Day 12 Munich to Venice - Kreuzwiesen Alm

6hrs 30mins 25km 1300m ascent 530m descent.

Because we stayed two nights hiding from the rain at Pfitscherjoch the group of Germans we had said our goodbyes to at the Tuxer-Joch-Haus caught us up again last night at Pfunders.  They were a bit surprised to see us. Some have been left behind, others have joined but the core group, together since Tutzinger Hütte, remains and now once again we're part of it.

Chapel to the south of Pfunders

Comparatively speaking today's walking was dull. Having crossed the Zillertaler Alps we are now heading south on the way to the Dolomites.  We've had glimpses of them in the distance but it takes 2 days to get amongst them.

Climbing up to Leachenalm

Delicious

 first two hours involved a plod down the valley to Niedervintl (aka Vandoies di Sotto).  You can avoid the first 4 km of mainly road walking by catching a bus but having blotted our copy book by taking the chair lift near Tuxer-Joch-Haus we walked all the way.

Hirschleiten Alm

Niedervintl sits right at the bottom of an east west running valley and the climb out of it was a long one through trees.  We amused ourselves by trying to spot the most disgusting looking fungi and there were some pretty dreadful ones to choose from.  The intense fungi hunting season doesn't seem to have started yet but can't be long.

On the Lusner Alpe

It was sunny as we climbed up through the trees but by the time we got to the top the weather had changed again.  The clouds were covering the tops of the mountains and it was cold.  We stopped for a drink at the Roner Hutte but it was too cold to hang about so we set off south across the Lüsner Alm, a large alpine meadow full of miserable shivering Italians who had all struggled to the top only to be disappointed by the lack of views.

Transhumance on the Lusner Alpe

Two hours later we were at the hut.  Because  we are a day late we have lost the room reservation and are condemned to a night in the lager (dormitory).  It's a big low ceilinged affair with about 30 beds, up a rickety wooden ladder above an animal smelling empty downstairs room.  Sleeping I suspect, is not guaranteed.

 

Kreuzweisen Alm