This side of the mountain
The hike starts at the railway station of Seebrugg on the shore
of the Schluchsee lake (as I mention beer above, this is a
railway-based cache hunt!). The station is located at: N47
48.196 E8 11.451.
Your first destination will be the huge concrete dam that holds
back Schluchsee's water (and keeps the original village of
Schluchsee about 40m below the surface). The dam is at N47
48.014 E8 11.030. By the way, at the one end of the dam there
is a bar place that has a refreshing wheat beer.
The next place is located on the other side of the dam, and a
bit further down the sloping road. It's the village part
Eisenbreche of the village of Blasiwald. At N47 47.976 E8
10.630 right in the middle of the village you have the choice
of a beer garden and a restaurant, in case you need some
refreshment. No need though, as here you're even at a lower
altitude than you were at the railway station!
Now comes a bit of a workout. Head uphill, towards N47 47.518
E8 10.085 where you will find yourself right in the center of
Blasiwald (and next to the country-style restaurant "Zur Sonne").
Chill out with a beer if you're exhausted ;-)
No mercy, you need to proceed even further uphill, to the final
destination, the cache place. Before refreshing at the restaurant
(e.g. at the huge wooden table on the outside, while enjoying the
scenery) go to the building across the road from the chapel. An
artist couple lives here and has a permanent exhibition of their
work open under the roof of their old Black Forest famhouse!
After your rest, you may just return the way you came. You will
have hiked a distance of approx. 5 kilometers (one-way, another 5
to return), and you're close to the top of the mountain you were
walking uphill all the time.
Should you be willing to add another 4km down the other side of
the mountain, I suggest to proceed to St. Blasien and take a bus to
return to Seebrugg. Instructions follow...
The other side of the mountain
Head for the Windberg waterfall, located over the edge of the
mountian (you'll pass an altitude of 1020m), and many meters
downhill from Althütte at N47 45.823 E8 08.473. Follow the
waterfalls' liquid output, and you will discover the beautiful
Windbergschlucht. Eventually, you will hit the first buildings of
St. Blasien. While you're there, don't miss these goodies:
- The Alb waterfall at N47 45.513 E8 08.216 right in the
city.
- The huge dome of the former Jesuit monastry (now a boarding
school) at N47 45.599 E8 07.813.
Finally, the central bus station is at N47 45.702 E8
07482. Buses for Seebrugg leave every hour during daytime.
Schedules are available
here.
Recommended places for eating: The "Sankt Blasier Stüble" (an
italian pasta & pizza place) and "Tränke", a neat bar that
serves salads, pizza and other food.
If you're up for a coffee and a pie, there are three outstanding
coffe places: Café Aich and Café Ell right on the downtown
promenade, and Café Zeller at N47 45.499 E8 07.379, which
happens to be the starting place for the hunt for the
"Schwarzwaldpost" geocache...
The photos
...might be online sooner or later. First, I'll clean my boots
and equipment from my hike back to Schluchsee, bushwrecking while
following my GPS directions....