Tough Hike: Bergischer Weg (stages 3 + 4)

Hi all,

today we'll be doing a long-distance hike (52.5 km). That's gonna be quite a challenge, I'm sure.

Meeting point: Haan Gruiten train station, platform 7, 8:26 AM.
(Important: Trains of the Deutsche Bahn often do not operate reliably. Please allow plenty of time for changes.)

Course:
We'll hike on the Bergischer Weg and do stage 3 and stage 4. The small trail has some steep and exposed sections. It's a steady up and down, mostly in the forests, and it provides us with good views on valleys, pastures, and streams.
We will pass the Monastery Gräfrath, Gräfrather Lichtturm; we will be hiking many kilometres along the river Wupper, pass the Müngstener Brücker - a famous railway bridge, Sengbachtalsperre, Rüdenstein, and finally the Diepentalsperre.
The hike will start at Haan Gruiten train station. From there we will follow the Bergischer Weg to the Diepentalsperre where we will leave the Bergischer Weg. From the Diepentalsperre we will hike on the Balkantrasse to Opladen train station. There the hike ends.
Important: The Bergischer Weg is well but not perfectly marked. So I'd recommend you having the gpx on your smarthphone as a backup.
-->gpx of stage 3: https://www.ich-geh-wandern.de/bergischer-weg-etappe-3-gruiten-cronenberg
-->gpx of stage 4: https://www.ich-geh-wandern.de/bergischer-weg-etappe-4-cronenberg-diepentalsperre

Distance: 52.5 km (stage 3 is 18 km; stage 4 is 28 km)
Elevation: 1,900 metres (stage 3 has 620 elevation metres; stage 4 has 1,180 elevation metres)
Duration: 12 hours (some people are faster, some are slower)
Difficulty: moderate

What to bring: Water and snacks. Good idea to keep it light. Please don't overdress since there are very steep inclines that will heat you up for sure. Don't forget a rain jacket if rain is in the forecast.
Can't guarantee that we will be able to fill up our supplies during the hike, but there might be some gas stations or a supermarket on the way, who knows.

Speed: The goal is to finish the complete hike. So hike at a speed that works for you.

Group: We will start the hike together as one group. Later on I guess the field will split up a bit since everyone has their own hiking speed.

Pauses: It's up to you to decide if and when you have pauses. Do whatever works for you.

Weather: We'll do it rain or shine.

Communication: For last-moment changes on the hike you can join our whatsapp hiking group:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/HCcWc4Pdz2l3s5Grz6xgcf
[ How to get on the group:
1. You sign up for the meetup event.
2. You have a name and photo on whatsapp, so that I can recognize you. ] )

See you,
René

PS: As always in this group this is an English-speaking event.