Harzer-Hexen-Stieg - 5th stage - from Altenbrak to Thale

Known, popular, and delicious are the trout from the Bode. Freshly caught, they are served at tables in Altenbrak and Treseburg. The quietly babbling Bode is their home.
In Treseburg, we enter the Bodetal Nature Reserve, one of the oldest nature reserves in Germany. Before 1865, passage through the section ahead of us was not possible. The rock pressed too closely against the water, leaving no space for passage, and the technical possibilities were not yet sufficient to create one.
At first, we go into the gorge on a comfortable path, which is still wide enough up here. The water babbles softly in the depth, no noise of civilization disturbs the idyll. Soon, however, the path narrows, the water draws closer, and the rocks rise ever higher on the left and right. Eventually, the river roars through its rocky bed, spray mists fill the air, and granite walls up to 250 meters high tower above.
From above, with a keen eye, Rosstrappe and Hexentanzplatz are visible, once mystical cult sites, now popular excursion destinations. To not miss the magnificent final view of the Harzer-Hexen-Stieg, we climb to the left on the "Schurre," which is 18 switchbacks to Rosstrappe. The strenuous ascent takes about an hour. Those who find this too exhausting can take the comfortable chairlift that starts a bit below in Thale. From here, the cable car also overcomes the 240 meters altitude difference to Hexentanzplatz. With the view into the Bode Gorge on one side and the flat Harz foreland on the other, the Harzer-Hexen-Stieg experience is almost over.