It was the hardest of days. It was the easiest of days.

A Tale of Two Days - Saturday and Sunday, June 1 & 2.

As we left the town of Mehring on Saturday, we were greeted with the usual - gain about 1000 vertical feet, more or less steeply, and then get on about the hike.  Annoyingly, as soon as we got up on the ridge above the Mosel, the trail began diving back down to the river, only to turn around and start back up again.  Then the fun started.

It had been raining for several days in these parts and on Saturday we started seeing more than the usual mud, to the point of confronting water rushing down the trails, making this more of a walk-up-a-creek exercise than just another trudge in the mud. (There are no pictures of this part of the hike because nothing other than our full attention on the trail was advisable.)  As we got well into the second 1000 ft climb, up a rushing creek with soul/sole sucking mud beneath our feet, we ran into a predicted obstacle - a washout.  We had to cross a ravine where a trail used to be and climb up the other side which was eroding away right before our eyes with the ground falling out from under us as we stepped forward.  Oh, and then we had to complete the second climb.  Let’s just say it was interesting.  Ironically, the second half of that hike was 5 miles of gentle downhill on broad and often paved trails.  

We ended up in a delightful little valley town actually ahead of check-in time.  More and more, we were ending up in towns where 80% of the businesses have something to do with the wine trade.  It wasn’t hard to find a place for a glass (we got our first “welcome wine” in our room on arrival) and subsequently a decent place for dinner.

Day Two.  Rather than backtracking and doing a bit of ridge walking to get going in the right direction today, we decided to go meandering and doing a bit a backtracking in the vineyards instead.  Really very interesting to be utterly surrounded indefinitely in every direction by vines in every stage of life, 90% of which were Riesling, growing grapes as fast as they could for consumers near and far.  

Finished by walking a few miles along the river (Mosel) and had to have first a coffee and a pastry (second breakfast), then a glass of Sekt - sparkling Riesling (first lunch), and then a sandwich at a picnic table by the marina (second lunch) while we waited for our luggage to arrive so we could check in.

Well, probably off in search of pasta tonight.  There is only so much sausage, spargel, spaetzle, schnitzel, and other German foods starting with “s” that one can take this many days in a row.

Stay tuned.