G3VGR SCHLUCHTENSTEIG      Blumberg - Schattenmühle      

It was a warm sunny morning with not too many clouds when I finished breakfast and started the day with a pleasant stroll past some meadows to the village of Aselfingen. There were quite a few buzzards and two kites circling overhead as obviously yesterday wasn't a good day for aerial hunting. I crossed onto a farm road and through some woods which followed the Wutach upstream. This continued until I reached a large saw mill at Wutachmühle, where the road gradually turned to a narrow track at the entrance of the Wutachschlucht. The rest of the day's walk was 11Km through the gorge and it was considerably cooler once I started this section. The trail varied between high rocky ledges, muddy paths at the river level and even areas of pebbly beaches almost in the water. The going underfoot was generally very rough, sometimes muddy and also along a few narrow high paths along cliff faces, usually protected by steel cables and pickets, where "Trittsicherheit und Schwindelfreiheit sind erforderlich" This ever-changing variety made the trail continally interesting, although tiring, and I was completely enchanted by the varying scenery. Being Sunday, there were quite a few people around, but I also had long periods of solitude.

The Wutachschlucht is a totally unspoilt area and I was feeling extremely pleased that I'd chosen this trail to hike. There were many interesting flowers along the gorge and much birdlife. At one point, a deer darted out in front of me and ran across the river. My cameras were safely in their pouches at the time, so I was unable to capture this exciting moment. In the early afternoon, there was a little rain, but quite innocuous compared to what I'd experienced yesterday. After a few hours of this first-class trail, I eventually reached Schattenmühle, a large complex with hotel accommodation and restaurant. It had been an exhausting day's hiking, so I rewarded myself by sitting out on the terrace with a Hefeweizen while waiting for the hiker's bus to nearby Bonndorf, where I was booked into the the Gasthaus Sonne. Today had been a "Frühlingsfest"(Spring Fair) in Bonndorf and there were still some stalls open selling home-made cakes and coffee when I arrived. This was a nice ending to a perfect day's hiking.


Inquisitive residents of Aselfingen

Trail heading to Wutachmühle

Wutachmühle

Along the Wutachschlucht

Along the Wutachschlucht

Covered bridge over the Wutach

Along the Wutachschlucht

Along the Wutachschlucht

Along the Wutachschlucht

Along the Wutachschlucht

Dietfurtbrücke

Schelmer Halde Waßerfall

Along the Wutachschlucht

A well earned beer at Schattenmühle

Spring Fair in Bonndorf

Bonndorf - Gasthaus Sonne on left


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