Back on the "Dreamway" 2015

In September 2015 I was back in the Alps doing final research for my 2nd guide - "Munich to Venice - the Dreamway'.  I was on my own, Christine was stuck in Brighton nursing a broken foot, but the trip was a great success and provided some new perspectives on the Munich Venice experience.  So what did I learn.

Firstly a year can make a big difference.  Last year was exceptional, the worst weather in living memory and snow lingered on the passes in late August.  I'm not sure if this year was normal, but the weather was perfect.  Instead of snow fields, streams swollen with melted water where this year's challenge.   Last year's trip was fantastic but the 'Dreamway' in the sunshine is even better.
Junsee 2014
Junsee 2015
Secondly Munich to Venice is a good trip for solo walkers.  Now I know what it's like walking on your own - I walked most of Tarifa to Budapest trip alone - but it's a different experience on a popular route like Munich to Venice staying in crowded huts where everyone speaks German. Sometimes you can feel uncomfortably conspicuous alone in a crowd.  On the Dreamway this wasn't a problem - the Germans speak English, there were other solo walkers and the common interest in walking meant that conversation and associations came easily.  Socially it was great fun.

Walking buddie
Thirdly chairlifts are a tempting alternative way of getting out of valleys.  One of the great things about the Munich Venice traverse of the Alps is that it stays high for days on end.  Some long distance alpine routes, for instance the Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt, seem to go up and down over a huge pass every day.  They cut across the 'grain' of the landscape.  Munich to Venice only crosses three big valleys on its entire 30 day journey and stays high for days on end.  Those three valleys however are deep and for two of them the journey to the top can be chairlift assisted. On this trip I got off the plane and next day climbed 2400m from Hall to the Glungezer Hütte - it was hard work and made worse by the fact that the locals were all making the same journey in a chair lift.
Taking the easy option
Fourthly you don't have to be via ferrata capable to walk from Munich to Venice.  The German Rother guide, which is followed religiously by all the German/Austrian walkers involves via ferrata as it crosses the Schiara group of mountains.  Most walkers, even the Germans, don't have a helmet and a harness or experience in using them, so catch the bus.  Last year Max, a German we walked with for a few days,  followed a route east around the Schiara and sent me details of his journey when I got home. This year I followed Max's route and although it's a tough option (2200m of ascent and descent) it's better than the alternative and I'm going to include it in the guide.
An alternative way round the Schiara
More than anything else, this year's trip has reassured me that writing an English language guide to the 'Dreamway' was a good decision.  This is a great walk and while it's understandable that the German's want to keep quiet about it their secret next July will be well and truly out of the bag when the guide is published.

If you haven't read them you see the trip reports I published when I was on the 'Dreamway' by going to the links below.

Hall to Glungezer
To the Lizumer Hütte
To the Geraer Hütte
To Stein

4 comments:

  1. Nice, where is the lake in the pics?

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  2. Hi Percy

    It's in the Tux Alps, not far from the Hintertux Ski resort and a few kilometres north of the Italian border with Italy.

    Thanks for the comment

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  3. Replies
    1. Nearly, October this year. You can get your order in via Cicerone. Thanks for your interest

      John

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