By Jiba Lamichhane
Having been born and raised in the flat Tarai region of Nepal, I do not have much experience hiking on hills. A testament to this lack of experience is a fond memory I have from 1982. I was visiting Harpak, my ancestral village in Kaski district, for the first time with my father soon after appearing my high-school examination. I remember my father, who had lived his childhood climbing up hills, comfortably walking dozens of meters ahead of me while going up the steep hill leading to the village. At the time my father was in his sixties. I was sixteen. Oh, the embarrassment I felt!
Climbing up hills has evidently never been my strong spot, but what is life without a couple of challenges every now and then! Once the Corona virus lockdown measures began easing in Germany, Bindita had been longing to take the family outdoors for a day’s hiking. It was the fifth weekend in a row that she and Sumi had been suggesting we take this hiking trip. Finally, I took up her offer and we all headed to Felsenmeer Lautertal, a region in the Hessen State of Germany known for hosting avid hikers and families with bored children. Felsenmeer Lautertal is 55 kilometers away from Frankfurt city and takes almost 45 minutes to reach there. The roads are narrow and serpentine.
‘Felsenmeer’ in German literally means ‘sea of rocks’. According to the information booklet I was given there, two continental plates had collided twelve kilometers below the surface of the earth around 340 million years ago. This collision resulted into magma rising to the earth’s crust where it crystallized into giant rock bodies— features we soon found ourselves climbing over on hands and feet.
Legend of the Felsenmeer:
Just like other legends that exist in places in Nepal, Felsenmeer too has legends made by its early inhabitants. One of those legends goes like this: There were two giants named Steinbeisser (Stone-biter) and Felshocker (rock-stool) living in the area. ‘Steinbeisser’ literally translates as ‘stone-biter’, a giant so strong that he could effectively chew rocks. Meanwhile, ‘Felshocker’ means ‘rock-stool’, Steinbeisser’s weaker counterpart. They both owned giant empires that separated by Lautertal (Odenwald). Much like how nations such as India and Nepal have disputes about borders, these giants would also quarrel whenever disputes arose about their empire’s boundaries. In these instances, Steinbeisser would showcase his strength by throwing so many rocks that he was able to bury Felshocker under the stone bodies. Some locals believe that if you listen closely at night you can still hear Felshocker roaring beneath the stones trying to unbury himself.
Hiking
We started climbing from the base of the rocky hills after choosing one of the many free parking spaces in the area. It was 2.30 pm, and the sun was peek-a-booing among the clouds every half an hour— perfect weather for a hike.
After we had hiked fairly high, we realized that guided tour services were offered, but by then we had grown too lethargic to restart our journey. So we decided to march ahead on our own. As we were all wearing flexible gears, the climb was surprisingly not too taxing on the body. It seemed my climbing skills weren’t as awful as I had once thought; I guess my Nepali alpinist genes needed a little more time to present themselves.
We passed our time taking photos along the way. Before long, we were at the fifth of the eight signed stops. The fifth stop was close to the top of the hill and contained a small flat area for people to sit down and drink beer or water offered at the stands. There lay a giant stone column nearby. It is said that during the time of the Roman Empire this place was famous for stone masonry activities. Stone columns were carved here and carried over to make castles, cathedrals and palaces for kings and noblemen in different cities.
Also on the fifth stop, there existed paths for bikers to continue their uphill journey in a more relaxed manner via a less-steep but more winding route. However, we chose to carry on and move our way up, rock after rock, while staying careful not to injure ourselves.
Once we reached the eighth stop at the top, we observed the rich green scenery downstream and of valley-like area below us. A sense of ease flooded my body as the culmination of my uphill efforts came to an end.
Just as I realized my stomach was calling for food, Sumi and Bindita took out the packed lunch they had brought with them for us to eat during our hike. We found a large flat stone near the top of the hill and used it to sit on and have lunch. After lunch, we began a slower and calmer descent while talking and taking pictures on the way.
Overall impressions
Climbing the rocks was quite an adventure. It is no doubt a great place to have a small picnic and do some light outdoor activities.
While climbing this hill I was reminded of the daily climbs people in Nepal have to make on hills much higher, steeper, and treacherous than this. This is done not out of leisure, like for us, but rather out of necessity for survival. In Nepal there are no roads and infrastructure for people to easily navigate past rocks and steep hills. Yet, our fellow countrymen have no choice but to maneuver through such mountains in order to buy basic foodstuffs, medicines and clothes.
Here the situation is almost the opposite. People in big cities are tired of city-life and the associated easy access to goods and services. They look for a place like this to relax and enjoy the outdoor scenery and make it a tradition to come here from time-to-time for the peace of mind. The climbing is not burdensome and dangerous. Instead, it is calming and healthy. A similar act, yet an entirely different purpose!
[Jiba Lamichhane (b 1967) is a renowned travel writer. His collection of travel essays, Sarsarti Sansar, is in the market. He also occasionally contributes to national and international literary periodicals. He is an entrepreneur and former President of the International Coordination Council (ICC) of the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA). ]
