Exploring the Dabo region: the Sickertkopf

Date of your route : Mar 24, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
We ran into a bit of a snag in Dabo, but the locals put us back on the right track!

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Date of your route : Jun 25, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed in June 2020. Please note that between points 1–2 and 2–3, the path is used for forestry operations. In dry weather it is passable, but in wet conditions there is a risk of muddy conditions. Furthermore, at point 1 the markings (Yellow Cross) have disappeared; you must leave the forest track immediately after the fountain. Le Dabo is not part of the route; you can drive up there (refreshments available, but the public toilets were closed!)

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Hello Etienne,
I completely agree with your explanation, but ethically speaking, it doesn’t look very professional.
It’s so easy to choose one of the two elevation gains; what’s more, there’s absolutely no point in giving both elevation gains when the route is circular. It’s only necessary for a point-to-point hike, for example starting from one station and returning to another.
Well, I won’t dwell on the subject any further; you’ve got my point, especially as there are plenty of hiking guides with the same errors and not a single one to correct the other.
It’s just the way things are these days; we accept anything and everything, and then we drift off course and nobody worries until the moment when……
Well, I’m digressing; that’s another matter.
Kind regards
Jean-Marie, the trekker (on the earth’s unlikely paths).

PS: I tried to send a photo of the Sikertkopf but… problem.

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Hello Trekkeur, and thank you for your feedback.

Everyone will agree that, on a circular route, the total ascent and total descent are exactly the same! And it’s true that, on the website, for circular routes, we often see differences between the two...

First of all, let’s put this into perspective: these discrepancies are generally small. In the specific case in question, the difference is 7 metres over an elevation gain of around 290m, or a 2.4% discrepancy… This is surely not enough to confuse a hiker planning to undertake this route.

Secondly, this topic has been discussed at length on the forum: all altitude figures are estimates, which inevitably involve a degree of error... Generally, each individual error is minimal, but when added together, this can lead to discrepancies between the ascent and descent figures, such as the one observed here.

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Date of your route : Sep 27, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

Just one important point that many hikers aren’t aware of, but which is crucial for anyone who claims to give advice on hiking. It is absolutely impossible for there to be a difference in elevation gain and loss when a hike ends at the exact same spot as the start, down to the nearest metre.
If you do have a difference, it’s because you haven’t returned to the exact same spot; in other words, when you plotted your route on software, you didn’t mark the return point exactly at the same spot as the start. You only need to be 1mm off and you’ll have a 3–4 metre difference on the ground.
So please choose between positive and negative for the elevation gain/loss.
And this error occurs regularly on most of your circular routes
You should be aware that for all circular routes, the positive elevation gain is strictly the same as the negative.
I repeat: IT’S MATHEMATICS.
Kind regards
Jean-Marie ZERRINGER, hiking guide at the Club Vosgien in Strasbourg.

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Thanks, hchevalley
It's been corrected

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Date of your route : Apr 29, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A lovely walk with several beautiful views; no particular difficulties.
There is a small error in the description: after the Sickertkopf, retrace your steps and turn right (not left)
At the end of the walk, you can extend the route by climbing up to the Rocher de Dabo (but the path is very steep).

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Thank you both

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Hello,

Good point, I’ll correct the text.
Thank you

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Date of your route : Feb 24, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A lovely little walk, planned at the last minute for a late afternoon! Took three hours, with snow as a pleasant surprise and plenty of stalactites along the way, and the Sickert Rock was truly impressive! The only downside is that the directions for reaching Dabo are slightly incorrect, but it’s no problem to find your way around this little village.

The instruction to walk past the cemetery, keeping it on your left, is incorrect. To follow the route, you must keep the cemetery on your right and walk up the street. No worries, we went to the right of the cemetery and ended up on a path at the end of the street (to the left at the end, not the path that goes downhill); it’s almost better and you finish on the ‘Sentier du Rocher’.

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