Monday 22 May 2017
| Distance (km) | 22 kms | |||
| Distance (time) | 7 hrs | |||
| Climb / Descent | 0m / 0m | |||
| Hard / Soft surface | 20% / 80% | |||
| Landscape |
|
|||
| Weather |
 27° 2 Bft
|
|||
|
|
||||
|
After a dramatically bad 2016 it's better now and we decide to continue our way from in Châtenois. After we slowly travelled to Ribeauvillé (with an intermediate stop in Luxembourg to visit a good friend) we enjoy our lazy Sunday afternoon. But on Monday it starts, and somewhat unorganized we get up on time just to have to hurry to the bus stop anyway. The bus is exactly on time and less than half an hour later we're in Séléstat where we have to wait 25 minutes for the connecting bus to Châtenois. When we finally get there we search for the local bakery to get breakfast part 2 before hitting the road. As happened before, straight out of the village the road goes up and since it's quite warm as well (and we are not very fit) we're already sweating before even reaching teh fores. After that it gradually climbs and we like that. Quite sudden we reach the Montagne des Signes (Monkey Mountain - literally) where we have a short break. Until somebody starts a lawn mower and Lupita starts sneezing and coughing as she's allergic to grass. So then on we go again. The path keeps climbing until we cross the D159. Or better, cross it twice, since we first cut short a long hairpin in the road and then we cross the road again. From there it's a straight line up and now it is steep. Two hairpins don't change that and soaking wet from sweating we arrive at the castle Haut Koeningsbourg where 2 cold cokes give some refreshment. Fortunately it is a weekday and not yet tourist season so that we can take some picture while walking underneath the castle without having more tourists than castle in the picture. The path starts descending again and nicely in the shadow we walk to Thannenkirch. In spite of being a village with quite some facilities it takes us some time to get something to drink in hotel Le Clos des Sources, but we persist. It's pretty warm by now without any wind and with a terrace in the sun cooling down is not really happening. We leave the village again and of course it immediately starts climbing again. Looking at the serious ridge ahead of us it will be quite a climb. But we get at the summit....to find out the path keeps climbing along the crest. We should have known: we have to go to a castle ruin (Haute Ribeaupierre) and castle ruins always give hopelessly steep climbs. Followed by hopelessly steep descents. Just like the descent to Châtenois this descent to Ribeauvillé is steep, rocky and full of tree roots. We progress very slow and in spite of the beautiful views this is in fact the nastiest part of the day. But we get down in the village in one piece and the last 1.5 kms are through the village to the camping site. On the way we pick up an ice cream that we feel we have well deserved. |
      |
|||
|
|
||||