At first, it was just an idea, but now the Halfwaypoint Hut is completely renovated! A brand-new roof, a new door, new outdoor decorations, new electrical wiring inside, additional power outlets, and a new bench inside make the somewhat aging hut shine in new splendor! The community of Oberottersbach has spontaneously and literally done a tremendous job here!

Here, the surplus from the Pinguin TRAILDAYS was put to good use! With pride, the Nord Süd Trail initiative announces that it was able to contribute €400 to the incurred costs. For us long-distance hikers, this point on the NST, in addition to the starting and ending points, is the most crucial on the entire journey. Many wonderful evenings have been spent here, and the hikers who have already covered a distance of over 1600 km at this point were appropriately celebrated.

The coincidence led to the fact that the midpoint of the longest hiking trail in Germany is near Oberottersbach. After a hike on the beautiful Natursteig Sieg in 2019, I discovered this unique hiking hut of the local community. It was immediately clear that this hut would be the midpoint of the Nord Süd Trail. Before installing a proper sign at such a location, it is, of course, necessary to ask for permission. Felix Knopp, the trail manager on the Natursteig Sieg, and our dear Sandra were the ones who facilitated our first contact with the community of Oberottersbach.
In 2020, a sign was made and now, with official permission, it has been installed. Since then, it has become a tradition to host and pamper the Thruhiker here, ensuring they have a good time.

Over time, we naturally got to know some villagers personally, especially Josef, Josefine, and their donkey Alfred. In the meantime, donkey Alfred has almost become the mascot of the Half-Way-Point. Josefine is seriously planning to hike the NST in four years together with donkey Alfred! We are excited!

During all these encounters, we took the opportunity to explain who we are, what we occasionally do here, what the NST is, and why this place is of great importance to us. After a short tour of the village, we not only received permission for future NST hikers to camp next to the hut but there is even the possibility, with prior notice, to turn on the electricity. What more can one say?