lot. Where also information signs can be found about this trail and others in the area. The hike starts flat, along the river Schönmünz and provides a lot of benches to sit down and just enjoy the sounds of the water. The second part of the trail is mainly uphill through a magical forest landscape, in which we can feel really small, just sorrounded by huge trees.
At the peak of the trail we found a bench overlooking the Black Forest. Just the perfect spot to sit down, enjoy a gentle breeze, the view into nature and our hot coffee and other snacks we brought with us. This is what I love about hiking and camping, finding the best spots to enjoy nature. Sit down, breath and slow down.
The third part of the trail was mainly downhill on wide trails. There was only a short passage on a small, blocked trail which was a bit tricky and is only recommended for experienced hikers. The trail ends at the Hutzenbach Lake, which been our first encounter with other hikers after 4 hours. Coming back to the parking lot, showed us that we made the right choice. Everything was full and there been a lot of crowds. Even that on hikes social distancing is possible and in the outdoors everything should be easier. Nether the less, also here we saw the warning signs only to hike in the given direction and keep the distance on the trail. Even that nature can make us forget for a moment, back in civilization we are reminded constantly that pandemic is not over.
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