On October 8, 2023, a group of 17 hiking enthusiasts met up to master an extraordinary challenge together. The common goal of the residents of the Georg-Forster-Haus, members of the PhD Network and employees of the International Office was to overcome 852 meters in altitude together. In order to achieve this, the group gathered early in the morning—some might still consider it night time—to take the train to Ilsenburg where the big hike would start.
At around 9 AM, we reached the entrance area. We were all impressed by the beauty of German nature, forests, and by the idyllic rivulet Ilse that had already inspired German poet Heinrich Heine. After just some minutes, luckily, the shower subsided and sunshine encouraged us on our way up through the woods, following in Heine’s footsteps on the Heinrich-Heine trail.
On a plateau, we witnessed the terrible effects of the invasion of bark beetles, and of the droughts produced by climate change. Some new trees are already growing, but we were shocked by the loss of trees in this huge area of the wildlife park. We are keeping our fingers crossed that the Brocken woods will eventually reach their former beauty again.
Midway, we stopped for a bite to eat and enjoyed a breathtaking vista. Full of spirits, we endeavored to reach the top, which turned out to be an exhausting yet rewarding activity. Our strenuous efforts were totally worth it: as we reached the last section, we embraced the sun and were quite upbeat about having pulled off this feat.
While some were already content with their sporty achievements, some others finally indulged in hearty food that had been promised to them: warm pea soup and plum dumplings gave them the strength necessary for a number of group pictures and the descent.
After a couple of hours, we made it back to downtown Ilsenburg and tried to take a train to Halle, which proved to be adventurous as well. In total, we enjoyed an exciting day full of good conversations and challenging trails. Thank you all for taking part in the trip!
