Hiking trail Wiedenbach valley

Hiking trail in the Black Forest

The new hiking trail forms the entrance to the circular trail around the Gertelbach waterfalls. It stretches over a length of approx. 1 km and overcomes a difference in altitude of just under 100 m. The hiking trail is divided into 4 sections with characteristic terrain situations (location in the meadow or in the forest, on the left or right side of the stream, with a steep gradient or flat...) and contains 7 characteristic "stations", partly nature formations such as "spring" or "rock gate", partly architecture such as the two footbridges, dry stone walls and benches.
The task required an unconventional approach. As was once the case with Ludwig Sckell, the route was determined and pegged out in the terrain and only then entered in the plan. Afterwards, it was checked and corrected again, and even during construction, minor corrections were still necessary, for example to bypass a tree.
Only autochthonous materials were used - in the case of granite for the walls and stairs a considerable cost factor. Possibly therefore locally found (e.g. with the way and foundation excavation) material was used.
Projects of this kind require substantial construction management expenditure. The "march" to the construction site alone represents a time factor that should not be underestimated. The construction site logistics also required a certain amount of intuition and skill on the part of all those involved: the footbridges could only be transported to the site in individual parts; the access roads were too narrow for larger transport equipment. There were even thoughts of using horses. Construction times were restricted because we are located in a landscape conservation area. In addition, the field of bidders was severely limited, as it was investigated in advance which company was still able to build dry stone walls at all. (Note: The author took a dry stone walling course himself in order to be able to give the company appropriate instructions, in case of doubt with his own hand.)
On the other hand, the confrontation with the terrain and the natural space and its direct experience gives great satisfaction. You could almost think of a holiday, if it wasn't also about earning money.