Last weekend, a lot of volksmarches were close to the Kaiserslautern Military Community in Germany. This weekend, there are some in the Stuttgart area which, based on the fliers, look pretty good. With the Stuttgart German-American Wandering Club’s big walk next weekend, this area will be in the spotlight for two weeks in a row.
First, the walk in Schorndorf this weekend is just a few kilometers east of Stuttgart. The doors open at 7 a.m. Start the 5-, 10- and 20-kilometer routes before 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. The prizes are unnamed B-medals.
Located about a 45-minute drive southwest of Stuttgart, Rotfelden has a ceramic doll as the prize for completing one of its 6-, 10- or 20-kilometer trails. You can start this walk at 8 a.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. Sunday. The cut-off for starting the walk is 1 p.m. both days. Although neither is a Stammtisch walk, the Stuttgart club is pre-registered at both, so you will see members there.
The third walk of the weekend is in Rohrhardsberg, an hour or so southwest of Stuttgart. We imagine this walk in the Black Forest will be pretty — pretty in appearance and pretty hilly, too!
Start time is between noon and 3 p.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. Sunday. The flier mentions the town’s Waldfest that weekend. There will be music and more on Saturday evening and most of the day Sunday.
Next weekend is the big walk in Stuttgart. The club offers trails of 6, 12 and 22 kilometers. The doors of the sports hall open Saturday at 11 a.m. The 6-kilometer route is stroller friendly. You have until 1 p.m. to start the 22-kilometer route and until 3 p.m. for the 6- and 12-kilometer trails. On Sunday, doors open at 7 a.m. and you have until noon to start the 22-kilometer trail. The deadline for starting the shorter routes is 1 p.m. The prize for this walk is a hat pin shaped like a walking boot with feathers coming out of the top.
As at all volksmarches, volunteers are needed. The good news is that there are many ways to help, and you don’t have to work all day. You could help at a control point in the morning and then do the walk in the afternoon. Or maybe walk in the morning and then help in the kitchen in the afternoon.
Of course, donating some baked goods is always appreciated. If you can help, please contact Melissa Rodeffer at Melissa.rodeffer@gmail.com.
For more information, visit www.sgawc.org.
You can also see pictures from last year’s walk and other club events on this site. We’ll have more details in next week’s column. For now, just plan on heading to Stuttgart next weekend.
Other walks this weekend include Hütten, near Grafenwöhr, Aarbergen-Panrod, north of Wiesbaden and Wadgassen, southeast of Saarlouis.
The Heidelberg International Wandering Club has a couple bus trips coming up the might be of interest to you. The first one is a day trip to a walk in Ehingen/Donau, followed by a visit to Zweifalten Abbey and the Zweifalter Klosterbraü. This trip takes place 20 August. If you are interested, contact Dave Miller at: beardedmaggot@yahoo.com.
The last day for full payment is Aug. 8. Dave tells us this bus is full, but he does have a waiting list in case someone cancels.
The second trip is over Labor Day weekend and goes to Versailles and Paris. The trip captain is Vickie Southworth and you can reach her at: Southworth_family@hotmail.com. The last day for final payment for this trip is 5 August. We would be surprised if this isn’t a full bus.
A tip of the hat to the following people who contributed fliers for the chart: William Castro and Maureen McHugh-Castro; Michael and Michelle Connor; Cath and Rob Floyd; Bob Gambert; Richard and Donna Glenn; Wayne Henry; Ramona and Horst Kechelen; Tim and Luchi Lynch; “Pat” and Cheryl Patterson and Rick and Wanda Sciascia. Plus, an extra thanks to new contributors Richie and Young Sook Reeder, who will be sending fliers from south Bavaria. Keep up the good work everybody!
E-mail volksmarch information to two.walkers@yahoo.com. Mail brochures to Bob and Lorraine Huffaker, CMR 460, Box 278, APO, AE, 09752.
