Karlstal Gorge by Chris Trembley
The beautiful Karlstalschlucht, or Karlstal Gorge, is a 1.8 mile long natural formation that was later developed in the late 1700s by Friedrich Ludwig von Sckell in the German district of Trippstadt. Aside the man-made trail flows a winding stream that cuts through the boulder laden gorge sideface. Askew with bridges and formed rock steps I began my hike at the Klug’sche Mühle, a local restaurant in the Trippstadt district. With my toddler son, my wife, and my pug in tow we entered the trail via roadside. Right next to a duck/swan pond that accompanies the fore-mentioned restaurant.
It was quite a cold day that day, but the sun was shining… Which is a rarity in this part of Germany. Unfortunately, the cold even grew worse as we entered downhill into the gorge and my company had to leave me to finish my hike alone. The trail had gone to ice with all the footsteps of previous walkers matting down the snow, and I was certainly unprepared for how cold it was down inside the gorge; However, the water still flowed and the sun shined brilliantly through the now leafless trees.
About a quarter of the way in, shortly passed a rock formation to the right that was once used a home up into the early 1900s, I began to shoot using a fixed tripod and remote. The lighting was fantastic to do some slow shutter speed shots. The stream was flowing perfectly as well, a lot of the prior days snow had melted off en-route above the gorge. So that’s what I aimed to do this day.
Shot after shot I experimented with different exposures as I took in the beautiful sights the gorge had to offer. Even in the dead of winter there is traces of color to be had in Germany. The moss on the rocks shined a brilliant green in the sunlight, even the now felled leafs added to the canvas. Alas my time was brief with my visit today in Karlstal. After 30 minutes my naked hands began to pain, my jeans were soaked with mud, and I felt a little guilty leaving my family behind in the car.
One day soon I plan to take in the beautiful landscape that the Karlstal Gorge has to offer, but this time with some gloves.
Chris Trembley