Swamp Hike (19)

Swamp Hike (19)

This landscape shot shows another part of the swampy peat moors of ‘Hohes Venn’, the greatest (4500 ha) and oldest National Park of Belgium and the most unique nature biotope in the land.

Due to the local micro climate, ‘Hohes Venn’ is the only (!) place in the world where subalpine vegetation can be found at a height scarcely between 600m and 700m above sealevel.
This means that plants grow and flowers bloom there, that normally only grow just below tree line in mountains like the Alps and Pyrenees.

The whole area is vast and desolate.
It consists mainly of swamps which can only be traversed by using the wooden paths made by the local foresters (a daring exploit).
It is nearly impossible to leave those wooden paths, because the swamp starts immediately to suck your feet and legs into the depth and the more you struggle to get out, the more the swamp sucks……

This makes swamp hiking a unique experience.

Location : Fagne de Polleur at Mont Rigi (Belgium)