As you set out from Monschau, the trail immediately rises above the village onto the Kierberg, giving you a magnificent view of the village and the towering castle above it. Don’t be alarmed, though, the first loop of this leg will take you back into the town itself! It might feel a bit pointless, but it’s worth it for the view of the city! The rest of the day, your feet will take you up and down some fantastically beautiful parts of the trail. Beware of loose and slippery rocks on the trail! The bedrock in these areas is mostly made of shale, as witnessed by the ubiquity of this material being used as roof shingles for instance. But shale is slippery, and it’s not always apparent that your footing on some of the steeper parts depends on you keeping your balance on these flat, broken stones.