Walking Group
 | The St. Catherineʹs Walking Group aims to give people the opportunity to discover Stuttgart and the local environs and enjoy a time of fellowship together. The walks are suitable for all ages and no special level of fitness is required. Sturdy shoes and packed lunch are recommended.
Walks take place on a Sunday after the service and each month a different member of St. Catherine's volunteers to plan the route. |
Group Hike #4
Do you like to smell spring in the air? Feel your muscles stretch as you walk down a wooded path? Eat a steaming schnitzel with noodles?
If so, please join the St. Catherine's Ramblers as we ramble from Heslach to the Baerenschloessle im Rotwildpark on Sunday 9th May after the 09:00 service.
Yes, we are breaking a bit from tradition, and leaving before coffee hour, but we plan to lunch once we reach our destination. The restaurant at the Baerenschloessle serves good, cheap food, and if the weather holds up, we'll continue hiking to Schloss Solitude after lunch.
If you're interested in coming, or have any questions, please contact me (Stephanie Ramquist) at Of course, even if you don't contact me, please come anyhow. The more the merrier!
Group Hike #1
For those who missed it here is a review of Group Hike #1
A great William once wrote, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." What's in a name? I was pondering the name for the St. Catherine's walkers group while limping to the grocery store the day after our first group ramble. Shall we call ourselves the Merry Wanderers, Jolly Joggers, or Jigglers as it may (I'll speak for myself)? Or maybe the Trusty Trekkers, Lazy Lopers, Hearty Hikers, Roving Ramblers... Decisions, decisions!
Despite having no official name, the St. Cats walkers group did manage our first Wander with the greatest of ease. We left after a 9 a.m. service and took the U-Bahn out to the Kuckucksweg in Botnang. The day was lovely. Not too warm, not too chilly, with a slight breeze to dry the sweat, glistening on our necks. Julie, Anja, Nate, Stephanie, and Elena toddled along at a leisurely pace through the gorgeous Botnang woods, encountering only a few other hikers, bikers, and mosquitoes along the way. After an hour of walking, we stopped in a sunlit glade and ate a picnic lunch. Kettle Chips seemed to be the highlight, although Julie's radishes came in at a close second.
After eating, we finished up the rest of the 10.5 kilometre hike, and were having such a lovely time that we decided to try our hand at scaling Stuttgart's Rubble Hill (Birkenkopf). An extra 2.5 kilometres straight uphill led to a beautiful view of the city, and gave Anja yet another chance to drink her thermos of hot, black tea. I had to think that she must be English to the core, because this American couldn't imagine drinking anything HOT after that hike. Bring on the ice water!
With 15.5 kilometres of walking under our belts, our merry troop arrived back at the U-bahn. Our feet were tired, our muscles sore, our eyes sleepy. Perhaps Shakespeare would not have labelled us as roses, and we certainly did not smell sweet, but the broad smiles on our faces showed the refreshed spirit, renewed minds, and joyous feelings of a group that had accomplished something, and felt good for it.
