The Black Forest

I left the north east of Lake Constance ready for some serious kilometres not around but over and cross the top of the Black Forest. Local cyclists told me to expect some hard long climbs if I was to choose the route across the middle. This would take me directly to Freiberg, one of the university cities of Germany.

Some parts of the Black (which is also called Schwarzwald Naturpark) rise up to only fifteen hundred metres which is reasonable for me as long as it's not raining - that adds another dimension altogether. Also it's a chance to camp in the forests again away from the crowds of Lake Constance.

The Black Forest is located in the south west German state of Baden-Wurttemberg and about 60km across east-west and 160km long north-south.

It apparently derives its name due to the dense growth of the trees not letting much light in to the forest floor.

As I entered the forest trails I knew that some of the fir trees were not native because I had seen these before when hiking in Canada and remember the Douglas Fir. There would have been mass logging here over the centuries for home construction, firewood and probably bridges, therefore a lot of the native forest trees would be gone in some areas and I suspect these others were introduced.

I filled all my water bottles and stocked up with food from the closest village to the start of the forest then started my ascent. A bit cloudy but no rain or headwind to slow my progress so I made good time, stopping for tea breaks and fresh cherries and strawberries. I managed to negotiate a mix of both at the local roadside stall and explained to the young frau I was not able to load up with a lot of fruit - she smiled and let me take a handful of each. They were so sweet, unlike ours in Australia that seem to come from cold storage with no flavour at all.

I found a clearing in the forest later that afternoon and setup my tent on a bed of wildflowers surrounded by tall fir trees. Ah my little paradise for the night and even a half crescent moon appeared in the southern sky to complete the scenery as I cooked my evening meal and listened to the Bach Brandenburg concertos.

My following morning wake up call was the sight of several, and I mean several jet trails across the sky. Zurich to the far south must be very busy on a Saturday morning.

And yes I decided I had earned a piece of Black Forest cake for morning tea later at Lake Titisee. I was then packed full of rich local ingredients for the final ascent and descent into Freiberg on a sunny afternoon.

 

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