January 30, 2022, 8 a.m.: Twelve Abitur and IB students of the Year 1 cohort meet up with Mr Balzer and Ms von Kaminietz to head off to a snowshoe hike. This will be the third hike organised by the Outdoor Club in its inaugural year. After the obligatory Covid-19 rapid tests it’s off to the Black Forest in a bus filled with music and high spirits.

Our starting point is the hikers’ parking lot at Menzenschwand-Hinterdorf, at an altitude of 1000 metres. Still unaccustomed to wearing snowshoes, we nonetheless begin by ascending a steep stretch of the ski slope. Some of us have intentionally chosen this tour for its challenges and now must struggle inwardly against their weaker willpower. After about two-and-a-half hours we reach a dreamlike, snowy high plateau. The sun has come out, the icy tree branches are glistening. Now and again an icy gust of wind lets a sheet of ice fall to the ground, and we hear its mystical tingling. The icicles lining our path offer delicious refreshment because snowshoe hiking is indeed exhausting.

Along our route the snow cover is still untouched. We blaze a trail through deep snow along a small stream and pass a wayside hut before reaching the summit of the Spießhorn with its altitude of 1,350 metres. While finishing off the rest of our provisions, we enjoy the panorama before starting our descent. This route will be shorter and steeper and, for the most part, downhill. Some of us take the steeper sections by genteelly glissading down on our bums. But no matter how, we all have fun! We make it back to College just in time for dinner, exhausted but very pleased with ourselves.

Sarah von Kaminietz