The trail network Pechüle-Frankenfelde - experience the wilderness area Jüterbog

We met at the destination of today's hike in Frankenfelde, left three of our cars there and drove two other cars to the starting point of today's hike in Pechüle, where I informed the participants in advance about the conditions that awaited us, but also about possible dangers. For this event, at the former military training area, the participants had to sign a waiver of liability before entering the area because of the remaining ammunition. We then set off to explore the heath habitat in the fauna-flora-habitat area “Forst Zinna / Keilberg”. Our route first took us to the Keilberg, from where you can enjoy a wonderful view and, weather permitting, to the outskirts of Berlin can see. We took a short break there at a seating area with a table that was artfully sawn out of a tree trunk. In the evening hours, this place is ideal for watching the activity of bats or recording their voices with the bat detector. Unfortunately, species extinction is also becoming noticeable in this regard, in which the increasingly popular wind turbines play a significant part due to bat strikes. On beautiful forest paths we reached another spacious rest area, where we fortified ourselves extensively. Shortly afterwards we hiked through a huge forest fire area, which has already caused a stir and fright twice this year. And indeed: on both sides of the path there was charred earth, charred tree trunks, fallen or broken trees. A landscape like after a bomb attack. Nevertheless, it is always amazing how nature recovers and a new habitat develops in such a short time. Afterwards we found grasses that often compete with the heather, such as the "soldier grass", which grows in rows at intervals and usually conquers its habitat underground in a straight line thanks to a pointed rhizome. This includes the circular bristly grass and areas with silver grass were explained by me. The exciting interaction of fungi and algae in reindeer lichens and similar structures was very interesting to us. This is the only way fungi and algae can colonize locations where they could not exist on their own. Lichens were once thought to be mosses, but today we know that lichens are not uniform organisms. On our further journey we encountered various types of horrors as well as slowworms, and we were also able to discover wolf tracks and its tracks. I then instructed the participants to walk as quietly as a mouse and exclusively on a nature watch lane through the heath area, which was in full bloom in the evening, like a string of pearls. In the distance I pointed out a nesting aid for the hoopoe, which otherwise breeds in tree and woodpecker holes as well as in root and wall niches. This path is not open to the public, but I walked it with Ingo Höhne, ranger from the Brandenburg Nature Watch. I would like to expressly point out that this area is closed to the public and may only be entered with expert guidance. I provided detailed information about the care measures to preserve the heath. It is becoming increasingly difficult to attract shepherds with their sheep who can help rejuvenate the heath by grazing and thus counteract lignification. Last but not least, the wolves present on site keep the last shepherds and their animals away, as Ingo Höhne explained to me last year. So far, only one shepherd is sporadically out and about with his animals in the area, although an exodus of wolves can be observed. Last year, only two animals were said to have been in the Jüterbog foundation area. We wanted to take one last leisurely rest on the shore of an idyllic lake and wait for the moon to rise. This lake, as well as the reed-covered islands, were created by “human hands”. It owes its existence to the construction of a new highway. However, aggressive swarms of mosquitoes convinced us to move on and go straight to the parked cars. There was a short stretch of country road, where my headlamp and the flashlight of a hiking friend running at the back of the group kept us safe in only moderate traffic. Some hiking enthusiasts were a little shocked when the grunting of a wild boar in the nearby cornfield occurred in the last few meters. Finally, we picked up the cars at the starting point of our wilderness hike, which was the end of a completely successful day of hiking. www.maerkischer-wanderbund.de