Getting Lost in the Wilderness (Again)

As a group, the Tübinger Fünf have a pretty terrible track record with nature, wilderness, and hiking.  In the first week, we christened everyone with apt nicknames: Jake is Mr. Misdirection, Zach is the Whiner, Rachel is the Professor, Emily is "Stubby" (aka stubborn), and no one should be surprised that my nickname is the Diva.  Put the five us together and we get along quite well.  Until, of course, you put us together on a nature hike.

 The journey to visit family friends and long-time friends of the university was an experience.  This couple lives in Wurmlingen, another town and instead of taking the bus or train (reread that time we climbed to the ruins in Blaubauren) we were told to climb the mountain range between the towns. 

It was going to be scenic and fun.  

And then we would earn our dinner when we arrived.  

It would only take about 2 hours.

TWO HOURS?!

Nevertheless, we summoned up our courage (and copious amounts of Apfelschorle) and started our hike from the Schloss Hohen Tübingen and walked in the direction of Wurmlingen.

That's where our troubles began.

To quote Robert Frost:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;	5
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,	10
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.	15
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference

This was the story of our lives. Except instead of one main decision, we faced multiple path decisions every 5 minutes.  In between squinting at signs ("I think this one has a cross on it, that means a church, right?"), following other strangers ("They must know where they're going"), and awkwardly waiting to ask locals ("This old couple. Ask them. No, no, they look mean.  What about this kid? He probably doesn't know anything. She looks nice, let's ask her!"), we finally climbed and then descended the mountain, certain we had picked the right path.


Alas.


Suddenly we found ourselves with a choice - climb up again toward to this church on another hill or climb down toward this town.


We chose the city, assuming that it was Wurmlingen. 


Does it surprise you when I tell you that it wasn't Wurmlingen?


I received a call from the family friends, politely inquiring where we were.  I expressed to them in awkward German, that I had no idea where we were.  They quickly explained that we were in the next town over.  And we were going to have to walk another 30 to 40 minutes to climb back up the hill and around.


Meanwhile, the obscene heat, lack of water, hunger, and crankiness was taking its toll.  
Now a quick Modern Family ancedote:

Basically.

After much wandering, swearing, yelling, crying, and moments of depression, we arrived.  3 hours after we were supposed to.  The path, which was supposed to take us on a scenic tour of  German nature and a visit to beautiful old chapel, turned into a Bataan Death March meets challenge course that we almost failed.

But dinner was delicious and we had an amazing time.

Best of all, we got to take the bus home.