This stage runs mostly on trails through the forest. Not everywhere the trail is well maintained, on some sections there are fallen trees blocking the paths. The route has over 1000 meters of ascent and 1000 meters of descent and is quite steep in some sections.
We wake up before the campsite does. The sun already shines through the rising morning fog, it promises to be another beautiful and warm day. Today’s stage is with it’s 27.5 kilometers the longest so far, and the 1,000 meter ascending and 1?000 descending makes the hike extra challenging.
Early on we pack our (soaking wet) tent and set off. Across the campsite we walk straight into the woods and after barely 100 meters we get the first warm-up for the calves. A steep climb and descent prepare us for the real work; a climb from 220m to 500m altitude (today’s highest point). As a bonus there are quite a few fallen trees on the path, where we need to climb over or under.
By now the sun is shining brightly. At the top of the hill, we take a long break while we let the tent and groundsheet dry in the sun. Really amazing, the difference in weight between a wet and a dry wet tent!
With renewed energy, we start descending again through the woods. About halfway through the hike, we run into more and more people who comment that taking the cable car would have been easier. We laugh while walking on and to our surprise, a little further on we indeed see a cable car. Very tempting for a moment… but we restrain ourselves. Luckily, because the route leads us past the magnificent Chateau de Vianden. It’s very crowded with tourists from all four winds and we understand why: it seems to be a beautiful old town.
Since we haven’t seen a store in 3 days, we are starting to run out of provisions, so we’re glad to find a gas station a little further on. Ideal for a cup of coffee, sandwiches and to replenish our rations. We didn’t know you could be só happy with a gas station, when you don’t even have a car ;-)
After this break, the road leads us over an old, flat railroad line just before we’ll be crossing the last hill. In the last kilometers we start to feel the distance and altimeters in our legs and feet quite a bit, but the views and yellow fields of flowering rapeseed really make up for it. Tomorrow we’ll stay a day in Diekirch to give our muscles and joints some rest and to visit the town.
