September Holiday: Day 4 - Part II

(Previous post continued) Views from the top of Siplinger Kopf:

I loved the look of those ridges, making it visible how millions of years ago the mountains were folding up.

These mountain daws were constantly flying about in the most acrobatic manner. They know that where there are people, there is food, and waited patiently to be thrown some bits. (Not from us, though.)

After resting for a while, we started on the most challenging part of the entire hike, the descent. Already from our place on the grass near the top we had seen other hikers coming and going and knew more or less what to expect: a path so narrow that no two people can pass each other, along the top of a rocky ridge with sheer drops on both sides - hence the aptly named tour ("Gratwanderung" or balance act). One had to have a good head for heights and simply focus on that bit along the ridge, and there was no way I would have stopped to take a picture while navigating that ridge. It was made easier by its shortness, and the steep climb down behind the top was really a climb in that we needed both hands and feet to get down safely.

This is not the "worst" bit, but it gives you an idea of what it was like.

From there on, the path was much more comfortable again, meandering along the mountain ridge almost the whole length of the Balderschwang valley before starting to curve to the bottom of the valley just after the Stillberg Alpe.

Looking back almost the whole length of Balderschwang valley

Not long before reaching the hut, we had come across an elderly gentleman in the woods, holding a cloth bag and a knife. He was looking for mushrooms, and we exchanged a friendly greeting and a few words about the beauty of the area. 

At the hut, we were not sure whether it was a private one or open for business; we saw a woman at one of the windows, and greeted her. She told us that it was only their own private place for weekends and holidays, but of course she would help us out with water or food in case of an emergency, and if we needed a rest, we could sit on the bench outside. We were fine and did not need anything from her, but it was nice chatting for a bit - the man in the woods was her husband, and they had come up this weekend explicitly for the mushrooms. If you look at the picture of the hut, you can see a trestle table with a wooden crate to the right of the building - this is where the mushrooms are sorted, cleaned and dried.

We were still relatively high up at that point, and from now on, going steeply downhill for what felt like hours. It was just as exhausting as the long stretch uphill at the beginning, and we were glad to reach the bottom of the valley and walk on a level road back to the hotel, where we arrived mid-afternoon. 

It was another warm and sunny day, and once again we had coffee and cake on the terrace outside before heading to the spa. Dinner was welcome, too, and it was probably one of the earliest times during our stay that we retreated to our room.

It was definitely a hike I am not going to forget; I was glad I did it, and managed it rather well, but I am not keen on a repeat any time soon.

September Holiday: Day 4 - Part I

Friday, the 18th of September, saw us undertake the most demanding hike of the entire holiday. We had read about this particular tour as a "Gratwanderung" - a word play that only works in German but can be translated as "balance act". I was at first unsure whether I really would be up to the challenge and felt a bit uncomfortable by the thought, but after we talked to the receptionist at our hotel and had a more detailed description of what to expect, I was determined to give it a try. And it turned out demanding, yes, but I did not regret it one minute.

We took so many photos and I want to show you most of them; therefore, I am splitting this post into two parts and hope you still want to look at part II after having seen part I :-)

Walking east from our hotel, the first stop was the Old Yew, a tree that has been estimated to be anything between 600 and 4,000 years old - in any case, it IS pretty old, no matter whether it really is the oldest tree known in Germany or not. It even has its own wikipedia entry.

From there on, the path took us steadily up, sometimes rather steeply but still comfortable to walk, until we reached the Obere Wilhelmine, another Alpe (hut). As far as we could tell, it was still lived in although not open for business, but we had only just begun our hike and were not in need of refreshments just yet.

The views from there were beautiful - and a little daunting, looking at the rocks where we would be walking next!

The comfortable path ended at the hut, and now it was a narrow rocky dirt path, with a set of steps, almost like a ladder, up one particularly steep slope. I used my photo stops just as much to catch my breath as to admire the view and take pictures!

Looking back the way we'd come

And then we were there, at the top of the Siplinger Kopf! Admittedly, the Riedberger Horn (where we'd been two days before) is a little higher at 1,787 m, but this one certainly felt higher in that it was more difficult to reach.

I have no picture of either of us on top of the mountain; there were other hikers about (some with dogs), and we did not want to wrestle for space with them. Instead, we chose a spot a bit removed from the small groups of people to rest, drink some water and eat the snack we'd brought. Most of all, we took in the fantastic views in all directions.

The most challenging bit was yet to come, as part II will show.

September Holiday: Day 3

Day 3 of our holiday was Thursday, the 17th of September. Needless to say, it was yet another beautiful sunny day and rather warm. 

Earlier this year, when it had become clear that we could not stay at the hotel in May as originally planned due to the lockdown, they had written to us, asking for us not to cancel our booking, if possible, but shift our stay to a later date. As we did this, they gave us a voucher for spa treatments, and so we had booked a massage each for 3:00 and 3:30 that afternoon.

This did of course limit the length of our hike; you do not want to turn up for your massage at the last minute, all sweaty and still in your hiking outfit, do you. So we calculated that we wanted to be back at the hotel by 2:00 pm or not much later, and chose a shorter tour than the day before.

It was another one from the hotel's leaflet and indicated as "family-friendly" - sounded easy enough! Actually, it turned out to be rather rough terrain and steep ascents and descents in parts, certainly not something I would want to do with young children. But as there were only the two of us to consider, we managed quite well and even had enough time for a rest (and a shandy) at the Burgl-Hütte. This hut is in Austria - we crossed the border somewhere along the ascent without any indication and became only aware of it when we noticed that the sign on the building showed an Austrian postcode. 

Looking back towards Burgl-Hütte

Another Alpe or Hütte (hut), not open to the public but looking very idyllic.

We arrived back at the hotel with enough time to shower and change into our bath robes. The massage was good, and a round in the sauna made its effect even more relaxing. 

With all that, we felt so well rested that after dinner, we went out again for a walk - no uphill this time, just westwards along the road where we had not yet been. A bit further on would have taken us into Austria again, but we turned round at the last farm house on the German side, and walked home.

September Holiday: Day 2

On Wednesday, the 16th of September, we wanted to reach the highest mountain top nearby, the Riedberger Horn (1,787 m). And we did!

It was another sunny day and warm enough for short sleeves, but we still packed something warmer to cover up in case it would be windy and chilly further up.

A free bus ride (public transport for the area was included in the guest card every tourist receives at the hotels and holiday flats there) took us to Grasgehren, half way up the Riedberg pass road. 

From there, the path to the Riedberger Horn is clearly signposted and well maintained - nonetheless, it is an ascent and had me panting and puffing away, as usual when going uphill. Even if I keep saying that, it does not mean I wasn't enjoying our hikes - I did, and do! It is good for me, physically and mentally, to do something that requires a real effort, and the feeling of having accomplished something with nothing but my own two legs. Plus the clean, fresh air and beautiful views make it all worth it anyway.

Another beautiful sunrise view from our room.

Looking back towards Grasgehren.

I am including a short video O.K. made with his mobile phone and hope it works for you. We found it amazing how well the sound of the cows' bells carried in this natural amphitheatre; they were actually rather far away:

 

The way we had come

Riedberger Horn, 1,787 m

View from the top along Balderschwang valley

The path down on the other side of the mountain was rather steep and difficult on the first bit, but the rest of the descent was easier, and we were lucky in finding the "Mittlere Alpe" still open for business - time for a shandy with great views!

The path back down

More silver thistle!

Our tour leaflet suggested to either take the bus back from Grasgehren to Balderschwang or walk it. Guess what we did! Part of the path back took us across pastures still busy with cows, something I never feel entirely at ease about, but we made it through without trouble. Imagine my relief, though, when we finally left the pasture and closed the gate behind us!

Our hotel is somewhere around the bend, on the slope at the right-hand side of the valley.

A relatively long, comfortable stretch through woodland about half way up the slope followed before we reached the bottom of the valley again, where we walked along the stream. The meandering path is one I could easily walk every day back and forth and never get bored.

As the day before, we were back at the hotel still in time for coffee and cake on the terrace, a quick visit to the spa and then dinner before retreating to our room.