Oct 9 – This morning we put our boots on, and walked off to find the southern terminus of the Pieterpad. Even though we didn’t do all the hiking we originally planned, we thought we should climb the last hill.
The path ran along the River MeuseThis is a working river, with lots of barge trafficEach bird had a favorite perch
We got to the foot of Mount Sint Pieter, and started up.
There is a lovely lake hereJim is always happy to be ascending, even if the hill is not very steep A view of the town below
Before too long, we reached the summit, and looked around. No signs of the beginning or the end of anything. There were some trail markers, but the Pieterpad was not among them. What to do?
No Pieterpad markers here
We trudged back down the hill, asking Google where we went wrong. No answers. At the foot of the hill was a café. We asked the proprietress, and she pointed across a very industrial-looking area. There was a path, so we followed it.
If you look really hard, you can see a set of steps in the center, at the far side of this picture. Can you see them?We wondered what sort of mining went on here.Now we’re closer – see the steps now?That is not a natural cave – something is mined hereAfter all the metal steps was a last set of stone steps to the top. Wait for me, Jim!Ta da! Not a picturesque view, but we made it!Sure enough, there was a monument where you could immortalize an image of yourself either starting or ending the Pieterpad. Someday we may return and hike the rest!There was an old fort ruin up here too, but we had seen enough for one day.See the old fort in the distance?We had a lovely café lunch – as the sign mentions, dogs are welcome everywhere here.
And so ended our Pieterpad and Netherlands adventure. Tomorrow, on to Belgium!
Taking Our Time 