Can spring be very far away? The days are starting to get longer and a little bit warmer. It might still be dark as we drive to a walk, but at least the sun is up when we start it. With the sun up, we can see the new growth on plants and the flowers as they start to bud. With the warmer weather, rain and the softer ground, we can see the resulting mud better as well.
Another sign of spring is Sunday’s walk in Margraten, Netherlands. The annual Lammertocht, or lamb’s walk, is one of our favorites. One of the control points has several out buildings containing about a hundred newborn lambs and their mothers. The continuous chorus of “baas” is so cute. Last year, the baby lambs had not been born when the walk was held, and we joked about the lack of coordination between the walk organizers and the mother lambs. We will let you know whether their coordination improves this year. The doors of the start hall open at 7 a.m. in Margraten, but we will be meeting other members of the Tri-border Walking Club for a 10 a.m. start. IVV credit and perhaps a sticker for your walking diary are the awards for this event.
This walk is also very close to the American Cemetery in Margraten. After the walk, we will stop by to pay our respects to the men and women buried there. It is beautifully landscaped, and we’re sure spring colors will be bursting out all over.
Unfortunately, the walk in Margraten conflicts with the walk in Puth, which is near Schinnen. It’s a very nice area, and we have done this event several times. Fortunately, the club that facilitates the walk holds four or five events a year, so we will attend Margraten’s Lammertocht this weekend and catch a Puth walk later in the year.
The hills around Trier, Germany, should be pretty, too, this Sunday for the Awakening of Spring walk. We have walked in this area also and found the hills challenging but beautiful. Start the 6-, 11- or 20-kilometer trails between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. B-medals are available.
Looking ahead to next week, there are two walks next Sunday you might be interested in.
First, if you enjoy historical walks like the annual Bastogne walk, next Sunday’s Dead Man’s Ridge Walk starts in the town of Champs, Belgium. Walkers and re-enactors will honor the fighting men of the 17th Airborne Division. The organizers of this event request advance registration and payment. For more information you can contact them at www.17thairbornewalk@gmail.com. You can see the map of the walk route, as well as a brief history of the fighting in the area at http://17thairbornewalk.blogspot.com . This is not an IVV sanctioned walk, so you cannot get your walk books stamped. It is, however, a historically exciting walk across part of a heavily contested battlefield from the Battle of the Bulge. The history buff in you will get a thrill out of this walk.
Or maybe a walk through beautiful Luxembourg City is more to your liking. Routes ranging from six to 20 kilometers will take you through parks, forests, fortifications and the old city district. If you want, you can visit the streetcar and bus museum as well. We’ll supply more details on these two events next week.
Email volksmarch information to two.walkers@yahoo.com. Mail brochures to Bob and Lorraine Huffaker, CMR 460, Box 278, APO AE 09752.
