Checkpoint/Kontrolle– Along the designated path, checkpoints are set up. At these checkpoints, someone will stamp your start card to prove which route you walked. Sometimes there will also be free water, tea, broth, or snacks you can purchase. There also may be benches and bathrooms, but don’t expect them. You do not want to veer off the path and miss a control point.
Information/Werbung – Usually a table is set up where you can pick up brochures advertising walks.
IVV – Internationaler Volkssport Verband – This is the international parent organization headquartered in Germany. Many global nations have chapters, including Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cape Verde, China, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, South Korea, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and the United States.
Description/ Beschreibung – These are the directions for a permanent route. Most permanent walks provide detailed instructions for the route you can pick up when purchasing your start card.
Guided Walk/Gefürter Tageswanderung – A guided walk is not on a marked trail. Instead it’s lead by a guide. All guided walks leave at a specified time, and they ask you to be 15 minutes early so that you won’t miss out.
Permanent Walk/ Permanente Wanderwege – Permanent walks are IVV routes available all year round. Typically, you get your start card at a business, walk the path, and at the same place turn in the card and get your IVV stamps.
Record booklets/ Hefte – In order to accumulate award stamps, there are sanctioned booklets. There are booklets for events and booklets for distance. Most people keep both. Your first booklet is free and gathers your first ten stamps towards events and distance. However, after that the booklets are separate. You can get your booklets at any Ramstein Roadrunners meeting.
Stamp/ Stempel – This person will take your start card, and give you the appropriate stamps in your event or distance record notebooks.
Start card – To register for the event, buy your start card and write your name on it in case you lose it on the trail. Along the way, you must get your start card stamped, proving you are doing the entire route. At the end of the walk, you will turn this in to receive credit for the walk in your record notebooks.
Start/Finish (Start/Ziel) – A hall or sports arena where the event is being held, and the path begins and ends there. Along with the required start card and stamp tables, there are refreshments, brochures advertising events, gear tables, and sometimes even entertainment. It’s a great place for meeting other hikers and socializing with club members.
Route Divider/ Streckenteilung – A Streckenteilung sign is posted at intersections where the routes diverge.
Volksmarch/Volkswanderung – a walking event where clubs designate a path for hikers to follow.
