A hiking joke: The hiking birds have split up. One half only wanted to hike. Phew, what a knee-slapper, a real thigh-slapper, a howler—the shortest hiking joke in the world! Not funny? I think it is. The fundamental question is: Are there funny, humorous aspects to hiking? I think so. In principle, it is of course not funny simply to put one foot in front of the other or look at the landscape. It is another matter when you are out hiking along the Moselle with a Luxembourgish hiking group and pass a cattle pasture. The cows come closer curiously, and then the roughly twenty people start singing too. The cattle listen, deeply moved; if they could applaud, they would—without a doubt. I found that very funny.
Of course, I am also always delighted when I see a hiking parking sign. The male hiker with hat and walking stick striding ahead. The female hiker—what am I saying, the hiking lady behind him—without a hat or walking stick, but with a super-short skirt, handbag, and flowing hair. The two of them are moving at an incredible pace; that sign is definitely Germany’s funniest road sign. Interestingly, there is a Baden version of the sign, a more modest version: The hiking lady wears an ankle-length skirt, and her flowing hair is tied into a severe bun. That works too.
Comedy also arises when the hero of a story, let’s say a nationally respected hiking expert, repeatedly puts himself in situations that challenge him—or, rather, overwhelm him. Hiking 82 kilometers in one go. Being a member of the Swabian Alb Association. Hanging on the sheer face of the Watzmann East Face. It is a kind of mathematical humor equation: The difference between what one wants to do and what one is capable of doing is the seed of comedy. When statements such as “I know this area, I don’t need a hiking map!” or “There definitely won’t be a thunderstorm today” collide with reality, it is always pretty funny. Or you can simply tell another hiking joke. I have one more: Why did Moses wander through the desert with the people of Israel for forty years? – Men don’t ask for directions.
