{"id":31893,"date":"2025-04-20T06:11:07","date_gmt":"2025-04-20T04:11:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.xn--nordsdtrail-xhb.de\/2025\/04\/20\/5-years-1-path-countless-stories\/"},"modified":"2025-09-29T20:50:28","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T18:50:28","slug":"5-years-1-path-countless-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.xn--nordsdtrail-xhb.de\/en\/2025\/04\/20\/5-years-1-path-countless-stories\/","title":{"rendered":"5 years. 1 path. Countless stories."},"content":{"rendered":"
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/4″][vc_single_image image=”14460″ img_size=”full” css=””][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”3\/4″]
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\n It was just a \n dream!<\/span>\n \n <\/svg>\n <\/span>\n <\/svg>\n <\/span>\n <\/span> But sometimes dreams do come true. \t\t\t<\/h6>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_column_text css=””]It was April 20, 2020<\/span><\/strong><\/span> at exactly 9:04 a.m.<\/strong><\/span> when the very first steps were taken on the Nord-S\u00fcd-Trail. Hard to believe \u2013 is our beloved NST really already five years old?\r\n\r\nWho would have thought that a spontaneous idea would grow into such a meaningful and inspiring project? Certainly not us. At the very beginning, some dismissed it as nothing more than a crazy whim or even a \u201cone-man show.\u201d And yet, within the outdoor community, the vision of a national long-distance hiking trail in Germany began to flourish.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text css=””]Since no established hiking association was willing to take on the relatively new concept of thru-hiking, it needed the initiative of one private individual to set the whole thing in motion.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_single_image image=”14463″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” css=””][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text css=””]Looking back, the decision to document the first thru-hike virtually through the social app \u201eFind Penguins<\/a>\u201c turned out to be a stroke of genius. 2020 was the year of the first COVID lockdown. While everyone was stuck at home, longing for freedom, one hiker set out to walk across the entire length of Germany. It\u2019s no coincidence that hiking and long-distance trekking have been booming here ever since. Still, at that time, the future was uncertain: Would there be other thru-hikers after the first year? How would traditional hiking clubs react to such a new project? So many open questions.\r\n\r\nFrom the start, the NST was meant to carry the look and feel of the great American long-distance trails. The inspiration is obvious, even in the choice of words. But the Nord-S\u00fcd-Trail never became just a copy. Why not? Because hiking in Germany is fundamentally different. It\u2019s less about untouched wilderness and isolation, and more about culture, history, and encounters along the way.The NST, therefore, is not a \u201cGerman Appalachian Trail\u201d or a \u201cPCT.\u201d It is something unique: Germany\u2019s very own thru-hiking trail.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space]
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\n So \n important,<\/span>\n \n <\/svg>\n <\/span>\n <\/svg>\n <\/span>\n <\/span> the crucial first year \t\t\t<\/h6>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”16px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”14467″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” onclick=”link_image” css=”.vc_custom_1742570165557{padding-top: 15px !important;}”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text css=””]From the very beginning, one thing was clear: if you want to inspire people and win them over for an idea like this, you need first-class film documentation. And judging by 99% of the comments we\u2019ve received, that\u2019s exactly what we managed to achieve.\r\n\r\nStill today, many traditional hiking associations underestimate how crucial social media and professional communication have become. With an outdated, half-hearted website, you simply don\u2019t inspire anyone anymore.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text css=””]Then came the moment that would shape the future of the NST: the very first registration for a thru-hike in 2021. Although Franzi wasn\u2019t able to finish her attempt\u2014partly due to an early start and the strict COVID restrictions at the time\u2014we owe her a lot of gratitude. For us, she will always remain special. Her effort was a sign, a message: this trail is alive, and it will continue.<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”16px”][vc_single_image image=”14472″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” css=””][vc_empty_space height=”16px”][vc_column_text css=””]Over time, more and more registrations followed, proving that the fear of the NST fading into obscurity was unfounded. And yet, back then, the project was still fragile, still just a dream. Even Soulboy, the initiator, didn\u2019t really believe the NST would ever be officially marked and recognized.\r\n\r\nIt was obvious: no one can manage such a large-scale project alone. The spark that truly set things in motion was the founding of the Initiative Nord S\u00fcd Trail<\/a>. Dedicated people like Peter (\u201cHobble\u201d), Anne (\u201cMonarchfalter\u201d), Patrick (\u201cShoeless Joe\u201d), Sabrina (\u201cHotpan\u201d), Frank (\u201cFreestyla\u201d), Markus (\u201cFernwanderer\u201d), Bj\u00f6rn (\u201cRefill\u201d), Andreas (\u201cD\u00fcsselsieg\u201d), Penny, Robin, Jens (\u201cDr. Action\u201d), and Stephanie started reaching out to authorities, hiking clubs, and local municipalities to gain official permission for trail signage.\r\nWhat was achieved in such a short time is almost beyond words. Anyone who has dealt with public authorities knows: doors don\u2019t exactly swing open for projects like these. There are countless obstacles to overcome. But we didn\u2019t give up. And as the saying goes:\r\n\u201eConstant dripping wears away the stone.\u201c<\/span><\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]Five years filled with passion, love, encounters, euphoria, setbacks, and hope.\r\nEvery single second we\u2019ve spent working on this project has been worth it. The countless hours of dedication can no longer be measured.\r\nWe are grateful and proud that this project will forever remain a non-profit experience. It was never about marketing, commercial success, or ego. This trail belongs to you \u2013 and only you keep it alive.<\/strong><\/span>\r\nWhether you hike it yourself, support hikers as a Trail Angel<\/strong> contribute to signage through crowdfunding, take on a section as a trail steward, or simply cheer for the project \u2013 you are the trail!<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”16px”]
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\n All the \n love<\/span>\n \n <\/svg>\n <\/span>\n <\/svg>\n <\/span>\n <\/span> in the world to you \u2013 North South Trail 2025 Initiative \t\t\t<\/h6>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

5 years of the North-South Trail \u2013 The story of a trail<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":221,"featured_media":14458,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31893","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bignews-en"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.xn--nordsdtrail-xhb.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31893","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.xn--nordsdtrail-xhb.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.xn--nordsdtrail-xhb.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xn--nordsdtrail-xhb.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/221"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xn--nordsdtrail-xhb.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31893"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.xn--nordsdtrail-xhb.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31893\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xn--nordsdtrail-xhb.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.xn--nordsdtrail-xhb.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31893"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xn--nordsdtrail-xhb.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31893"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xn--nordsdtrail-xhb.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31893"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}