Lately, the Harz is always very Full on account of all the Snow we have been having recently. And because I am currently trying to avoid Crowds, I did not want to go anywhere touristy.
Other Areas of the Harz are very beautiful as well, and when there are less People, it is easier to enjoy those Places.
The first Spot I came by was full of Cars. That Parking Lot was very small though. And extremely Muddy. Because of that, I just drove on, like anyone should when there is no Space left to Park.
I then remembered another Place where I only ever visited a Parking Lot to take a Phone Call: The Road to Festenburg. And it was also beautifully Snowy. But there was no Mudd, and there where only a few Cars.
So I stayed in the Area and just took a Path into the Woods, where I found one of the many Teiche of the Oberharzer Wasserregal. Only that I had never been to that Teich. I also did not know it’s Name.
And the Teich was beautiful. There was a lot of Snow everywhere, and the Water was frozen over nicely. Off Course the Ice was not yet thick enough to walk onto. It also was to thin to make nice Ice Sounds though.
I really love frozen Lakes. They look really great. I would never walk onto one anyways though. I am no good at Ice Skating, and I would probably Fall and break through the Ice.
After walking along the Side of the Teich, I then also found out it’s Name: It was the Kiefhölzer Teich. And I found out that you can go swimming there in the Summer.
At the Dam, and then had to decide if I wanted to continue circling around the Kiefhölzer Teich or to continue to the Zankwieser Teich. I decided to go with the former. And it was a good decision.
The Area around the Teich is extremely beautiful in the Snow, and there where a lot of nicely framed Foto Ops.
I am not a big fan of Spruce Monocultures mostly because they are extremely susceptible to the Bark Beetle, but they do look great in the Snow. I really enjoyed doing some Photography today.
Winter really is a very beautiful Season here in the Harz. Everything looks nice with all the Snow. But that Beauty also draws huge Crowds to just a few Areas. The Harz is very big and has many nice Places.
All that Overcrowding definitely is a huge Problem, not only now but every Year. People really need to think more before they just drive to Torfhaus like everyone else.
Off Course I found Trash in the Woods again. This Time, it was only one reusable Mask that someone had left behind, but Trash is Trash. And Trash is never good.
Today, I did not have a Trash Bag with me though, otherwise I would have picked up the Mask to get rid of it responsibly.
Exploring new Places in the Harz is always a lot of fun, but it is even more amazing when there is Snow crunching away under your Feet. I really do love that Sound.
Luckily, I found an Area where there were pretty much no People at all today. Otherwise, I would have left Festenburg again and I would have found another Place.
Discovering a new Teich that I previously did not know off was really awesome today. There was so much Snow and Ice everywhere, it just looked amazing.
There are many beautiful Areas in the Harz that do not draw those huge Braunlage Crowds, and that is nice. I do not have any Problems with others Hiking around, but right now staying away from People is paramount.
Also, Landscape Photography is easier when you do not have to wait for People walking past. But I also kinda miss getting asked Questions about my Photography. That is always kinda nice.
Robin Ho Fotos 