Author: Peter Klopp

Walter Panknin (1898 – 1977) and His Family Ch7 Part 15

/ Peter Klopp / 6 Comments

Outdoor Activities through Camping and Boating

Ten years passed before the Panknin family could dream about camping and canoeing again. After securing financial security, they started with short local trips to the nearby Baldeney Lake at the Essen-Werden Campground. When they fled Soviet-controlled East Germany in 1954, they had to leave their belongings behind, including their camping gear and folding boats. So they bought, bit by bit, tents, air mattresses, cooking utensils and, of course, last but not least, folding kayaks. It was at the Werden Campground where I met, under the most mysterious circumstances, my future wife Gertrud Panknin (Biene) on the long Pentecost weekend in May 1962.

At this time, Papa had already given up his dream of going on extensive boating excursions with his family due to the children’s reluctance to accept their father’s river paddling fantasies. Also, Mama’s health was rapidly declining, and she was no longer willing to participate in strenuous travel adventures.

In 1960, Papa, prompted by sweet nostalgic memories of his journey on the Danube in 1939, decided on a similar expedition on the idyllic little River Weser that flows northwestern into the North Sea. No matter how carefully he had planned the river adventure down to the last detail, he could not order suitable weather for their journey. Always good with words, especially when presented in writing, he describes with a bitter touch of regret the misery his rebellious family was no longer willing to endure.

Natural Splendour of the Arrow Lakes

/ Peter Klopp / 19 Comments

Wednesday’s Photo

A Toxic Beauty

Knapweed is not very popular. It is an invasive plant imported with the first pioneers from Europe. It does not have natural enemies in North America and is toxic. As the poison spreads from its roots, grasses whither, and ranchers hate it. Yet, the purplish flowers are beautiful, and the seedheads impress with their intricate forms.

Knapweed Seedhead

With this post, I started a new theme for my blog. Just as people often rearrange the furniture to give their homes a new look, I occasionally tinker with the settings and even make a few changes with the help of the optional CCS code in WordPress. The other day, I was looking for an older post and could not find it because my former theme did not come with a search function. So that was the other reason that prompted me to make the changes. Comments are very welcome.

Walter Panknin (1898 – 1977) and His Family Ch07 Part 14

/ Peter Klopp / 4 Comments

Early Boating Adventures

Papa Panknin and his wife, Elisabeth (1900 -1974), have been outdoor enthusiasts for as long as I can trace back their vacation activities. Bodies of water, be it the Baltic Sea, lakes, or the mighty rivers of Germany, had always exerted a magical attraction. So it is unsurprising to learn that their love of the great outdoors led them to camping trips, which often included boating adventures in their folding kayaks. Three events, spread over three decades, stand out as highlights for the Panknin family.

Boating on the Danube 1939

Established in 1907, the German boat manufacturing company Klepper is still building folding kayaks. Papa owned one of these floating marvels and took his wife and stepdaughter Elsbeth on an adventurous journey on the Danube from Passau to Vienna in 1939. Then the horrible World War II broke out and ended their idyllic lifestyle. 

Saaldorf, Thuringia, Papa and his Family at the River Saale 1951

When content with the most primitive and essential camping gear, you can still enjoy nature at a very low cost. While living in the former German Democratic Republic under the control of the Soviet Union, my father-in-law and his family pulled a tent, camping utensils, and folding boat out of storage. They set up camp at the lovely meadows at the Saaldorf campground in Thuringia, near Gotha, Biene’s birthplace.

Natural Splendour of the Arrow Lakes

/ Peter Klopp / 14 Comments

Wednesday’s Photos

Cheerful Colours Dispelling the Winter Blues

When the sky is gray and the mood is blue, our hearts and minds get a healthy boost at every bit of colour we discover walking over snow and ice. That happens every time the heavy cloud cover is rolled back, although just for a short moment, and the sun lights up the landscape from a blue sky. The rosehips, all dressed in red coats, are particularly pleasing to the winter-worn-out eyes Enjoy.

Walter Panknin (1898 – 1977) and His Family Ch7 Part 13

/ Peter Klopp / 10 Comments

Papa Panknin, the Popular Hiking Guide

Retired Major Panknin enjoyed being out in nature and helping revitalize old trails that had fallen by neglect into disrepair and marking them by following strict environmental guidelines. While reading over the pamphlet on how to prepare a route for the enjoyment of the hiking community, I was impressed by how carefully the details were described, such as the kind of paint to use, where to place the sign, which trees to use and which trees to avoid. I liked the rule: Better to have no sign at all than a sign confusing by its inaccuracy. His daughter Biene often accompanied him in the rewarding outdoor activity.

What Papa Panknin enjoyed the most was serving as a hiking guide for the frequent excursions through the forested hill country of the Velbert territory. Biene tells me that the participants were primarily women. That may have also been part of the reason why he enjoyed becoming a trailblazer for his club.

During his involvement in the SGV Velbert, he received plenty of praise and recognition for his invaluable contribution from participating hikers, the press and the local club president. In a newspaper clipping, I read how much his work was appreciated. “So we see Walter Panknin walking through the woods with a can of paint and a brush as an apostle of a great idea, of the concept of hiking in the automobile age, leading us back to Mother Nature, to the source of healing power. Walter Panknin selflessly serves this idea for others from person to person.”

Natural Splendour of the Arrow Lakes

/ Peter Klopp / 10 Comments

Shadowy Selfie

After last week’s ring-framed landscape photo, Steve gave me the idea of getting someone’s face behind the iron ring. So if my wife is willing, I might just try to do that on our next hike. Today I present another landscape photo from the same lakeshore location. While processing the picture, I discovered my shadow at the other side of the Fauquier Creek. Enjoy.