Hence

Although I'm currently battling a pretty bad cold, I decided to go for a short walk anyway; fresh air is supposed to help in situations like this...



I parked the car in Pilgramsreuth, the birthplace of potato cultivation in Upper Franconia, and then walked towards Kleppermühle, which has a good reputation

Last Monday, the Oberkotzau branch of the Fichtelgebirge Association held its monthly meeting, the topic of which was the successful escape of Günter Wetzel and Peter Strelzyk from East Germany to the West in a homemade hot air balloon on September 16, 1979. Unfortunately, Mr. Wetzel was unable to attend

The train was both the starting and ending point of today's hike. "Use it or lose it" – so I took advantage of the beautiful weather and traveled by train to Rehau, from where I hiked to Wurlitz this time.



It's interesting to see how the trail conditions can improve in just a few days! In any case, I

A short hike organized by the Oberkotzau branch of the Fichtelgebirge Club was planned for that day. However, it was canceled due to the weather, which wasn't a bad idea in retrospect, considering the route. Naturally, the Perlenradweg (Pearl Cycle Path), which I followed to Wurlitz, hadn't been cleared

You've brought back some beautiful winter impressions 🤍❄️🩵

The positives of today's hike: Although bitterly cold, the weather was fantastic, offering magnificent views from Döbraberg across the Franconian Forest.



The negatives of today's hike: The trail disappeared just beyond Hohenzorn! Simply vanished! Well, there were paths, but none of them led where I wanted

A winter hike around Schirnding. You always discover something new when you explore smaller paths, off the beaten track like the Franconian Mountain Trail or the East Trail. I've hiked both of those here before, but this time I also visited Raithenbach and Oschwitz and explored the Menzlohgraben ravine

It's almost like stepping back in time to winters long past when you look out the window or go outside and are confronted with the sheer amount of snow that hasn't been seen for years. Although, to be honest, it's a perfectly normal winter, just as you'd imagine it, so there's really no reason to complain

I owe this tour to @Martina; thank you so much for the tip! It feels like 100 years since I last walked past the border chapel, as I've already hiked the East Trail. But I think I've somehow missed the charcoal kiln site until now.



The loop was short and sweet. From the charcoal kiln site, follow the

We had actually planned a longer hike, but since we hadn't set an alarm this morning, we changed our plans at the last minute. And a short loop around Lake Joditz is just as lovely as a long hike somewhere else where you don't know what kind of trail conditions you'll encounter.



We thoroughly enjoyed