Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken: Weekend in the Vosges (20 + 33 or 17 km)

Let’s farewell the Spring as she deserves by wandering the Vosges.

The link to the carpool. Most likely, I will leave on Friday evening and stay until Sunday evening, but this is yet to be decided. Please, add your car.

You can participate on both events or just one and also can decide whether to arrive the day before or on the day of the event.

We can arrange the accommodation and other details as the date approaches.

This challenge is going to be extenuating. Please, make sure you have an adequate physical condition and, more importantly, the mental endurance required.

DAY 1 – Saturday 17 June (20 km)

Warm up day. We will start around 10 AM from Oberhaslach.

Most of the difficulty is concentrated at the very beginning. We will go more slowly than usual as we do not want to burn all our energy on the first day. Apart from those first couple of kilometres or so, the difficulty is comparable to what we usually do in Luxembourg.

Some highlights include the ruins of the following castles Ringelsbourg (or Grand Ringelstein), Petit-Ringelstein, Nideck and Hohenstein, along with the Nideck waterfall and the Rocher Hirschfels.

This is a loop. The ups and downs in 2D and 3D.

DAY 2 – Sunday 18 June (33 km)

This is going to be one of the hardest things we have ever attempted from the inception of this group. We will also go more slowly than usual.

We will start around 9 AM from Col du Donon.

We will warm up by climbing the sacred mountain of Alsace, the Donon (1009m), an extraordinary Gaulish spiritual complex. Next, we will reach Tête de Mort (900m) along the a path that connects a number of bunkers from World War I. We will then continue to the Noll (991m), the Narion (998m) and the other jewel of this journey, the Rocher de Mutzig (1009m). Last time we turned around here, but, on this occasion, if we can still stand on our legs, we plan on continuing a bit further, up to the Petit Katzenberg (903m). On our way back we will climb the Petit Donon (961m), a fortified German position that, as does its bigger brother, offers a stunning 360° view of the surroundings.

This is also a loop. The ups and downs in 2D and 3D.

DAY 2  variation (17 km)

As, unlike Schrödinger’s cat or God, I can typically only be in one place at the same time, the feasibility of this alternative depends on finding someone willing to guide those who may opt for it. If you believe that could be you, please, manifest yourself. Otherwise, it will not happen.

We will start together but you will turn around right after having completed the Bunker’s trail. You will still see the two Donons but will miss the other summits. To compensate, you will also do the Kohlberg (907m), thus tracing a beautiful triskelion around the Donons.

The end point is the same, only that you would be expected to get there earlier.

The ups and downs in 2D and 3D and the GPX file.