Long-distance hiking in Germany: My adventure on the North-South Trail
My path to the fastest known time
A few weeks ago, I reached the southernmost point of Germany – the Haldenwanger Eck, By then, I had successfully completed the 3,700 kilometers of the North-South Trail, spread across 96 hiking days and 2 rest days. Time to draw a small conclusion.
Come along – on my hike through Germany and, at the same time, on my personal journey into long-distance hiking.
How my love for hiking began
I wasn’t even born yet when my parents first took me to the mountains. It all began back then in Ramsau am Dachstein, where I spent several weeks each year with my family. During my teenage years, I went on my first solo hikes there. Later, as a young adult, I started to intensify this passion — spending one or two weeks a year in mountain regions, always with a fixed base. At that time, I already had the desire to explore new and more distant regions, but often I lacked hiking companions, and I didn’t quite have the courage to set out on my own.
First Solo Adventures: Portugal, the Balkans, and Beyond
Everything changed after a painful breakup. From that moment on, there was no holding back. My first solo hike took me to the Rota Vicentina, the Fishermen’s Trail in Portugal – one of the most beautiful coastal hikes in the world.
Many more regions followed: Serbia, Romania, Ukraine, the Peaks of the Balkans Trail, Colombia, and several others. I was infected with hiking fever. The more I saw and experienced, the more I wanted to discover.
Between trips to faraway countries, I explored the Alps. And even on weekends, I felt the urge to head outdoors. Luckily, I live close to wonderful hiking regions – the Odenwald, the Palatinate, or the Black Forest are my weekly playgrounds.
Inspiration from New Zealand: Te Araroa
But deep down, I had always carried an unfulfilled desire to experience a truly long and demanding adventure. At first, my own inner doubts held me back: You won’t manage this, something could happen to you… You can still do such an adventure once you’ve found your dream partner. But that partner never came.
Then, in 2022, two colleagues of mine passed away unexpectedly. It was a harsh reminder not to postpone life. I asked my boss whether I could take six months off. Luckily, I had accumulated 162 vacation days over the years. My leave was approved. Some years earlier, I had heard of the Te Araroa in New Zealand – 3,000 km through breathtaking landscapes. So, over the turn of the year 2023/2024, I set off for New Zealand. The Te Araroa is considered one of the toughest long-distance trails in the world – and for good reason. While it is fully marked, it often leads through pathless terrain. In total, I had to ford around 100 rivers, some of them chest-deep. Much of the forest felt like jungle, and the “trail” was often nothing more than a mudfest.
Yet, perhaps because of these challenges, it became an unforgettable experience that profoundly changed me and my outlook on life. And “unfortunately,” it also sparked an insatiable appetite for long-distance hiking and adventure. I decided then and there to take more extended breaks in the future, balancing my career with my passion for the outdoors.
Why I Chose the North-South Trail
No sooner had one adventure ended than I wanted to plan the next. But after those long-haul flights to New Zealand, I didn’t want to put such a strain on the environment again. That’s when everything came together: during my trek in New Zealand, I listened to a podcast where Soulboy spoke about the creation of the North-South Trail. From that moment, a seed was planted: Wouldn’t it be wonderful to explore my own homeland on foot? Many of the trails that make up the NST had already been on my personal wish list for some time. And while on the Te Araroa I was just one of about 4,000 hikers per year, only around 30 verified hikers had completed the NST in its entirety so far.So, my decision was clear: in 2025, I would set out to hike the NST.
Preparing for 3,700 Kilometers
I had set aside four months for the journey. Preparation was fairly straightforward thanks to my prior experience: check my existing gear, buy two pairs of reliable shoes, and load the resource map plus the latest GPS tracks onto my device. That’s it. On May 1st, the adventure began as I boarded the train from Wiesloch/Walldorf to Sylt. But contrary to my original plan, I wasn’t starting alone. My former colleague Claus (aka Laserjupp) joined me. He had just entered early retirement at the end of last year. My constant stories about long-distance hikes – and the very existence of the North-South Trail – had inspired him to set out as well. Together we began our trek at Germany’s northernmost point, the Ellenbogen in List on Sylt. Now, I could bore you with every single detail of the first three days 😛 … but don’t worry! Instead, I’ll share some highlights.
Cultural Diversity & Culinary Discoveries
What were my expectations for the trail? I was well aware that the wilderness experience of New Zealand couldn’t be replicated in Germany – and I wasn’t looking for that. Instead, I wanted to get to know my homeland step by step, meter by meter, discovering its many facets from north to south.
A few examples: the landscape begins flat as a pancake in the north and gradually grows more mountainous as you move south. Or take food: up north it’s Mettbrötchen for breakfast or giant Rumkugeln from the bakery, in the Palatinate it’s Saumagen, and in the south you’re rewarded with Kaiserschmarrn. Then, of course, there are the people, each with their own character and dialect. In the north, it can take 20 minutes to break the ice with someone, whereas in the Saarland you often can’t move on at all because you’re instantly drawn into conversation. And I was eager to explore regions I’d never visited before, many of which had long been on my list. From the very beginning, the North-South Trail lived up to my expectations. My only issue? It was a bit too flat at first. So I set off with long daily stages right away. That caught up with Claus, though, and by day 4 we had to part ways – he had pushed a little too hard in the beginning.
Trail Angels and Heartwarming Encounters
So from that point on, I continued my journey alone. What truly exceeded all my expectations were the human encounters along the way. My first overnight stays with Trail Angels were such deeply kind and generous experiences that I quickly decided: I would take every single opportunity to stay with a Trail Angel throughout the hike. Once again, a huge thank-you to all of you for your incredible hospitality.
On top of that came many unexpected moments of kindness. Just to share two examples: one evening I had planned to camp near the Wahlstorfer Mühle. I struck up a brief conversation with an elderly couple, who soon left again. A little later, the kiosk owner told me I could grab a beer — the couple had paid for one for me. On two other occasions, couples reached out via email ahead of time to invite me to stay with them once I passed through their region. Stories like this could go on endlessly. In the end, I stayed with 25 Trail Angels in total.
Challenges: Injuries, Pack Weight, Rain & Homesickness
The longer I hiked, the more I realized that in Germany, hiking is in many ways “easy” — the trails are so well developed that sometimes I missed the sense of risk or adventure. Combined with my strong physical condition, this sparked a new thought: could I set a new speed record? What began as a small idea grew into a firm resolve with every passing day. But strength and a light backpack alone aren’t enough. As one of my followers once put it: “Only the will to keep walking will get you to the finish line.” And that unshakable will is one of my greatest strengths. A friend from New Zealand later reminded me: “We didn’t give you the trail name ‘Machine’ on the Te Araroa for nothing.”
Here’s a little anecdote: I was standing in the kitchen of Trail Angels Yavannah and Fabian. By then, my ankle had been so swollen for days that the bone was no longer visible. But I could still walk, so I shrugged it off: “I won’t see a doctor — all they’ll do is tell me to stop hiking.” Yavannah looked at me and said: “Well, I’m a doctor with the German military.” Oops. She checked my ankle and suspected the beginnings of periostitis (shin splint inflammation). I kept walking anyway. Luckily, with her ointment the swelling was gone in two days. (Disclaimer: don’t take this as advice to ignore your body — I just happened to get lucky here.)
Of course, a thru-hike of this length doesn’t come without difficult moments. Earlier in the year, I had started a new relationship, and I hadn’t expected it to be so hard to be away from my girlfriend for so long. That made the times when she joined me on sections of the trail all the more meaningful. One thing is certain: my next long-distance hike will definitely be together.
The hardest stretch, though, was without question the nearly three weeks of nonstop rain at the end of the hike. From the moment I entered the Black Forest, the skies seemed determined to test me. Day after day, the weather was miserable. It wore heavily on my nerves. I always get frustrated when I have to stow my camera away, and during that time, it happened far too often. Only two days before reaching the finish line did I finally enjoy another full day of sunshine.
Favorite Sections on the North-South Trail
People often ask me which parts of the North-South Trail were my favorites. Uff, that’s a tough question. Every region has something exciting to offer, and I honestly can’t narrow it down to just one. The Saar-Hunsrück-Steig fascinated me because it’s so diverse and offers a little bit of everything: narrow singletracks, streams, beautiful forests, castles, and more. The Palatinate Wine Trail felt special because it’s close to my home, so I felt a sense of familiarity there — and the Palatinate people are simply warm-hearted folks. Even in the Black Forest, where I had plenty of bad weather, there were memorable sections — especially the famous Schluchtensteig. But if I had to pick what touched me the most, it’s always the high mountains. That’s why the Nagelfluhkette near the end of the trail truly stole my heart.
Final Thoughts: Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late!
So, am I done with long-distance hiking now? Absolutely not — quite the opposite. The big question is simply: what’s next? For now, I think I’ll choose something a little shorter. Current favorites include the High Scardus Trail through North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Albania, the Lycian Way in Turkey, or perhaps the GR20 on Corsica as an add-on. But who knows — maybe something entirely different will come my way.
For now, I’m simply living off the countless experiences and heartwarming encounters from this journey. I feel nothing but gratitude for being able to walk this trail and live through all of it. If you’ve ever dreamed of doing a long-distance hike yourself — don’t wait. Pack your backpack and go. And if you can’t take months off, start small and hike section by section.
But most importantly: follow your dream — because one day it might be too late.
Thanks for reading!
If you’d like to join me on future adventures, feel free to follow along on Instagram or Find Penguins.
I’m looking forward to sharing stories and connecting with all of you.
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