Exploring the Long Mountain Brook

For both of us there is a way of enriching yourself. Definitely: take a not too sunny afternoon. Visit a rural village. Not too far away. But for unknown reason you have not been there for a long time. Perhaps because it is difficult to reach. Never mind. So we went to Haarbrück. In the North it is dominated by a huge wind mill park. Wind power becoming an important source of alternative energy. But alas it remains an ugly obstacle when you love the vast sky and broad vistas. Then you do not walk in that direction but consult your map and turn south.


Meanwhile the sun had returned. It became hot. We could have walked to the Edessen Recluse again. But decided to follow the farmers track. Slowly turning to the southwest and decending through the green-yellow reapsead fields. Down towards the ending of this Long Mountain the vast forest would rise over a small valley road. Once before we had climbed up through that wild environment. Called the DeepValley. Very beautiful. But we would not return there. We wanted to decend into an anonymous dale. Carved out characteristically in the lowering mountain tongue.


And here we were almost slipping down into that marvellous bushy dale. Many trees like silent watchmen signaling the meandering course of the hidden water stream.Of course we laid down in the grass down there. Listening into the the gurgling and splashing of that wonderful brook. Uphill the overgrown old farmerstrack was sprinkled with golden celandine.
Two your deer jumping out of their hiding place in the overgrowth.


So finally reaching the beginning of that unbelievable beautiful dale, we could see where the stream has its well. Under a pair of blooming trees. Hardly accesible, old fences. Somewhere in the depth I saw some water streaming. That was all. All! The track had crossed the the dale and showed us a deserted camping wagon. A local hunter had settled his Eldorado there. Apparently nobody had been staying in this hidden paradise for a long time already.

It felt so good to walk back from this wonderful origin to our point of return: the village church of Haarbrück: St. Bartholomew. Gratitude, silence, beauty, elevation, all these are the enriching gifts of the simple sunny afternoon walk on a rural mountainside, adventuring and exploring the dale of a nameless brook. Let All This be Named after You, Saint Bartholomew!