Kirchhundem

The most densely wooded communities in Westfalen form the cornerstones of the Sauerland-Wanderdorf: Brilon in the north and Kirchhundem in the south - where the conifers provide year-round forest greenery. The forest is in a state of flux and not despite this, but precisely because of this, it is a guarantee of stimulation for all the senses.

Children of nature

Silence? If you are used to the constant sound of a city, you will discover it in almost every Sauerland forest. But if you listen more closely, you will notice that the complete absence of man-made noises is no longer the rule here either. One of the few exceptions is the Schwarzbachtal, Kirchhundem's only part south of the Rothaar ridge. It is one of the few valleys without any human noise at all.

"Anyone who experiences the moment we are experiencing here knows what is meant when we talk about a place of the soul," enthuses ranger Ralf Schmidt. He is standing in his favorite place in nature: on the Rothaarsteig bridge over the Schwarzbach in the Schwarzbachtal between Röspe and the Rhein-Weser-Turm. It is not just an unusual place on the Rothaarsteig, after all it is one of the very few sections on which the high-altitude long-distance hiking trail from Brilon to Dillenburg in Hesse does not follow the ridge for once, but crosses a valley. The creators of the Rothaarsteig rightly thought this was justified because this valley is so extraordinary. And years later, this very valley was chosen as one of the forty or so Sauerland-Seelenorte - places of special power, tranquillity, beauty and perhaps also spirituality. The soul places have an important characteristic: they trigger something in people at any time of year - the Berlin journalist Michael Gleich, who has visited all the soul places, speaks of resonance. So choosing soul places as destinations for winter nature experiences is certainly not the worst idea.

However, the smaller members of Ranger Ralf's audience are not yet fully convinced. It's really early in the morning and really cold; nature seems to be covered in white velvet. The sun isn't really awake yet either. It is still behind the trees in the south-east and is only very slowly rising. There is a question on their faces: "Why do we have to be out so early in such cold weather?" And then the sun provides the answer: first a brief glow from a treetop, then it is there within seconds and floods the valley with gold. The frost on all the trees, bushes and dry grasses from last summer glows golden-orange. Small clouds of mist explode, light up and disappear in the morning sun. Birdsong would fit the scene, but the feathered singers prefer to keep their beaks shut at this time of year. Instead, it smells of frost and freshness - a distinctive mixture.

The senses open up and now Ranger Ralf has the full attention of everyone listening. He tells us about who is sleeping where now and what is happening in nature despite the winter. He leads us to a pond with a delicate crust of ice and life underneath. In a spruce forest, he tells us how big a mushroom is. What peeks out of the coniferous soil in the fall is just the fruiting stems. Nobody knows exactly how big the actual living organism hidden in the forest floor can grow. Perhaps mushrooms are the largest organisms on earth. A honey fungus in Oregon is said to be 1,200 soccer fields in size, 8,500 years old and weigh 400 tons. Life can be enormous.

But winter light is not just about the light in nature. Every morning and every evening, everywhere - in nature as well as in villages and even in cities - there is the "blue hour". It may not necessarily be 60 minutes long, but it is definitely very blue, regardless of the weather. At dusk, there is a period of royal blue light twice a day all over the world. The further north you are, the longer this phase lasts. In Germany it is 20 to 30 minutes. The blue phase of twilight becomes particularly attractive when warm artificial light in yellow and orange is added.

We experience this moment in front of the Schrabben Hof in Silberg. Ulrike Wesely - a freelance musician and theater teacher - welcomes us to the large courtyard in the center of the old mining village. She is the managing director of Kulturgut Schrabben Hof and also the artistic director of the association MuT-Sauerland e.V. MuT stands for music and theater, but it also takes those with small t at the end to bring such a project to life in a village that is too small to have its own inn. She and her team have been organizing the theater and cultural programme at Schrabben Hof since 2012. The farm is also a museum of local history - full of fond memories of old times, full of atmosphere and of course, to the delight of the photographer, full of atmospheric light.

Anyone with a camera will find it hard to tear themselves away from the light in the event hall under the roof, with the beguiling scents from the first floor competing fiercely with the light. Waffles are being made there according to the special Schrabben-Hof recipe. Even though there is no inn in Silberg, you can still stop for a bite to eat. The Kulturgut also takes care of your physical well-being. It's not just the younger members of the group who are delighted with the culinary treat to round off the day.

Klaus-Peter Kappe