Tag Archives: alps

Berchtesgadener Alps – Day one, or part of it….

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Having been back from the Karwendel Alps for about four days, I was already missing the mountains. The Karwendel having been my first trip of the year, and my big trip in December (Aconcagua) being seemingly so far away still, it was nice to carry on thinking about them and plotting potential new adventures too. And so I found myself talking to my good friend Anna, with whom I regularly cycle, over dinner, and telling her about my most recent adventures.

It became clear about half way through dinner (or maybe it was after about 20 seconds, my memory fails me :)), that Anna was not just interested in hearing about the mountains, but that she (can I use the word desperately?) wanted to go too. To cut a long story short, before the main course was over, we had not only decided to go together, but it also clear that the only weekend available to both of us was the very next one, and so, with my trekking gear not even unpacked from my previous trip, I found myself back on the way to Heathrow to fly back to the Alps. Oh well, go on then, twist my arm!!

The trip 10 days before had initially involved a choice of destinations, and one of the potential options then had been the Berchtesgadener Alps. We instead went to the Karwendel, but having been to the town of Berchestgaden some 20 or so years before, I was very keen to go back, the area being outstandingly beautiful, and steeped in somewhat notorious history.

Berchtesgaden with the Watzmann in the background

The Berchestgadener Alps are in the Northern Limestone Alps, and straddle the south eastern corner of Germany and part of northern Austria close to Salzburg. The mountains lay host to a number of notable peaks, the Höchkönig, at 2,941m (9,650ft) being the highest, and the Watzmann, (2,713m, 8,901ft) Germany’s third highest, being the most famous. The notoriety in the area comes from the area the other side of Berchtesgaden itself, known as the Obersalzburg. It was here during WW2 that Hitler had his mountain retreat, known as the Eagle’s Nest, reportedly also the last place to be liberated in the war, and then home to caches of Nazi Party stolen art and other treasure hordes.

Our trip would see us drive from Munich to Berchtesgaden, and the Königsee, a beautiful lake just south of the town. We would then trek up to a place called the Funtensee, and stay the night in a hut called the Karlingerhaus, before heading further into the mountains.

The Karlingerhaus, by the Funtensee

The Königsee is one of the deepest in Germany and certainly one of the most beautiful. It is flanked by the Watzmann mountain and is like a fjord, having precipitous cliffs on all sides. It is also reputedly the cleanest lake in the country (and that is clean, believe me), and so only electric boats are allowed to travel upon it.

Arriving at the Königsee at about 4pm, having hurriedly armed ourselves with a sandwich, a map, and some water for our Camelbacks from nearby Berchtesgaden, we trekked down to the lake for our departure by boat. I had found out literally only that morning from Verena (who I had been with to the Karwendel) that we must cross the lake by boat to begin our trek. How exciting! Verena was fantastically helpful in terms of getting me last minute information for this trip and so I must thank her publically here for all she did.

Our boat arrives on the Konigsee to take us to St Bartholoma

The lake really is stunningly beautiful, with water a beautiful aqua green, and yet crystal clear with it. The electric boat would take us to a settlement called St. Bartholema, from where we would begin the climb up to the Funtensee. Stepping off the boat after about 45 minutes we got our rucksacks adjusted and ready for the off. The boat had stopped half way along the lake on the way so that the driver could play a flugelhorn at the cliffs and the passengers could listen to the echoes (reputedly up to seven!). This might have been quite nice if we had been tourists, but we just wanted to get up the mountains behind.

On our way down the lake on the boat, St Bartholoma in the distance.

As we started our trek, I looked at the first signpost, which said “Karlingerhaus 5 hrs”. This was immediately quite daunting, and I wondered if we should start walking at all. It would be dark by 9, and by then we would be high in the mountains, and it may well be dangerous to do the walk finishing in the dark. I therefore rang ahead to the hut, and told them that we were just leaving the lake. The helpful man who answered (him talking in German, me in English) managed to let me know that we could get there in 3 and a half to four hours, and so we decided to go for it.

Having walked no more than about five minutes, we came across a German guy coming down. He asked us if we were headed up to the Karlingerhaus, to which we said yes. The guy stopped and just said “Kompliment!”. He looked more than surprised, looked at his watch, said a few things in German which I half understood (i.e. I half didn’t) and was on his way. This made us a bit nervous, as clearly he was intimating that people who started up a five hour walk at 5pm were a bit nuts.

This only though served to spur us on. We knew that the hut was at about 1700m, and my watch showed that we were starting from about 630m, so we had a fair bit of ascent to do. It was basically therefore heads down from that point on.

Looking back down at our initial path up into the mountains

As the path began to steepen up between a series of rock faces, it began to rain fairly heavily, and it would not stop again that night. We were in for a tough ascent, and I began to have doubts as to whether we were doing the right thing going up so late onto a path we had not seen before. Time would tell whether we would get up there or not, and I made a note to have a cut off time whereby we would have to turn back……
{to be continued……….}

Karwendel Alps Final Day

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The final day in the mountains saw us waking up in the Pfeishutte in Austria, which is almost due north of Innsbruck. The Pfieshutte sits at about 2,000m, and was very busy. We were in the uppermost dormitory, in a room meant for (I think) 10, and I reckon there were probably 14 in there, which made it a little cosy. Thankfully I had what approximates to a single bed, the only one I have ever seen in any mountain hut, and since I was waking up with my leg strapped up from yesterday’s fall, I was very grateful to be in it.

The Pfeishutte, on the morning of our final day

We set out after a very nice breakfast of the usual mountain fare, and headed for a pass which would ultimately take us down a steep scree path, from about 2,250m to the valley floor just outside Innsbruck at around 700m or so.

The top of the pass on the Goetheweg trail.

Reaching the top of the pass was pretty easy going, despite the heat. We had heard that the weather forecast for Innsbruck was 37C (99F), which is much hotter than I think they ever get in that part of the world. Although we were considerably higher than Innsbruck itself, the temperature was still brutally warm to be doing any kind of physical exercise.

At the top of the pass immediately before the descent to Innsbruck.

We then came to the start of the descent. The path was essentially just scree, and very steep. It was hard not to slide on almost every step, which made the heat seem even worse. It was also hard not to look at the view of Innsbruck and the Alps south of there, which totally dominated every view.

The beginning of the descent, Innsbruck in the valley far below

After a while of sort of stumbling down the hill and wondering how long it would take, we were passed at great speed by a couple who were scree-skiing. The penny then dropped that this was really about the only way to get down, and certainly quicker, and probably just as safe, so we went for it.

Scree-skiing down the mountain….

…..which brought Innsbruck ever closer…….

….even if I sometimes ended up……

…….sitting on my backside!

When we got down to about 1,200m or so, there was a very welcome hut called the Rumer Alm, where we stopped for lunch and a drink. the temperature by now was really hot, even in the shade, but the break was very welcome nonethless.

The walk down from the hut to Rum itself (a suburb of northern Innsbruck) was about a further hour, and was basically a beautiful walk through a stunning pine forest.

The walk down to Rum from Rumer Alm

By the time we reached the very bottom, where we would get a bus back to Absam (where we had parked the car three days before), we could see back up the mountain to the top of where we had descended from:

The view back up to the Goetheweg (far distance) from Rum, Innsbruck

From here after the bus we returned to Achensee on the way back (and the World Cup final in an Italian Bar full of very miserable Italians by the end of the night!) before returning to Munich for the flight back to the UK.

The Karwendel Alps had been great. Considering I had never even heard of the region itself only a week before going, it had been a real surprise in terms of what it had to offer, including the diversity (and difficulty) of terrain, the beauty of the mountains themselves, and the hospitality and friendliness of the Austrian people. Blessed also with wonderful weather, great company, fine food, and some very fine mountain huts, it made the trip hugely enjoyable. I resolved that it should not be long before I returned to the region, something that as it turned out would be a lot more prophetic, and indeed imminent, than it first appeared……..

Karwendel Alps – Day Two

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Waking up in strange surroundings I should get used to, but somehow I never do. Today was certainly no exception. We (Verena, Susanne and I) were in the Klingler Hotel in Maurach, Austria, and I woke to find rain and wind and also feeling quite disorientated.

We had expected the weather to be outstanding this morning. In fact the forecast for Innsbruck, the nearest place to where we were headed, was for cloudless skies and 33 C. The rain (and it was tanking it down) therefore was rather unwelcome to say the least. It was also distinctly chilly.

Breakfast was however wonderful, and afterwards we set out with rather mixed feelings about what the day would bring. We needn’t have worried however, and within about 10 minutes of setting off for our destination (only 30 minutes away), we were in bright and beautiful sunshine.

Then however after arriving in Absam, just east of Innsbruck, we hit our first snag. We were looking to park, nicely mapped out by Verena, at a place called St Magdalena, at about 1,300m. This would let us get to our planned destination (and accommodation for the night) the Bettelwurfhutte. The Bettelwurfhutte was at about 2,100m, and would allow us hopefully to a scale a peak or two after lunch.

However, upon coming to a dead end half way to St Magdalena and enquiring of a very helpful local lady (in fact everyone in Austria throughout was just so friendly and helpful) she told us that this was the furthest we could go. This was not good, as we were barely at 700m, leaving us with the thought of 1,400m of ascent before lunch, which was a tall order at best.

The Karwandel Alps – the trail would start here

We then thought we should ring the Bettelwurfhutte to tell them of our arrival and to book our accommodation in case things were busy. Susanne looked somewhat shocked to be told that there was nothing at all to be had. The place was literally crammed full.

Ringing ahead to hopefully get us some beds for the night.

We then spent a further 30 minutes or so (rightfully) trying to contact other huts to see if we could get other accommodation. The long and short of it was that everywhere seemed to be either full or on an answer machine.

In the end we just decided to go for it. There was another hut apparently a further two hours or so from where we planned to head, although we couldn’t reach that one by phone either, but to delay the trip further (it was already 10.30am with perhaps six or more hours walking ahead of us) would have wasted too much time.

Within probably 20 minutes or so of walking up a steep road, just to reach the start of the trail, the heat was really taking its toll. The forecast temperatures for the day would prove to be correct and the sun beat down relentlessly from here on.

The trek started up a steep road at first…

After an hour or so, we reached a path which would lead us to the original destination (the Bettelwurfhutte). There were three paths in total. One of them was labelled ‘Klettersteig’, which was out for us as we did not have harnesses or via ferrata equipment with us. The other two paths looked long, and as we did not think we could get accommodation at this hut anyway, and after Verena and Susanne took the advice of a very helpful local passing shepherd, we decided not to take this route.

The climb up towards the Bettelwurfhutte

We duly marched on headed for the other hut, the Hallerangerhaus., which from our our current position was apparently a further 3 and a half hours. That may have been true for a fit Austrian (for whom the signboards must have been made) on a coolish summers day. This however was sweltering, and I couldn’t walk for more than about 50 paces uphill without stopping to wipe sweat from my brow and catch my breath. It was simply draining.

The walk was however beautiful:

An alpine meadow looking in the direction of the Stempeljoch, which would be tomorrow’s destination.

From alpine meadows with beautiful tiny flowers, to hillsides scattered with Edelweiss, to towering peaks around 2,000m above the valley floor, the Karwandel Alps were certainly proving to be everything I hoped they’d be and more.

Looking south from the approach to the Hallerangerhaus

The walk ultimately took us around 6 and a half hours. This meant that there was no time for other peaks along the way, but this in no way detracted from the day. Ultimately it was too hot anyway for serious hill climbing. Even when we reached our resting place for the day, the Hallerangerhaus hut, the temperature was 28 degrees C, and this at 1800m.

From the top of our ascent for the day, at about 2,200m, looking down towards the Hallerangerhaus in the distance in the valley

And a closer look at the Hallerangerhaus, our destination for the night.

Dinner was a perfectly cooked Vienna Schnitzel (well we were in Austria after all) washed down with a few glasses of Austrian beer. From the terrace of the mountain hut (we literally sat outside all evening it was so warm) we saw an amazingly beautiful sunset, and were entertained by the local hutkeeper and his wife. The hut was completely full, and we were ultimately lucky to get a place for the night at all.

Sunset over the Karwendel

In the morning we would climb back up the hill we had just descended and head to the Pfeishutte. We had seen glimpses of the path we would go on on the way today, and it looked great. This trip was already going too quickly!

Karwendel Alps Day One

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Today is a landmark day. I write that immediately after the end of the day itself, particularly as it has been so wonderful. It is the first day of a five day trip to the Karwendel Alps in the Austrian Tyrol. (As I post this online however it is six days later – the date was the 28th June 2012). It is my first trip to the region, and I have been looking forward to it for so long.

It started so early, with a 5am alarm call, and then a car ride to Heathrow airport which got me there before 7am. But despite tiredness early on, the day just got better and better.

A plane ride to Munich got me into Germany before lunchtime, where I met up with Verena and her friend Susanne, whom I was meeting for the first time. We had only loosely planned the day beforehand, and so upon arrival they suggested that we go and drive to a place called Achensee, where we would stay the night, before heading into the higher mountains the next morning. This was totally fine with me, and so off we went.

The car journey took us almost due South into Austria, and within about an hour and a half we were at a place called Maurach on the edge of the Achensee. I can only describe it as outstandingly beautiful.

Above the Achensee, Austria.

After finding ourselves a place to stay for the evening we then duly plotted the following three days’ events. Verena had been really thorough and bought local maps and pinpointed all of the places we would go to in the mountains.  We planned to head the following morning to Absam (on the outskirts of Innsbruck), then hike up to the Bettelwurfehutte, and then summit the Grosser Bettelwurf (2,726m) the same afternoon. This sounded fantastic, and with everything sorted, we just relaxed for the rest of the afternoon and evening.

Verena and Susanne in front of our hotel in Maurach,

Maurach is at 931m and is characterised by a beautiful lake (the Achensee) which is a stunning shade of green. The temperature being so warm (around 27 degrees C or so) it just seemed entirely appropriate to go and join the locals and swim in the lake, so we did just that. It was wonderful, and the water was actually not as cold as I had expected it to be.

In the evening we went in search of both food and also football! It was the evening of the Euro 2012 football finals, and Germany were playing Italy (who had just conquered England four days before on penalties in the quarter final). After straying into a very fancy looking hotel where I am not sure if they have ever even heard of Euro 2012, we found (of all things) an Italian Bar!

The hospitality (especially considering Verena was fervently and excitedly shouting for Germany) was wonderful. Susanne is not as much of a football fan, but still obviously wanted them to win. After a great meal and a few Aperol Spritzers we settled down to the game, which unfortunately Germany lost 2-1. It made still for an exciting first night in the mountains, and Achensee made for a great base. We resolved at the end of the night to return on our way back on Sunday night.

So with the build up complete, and a long day over, in the morning we would head out to the Karwandel Alps, only about 30 minutes or so away. It was going to be fantastic. Sleep would come so ridiculously easily…..

The Alps Await!!

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So after a very quiet first half of the year for me, later this week I will this week get my first taste of the hills and mountains since I was in Nepal last autumn. I can’t wait to go, I really can’t.

I will be travelling with a friend called Verena, and a friend of hers, name as yet unknown :). It is a short trip, of only three days in the mountains themselves. Verena lives in Bavaria, and has planned the whole thing, which is wonderful.

We have been planning the trip for a few months now, and originally the trip was going to be to a route called the Heilbronner Höhenweg, in the Allgäuer Alps. The pass sits on the border between Germany and Austria, and is between 2,400m and 2,640m in altitude, with some nice scalable peaks along the way. Yesterday however, Verena contacted me to say that there had been unseasonably late snowfalls in the region, and that it may prove difficult or even dangerous to take this route. She advised that I take crampons to be safe. In fact she also said “there may be old ice and snow in certain areas where you could fall through and that would be it”. Now call me a bit of a scaredy cat if you will, but the words “that would be it” are a teensy bit fatalistic for me, so that got me a bit on the edgy side.

Verena also thankfully suggested that we maybe should choose some backup options also, in case the Heilbronner Höhenweg proved impassible (for that read potential deathtrap :o). The suggestions are as follows:

1. In the Karwendel. The route goes to the Spekkar Spitze and the Goetheweg. We would stay at the Bettelwurfhutte and the Pfeishutte.

2. In Berchtesgadener Land and the Chiemiger Alps.
The journey would take us over the Königsee, and then on to a trail taking us to Riemannshaus and then to Ingolstädter Haus for the second night.

3. In the Allgäuer Alps (which is in fact the area where the Heilbronner Höhenweg is also). The trip would take us on the Krumbacher Höhenweg, and then onto the Mindelheimerhutte and then the Pfeishutte.

I haven’t been to any of these areas before. I have been to Berchtesgaden and the Königsee, which I have to say are about as picture postcard beautiful as any place on this earth, but not the trail itself. Each of the regions are reasonably close. If you look at the map below of the Northern Limestone Alps you will see the Karwandel region (highlighted in yellow), and then close to its left you will see the Allgau and then the Berchtesgadener Alps to the right.

The Northern Limestone Alps

Having googled extensively each of the three options, my head is now in a spin. The reason for that is that we sadly have to choose one of them, and I want to do all three! I suppose that I/we can always go back at another time, and in some ways it is so nice to be spoilt for choice.

The good thing is that the weather appears now to be set reasonably fair. It should be warm for Friday and Saturday, with the chance of thunderstorms on Sunday. I’ll have to carry everything I need for the trip on my back (obviously), and so being a hopeless overpacker that could make for some tired shoulders by Monday, but so be it. We will apparently choose one of the three routes on Thursday after I arrive by plane to Munich. Perfect!

Given the fact that I love travel, change, challenge, adventure, the mountains, and am going to new paths in one of the most beautiful areas in Europe, and moreover get to do so with someone that I know and like, then things can’t get a whole lot better as far as I am concerned.

I’ll leave you with a couple of photographs of the area. The first one from the town of Berchtesgarden, looking towards the Watzmann, Germany’s second highest mountain:

The Watzmann mountain, towering over Berchtesgaden

The second is a picture from the Karwandel, it may be the Speckkar Spitze, I am not sure:

In the Karwandel range, this may actually be the Pleisen.

I am tonight packing and unpacking my rucksack, very much in eager anticipation. And in fact I may be just as excited about this trip as I was for Everest Base Camp, it is just potentially a trip that has just so much to give. I’ll be there in less than 60 hours time, and yes I’m counting.

It’s a bit of an overused phrase of mine, but I’ll say it anyway: “Bring it on”.