Hiking to the Klemmbach Source in Köhlgarten - Black Forest, Germany

Hello everyone, we decided to hit the road again this weekend. The weather was great. A bit cloudy but warm. Along the way, we encountered old houses everywhere and they were beautiful. Each homeowner had added variety by decorating their homes with flowers and wooden figures.

The surroundings were filled with roses, irises and cherry blossoms, spreading a wonderful fragrance.

There are accommodations where you can sit and eat in restaurants, stay in rooms and in the morning, grab your backpack and set off for beautiful places. We encountered many cyclists on the road. The magnificent mountains were awaiting us. In Germany shops are closed on holidays and weekends. They only operate on Saturdays. However restaurants and small cafes were open.

We climbed upwards, leaving residential areas behind and moving away from villages. It felt like we had almost reached the sky. The view was fantastic. We were happy after the rain. It had rained a lot in recent days filling everywhere with water, but here the water usually recedes quickly.

We were nearing the place where we would park our vehicle. Here we left our car and started walking in the mountains.

We started our route, fully equipped. The places were beautiful, the sun illuminated everything delighting our eyes. According to the signs on the way, we had a 6 km journey ahead of us. There were lovely dandelions, many flowers were starting to bloom, a feast for our eyes.

We entered the forest and had a wonderful day breathing in plenty of fresh air. We always gather herbs and until now, we still have many dried herbs from throughout the winter. St. John's wort, thyme, meadow grass and other herbs we've collected throughout the year. Now it's time to gather raspberry leaves. Raspberry leaves are delicious when brewed as tea. Soon fruits will also start appearing in the forest. The forest welcomed us with bird songs and fresh air. The fresh air and beauty after the rain delighted our eyes.

We walked along the path accompanied by the sounds of birds, our steps seemingly in harmony with these melodies. There was a beautiful and relaxing environment here. We watched the view from above. Then we continued on our way, friends. We had a longer road ahead, having walked only 2-3 km.

We passed by a sunny area where many lizards were scurrying around and birds were chirping. Here I found the burrows of rodents. These burrows were quite large. We thought they might be fox dens or large rodent burrows. It was the first time I had seen such a large burrow. A slug one of the forest's residents, was proudly sitting on a branch. Slugs are interesting creatures, almost as if they are pondering where to go.

A small waterfall flowed down and everywhere was lush green. Various colored flowers were in bloom, with yellow and purple flowers standing out. This place was so beautiful, the diversity of nature and the beauty of the flowers were awe-inspiring.

We came out onto a wide path. There was a steep slope ahead of us and a challenging climb awaited. Our goal was to reach the top and sit on a bench there to enjoy our tea and food. We had tea, sausages and many other things with us.

We stopped to rest for a bit. The slope was really challenging, but we didn't give up. We moved forward with songs. We needed to climb higher. Beauty awaited us.

To our right there were extraordinary views. The Swiss mountains, fresh greenery, rich colors... It was truly dazzling. The songs of the birds, the slowly drifting clouds, the blue sky everything was magnificent. Walking in the mountains is a great pleasure.

The region we were in is called Schwarzwald or the Black Forest. This name was given by the ancient Romans when they conquered Germany, impressed by the density of the forest. The trees are so dense that it becomes dark when you enter the forest. Sometimes without the sun, our mountains really look very dark. This is especially due to the dark color of the spruce trees here, as they block the sunlight. Once, we went to a visibly dark forested area, which I will share with you one day.

Walking on the trails was very enjoyable. As we ascended the view became more beautiful, as if we were looking at the mountains from a bird's eye view. Below were villages, people and their daily lives. Here we were walking among the clouds. It was truly wonderful, quiet and peaceful.

The climb became harder. We came to a steeper path. Each time we ascended, the view of the mountains made us forget all the difficulties. Looking at this view took away all the fatigue and boosted our spirits. Finally we reached the summit and, while enjoying the view, regained our energy.

We reached the highest point. When we got to the summit, very beautiful views awaited us. The climb was worth it for these beautiful views. We sat and rested here and had a picnic with the food we brought. The food we brought included bread, cucumbers, peppers, meatballs and hot tea. We brought our tea in a thermos.

We even considered celebrating a birthday here one day. Celebrating a birthday on top of the mountains would be wonderful. We enjoyed our meal while taking in the view. Then we continued on our way. On the path we encountered blueberry, blackberry and raspberry bushes. Nature always offered us pleasant surprises. The blueberries will soon ripen. The fruits are starting to appear. The strawberries are just beginning to bloom. The raspberries will also bloom soon. Seeing so many fruits in the forest is great. Last year while hiking in the forest, we ate plenty of fruit and were very happy. For now although we can't enjoy the not-yet-ripened fruits, we are enjoying the fresh air.

We climbed higher. There was a bench and table here and even a place to light a fire. This place is really beautiful and watching this view is much better than watching TV. Even a wide-screen TV can't be this beautiful.

Here there was a small box in a tree with a notebook and pen inside. People come here and write their thoughts. There was also a stamp. We wrote something in the notebook and stamped it. We stamped the seal indicating we were at 1224 meters high. We wrote this moment in the notebook and signed it. Being at such a high place is a wonderful feeling.

These birdhouse like boxes with seals are very nice. Everything is chained, very orderly. In the writing we left in the notebook, we mentioned that these magnificent views impress us every time. Indeed sitting here and looking into the distance gives a great sense of peace.

While walking on the path, we found a small water source coming out of the ground. This was the Klemmbach spring we wanted to reach. Here, we washed our hands and cooled off. The water was clean and clear. There was also a stone with Klemmbach written on it. This spring is at 1144 meters high and 20.1 kilometers long. It flows into the Rhine River. Making such interesting discoveries is really enjoyable.

We thoroughly enjoyed this hike and hope you did too. We made a careful descent, trying not to injure our legs. We saw massive ant hills; the ants work without regard for weekends or holidays, each doing its job.

Our car was waiting for us. It was time to go home. This was a wonderful trip and the weather was perfect. There are also tables and benches here, so we talked about keeping this place in mind. Next time we'll cook something here. This place is magnificent. It's an amazing forest.