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In September 2000 I drove from Munich airport to the twin
villages of Garmisch-Partenkirschen, the starting point for many great
alpine hiking trails.
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I stayed at this Gasthaus in Partenkirchen. Like many
houses in the village, it has an elaborate allegorical painting on the
wall.
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Room with a view.
(Looking north to the Kramerspitz.) |
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Giving up on an attempt on the Zugspitze, because my rucksack
with equipment is stuck somewhere in the Frankfurt airport, I decide to
hike to King Ludwig II's summer mountain hideout, Schachen, somewhere up
there on the Wetterstein ridge
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I drive to Schloss Elmau, where my hike to Schachen starts
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To Schachen, an estimated 3.5 hours and 900 meters (3000
ft) uphill
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On the way to Schachen
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Gaining altitude
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Looking north from the Konigsweg. The mountain on
the right is the Wank.
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Reaching the Wetterstein ridge
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| Reaching Schachen, at 1850 meters. There's a botanical garden up there, specializing in Alpine species. I peek at it briefly but the drizzle discourages me from spending more time there. |  |
| I"m tired! Time for a Schachenhaus break. |  |
| Schachenhaus was full of boistrous Bavarian hikers taking their break -- with abundant bier und schnapps. I had hot soup. |  |
| View east from Schachenhaus |  |
| Time to start back |  |
| Me, looking serious |  |
| Mountains, clouds, rain |  |
| The clouds have cleared enough to see Partenkirchen, way down there. |  |
| Getting lower -- but still a long way down. I decide to take the steep way down into the valley. |  |
| Path S4 descends steeply |  |
| Reaching the bottom: the Ferchenbach River |  |
| River volume rises, and enters the Partnechklamm Gorge |  |
| Roaring waterfall in Partnachklamm |  |
| The gorge continues |  |
| Back along the Ferchenbach |  |
| Return to Elmau |  |
| Goodbye for now, Bavarian Alps |  |
