Book Mountain Birthday Hike

What's the best way to celebrate your birthday when social gatherings are banned?  A beautiful hike!

We've been here nearly 5 years and I had never hiked "Book Mountain" - the mountain that I can everyday as I look outside our window.  So for my birthday present from Brian - I requested no one's presence (I've had plenty of time on lockdown with the fam ;) and just time alone in nature to hike.

So here's are my pictures along the way to the top of Book Mountain...

From my window you can see the mountain top - but you can't quite see the electrical tower on top - that was my goal to reach!



I had this map made my former RDs!

After you climb the staircase behind the church (between the houses) you have the option of going two ways... you want to go toward Kirchstein.

You'll know you're on the correct path when you see these little nature signs.



You keep heading up on the switchback towards the "Steal Cross" - Kirchstein, which means "church stone."



There's the Steal Cross!  I had been here before, but it's always lovely to see the town of Gaming down below!











So looking at the path from the Steal Cross - you want to go straight ahead - the path that takes you up!



There's a sign at the T - so like I said, just head UP the mountain!



It will level out and you'll be at the power line tower!





Nice view of Gaming from up here!



Looking in the other direction, you can see the top of Book Mountain and the electrical tower.



After walking under the power line tower, you'll soon come to the forest road and a sign (picture below) directly in front of you.  You don't take the road, instead you hike directly behind the sign on a little foot path.



Here's a close up of the sign - you hike up directly behind it (follow 22b).



You just follow that little foot path all the way up.  Here's a view on the path looking back down to where you've come from - you can see the power line tower & the forest road.



Here's the view looking up as you walk toward the top of Book Mountain... almost there!



The top!  The book to sign is in the box on the tree straight ahead.  There's a bench facing the crucifix.

I started the hike around 1:30pm and reached the crucifix at 3pm!  (Walking quite leisurely & stopping at the Steal Cross).





Just past the crucifix is the electrical tower!



After praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet (3:00pm), I started back down the way I came.



But when I came to the forest path that I had crossed over near the power line tower - I took the forest path headed away from the power line (so to my LEFT).  I stayed on the forest path and this eventually took me down the mountain to the road.





I walked along the road heading back into the town of Gaming (so I went RIGHT).  Eventually you come to the Beer Well pond with the swans. 

I reached the pond by 4:40pm.



Coming back into the town of Gaming, I could see the power line tower clearly from the road below.



Back home by 5pm.  In time for a Kartause beer!



It was a great "get-away" birthday gift!



I did the hike a couple of days before my actual birthday.  On my birthday (Divine Mercy Sunday this year!!) my neighbors surprised me with an amazing bake they had made!!





Later that night we celebrated with more cake!  The kids were much happier with this one compared to my "bread loaf cake" last year when my birthday fell on Good Friday!



Very grateful I have this wonderful crew to return home to, celebrate and live life with!