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If you enjoyed the Bastogne Historical Walk in December, Sunday’s walk in Champs, Belgium, might be for you. Whereas the Bastogne event commemorates the 101st Airborne Division and its attached units, Sunday’s walk is called the Dead Man’s Ridge Walk and will follow routes traveled by units from the 17th Airborne Division during World War II’s Battle of the Bulge. This is not an IVV sanctioned walk, so you will not get your books stamped. What you will get is a “boots on the ground” experience across terrain you read about in history books. There will be re-enactors walking the course and providing drinks at the rest points. Food will not be provided on the walk, so you are encouraged to bring a sack lunch. This year you can walk either eight or 16 kilometers.

Bob just finished reading the book, “No Silent Night,” by Leo Barron and Don Cygan. This book which describes the fighting in and around Champs on Christmas Eve and Day, 1944. Elements of the 101st Airborne Division fought off a much larger force of tanks and infantry. Bob is eager to see the area around Champs and the nearby Rolley Chateau and to walk the terrain where the fighting took place.

The walk starts at 9:30 a.m., and you can register at the Salle des Fetes starting at 8 a.m. However, if you register that morning, there is no guarantee that they will have a certificate for you. Parking is likely to be tight in a small town like Champs, so get there early. The Salle des Fetes is close to the church, so look for the steeple as you pull into town. Bundle up, bring some dry shoes and socks to change into after the walk, bring your cameras and look for us in Champs on Sunday.

Also Sunday is the spring walk in Luxembourg City. Last year we did this event and really enjoyed it. The start is at the Hall Victor Hugo on Avenue Victor Hugo in the Limpertsberg district, northwest of the city center. Doors open at 7 a.m., and you can walk 6, 12 or 20 kilometers.

Check our web address above for more notes about this and next week’s walks.

We have heard that the walk in Kirn-Sulzbach has some pretty big hills. If you are looking for a challenging walk, this one might be for you. We’re pretty sure you’ll get a good workout on the trails ranging from 6 to 30 kilometers. Doors of the Gasthaus Collet open for registration at 7 a.m. both days.

Another good walk will be in Hahnstätten, Germany. This is a spectacular fall walk and we imagine it will be beautiful in the spring as well. Convenient to walkers in the Wiesbaden area, this event starts at 7 a.m. Saturday and Sunday and offers routes of five, 11 and 20 kilometers.

Next Sunday, March 31, we will “spring ahead,” so switch your clocks forward one hour. You will get the hour back Sunday, Oct. 27, when we “fall back.”

A couple of weeks ago, we asked you to mark some dates on your calendar for upcoming walks in Ramstein. It turns out that the April 14 guided walk was disapproved by the DVV, so it has been cancelled. As disappointing as this is, it will now allow you to focus on the spring event scheduled for May 4-5. Volunteers are needed for a variety of jobs. If you don’t have the time to volunteer as a worker, you can still make a donation of some baked goods for the Roadrunners to sell at the start hall (store bought are fine). If you can help in any way, please contact Brad Crandall at ramsteinroadrunners@yahoo.com.

For you long-time European volksmarchers, the Ramstein Roadrunners club is trying to track down and compile a list of the officers and directors that have participated in the establishment and running of the club since 1973. The problem is that the club’s records before 1990 are extremely scarce. If you know of anyone that was an officer, director or significant player in the club’s history, please send his or her name to Brad Crandall at ramsteinroadrunners@yahoo.com (Attn History). If you happen to have a current address, either snail mail or email, of one of these “missing” persons, that would be greatly appreciated.

Email volksmarch information to two.walkers@yahoo.com. Mail brochures to Bob and Lorraine Huffaker, CMR 460, Box 278, APO AE 09752.

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