{"id":31871,"date":"2025-09-26T07:55:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T05:55:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.xn--nordsdtrail-xhb.de\/2025\/09\/26\/long-distance-hiking-in-germany-my-adventure-on-the-north-south-trail\/"},"modified":"2025-09-26T17:55:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T15:55:11","slug":"long-distance-hiking-in-germany-my-adventure-on-the-north-south-trail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.xn--nordsdtrail-xhb.de\/en\/2025\/09\/26\/long-distance-hiking-in-germany-my-adventure-on-the-north-south-trail\/","title":{"rendered":"Long-distance hiking in Germany: My adventure on the North-South Trail"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n My path to the fastest known time \t\t\t<\/h6>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_column_text css=””]A few weeks ago, I reached the southernmost point of Germany \u2013 the Haldenwanger Eck<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\r\n

Come along \u2013 on my hike through Germany and, at the same time, on my personal journey into long-distance hiking.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space]

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\n How my love for hiking began \t\t\t<\/h6>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n \t I wasn\u2019t 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 \u2014 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\u2019t quite have the courage to set out on my own. \t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”16px”][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\r\n

First Solo Adventures: Portugal, the Balkans, and Beyond<\/h6>\r\n

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\u2019s Trail in Portugal \u2013 one of the most beautiful coastal hikes in the world.
\r\nMany more regions followed: Serbia, Romania, Ukraine, the Peaks of the Balkans Trail<\/a>, Colombia, and several others. I was infected with hiking fever. The more I saw and experienced, the more I wanted to discover.
\r\nBetween 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 \u2013 the Odenwald, the Palatinate, or the Black Forest are my weekly playgrounds.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_single_image image=”31775″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” css=””][vc_empty_space height=”16px”][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\r\n

Inspiration from New Zealand: Te Araroa<\/h6>\r\n

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\u2019t manage this, something could happen to you\u2026 You can still do such an adventure once you\u2019ve found your dream partner. But that partner never came.
\r\nThen, 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<\/a> in New Zealand \u2013 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 \u2013 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 \u201ctrail\u201d was often nothing more than a mudfest.
\r\nYet, perhaps because of these challenges, it became an unforgettable experience that profoundly changed me and my outlook on life. And \u201cunfortunately,\u201d 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.
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Why I Chose the North-South Trail<\/h6>\r\n

No sooner had one adventure ended than I wanted to plan the next. But after those long-haul flights to New Zealand, I didn\u2019t want to put such a strain on the environment again. That\u2019s 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\u2019t 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<\/a> had completed the NST in its entirety so far.So, my decision was clear: in 2025, I would set out to hike the NST.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]\n\t

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