Micro adventure on the Nahe river trail

NAHESTEIG: The trail in numbers: 2 days, 60 km and 1400m elevation

My journey starts in the village Selbach at the source of river Nahe. I follow the trail sign, a blue N, while the young river makes its way through soft hills and meadows. There is little infrastructure out here, lots of buildings have been abandoned as younger generations have spread out in quest for work or to pursue different interests.

Nahe source

The trail barely touches villages, and infrastructure besides overland buses is almost non-existent. No coffee shops, no groceries, no pharmacies, not even a hole in the wall. So one has to carry provisions along, except for water which can be taken from an abundance of creeks along the way, provided one uses a filter system. I however prefer asking locals for water and engage in small talk.

Castle Veldenz in Nohfelden

In Hoppstetten a sign points to a local grocery store where I stock on re-supplies for my overnighter in the woods. My backpack is heavy now and pulls on my shoulders while I continue my trek.

Abbey mill of Bleiderdingen

As the sun sets I find the ideal place to set up camp, a sleeping spot with a view. Temperatures will fall into the low single digits but my equipment has been proven capable of dealing with even sub-zero degrees °C.

I sleep well, have breakfast and break camp. The morning offers some wildlife views, there are rabbits, a beaver and deer but I am too slow to capture them with my camera.

The ups and down of the single trail continue but with the food and water vanishing magically, my pack is getting lighter again.

Nohen railway bridge

In Kronweiler I meet a local in a repair shop who keeps a water bottle supply for hikers and bikers in his shed giving it out for free in return for some friendly exchange of words. What a nice gentleman.

Shelter at Kronweiler

At the rock spur Weibersprung the tale goes that virgins had to be sacrificed in order to calm down some monster living in the gorge. I wonder why they didn't throw some younglings over the cliff for a change.

At the end of the day, shortly before arriving at the trailhead in Idar-Oberstein, the path leads along the grown river passing an interesting geological feature. The gorge rocks looks spectacular while being touched by the last sun rays of the day. What a hike! The trail is so good, I want to do it all over again. But at another time in another season. I call for a taxi to the hotel I had booked ahead, looking forward for a hot shower and call it a day.

The green Mile (Part 5) - Der grüne Tunnel (Teil 5)

Day Five: Reinsfeld to Nonnweiler Reservoir - 25 km
The last day of my journey shows me the high plains of the region near Gusenburg and Hermskeil. The trail is easy to follow and again I am making good progress. Some markers explain that there had been an ancient burial site but all I see are piles of dirt. I have to believe what the signs explain. One last hill to conquer, then it's all downhill until I reach the bottom of the Nonnweiler reservoir. I gather my last energy resources and run (ok stumble) up the dam where my hubby welcomes me with ice cold lemonade and snacks. What a wonderful finale.

Etappe 5: Reinsfeld bis Nonnweiler Stausee - 25 km
Die letzte Etappe führt bei strahlendem Sonnenschein auf die Höhen an Gusenburg und Hermeskeil vorbei. Es stehen keine besonderen Herausforderung bevor, nur ein sanftes Auf und Ab. Hinweisschilder am Wegesrand verweisen auf die Entdeckung ehemaliger Hügelgräber, ich kann allerdings außer unspektakulären Erdwällen im Gelände nichts erkennen und muss den Informationstafeln glauben. Noch einmal erklimme ich einen kleinen Hügel, dann geht es abwärts bis zum Fuß der Talsperre in Nonnweiler. Im Endspurt steige (ok: keuche) ich die Staumauer hinauf. Oben erwartet mich bereits mein Trailmanager (a.k.a. weltbester Ehemann) mit eiskalter Limo und leckerem Imbiss. Was für ein Finale.

Conclusion:
Long stretches of single trails are rare in Germany, the trail scouts did a great job connecting the dots to create this long distance trail. Signs and markers showed the way, there was no reason to get lost, no map or navigation system needed. For this I give kudos to the trail managers. Restocking on food and beverages at times can become an issue. For this a bit sensitive planning is needed or else you get to stay hungry and thirsty. 
Accommodation has been a bit of an issue on the first section but later there were all options given from cheap camping to high end hotel whatever your budget would allow. There aren't many geological or cultural features offered, instead you'll get fifty shades of green, woods and grassland, ponds and rivers, and wildlife sightings such as deer, hare, mice and boar. I haven't had a lot of contact with the natives. They seem a bit shy and taciturn. Also, not many other travelers seemed to hike this trail, I was on my own most of the time. 

Fazit:  
Naturbelassen, viele Single-Trails, außergewöhnlich gute Wegmarkierung, hier ein großes Lob an die Wege-Scouts des S-H-Steigs. Orte werden oft umgangen, daher sind Einkehrmöglichkeiten gering und Selbstversorger im Vorteil. Brunnen oder andere Wasserquellen sind eher selten, daher in der heißen Jahreszeit eher zu viel Wasser mitführen, als durstig bleiben. 
Übernachtungsmöglichkeiten sind im ersten Abschnitt dürftig, da entweder ausgesetzt oder extrem feucht, auch Schutzhütten fehlten, das bessert sich aber ab Etappe 2. Der Trail war so einsam, dass man direkt auf dem Weg hätte campen können. Auf der gesamten Wanderung sind mir nur zwei Pärchen entgegen gekommen. In meiner Richtung sind auch nur eine Handvoll Leute der Deuter-Fraktion unterwegs gewesen.
Besondere Höhepunkte für den kulturbewussten Wanderer gibt es eher wenige, dafür aber ganz viel Grün auf schmalen Pfaden, das Blätterrauschen, Vogelgezwitscher und Bachgeplätscher gibt es gratis dazu, sowie Sichtungen von Rehen, Hasen, Waldmäusen und Wildschweinen. Einheimischen begegnet man durch die naturnahe Wegführung fast gar nicht. Die wenigen, denen man über den Weg läuft sind eher wortkarg. Insgesamt ein recht gelungener Weitwanderweg mit kleinen Schwächen.