This weekend there are some walks in the Stuttgart, Germany, area which, based on the fliers, look pretty good. With the Stuttgart Club’s big walk next weekend, it means this area will be in the spotlight for two weeks in a row. First, let’s talk about this weekend.The walk in Schorndorf is a Stammtisch event for the Stuttgart German-American Wandering Club. The doors open at 7 a.m. Start the 5-, 10- and 20-kilometer routes until 2 p.m. Saturday and until 1 p.m. Sunday. The club is offering unnamed B-medal prizes.Next, located about a 45 minute drive southwest of Stuttgart, Rotfelden has a teddy bear 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 time for starting the walk is 1 p.m. both days.The third walk of the weekend is in Rohrhardsberg, located in the Black Forest about an hour southwest of Stuttgart. We imagine it will be a pretty walk. You can start the 6- and 10-kilometer trails between noon and 5 p.m. and the 20-kilometer route until 3 p.m. Saturday. Sunday, start all three distances between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. The flier also mentions Rohrharsberg’s annual Waldfest, so be ready for live music and a party atmosphere.Next weekend is the big walk in Stuttgart. The club will offer trails of 6, 13 and 23 kilometers. The doors of the sports hall open Saturday at 10 a.m. The 6-km route is stroller-friendly. You have until 1 p.m. to start the 23-km route and until 3 p.m. for the 6- and 13-km trails. Sunday, the doors open at 8 a.m. and you have until noon to start the 22-km trail. The window closes for starting the shorter routes at 1 p.m. The prize for this walk is a hat pin shaped like a walking boot with feathers coming out of the top.Like all volksmarches, the Stuttgart walk needs volunteers for the myriad of tasks involved. The good news is, 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 do the walk in the afternoon. Or 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 volunteer or support the walk in any way, please contact Melissa Rodeffer at Melissa.rodeffer@gmail.com. For more information, visit the Stuttgart Club’s Web site at 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. If you want to do a triathlon of IVV events, head to Widdershausen on Sunday morning. You can walk, or run, 5, 10 or 15 kilometers, swim 300 meters and then bike 25 kilometers. The walk starts at 7 a.m., the swim at 9 a.m. and the bike event at 11 a.m.Good luck also to the Heidelberg International Wandering Club as they fill a bus this weekend and head on a trip to Kulmbach, Germany.If you are planning to walk in France, make sure you have a breathalyzer in your car. In the near future, France will require all cars to have these devices. We recently went to Normandy and on the way back bought some at a gas station in France. There are two disposable “Ethylotest” units in a green box for 2.90 Euros. The ones we found were on display by the cash register. Once you get them, check the expiration date to make sure they don’t expire. Safe travels in France! Email volksmarch information to two.walkers@yahoo.com. Mail brochures to Bob and Lorraine Huffaker, CMR 460, Box 278, APO AE 09752.
