Hiking on the Palatinate Forest Trail - Today: Day 4 from Rodalben to Johanniskreuz

We spent a pleasant and quiet night in the barbecue hut of the PWV, right next to the Kaltenbrunnen. It wasn't too cold, but the benches in the hut left us little room to spread out, so I (Carsten) slept half under the table and bench. The benches and tables are apparently normally outside and have been moved inside for the winter. But after the long tour the day before, this only proved to be a minor obstacle. The main thing was to rest and sleep. The low sun woke us up early in the morning. This gave us enough time for a cosy coffee and warm porridge for breakfast. The Kaltenbrunnen, the source of the Mutterbach stream, which is located right next to the hut, was perfect for topping up our water supplies for the new day. It's always nice to realise what clean, clear and tasty water can come from springs like this.

We started our tour with the first sight after just one kilometre, namely the huge red sandstone monolith on the Orleberg (432m). The 8.5 metre high and 55 tonne monolith bears the Pax sign with the alpha and omega, below which is a plaque with a poem by the priest Alfons Wilhelm. From this point, you have an excellent panoramic view and are on the western edge of the Palatinate Forest. To the west, you can see across the Westrich plateau towards the Saarland and to the east into the Palatinate Forest.

We continued over the heights with meadows and fields through the small village of Donsieders, then past Waldfischbach-Burgalben before descending into the valley of the Schwarzbach (tributary of the Blies). We followed the valley for a few kilometres until we reached the ruins of Heidelsburg Castle. It is one of the oldest known Roman hill fortifications in the Palatinate. Although not much remains of the castle, apart from a few massive sandstone blocks stacked on top of each other, it has an interesting history dating back to the 4th century B.C. At this time, the Celts colonised the plateau of the Dreisommerberg. A late Roman settlement phase emerged in the 3rd century AD, after which it was developed into a Roman fortress. At that time, it was strategically located directly on the Roman road between Bad Dürkheim and Innergallien.

In the immediate vicinity is the gravestone of a saltuary, a "forest farmer" of the time. As a saltuary, he oversaw an economically utilised territory (saltus), in this case the forest. The portrait of the couple can be recognised on the gravestone. The man carries a long-handled axe as a sign of his authority. He is wearing a Gallic cloak, which identifies him as a native. Nevertheless, he had himself depicted on the gravestone according to Roman custom, proof that Roman art and culture had penetrated to the furthest corners of the empire in the 3rd century.

The Palatinate Forest Trail
The Palatinate Forest Trail has an official length of 142 kilometres and runs from Kaiserslautern to Schweigen-Rechtenbach, in the very southeast of the Palatinate Forest. It was opened in 2011 and runs entirely through the Palatinate Forest. The ascent and descent on the entire route are each about 3200 metres in altitude. Selected sights on the forest trail: Rodalber Felsenwanderweg, Gräfenstein castle ruins, Luitpoldturm, Falkenburgm Dahner Felsenland, Dahner Burgengruppe, Drachenfels castle, Deutsches Weintor. As we started the forest trail following the Palatinate Wine Trail, our route runs in the opposite direction to Kaiserslautern.

We continued along the Schwarzbach valley, past the beautiful rock formations of the Seelenfelsen and climbed up over the Kreuzstein (426m), past Heltersberg to the Naturfreundehaus Heltersberg, which was unfortunately closed. A refreshing bike drink would have been a dream here. Instead, we had a little refreshment on the way with delicious greenery. We discovered wildly growing wild cabbage, also known as Cuban spinach. The flavour is reminiscent of a mixture of lamb's lettuce and purslane. See: https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/JVTwAeTZ-5w?rel=0&showinfo=0. We filled our stomachs and continued on to the Kieselweiher pond. It is in an idyllic and sunny location in a small hollow surrounded by forest. The small lake with its clear water, fed by a nearby spring, was ideal for a small picnic and a welcome cool-down for the dogs.

We continued via the Burgalbweiher pond and past the Hindenburgkiefer pine tree to our destination for today's stage, Johanniskreuz. The Burgalbweiher pond, with its spring within the pond and crystal-clear water, also invites you to take a short break. The imposing Hindenburg pine tree, 35 metres tall, is the tallest pine tree in the Palatinate and one of the tallest in the whole of Germany. A few facts: It is around 360 years old, has a circumference of 110 centimetres in the lower part and would yield around 13 cubic metres of wood. Fortunately, it is not felled as it is now protected. It is located in a small, almost 200-year-old pine stand surrounded by a beech forest, and just before our destination we discovered another small highlight. A small group of trees consisting of a handful of cypresses, or "false cypresses" to be precise. They date from around 150 years ago and were planted as an attempt to cultivate foreign tree species in our forests. This type of cypress originally comes from North America. However, it was not able to establish itself as a forestry-relevant tree, so that only these specimens, which are still standing here today, remained. Tip: simply rub the twigs and needles. Their essential oils have a very unique and fragrant scent that is very different from the conifers in our region. We will soon be back in the Palatinate!

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