After yesterday's disappointment it felt really important to get the walk back on track and I had agreed with John that irrespective of the weather we were going to try and walk to Nusdorf am Inn. The stage however was a particularly challenging one, long and with a lot of climb, and we had a new team member, Chris Dickinson, who would have to walk 11 hours on his first day.
Things started really well. It wasn't raining and we were walking before 8 o'clock. It was soon clear that Chris with his army background and navigation skills was going to help us through the maze of routes and really bad German footpath signing. By 10.45 we had climbed over Kegelspitz and were in Fischbachau.
To be honest we didn't really need to go to the top of Wendelstein to stick to the E4. The Maximiliansweg goes to the top but not the E4 and this diversion added another 350 metres. Wendelstein is over 1800 metres and the climb up from Fischbachau well over 1000 metres but given the dry weather it seemed a shame to miss the summit. I enjoyed the climb and after the mess of the last few days it was a good confidence booster. Saw lots of deer on the way up.
Wendelstein has a train and a cable car going up to it so after a quiet walk up the top was all hustle, bustle and crowded viewing platforms. Although the weather was far from perfect the views were still impressive.
The descent was a real 1400 metre knee cruncher but actually went surprisingly well. Had not had much contact with Chris for the past 30 years or so and the three of us had lots of experiences to share and the conversation was the perfect distraction from the discomfort of the climb down.
Inevitably the worst bit of the walk came when we hit the hard surfaces at the bottom of the mountain and the final 5 kilometres into Nusdorf. Fearing blisters we stopped for a beer and didn't complete the walk until just before 7. Including stops we had been on our feet for 11 hours, covered 35 kilometres and climbed over 1800 metres. Definitely the toughest day so far in Germany but it confirmed that with half decent weather and good navigation the demanding schedule I've set myself is feasible.
Things started really well. It wasn't raining and we were walking before 8 o'clock. It was soon clear that Chris with his army background and navigation skills was going to help us through the maze of routes and really bad German footpath signing. By 10.45 we had climbed over Kegelspitz and were in Fischbachau.
To be honest we didn't really need to go to the top of Wendelstein to stick to the E4. The Maximiliansweg goes to the top but not the E4 and this diversion added another 350 metres. Wendelstein is over 1800 metres and the climb up from Fischbachau well over 1000 metres but given the dry weather it seemed a shame to miss the summit. I enjoyed the climb and after the mess of the last few days it was a good confidence booster. Saw lots of deer on the way up.
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| Wendelstein |
Wendelstein has a train and a cable car going up to it so after a quiet walk up the top was all hustle, bustle and crowded viewing platforms. Although the weather was far from perfect the views were still impressive.
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| Just a bit cloudy |
The descent was a real 1400 metre knee cruncher but actually went surprisingly well. Had not had much contact with Chris for the past 30 years or so and the three of us had lots of experiences to share and the conversation was the perfect distraction from the discomfort of the climb down.
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| Dropping down from Wendelstein |
Inevitably the worst bit of the walk came when we hit the hard surfaces at the bottom of the mountain and the final 5 kilometres into Nusdorf. Fearing blisters we stopped for a beer and didn't complete the walk until just before 7. Including stops we had been on our feet for 11 hours, covered 35 kilometres and climbed over 1800 metres. Definitely the toughest day so far in Germany but it confirmed that with half decent weather and good navigation the demanding schedule I've set myself is feasible.
Two Johns is very confusing for us readers. Is that tights John T has on over his shorts? very tasty.
ReplyDeleteBet the beer consumption has gone up now its 3 boys....
Weather better sort itself out by Saturday when I hit Salzburg