Forest wellness
It is the setting for spooky fairy tales, a romantic meeting place for new lovers, an energy centre for those seeking peace and quiet - but also a reliable supplier of fresh air and a source of food for humans and animals. The forest! For some it is dark and gloomy, for others it is like a safe embrace, for still others it is an exciting, action-packed adventure area. But one thing is certain - without the forest there would be no life and no air to breathe.
If you look at the history books of the Glemmtal, you can see at a glance: there used to be much less forest here! How did that happen? It was the time when wood was the settlers' urgently needed heating and building material. The wood was also sold to the salt works in Bad Reichenhall. Trifters ensured that the tree trunks were transported along the Saalach waterway to the salt works for salt extraction. This resulted in the clear-cutting of the local forests, which were only reforested in the following generations. Today, 4,000 hectares of forest once again cover the slopes of the Glemmtal valley. The local forests provide crystal-clear spring water and pure air, the finest venison, mushrooms, berries and herbs, which are freshly processed in the kitchens of hotels and restaurants.

Off to forest bathing
The new forest wellness trail on the Reiterkogel provides a particularly casual break in the forest. In a 200-year-old, unspoilt forest above the Reiteralm, you can immerse yourself in a world of lush green mosses and wild lichens. In the shade of giant spruce trees, you will find designated yoga spots, hammocks to swing in, wooden loungers, a forest library and picnic areas. You can pick up pre-packed picnic baskets for your culinary forest break from the Reiteralm if you book in advance. Then it's off to forest bathing! The positive and healing effect of the forest on people has now been scientifically proven and has been officially named the "biophilia effect", or colloquially "forest bathing". What the Japanese have long practised with "forest medicine" can now be enjoyed on holiday in the Home of Lässig during a hike.

Forest as an energy source
The fascination of the forest can be felt by anyone who goes into it - with open eyes and ears - and lets themselves be carried away by the energy of the coniferous and deciduous trees. You don't have to embrace the trees - but you can, of course, if you want to. Just pause for a moment, take a deep breath, close your eyes and listen. The voices of the forest then become very loud - the woodpecker knocks, the mice rustle in the undergrowth, a deer cheeps in the distance and hoverflies buzz in the backlight. You can smell the mushrooms, the berries, the damp moss and the green lichen. The beat of the forest is never hectic like rap or hip-hop - more like a ballad. And those who adapt to this rhythm also become calm and relaxed. I personally find the forest particularly beautiful when it rains. The scent is more intense, the impact of the raindrops on the green moss cushions is like a steady metronome. Plop, plop, plop.... What's more, when it rains, you usually have the forest to yourself. Almost conspiratorially, you nod to the hare ducking into a dry hollow, or keep eye contact with the deer smiling knowingly as it ventures out of its cover to graze during a break in the rain.

Forest as a food source
If you know your way around, you can taste the berries - at the raspberry patches you fight with the wasps for the sweet fruits, later in the year the Moosbee (blackberries) and even later the Granggn (cranberries) tempt you. Mushroom connoisseurs can get their next meal on the table with chanterelles, parasols and man's mushrooms, herb witches look for the ingredients for the forest pharmacy and the hunter provides fresh game. If you can't tell a fly agaric from a porcini mushroom and confuse the cranberry with the cloudberry.
Text and image sources: www.saalbach.com