Clausthal-Zellerfeld: Upper Harz’ ponds and coral reefs
When temperatures go up to 30 degrees centrigrade cooling is desired. The many lakes close to Clausthal-Zellerfeld are a popular destination. They are called the „Oberharzer Teiche“. But did you also hear about the Harzer coral reef at the Hutthaler Graben? Well, the Harz is always good for a surprise. It only takes some fantasie and suddenly the red osier turns into a Barrier Reef. My suggestion: Visit the common cotton grass at the Fortuner Teich. The dosh at that place is so soft and indulgent that you literally walk on air.
At the old dam ditch
Taking a walk alongside the old dam ditch is supposed to bring us some cooling today. And it works. We start around noon. It is a bit cloudier than before. After a short while we reach the first lake, the Langer Teich. It is the highest-located one of the Oberharzer Teiche. It was created in 1672. All ponds originate from mining.
We move on on narrow paths. Our next discovery is the failure Großes Mönchsthal. This construction prevented the dam ditch from flooding. The next station is the Dietrichsberger Wasserlauf (water course) which was created in 1863. It brought more progress. It is interesting though, what man constructed in that time using only in-house means.
Walking on sunshine
We reach the Fortuner pond. It is not a particular special place. But, on the other side of the lake we discover something that looks like white flowers. We want to take a closer look. We walk through the brushwood and suddenly there is velvety ground underneath our feet. We sink in a little bit, but, we are borne by a dosh. It feels unbelievable good. I think to myself this must feel like walking on sunshine. The white flowers are common cotton grass which grows at the shore.
We continue to follow our path and arrive at the Jägersbleeker ditch, constructed in 1785. We not a signpost at the parapet. Oberharzer Wilddieb is written on it. Well, who or what is it? A search on the internet later on tells me that it is a restaurant located at Clausthal-Zellerfeld. We stand in front of the Jägersbleeker pond and admire the numerous dragonflies and beautiful reflections on the surface. The idyll is only disturbed by yobbish behaviour of a mountainbike driver. A little bit further we come across a stamp station of the Harzer Wandernadel. It is the stamp 127, which is located in the so called Weppnerhütte. No wonder that there is a hustle right here.
Stop in the bush
Moving on we realize after a while that our path is blocked by a bent tree. Therefore we have to make a detour. It leads us to the wasteland of lumbered trees. A scene I have to admit which causes a slightly depressive mood. Only a stop at a nice tavern can heal this. A burnt child dreads the fire. After our sobering experience with the self-service machines at the Rinderstall we are a bit doubtful if the Polsterberger Hubhaus has more to offer. We are positively suprised. Upon a proper shandy we discuss the further walking strategy. It is already afternoon and we only managed half of our tour so far. We think about cutting our walk a little bit shorter. We therefore exclude the boring part of the distance and decide on the path close to the Hutthaler ditch. It turns out to be a good idea.
Coral reefs of the Harz
The Hutthaler ditch is quite dry. Instead flowers and grasses have broadened. Suddenly I pause. Hey, what is this? In front of my is a bush which reminds me of a surplus water coral reef. Colour and structure agree. Only the coloured fishes are missing. But who knows. In case the warming of the earth continuous. Anyway the bush is a nice serendipity and stimulates my fantasy. At the end oft he ditch we stand in front of the Drecksumpf. We learn that the Drecksumpf with Einleitung is a small slurry tank supposed to hold back sand and mud.
Finish at the Nassewieser Teich
We almost finished our walking tour alongside the Upper Harz Wasserregal. Our last station is the Upper Nassewieser water ditch with its namesake pond. And this is something special again. Next to beautiful flowers such as knapweed, wild bees collecting honey can be watched. A little bit further down some white butterflies have a family gathering. The creatures are black-veined whites which fly cheerfully about each other. I am pleased with the natural spectacle and I am happy that this place is neither a shopping centre nor a waterpark. Hopefully the Upper Harz ponds and it coral reefs will be preserved for a long time!
