See this week's volksmarch events.
The daylight hours are slowly growing and so is the weekly list of volksmarches. We hope you are enjoying the milder weather and getting out on the trails.
For a walk through history, head to Bertogne, Belgium, on Sunday for the "Dead Man’s Ridge Walk." This event is in honor of the men of the 17th Airborne Division in World War II, and like the Bastogne Historical Walk and the 82nd Airborne Walk, it does not include IVV credit. It does, however, give an opportunity to see numerous re-enactors and to walk the terrain where elements of the 17th Airborne fought during the Battle of the Bulge.
Registration for the walk starts at 8 a.m. There will be a commemorative church service at 9 a.m. followed by a brief ceremony at the monument dedicated to the 17th Airborne Division. The walk, covering routes of six or 14 kilometers, will start at about 10 a.m. Organizers recommend that you take a sack lunch.
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• It’s not too late to plan your trip to Lisse, Netherlands, for an April 10 walk. Your start card will allow you to enter the world-famous Keukenhof gardens. Here is a chance to beat the crowds and avoid the entrance fee. For more information about this year’s activities at Keukenhof, which opens Thursday, visit www.keukenhof.nl.
• On April 17, join the Heidelberg International Wandering Club on a bus trip to Sprendlingen, Germany. After the volksmarch, club members plan to take the ferry across the Rhine to visit the beautiful town of Rudesheim. Sign up before April 1 by contacting Don Casper at don.casper1@t-online.de.
• The Kiddie Volksmarch 2010, sponsored by the HIWC, will be April 24 at Patrick Henry Village. It does not provide IVV credit, but is meant to introduce young walkers to volksmarching. The club is looking for donations of kid-appropriate prizes to award each child who participates. If you have any old prizes you would like to donate, or if you would like to volunteer or participate with your child, contact Rob Floyd at: hiwc@yahoo.com.
• We’ve received the flier for the Ramstein Roadrunner’s 34th Annual Walk. It will be May 8 and 9, starting at the Realschule on Schernauerstrasse and covering new trails. Sponsors are offering some neat prizes: The main one is a scarf with a pendant, but you can also pick up a B-medal multicolored beer mug from last Thanksgiving’s Turkey Trot. This is a beautiful mug and we are surprised there are any left over. Mark your calendars now for this outstanding walk. There is still plenty of time to volunteer to work at this event, too. There are about a thousand jobs to do and any and all volunteers are appreciated. Please contact Brad Crandall at (+49) (0) 6374-80079.
• For a chance to volksmarch in Austria, join the Heidelberg club as it heads to Kufstein, Austria, on May 22-23. The club plans to stop at Stuttgart to pick up walkers, so this bus probably will fill quickly. Saturday will be spent exploring the medieval city of Kufstein. Sunday morning will include the volksmarch and return trip to Stuttgart and Heidelberg. Don Casper is the trip captain, so contact him before April 13 at don.casper1@t-online.de.
• The prize at the Wernstein, Austria, event is a gemstone necklace.
• The ceramic cats being awarded at the Heilsbronn walk have tails that wiggle.
• At the Stetten Volksmarch, the prize is a ceramic bird feeder that is about 12 inches across. The birds are colorful, too. All of these prizes were on display at the Rothenburg walk last month.
• For walkers in the Netherlands, Sunday’s walk in Heerlen, does not include IVV credit. We listed it because the route usually crosses into Germany and goes through a nature park and along portions of the Siegfried Line. You have to look carefully for the dragon’s teeth, but they are there.
• The marathon walk at Cortenuova di Monticello, Italy, will give 42 kilometers credit for the 40k trail due to the hills.
• At the Thiene, Italy, walk, the 12- and 22-kilometer routes will be in the hills. Walkers must finish by 2 p.m.
E-mail volksmarch information to two.walkers@yahoo.com. Mail brochures to Bob and Lorraine Huffaker, CMR 460, Box 278, APO, AE, 09752.
