I was going solo on this trip because I was unable to recruit a hiking buddy in crime. Spontaneity is a rare thing these days… but then, to be spontaneous and have fun at the same time one must be prepared. And so, so, so many people aren’t when they set out… I’ll come to what I encountered a little later.
Earlyish in the morning on Saturday, I boarded a train to Kochel and then took a bus to the beautiful Walchensee. This lake is nestled between rolling hills and the towering mountains of the northern Alps. Without a breeze the lake lay calm and still reflecting its surroundings – a sight that makes it very hard to turn away and start a hike. But I had big plans for the day.
The goal was to do the Herzogstand – Heimgarten loop via a narrow ridge that connects the two peaks. It’s a highly frequented route and usually very busy since there is also a cable car going to the top as well as a big restaurant. I knew from a previous visit that most people flock there so I decided to the loop the other way around. I found the way leading up to peak number one: Heimgarten, towering at nearly 1,800 metres. I started from around 800 metres at the base.
It is a rather long climb but relatively easy. For about 1,5 hours the path winds through classic sub-alpine forest. While on my way up I suddenly heard really loud talking noises. Shortly after passed by three Asian guys having a rest after literally 15 minutes of uphill walking. I said “hi” and moved on…then again, I heard even louder noises. I bumped into another group of six Asians (girls and boys this time) with one lady talking particularly loudly. One of the girls was wearing satin pantaloons and a white satin top to go with that. Wearing shoes that looked like she got them for 5€ at Primark… the others in the group did not look much better. They also stopped to have a break pretty much every 10 minutes and all I thought was that they should turn around immediately and take the cable car up…
I moved on. I was well away and much higher up soon and I could still hear them chatting super loudly further down. It was annoying. For me, one of the beautiful things about hiking is to listen to the sounds of nature. Rushing water, singing birds, airy breezes… of course you can have a conversation but you can do so in moderate tones.
As the forest retreated more I suddenly encountered quite a number of snowy fields. Lovely, muddy slushy snow that’s no great pleasure to walk on because it’s slippery as.
At the very latest I hoped that the two Asian groups would be wise enough to turn around then.
Especially the last stretch up to the top was all covered in snow still. It took me around 2,45 hours to finally get up there. Time for some well-deserved homemade lunch and taking in the absolutely rewarding views. It was well worth the long climb. There’s a hut up here too but it’s only open from Vatertag to Kirchweih – so, basically during the official summer (there is a sign saying so down below).
Next up, was the crossing of a ridge to get from Heimgarten to Herzogstand.
Before descending down more snowy patches (praise to my trekking poles) the 360° panorama is simply breathtaking. Towering mountains to the south, the lowlands to the north. I could see all the way back to Lake Starnberg. Amazing.
A sign told me that the crossing of the ridge should take about 2 hours. I’m just a little bit pleased that I managed to do it in about 1,5 hours. This route is labelled as black (meaning ‘hard’) but it’s more to scare people off… it’s only a little narrow in a few places. At one point, there is a jaw-dropping view of Lake Kochel below (northern side of the ridge).
The crossing finishes at a pavillion on top of Herzogstand. While I had enough water with me I was looking forward to a nice refreshing drink at the hut below so I made my way down. Again it was snowy, if only a little – and many, many people slid around in their shiny sneakers. Some were wearing hotpants and party dresses… and yes, some of them realised that they probably should not be going up there and thankfully turned around.
The hut was absolutely packed. But then, lucky me, there’s always room for one person. I squeezed in and ordered two drinks. Unlucky me, because I had to wait for the drinks for almost half an hour. I was about to stand up and go, not just because I was annoyed but actually because I still had to get down the mountain to catch the last bus back to civilisation.
I got the drinks after all and one of the guys started to ask questions on what else there is to do “here”. We talked a little and I found out that he was from the north and he said that he and his two pals actually wanted to do the same loop I just did. They were wearing office-like shirts, jeans and sneakers…and I said to him: “Nope. Forget about that. It’s not going to be fun with what you are wearing”. That may be blunt and honest, but I’ve seen enough people on my way that struggled alot in their pretty unworkable sneakers. Besides it was nearing 4 PM. They wouldn’t get down before sunset.
And again, he asked what else there is to do here. I had to hold my tongue, otherwise I would have said something inappropriate. “Enjoy the scenery and the views”, was all I managed.
Because funilly enough, hundreds of people come to this area for it’s magnificent views but the little village down at the lake is wistfully ignoring the throng of tourists. The bus service is very irregular and operated only by the national rail service. You cannot rent kajaks or bikes. Most dining places shut at 6 PM. It is quite amazing, really. And wonderful, actually… how this little community just stays as it is and doesn’t make the infrastructure any more tourist-friendly. So when you come to this area (especially without a car) you must be prepared and know the bus schedule. Or hitch.
It was already past 4PM and I made to hurry down in order to catch that last bus. I then realised that the one bus I was looking at taking wasn’t running yet – summer schedule only starting on May 1. Oh oh.
Rather than taking the route throught he forest, I opted for the straightforward forestry path. I ignored my heel blister and started walking downhill as fast as I dared. On the way down a few mountain bikes shot past me in horrifying speed. I hit the road in Urfeld at around 5PM and saw where all the people were already waiting for the bus to Kochel. Phew, I thought.
I tried to board and asked the driver whether this bus was the last service to Kochel, because the schedule was so confusing. I couldn’t quite hear what it was he mumbled, but instead he suggested to go the other way towards Mittenwald and Garmisch. That would give me another hour at the pretty lake so I left the bus and made for the shore to have a rest and dip my feet into the icy water – Walchensee is a glacial lake after all. Very relaxing moments after an exhilerating day and 18KM of walking and a total altitude gain of 1,200 metres.
I made my way to the bus stop and sat down. Soon after, a couple walked towards me trying to decipher the bus schedule. I told them that one more bus was coming… They said they had their car parked near the cable car base station and that they took another route down.
Then he called someone on his phone. I couldn’t quite not listen to what he was saying but I sensed something was not ok. He hung up and then explained that they were a group of five but that they split up at the top taking different routes down. The missing friends were now apperantly lost in the forest and were going back up to find another way down – with a 7-yearold child. My insides started to cringe at that but I refrained from saying anything.
The time was now 6.30 PM and I told the man next to me to call 112 if their friends are not down before 8 PM. For the simple reason that you cannot count on having reception or enough battery. And Google Maps is NOT a reliable source for navigating in the mountains. There are better apps for that.
I do not know how the story ended for them but I hope it ended ok.
My story ended all fine, I met some nice people on the way to Mittenwald and then caught a train there back to Munich.
All in all, a grand day out.
Here are some basics:
++ Be prepared to have intermittent reception. It is advisable to not take it for granted. It depends very much on your service provider.
++ Take note of the route you want to do so you don’t lose it! Signposting is sketchy at times.
++ Use the app outdooractive. Find the route you want to do and save the map offline. It’s free and super useful.
++ Bring enough water if you start at Heimgarten. Until you reach Herzogstand there are no opportunites to refill other than melting snow.
++ Invest some money in proper boots. They make life (and hiking) especially for your feet so much more comfortable.
++ Going up a mountain either by foot or cable car is not a bloody beauty or fashion competition…
++ Take out your rubbish. For those who are unaware, there is no mountain litter service.
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