This winter has been the real thing with weeks of icy mornings and a mix of rain and snow and slush. In this area of Germany the snow never sticks around for long but surprisingly only an hour’s drive can take you to a different world.
I still try to go hiking every other weekend. It feels good to be outside, to be moving. I can’t do other sports right now and hiking is really my only chance to challenge my body until the breath comes short and the muscles start to protest. It feels good.
We often pick the Eifel National Park – about 1-2 hours drive by car it affords endless walking opportunities (do you call it hiking or walking by the way?).
On this particular day we had set out early in the car with not a flake of white in sight. We had picked a 12 km hike (about 7.5 miles) which we estimated would be a comfortable distance to do on a winter day. Imagine our surprise when we arrived in a perfect winter wonderland!
The snow was ankle deep and untouched, sparkling under blue skies. It smelled clean and frosty like open spaces filled with snow always smell.
So much for poetry. After the first quarter hour of laboriously tromping through the hard, shiny mass we realized that those 12 km would maybe be a little more challenging than we had anticipated.
It was one of those hikes where perfect beauty matches perfect exhaustion – we lost our way and ended up making a detour thus bringing our total up to 15 km and four hours with no opportunity for a real break. One of those times when you find your limit and push past it out of necessity, feeling ridiculously proud afterwards as you nurse your aching limbs. One of those days where a hot shower and a comfortable evening on the couch wrapped in blankets at the end of it has never felt so good.
I love those days.
little home by hand 
Wonderful photos, this looks like winter wonderland to me! I have never been a fan of the cold but recently I have taken a liking to snow and glittery winter scenery. I wish I was as close to the mountains … and a hiking kind of person, which I am definitely not. 😉
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Thanks, Katha! I am definitely not a fan of the cold either, I love moderate temperatures. However I’ve found if I can make myself go out then I’ll usually get warm from moving, especially when hiking.
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Oh Kristina, lovely, lovely photos. You make me wish I had more opportunities to hike more. Thank you so much for sharing. Perfect winter wonderland.
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Thanks, Nicky! I do make an effort to source possible hiking routes and find the time, we’d never get out otherwise either 🙂
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I’m so jealous of your snow! (I’d call it hiking.)
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I knew you would be 😉 This was a rare day though, it’s not like it looks like that here all the time!
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Love these photos! I’m jealous of such beautiful snow. Here it’s been all slush and snow/rain the past weeks. I’d call it hiking too- hiking is wandern and walking is spazieren (which you probably already know…) but whenever I’m far out in nature and plan several hours to walk I call it hiking 😉
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Thanks, Ruth! I got a bit confused because in the UK they seem to call ‘wandern’ walking but maybe that’s just a difference between BE and the rest of the world 🙂
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I love those days too! They are perfect to me! Already missing snow 😉
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I do think we’ve seen the last of it now for a few months but I look forward to seeing things grow again, don’t you? 🙂
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Beautiful photography, Kristina. Those hiking days are awsome! Now with the construction of our house and me working one out of two weekends we rarely go hiking or walking. I’ve missed it so much the past year!
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Hi Ine, I hope your house will be finished soon so you will find some free time again! I always find a few hours in nature recharge me like nothing else can.
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